Mexican Curry

Although my mother’s love of sewing escaped me, I did inherit her love of cooking.  From a  young age, I loved to help in the kitchen.

Perched on a stool, dressed in a handmade smocked dress with matching pinafore, I would assist by cutting out cookies, and placing them on cookie sheets.

As I got older, I helped with meal preparation, and occasionally planned whole menus.  My mother was more than willing to share her kitchen with me . . . until I started deviating from her tried and true recipes.

Growing up, a milkman delivered milk to our house a few mornings each week.

Early in the morning, he would drive up the driveway, walk around to the back door with milk bottles clanking, and deposit fresh milk in the insulated milkbox.

Once a year, the dairy printed a calendar with recipes featuring dairy products ~ milk, cream, butter and eggs.  Since my mother did most of the cooking, and had a full repertoire of recipes, the calendar generally gathered dust.

One day, during a curry phase, I glanced through the calendar for recipe ideas and stumbled across a recipe for Curried Hotdogs.  Wow!  I looked over the instructions (easy!) and ingredients (nothing more exotic than curry).  I couldn’t wait to try it.

As I started assembling the ingredients, my mother walked into the kitchen, “What are you making?”  I handed her the recipe.  She stared at it and quite articulately said, “Yuck.”

I grabbed the recipe back from her, “It sounds wonderful.  We all love hotdogs and I love curry.  It’s going to be great.”

She looked disapprovingly at the ingredients assembled on the counter, “Why don’t you make something else?”

“Because I want to make this.  Nobody tells you what to cook.  If you don’t want to eat it, you don’t have to eat it, but this is what I’m making.”

I proceeded with the recipe:  I sautéed onions and peppers in vegetable oil.  I added flour and curry to the oil to make a paste.  I stirred in tomato sauce and milk, gradually, to prevent the sauce from curdling.  I sliced the hotdogs on the diagonal (to add a fancy touch) and added them to the simmering mixture.

I slow cooked the concoction for 45 minutes, until the hotdogs plumped up and the sauce thickened.  I cooked a pot of rice to serve under the fragrant curry.

My older brother, Jim, walked into the kitchen, “What’s for dinner?”

My mother made a face and replied derisively, “Curried Hotdogs.”

Jim walked over to the post, and stirred the mixture, “You should have left out the onions and peppers, but it smells good.”

I beamed.  Coming from Jim, that was high praise ~ high praise, indeed.

My mother snorted, “He hasn’t tasted it yet.”

As my siblings appeared, they looked at the curry and started to make special requests.  Betsy wanted hotdogs and sauce, no rice.  Jim wanted hotdogs, sauce, and rice, but no onions or peppers.  Doug, the most adventurous, made no special requests.

I carefully ladled out their dinners and carried bowls of curry to the table.

As I blew on my first forkful to cool it, I anxiously awaited their verdict.

Mom stood on the sidelines (like the Grinch) waiting for the Whos down to Whoville to all cry, “Boo hoo.”

They didn’t!

The Cumberland Farms Dairy had printed a winner in its calendar that year.  Hotdog Curry was a hit ~ a homerun!  We all loved it.

In fact, forty years later, we still make it.  Jim omits the onions and peppers, and doubles up on the hotdogs.  I omit the hotdogs and substitute corn, broccoli, carrots, and celery.  But the sauce remains the same ~ tomato sauce and milk thickened with flour and flavored with curry powder.

Even Betsy, who is not a fan of curry, or rice, often cooked it for guests who always gave it rave reviews.

MEXICAN CURRY

2 Tbsp. salad or olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped,
2 ribs of celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
10 oz. frozen corn
1 head of broccoli, chopped
2 Tbsp. curry powder
1 1/2 Tbsp. flour
1 cup milk
8 oz. tomato sauce (or 2-3 chopped tomatoes)

Saute vegetables in oil until softened.  Add curry and flour to make a paste.  Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Gradually stir in milk and tomato sauce (or tomatoes).  Gently simmer over low heat for 30-45 minutes.  Serve over rice.

For Vegans:   I’ve made this without milk and it’s quite good, especially with all the yummy veggies.  Think Tomato soup vs. Cream of Tomato soup.

For hotdog lovers, add a 1 lb. package of diagonally-sliced hot dogs once the mixture comes to a simmer.   If you must, follow Jim’s lead and omit any of the vegetables that don’t appeal to you.

Related recipes and posts:  Harvest Soup * Veggie Stir Fry * Veggie Kabobs * Zucchini Boats * Versatile Pasta Salad * Mango Salsa * Yummy Hummus  * Bon Appetit! * Bruschetta * Ten Ways to Fiber Up Your Diet