Country Captain

About a month ago I bought the "Throwdown" cookbook. As cocky as Bobby Flay seems (is?) I still love that show. After flipping through it I saw country captain and HAD to make it. I saw the Throwdown a while back and it looked so weird, but yummy. Raisins, carrots, curry, bacon altogether...what?! I didn't even want to make Bobby Flay's to be honest; the Lee Brother's (winner) looked 10 times better! So finally tonight, my boyfriend and I made it...and it was just as delicious as I expected. And I have tons of leftovers. I can't wait to eat it as it sits for a few days! I would highly suggest this to everyone, especially if your a curry virgin. And no wine today...limeade instead. I have to give myself a sober day every once in a while :)

Country Captain

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of chicken stock
• 1/2 cup of dried currants or raisins (I wanted to use currants but couldn't find them)
• 1 T curry powder
• 1 T garam masala
• Salt and pepper
• 4 oz of slab bacon or fatty country ham, chopped (bacon won of course)
• 12 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
• Canola oil, if needed
• 1 large dried chile, split and seeded
• 2 1/3 cups thickly sliced carrots
• 2 cups diced yellow peppers
• 2 cups diced onion
• 3 garlic cloves, unpeeled (I used the bottled, minced garlic)
• One 28oz can crushed tomatoes
• 2 T fresh grated ginger
• 4 cups cooked, white rice
• 2/3 cup slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup chopped flat-leave parsley

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Pour the stock into a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Put the currants in a small heatproof bowl and pour the hot stock over them. Set aside to plump.
3. In another small bowl, combine the curry powder, garam masala, 1 1/2 t of salt and 1/2 t of pepper.
4. Scatter the bacon in a 4- to 6- quart enameled cast-iron pot or Dutch oven set over med-high heat. Stir the pieces around occasionally until the bacon is firm and just golden brown, about 5 mins. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a small bowl.
5. Pour off all but 2 T of the fat in the pot, reserving the excess fat in a small bowl (it lasted FOREVER). Brown the chicken thighs, in batches, over med-high heat, taking care not to crowd them in the pot, until they are golden brown, about 5 mins per side. If the pot becomes too dry, add a little of the reserved bacon fat, 1 t at a time. Remove the chicken to a medium bowl.
6. Add 2 t of the reserved bacon fat to the pot (if there is none left, use canola oil). Add the chile and toast until very fragrant, about 30 seconds per side. Add the carrots, bell peppers, onions, and garlic, and cook until slightly softened, about 6 mins. Add the tomatoes, curry powder mixture, ginger and the currants and their stock. Reduce the eat to med-low and simmer until the tomatoes have cooked down to a puree and the sauce has thickened around the vegetables, about 8 mins.
7. Nestle the chicken thighs gently in the sauce so that the skin side faces up and is above the surface of the sauce. Tent the pot loosely with foil and transfer it to the middle rack of the oven. Back until the country captian resembles a roiling stew around the chicken thighs, about 20 mins.
8. Remove the foil and back until the sauce has thickened further and the chicken skin is just beginning to crisp, about 15 mins.
9. Remove from the oven, skim any excess fat from the surface, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Discard the chile (or you could eat it like Mark did haha).
10. Spoon 1 cup of white rice into a bowl. Use tongs to arrange 3 thighs on top. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and rice, and garnish with the reserved bacon, almonds, and parsley (I was soooo hungry i just put the almonds and bacon on top).

P.S. This is me and bacon. Big deal since this is the first time I've eaten/cooked bacon in years. Mark was so proud.