Have you ever watched the Food Network show, Throwdown with Bobby Flay? I love that show! It’s fun to see regular old people duking it out with Iron Chef Bobby over their tried and true special dishes. I always root for the underdog too. Not that I don’t like Bobby Flay, because I do like him a lot. I’ll bet he’d be blast to throw back a few with at Happy Hour! I just figure he’s already got his share of fame and fortune. It’s nice to see someone else have their day in the sun.
A few months ago I watched a Throwdown episode featuring popular Southern cookbook authors, Matt and Ted Lee, aka The Lee Brothers. The dish they were competing with was called Country Captain. I’d never heard of it before, but it didn’t take me long to become intrigued by it.
Country Captain is a chicken dish which is stewed in a sauce of tomatoes, onion, garlic, and curry powder. At the end, dried currants or raisins are added. The dish is served over rice and topped with toasted almonds. Nobody is quite sure exactly where the name or recipe for Country Captain came from, but many believe that the dish originated in Savannah, Georgia, a major shipping port for the spice trade in the 19th century. It is thought that the dish was brought to Georgia by a British sea captain who had been stationed in India who shared the recipe with friends in Savannah. It is also thought that the dish was named for the officers in India called “Country Captains.” Wherever the dish came from, once I saw the Lee brothers make it, I knew I had to try it too.
However, “the road to hell is paved with good intentions”, and the busier I got, the quicker I forgot about Country Captain. Then last week, the episode aired again…and again…and again. I think it was the cosmic culinary universe trying to tell me something. So, I printed out the recipe and finally made the the dish. read more >>
Filed Under: Bacon, Chicken and Poultry, Cooking, Recipes
