As the weather turns, so too do we turn to comforting spices, and warming meals. That’s why we asked Esha who lives in Minnesota to prepare a Brockmans seasonal dish, something to match with the changing of the leaves and cool breeze.
Although she has spent many years in the United States, Esha is originally from India, where she learned about the art of cooking and baking from her mother. With a dream of becoming a professional chef or baker, she set off for the US to study the art and science of baking. Her passion for photography complemented her studies, and she created Deluscious Bites, where you can find a wide range of recipes mixing flavours from her travels around the world. For us, she created Saffron Gin Fettuccine with Chicken Tikka Masala Sauce, and yes there’s gin in that too. We’d recommend pouring yourself a Clove Actually as you spend the afternoon preparing the dish. The warming clove pairs nicely with the aromatic spices in the pasta sauce, enhanced by the citrus botanicals in our gin…
Saffron Gin Fettuccine with Chicken Tikka Masala Sauce
By Esha Sachdeva
For Gin Infused Chicken Marination:
- 450 grams boneless chicken breast (2 breast pieces)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp Brockmans gin
- 1 tsp juniper berries
- 1 tsp chilli flakes (adjust according to spice level)
- Salt to taste
- 2 slices of lemon
For Tikka Masala Sauce:
- 50 grams whole almonds soaked in water
- 100 grams onions, roughly chopped
- 300 grams tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 50 grams garlic, chopped
- 2-3 finger chilli (adjust according to your spice level)
- 10-15 green cardamom pods
- 2 grams cinnamon stick
- 4 bay leaves (preferably fresh, but dried is fine too)
- 1 tsp dried crushed mint
- Salt to taste
- 1 tsp juniper berries
- 1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns
- 1/2 tsp jaggery
- 3 tbsp gin
- 300ml chicken stock
- 3 tbsp cooking oil
For Saffron Gin Fettuccine:
- 150 grams 00 pastry flour
- 50 grams semolina
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp crushed black pepper
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp Brockmans gin
- 8-10 saffron strands soaked in 2 tsp water
- 1 large whole egg
- 1 large egg yolk
For Chicken Using Sous Vide:
*The chicken can be cooked in the oven if there is no Sous vide.
- Massage the chicken with oil, salt and chilli flakes.
- Put the chicken breast pieces in vacuum seal bags.
- Add the gin, juniper berries and lemon slices. Seal the bags and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to overnight. You could freeze to cook at a later time as well.
- Preheat the water bath with sous vide at 65 degrees C/150 degrees F. Place the bag containing the chicken in the heated water bath and cook for 1.5 hours.
- Take the bag out of the water bath and cut open to get the chicken pieces out. Discard the juices along with lemon. You could save the juice to add in the sauce if you want a stronger taste.
- Now put a heavy cast iron griddle on the stove or any heavy bottom pan on medium high heat.
- Add 2 tsp of oil and sear the chicken on each side (1 minute on each side) just enough to get the crispy layer.
- Rest the chicken on a wire rack for 1-2 minutes before slicing. Cut the chicken to get medium sized cubes and put it aside.
For Tikka Masala Sauce:
- Soak the almonds overnight and get the peel off the nuts. Discard the peel. You could also soak them in hot boiling water for 2 hours while the chicken is cooking.
- Dry roast the juniper berries and black peppercorns for 1-2 minutes to get the smoky flavor. Set aside.
- In a heavy bottom pan, heat oil. Add onions, chillies and garlic. Sauté at medium heat for 5-7 minutes, until translucent. Then add all the whole spices (bay leaves, cinnamon stick, roasted juniper berries, green cardamom, and black pepper). Sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and mint. Cook on medium low heat for 8-10 minutes, until the tomatoes are mushy and almost cooked.
- Take off the heat. Transfer all of the cooked onion tomato mix, along with peeled almonds into your heavy duty blender and blend this into a smooth creamy sauce. Pour the chicken stock slowly so it blends well.
- Put the same pan back on medium-low heat. Add Brockmans gin and the blended puree into the pan. Add the leftover chicken stock, cover the pan and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes. Adjust for salt and seasoning.
- Add the chicken pieces into the sauce and give it a quick mix.
- Pour this on freshly boiled pasta.
For Fettuccine:
*If there is no pasta machine, then the pasta dough can be hand rolled and cut into Fettuccine*
- In a food processor with blade attachment, add all the ingredients and mix for 1-2 minutes.
- Check the dough for dryness. If it’s too dry then you can add very little of the leftover egg white. Make sure the dough does not get too moist. If it is too moist then sprinkle some flour until you get the perfect dough.
- Mix again for another minute. Take it out and knead to form a firm, tight dough. Cover it with cling film and rest in the refrigerator for at least an hour to overnight before using it.
- Line the sheet pan with parchment paper and sprinkle some flour and semolina.
- Cut the dough into 4 pieces. Take one piece and flatten it out to get a thick rectangular shape. Don’t worry if the shape if not perfect. Cover the rest of the pieces and keep aside.
- Attach the pasta roller attachment onto your mixer, and set at #1. Run the dough through the roller at speed #2. Fold the dough in half and run again. You could also try the fold method to fold the dough.
- Dust the sheet with flour each time it goes through the roller to prevent it from sticking. Set the attachment at #2 and run the dough. If needed, fold the dough again and you could go back to #1 if it gets thick after folding. Keep folding (around 3-4 times) until you get the perfect rectangular shape.
- Now run the dough through roller at #3. And keep rolling until you reach #6. Roll it twice at each number setting. If you need thinner than this then, you could roll at #7. Roll only once at #7, else it might get too thin for fettuccine.
- If the sheet gets too long, you could cut that in half. Set the sheet on the prepared sheet pan.
- Repeat this rolling process with rest of the pieces of dough. Dust the sheets with semolina each time you place the sheet on top of each other to avoid it from sticking.
- Now attach the fettuccine cutter attachment and run the pasta sheet at speed 2. Hold the pasta as it comes through the cutter. Sprinkle or dust with flour or semolina and set the fettuccine on the sheet pan until all your sheets are cut.
- If you plan to save the pasta and use later, then set the cut fettuccine on the sheet pan in 4-5 batches and place the pan in freezer for 30 minutes. Transfer the semi frozen pasta in airtight bags.
- To use it fresh, boil the water and add salt. Put the pasta in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Fresh pasta takes less time to cook.
- Drain the pasta, saving 1/4 cup of the starchy water to thicken the sauce if needed. Drizzle some olive oil on the hot pasta. Add this into the chicken tikka masala sauce. If you need to thin the sauce, then use the reserved pasta water. Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese and serve hot.
