Summer has ended and the fall is gearing up to be a busy one- my group Hevreh Ensemble is getting ready to travel to the west coast with performances in Portland Oregon in early November. We are excited to be presenting a concert for All Classical Portland and for the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education. The concert there will be for the commemoration of Kristallnacht– The Night of Broken Glass.
But first, a last fond remembrance of my trip to Norway this past summer!
Norway: Part 3
The morning we left Solvorn it was misty, atmospheric and peaceful with gentle calm water- so hard to leave a place of such natural beauty!
Our next two destinations, the small seaside village of Balestrade and a town high in the mountains; Stalheim were equally captivating.
From the porch of our hotel in Balestrade we looked over the water to a magnificent view of the mountains and the fjords. One evening we ordered burgers and beer from the hotel bistro to eat on the porch. We each had brought our books and after our feast, we sat and read to our heart’s content- with a bright sky even at 10 PM!
The next morning we donned heavy cumbersome wet suits and took a thrilling high speed motor boat ride through the narrow fjords.
On the way back, we could see our historic old hotel from the boat!
It was unseasonably warm for Norway as we set off to find our lunch destination- The Ciderhuset, an organic apple orchard with a cafe. After trudging in the hot sun for seemed like several miles, we were starting to wilt. We dragged ourselves slowly up a hill, with more than a bit of complaining on both of our parts, and then in front of us was a bucolic apple orchard and a quaint rustic cafe with a welcoming outdoor porch that looked over the mountains!
We sat on the porch enjoying local organic berry nectar as a refreshing breeze from the nearby hills washed over us; soft sounds of Ella Fitzgerald played in the background.
We ordered excellent fish cakes and an unusual sounding entree- a chicken wrap with “Chip Shop” curry sauce.
Both dishes were delicious and came with a spicy slaw topped with ground sumac.
After enjoying a piece of homemade apple crumb cake, which I am sorry to say we ate too quickly to take a photo, we thanked the gracious hostess. I mentioned that we had enjoyed the chicken curry wrap and I asked about the recipe. The hostess asked if I would like to speak to the chef and she introduced me to a lovely young man who it turned out was from Turkey! This explained the spicy Mediterranean flavors and the topping on the slaw.
The chef generously shared his method to prepare the sauce for the curry chicken wrap. I took mental notes as he lovingly described how he prepares the sauce in large batches based on sauteed onion, combined with coconut milk, a small amount of tomato paste along with cumin, ground coriander and cardamom. He then cooks the mixture down until it forms a velvety sauce, with no added thickeners.
After I got home, I decided to try to make the sauce from the taste that I remembered and my few notes. I was also curious about the name “Chip Shop Curry” and found that it is a sauce offered in chip and fish shops in England! I would imagine that this would have originated from the popular Japanese curry sauce.
I created a “Chip Shop” curry sauce that I mixed with sauteed vegetables and chunks of chicken and made my version into a potpie with an olive oil pastry crust. I am happy to report that I was delighted with the result; I hope you enjoy making this!
“Chip Shop” Curry Chicken Potpie
Ingredients:
Olive Oil Pastry Crust
1 cup whole grain spelt flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening (I used Spectrum Organic-All Vegetable Shortening).
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons non-fat yogurt
3 tablespoons ice water (more if necessary)
1 egg-lightly beaten for egg wash
Ingredients for Curry Sauce:
1 small onion finely chopped
1 clove garlic finely minced
2 cups canned light coconut milk
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cardamom
pinch cayenne powder
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Filling:
2 cups cooked chicken cut into small pieces
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/4 cup chopped celery with leaves
5-6 chopped button mushrooms
1/2 frozen peas- defrosted (optional)
Make Pastry Crust:
Combine flours and salt in the bowl of a food processor.
Add olive oil, shortening, yogurt and ice water.
Process until the mixture forms a ball. You may need to add a bit more ice water, add 1 tablespoon at a time.
Wrap ball of dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to let gluten in the dough relax.
Bring dough to room temperature and roll out into a large thin circle.
Place dough on baking sheet with the parchment paper.
Trim edges to make a round circle.
Make Curry Sauce:
Heat olive oil in a medium sized pot with a heavy bottom.
Saute onion until soft, add chopped garlic and cook briefly.
Add carrots, mushrooms and celery- cook a few minutes until the vegetables start to soften slightly.
Add spices and cook about 2 minutes, stirring.
Add tomato paste and cook mixture until tomato paste start to lightly brown.
Add coconut milk and bring to a boil- reduce heat to a simmer and cook uncovered until sauce thickens enough to lightly coat the back of a spoon, aprox. 30-35 minutes.
Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Add more cayenne if desired.
Add chicken and peas if using.
Stir mixture and pour into a large oval baking dish.
Pre-heat oven to 350 Degrees
Place prepared crust over top of dish, crimp edges and lightly brush with beaten egg glaze.
Cut a few slits in the top of the crust and bake in the middle of the oven until crust browns and sauce bubbles around the edges of the crust, aprox. 35-4o minutes.
Let cool about 10-15 minutes.
ENJOY!
After Balestrade, we traveled to Stalheim, high up in the mountains. The scenery was equally stunning.
We returned to Bergen and had the chance to visit Troldhaugen, Grieg’s summer home; an absolute thrill to see the Steinway piano that he played his compositions on! It was a lovely and fitting last day for an amazing trip!
AND- Here is the “Tree of the Week”
What do you see? I feel perhaps this tree is Edvard Munch like; with hands holding a face?
HAPPY FALL!
A Musician's Travels 