Interested in the world’s greatest lamb chops? Last spring I lined up what I surely believe to be the two contenders, both in Greece…and I had myself a lamb-chop-judging! Follow it all right here on DRTV!

I always recoil from knee-jerk Retsina-hating!!! Sure, if it’s bad Retsina…..but good Retsina is absolutely delicious with Greek food! To me, it’s even an essential ingredient that makes a Greek meal taste Greek! Today’s DRTV entry, from the enchanted land of Attica, is intended to warm you up a bit, Retsina-wise!

Caviar comes and caviar goes in our American marketplace. Last week, I had the great opportunity to taste what just came in to Petrossian for this New Year’s Eve…and what will undoubtedly go to many of your parties! See it all on DRTV.

Ghostpacho with Naga Jolokia Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce

Creamy Chicken Sauté from Southwest India with African Yellow Fatali Hot Sauce

Find the text recipe here.

Also, try my Ghost Chile Bloody Mary recipe here.

Henry Family Farm Extracts
*The tangy Jamaican Lime is like adding citrus juice with a built-in chile kick to all dishes requiring acid. It is fabulous on raw seafood, like clams and oysters…and absolute salvation on ceviche, since the extract treats the fish better than lime juice does!

*The African Fatali, as a member of the Habañero family (which has a cookie-like aroma), loves cozying up to creamy dishes, appearing to make them creamier still. Creamy indian curries, Central European sour cream sauces, salads with mayonnaise….all vibrate when this extract is added.

*The Ghost Chile from India–the darling of the chile world right now–exudes tomato/bell pepper flavors in addition to extreme heat. Add Louisiana hot sauce to gazpacho…..and you’ll taste Cajun Gazpacho. Add Bob’s Ghost Chile extract….and you’ll find a heightened gazpacho that still tastes exactly like gazpacho. I like to call it “Ghostpacho.”

Available in my shop.

What happens when you can’t book passage from Santorini to Crete for a Cretan wine-tasting? You convince the Cretan winemakers to come to Santorini for lunch! Today’s offering from DRTV tells the whole, sun-drenched story.

Greek wine has been on the rise for decades…but what does it take to convince the world market that it’s not all Retsina? Well…how did California convince the world market that it’s not all jug red? In the latter case, the answer is…Mondavi. In the former case…the answer’s in this video from DRTV!

Pasta is popular and delicious all over Greece! Last May I had a killer pasta-with-lobster dish on my favorite island, Santorini. Today’s offering from DRTV gives you the spiny view…..plus most of the rest of the meal as well! There’ll be a lot of Greece coming up in the next month–one remedy against winter’s onset!

 Something new is under the sun….the combo of my new creamy chicken curry, in the southwest Indian style…with my new sauce, the yellow chile extract from Africa. It is yummy beyond all describing! DRTV gives you the picture……

Creamy Chicken Sauté from Southwest India with African Yellow Fatali Hot Sauce

The African Yellow Fatali Chile is in the Habañero family, which hoists two flags to the chef: 1) the chile is hot! 2) it exhibits the Habañero flavor range, which goes from fruity, to the bakery smell of bags of cookies. A creamy dish is excellent for this Hot Sauce, since both fruit and cookies are beautiful with cream. And dairy mitigates heat! Ah….but how to find one in which the Habañero heat doesn’t take over everything? And that’s where Indian food comes in, with the best flavor blends in the world for standing up to heat. This Chicken Sauté, inspired by the flavor profiles of southwest India, is balanced with the Habañero on the head of a pin.

serves 4 as a main course with side dishes

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 large cloves, peeled
2/3 cup chopped onion
6 rounds of unpeeled ginger root, each round the size of a quarter
2 teaspoons cracked garam masala spices (SEE GARAM MASALA NOTE)
8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, bones reserved
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup chicken stock
scant 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh cilantro, plus leaves for garnish
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh mint
12 drops African Yellow Fatali Hot Sauce (or to taste)
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Once foaming, smash two of the garlic cloves and add them to the pan along with the chopped onions. Cook to soften, about 3-5 minutes, but do not brown.

2. Add the ginger root, garam masala spices, and chicken bones to the garlic and onion, stir to combine. Pour in the heavy cream and the chicken stock, raising the heat to medium-high. When the cream starts to foam, immediately reduce the heat to medium-low. Keep the sauce at a low simmer for about 30 minutes, partially covered.

3. While the sauce is simmering, cut each of the chicken thighs into four pieces. Lightly salt the chicken and dust with flour.

4. In a large sauté pan over medium heat, melt the remaining tablespoon of butter. Mince the remaining two garlic cloves, and cook to soften, about 3 minutes.

5. Toss the chicken in the sauté pan until lightly cooked on the outside, about 3-5 minutes.

6. Strain the sauce mixture over the chicken in the sauté pan. Add the cilantro and mint, stir well, and cook the chicken until just cooked through, approximately 15-20 minutes.

7. Near the end of the cooking time, judiciously add drops of the African Fatali Hot Sauce. This is best accomplished with the use of an eye-dropper, which will allow for the controlled application of heat to the dish. I like 12 drops…..but you may like a little more or a little less.

8. Adjust seasoning. Garnish with cilantro leaves. Serve while hot, preferably with fluffy, buttered rice.

NOTE: You may, if you wish, drizzle a little room-temp heavy cream on the chicken–an eighth-teaspoon per plate–as a kind of garnish.

GARAM MASALA NOTE: “Garam Masala” refers to a mix of what thy Ayurveda calls “hot” spices…..though they mean “hot” in a different way than we do. Usually included in the blend is cinnamon, clove, cardamom and bay leaf. There is ground garam masala available…but what I have in mind for this recipe are bags of the whole spices gathered together as “garam masala.” It is the latter product I’m recommending here. If you can’t find whole garam masala in an Indian grocery, simply buy some discrete cinnamon, clove, green cardamom and bay leaf. Whether you bought the spices together or separately, simply crack the spices coarsely and add to the dish.

A few years back, I slipped into a new Thanksgiving strategy: planning my leftovers! Now, when I shop for Thanksgiving…..I also shop for the ingredients I need to maximize my spare bits. Get the big picture, in full color, from this week’s DRTV video.

Whenever Greeks meet in public…a party-like atmosphere ensues! I’ve seen this at hundreds of open-air dining tables…and, also, at Greek’s great markets. The big downtown market in Athens is among my faves: early-morning bustle reminiscent of the old Les Halles in Paris…plus coffee and eating and drinking! The place is ringed by dining establishments….which I cannot resist, even at 9AM!  See it all on DRTV.