Secrets of DP success

I'm starting to wonder how long it's going to take for this blog to start showing up in Google search results for some of those "other" DPs...

The DP is a staple of the thirtythousanddollarmillionaire lifestyle. Predominantly held on week nights, they're a way to bring friends together over a simple combination of good food, a few bottles of wine and beer, and ridiculous conversation.

Since my personality tends to mirror that of a crotchety old woman from the Bronx, I learned to cook. And cooking easy, delicious DP food is what I'm actually pretty good at.

Here's a quick photo tutorial for one of my new favorites, coming to a TTDM DP soon: Curried chicken. The recipe below feeds three, which is obviously not enough for a DP, but doubling or tripling the recipe is a cinch. Also included are little tips--making this easier on the cook makes for a happier cook and a less stressful DP with less cleanup after.

Step one: Get your shit together.

• 2 pounds of chicken breast, cubed into 1-inch pieces.
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1 medium onion, diced (I always quarter onions and stick them in the food processor for a few seconds, along with the whole cloves of garlic. It's fast and the cleanup is easy since everything is dishwasher safe.)
  
• 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes, no salt added, drained
  
• 1 cup mango chutney
• 1/2 can coconut milk or coconut juice
• 1 14 oz can of chickpeas (microwave in their liquid for a minute and a half, then drain. This will cut down on cooking time when they're mixed with everything else.)
  
• 2 1/2 tbsp. curry powder (or less...depending on how you like it)
  
• 1 tsp red curry paste
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Drizzle of olive oil
• Cast-iron skillet or other large pot or pan that's at least 3 inches deep. Make sure it's deeper if you're doubling or tripling.
• Instant brown rice (follow packaging instructions)
• Cilantro, for garnish
  

Step two: Get hot

• Put the skillet on the stove over medium heat
• Take the cubed chicken and sprinkle salt and pepper over it--just enough for a light coat. Nothing too heavy--you've got a lot of spice coming.
• Microwave chickpeas, if you're microwaving them. You don't have to, but if you're not, count on adding an additional 5 minutes to your cook time or the chickpeas will be a little too firm. That's what I've found, at least. You might like firm chickpeas. That's cool, too.

• Drizzle olive oil into the warm skillet and add the chicken.
• Sautee the chicken until it's browned, but not fully cooked. If you cook it too long, you're going to end up with dry chicken.

• Add in the onion and garlic and sautee for about 3 minutes, or until the onion is tender.
• Add in the chickpeas, tomatoes, curry powder, curry paste, mango chutney and half of the coconut milk/juice.
  
• Mix.
• Let it simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid reduces by about half. (About 20 to 25 minutes)

(Blogger seems to be under the impression that I didn't already rotate this in iPhoto. Sorry.)

• While this is going on, clean up--you don't want a messy kitchen when the TTDMs get there--and set the table.
  
• Add in the rest of the coconut milk/juice and stir. Turn the heat down to low.
• Make the rice

Step three: Make a good impression

• Benefit of this dish: Once the heat is turned down, it can simmer for up to 25 additional minutes without drying out too much. So, if your guests are running late from work, you've got 0 worries. If you need to, use some of the rest of the can of coconut milk to keep things from getting too thick.
• When you're ready to eat, plate up the rice, top with the curry mixture and garnish with cilantro. Serve with warmed pita bread (or naan, if you can find it).
• Get ready for at least 9 inappropriate comments and a ridiculously wonderful evening.