Curry

Photo courtesy of Creative Commons and FotoosVanRobin

Spicy food is essential to cold winter nights. I mean really; there is only so much soup you can consume in a single season. Curry is one of the most unique and by far the tastiest solution to cold weather. Last night my friend and I got together to make shrimp curry. We based our concoction loosely on the 10 minute shrimp curry recipe from Steamy Kitchen. We chose to use spinach instead of basil and omitted the mushrooms altogether. It turned out to be the perfect spicy dinner to warm our chilled bones.

Curry is a spice blend, meaning a mixture not a single spice, which hails from South Asia. It can be found in a range of spiciness from mild to five-alarm. There are also a wide variety of flavors, spanning from red and yellow to green curry. Each culture has adapted it in a unique way.

This was my first time working with curry paste. I usually opt for adding curry powder. However, it was satisfying to let the paste cook a bit, releasing the flavor of some of the spices. I think I have been converted to using paste.

If you have never tried curry, in any of its many variations, I suggest you get out and give this cultural culinary experience a try.




 

Chocolate

Ingredients is a blog about, well, ingredients. The idea is that I am exploring those ingredients in the food world, edible or otherwise, which fascinate the nation of foodies and epicureans that have emerged since the widespread popularity of the Food Network.

The best way to begin, I suppose, is with most everyone's favorite ingredient: chocolate. The Truffles above are from one of my favorite chocolatiers on the Western slope of Colorado. The charm of Ouray, Colorado, the town in which Mouse Coffee and Chocolate is located is almost too much to resist on its own. When you add the wide and playful selection of truffles and other unique chocolate treats, it might well be impossible to ignore this little chocolate shop. Pictured above are the chai, chipotle, and blueberry truffles.

Mouse Coffee and Chocolate is also creative in incorporating the outdoor adventure culture into their treats. Featured in one of their cases are large bulk chunks of broken chocolate smothered in white chocolate, to mimic snow, and dotted with little chocolate climbers scaling the side of the chocolate mountain.

If you happen to be a chocolate lover and find yourself on the single main street in Ouray, Colorado be sure not to pass up a trip to Mouse Coffee and Chocolate. From chipotle to the classic chocolate truffle, something is sure to interest you.