Darrell Sapp, Post-Gazette Winter Curry Stew is a spicy mix of a wide variety of vegetables, including cauliflower, carrots, potatoes and peas.

By Amy McConnell Schaarsmith, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Winter seemed nearly vanquished, after a snowdrop nosed its leaves up from the thawing ground in my front yard.

And then that Punxsutawney rodent saw his shadow, and winter returned with a vengeance. Snow. Wind. Biting cold. And my little snowdrop drooped, along with my spirits at the prospect of six more weeks of cold, gray days.

So I decided to get spicy and break out the hot chiles, curry powder and Thai curry paste that always perk me up in dreary February, the home stretch of winter. Not only do their pungent flavors enliven the stews that I like to make in bulk this time of year, but they also have health effects that help combat the winter blues.

	Darrell Sapp, Post-Gazette Lime, curry and cayenne add zing to cold-weather stews. Click photo for larger image.

The flesh of capsicum peppers, also called chile or red peppers, is a rich source of cold-fighting vitamin C, containing 6 to 9 times the amount available from tomatoes, by weight. And if you do get that cold, the body responds to capsaicin -- the substance that makes hot peppers hot -- with a runny nose that will help clear your breathing passages and your mind.

Capsaicin, by producing a burning sensation in your mouth, also stimulates your body to release endorphins, a class of proteins that work like opiates, and which the body uses as a pain killer. And endorphins, which are believed to cause the feeling known as "runner's high," sometimes can give you a deep sense of happiness and well-being -- exactly what you need when a new barrage of wintry mix has covered your world.

Not all chiles are hot: Mexico's poblano chiles, for instance, are richly flavored but mild. But when you get into hot chiles such as fresh red and green chiles, cayenne chiles and the tiny but fiery Thai birdseye chiles, you can get into trouble if you're not careful.

The recipe that follows for Nkate Akwan, or Groundnut Stew, uses moderately hot fresh green chiles. But if you feel like experimenting with other types, you can partially control the amount of capsaicin you include in a recipe by limiting (or not limiting, as the case may be) the amount of white connective tissue you leave on the pepper; most of the capsaicin is concentrated in that tissue, which connects the pepper's seeds to its flesh, so more white tissue and more seeds make for a hotter dish.

When working with hot peppers, wash your hands several times, don't rub your face or especially your eyes, and don't get any pepper juice into cuts or scrapes. Ouch.

It's easier to get the tissue and seeds out before cutting up the pepper. Just cut the chile in half, hold onto the stem with one hand and scrape out the seeds with the point of a knife in the other (or for a dried chile, cut off the stalk end, slip a knife around inside and shake out the seeds). If you wear contacts, however, take my advice: Wear rubber gloves or ask your cooking partner to deal with the peppers while you peel the potatoes or chop the onions. You'll save yourself a few pairs of ruined contacts and a lot of painful tears.

The recipes that follow, though, will give you pleasure, not pain. The curry powder in the Winter Curry Stew and the curry paste in the Thai Red Curry, which both contain ground chiles, are pungent without being at all painful -- just spicy enough to lift your spirits for the last few weeks of winter.

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WINTER CURRY STEW

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
  
• 1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
  
• 2 cups leeks, white part only
  
• 6 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
  
• 4 celery stalks, cut into 1-inch pieces
  
• 4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
  
• 3 turnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
  
• 2 medium zucchini or summer squash, cut into 1-inch chunks
  
• 2 1/2 cups cauliflower, cut into 1-inch chunks
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoon savory or   1/2 teaspoon thyme
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• 1 bay leaf
  
• 2 (14-ounce) cans chicken broth
  
• 1 cup water
  
• 1 1/2 cups frozen peas

Heat oil in a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed stock pot. Add curry and cook for 1 minute over medium heat, stirring continually. Add leeks, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring, until vegetables begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Add potatoes and turnips and cook, stirring, about 5 minutes.

Add squash, cauliflower, savory, salt, bay leaf and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in broth and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Add peas and simmer for another 10 to 20 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

Serves 8.

THAI RED CURRY

• 2 cans (14-ounce) coconut milk
  
• 1 tablespoon red curry paste
  
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce or Thai fish sauce
  
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  
• 2 tablespoons lime juice (or 4 kaffir lime leaves)
  
• 2/3 cup basil leaves, coarsely chopped
  
• 1  1/2 tablespoons olive oil
  
• 2 pounds chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
  
• 1 medium red bell pepper, julienned
  
• 2 medium carrots, shredded
  
• 2 medium zucchinis, shredded

In a medium saucepan, combine coconut milk and red curry paste. Bring to a low boil and let simmer 5 minutes. Add soy sauce or fish sauce, brown sugar and lime juice or kaffir leaves. Stir, let simmer for 5 more minutes. Add basil, remove from heat.

In a large, nonstick skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Season chicken cubes with salt and pepper. When oil is hot, add chicken. Cook until no longer pink in middle, about 7 minutes. Add bell pepper, carrot and zucchini. Saute until the vegetables wilt. Add curry sauce to chicken mixture. Simmer 5 minutes over low heat. Serve over rice.

Serves 4.

NKATE AKWAN (GROUNDNUT STEW)

• 1 chicken, cut into pieces
  
• 1-inch piece of ginger,
  
• peeled
  
•   1/2 onion, peeled but left whole
  
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil
  
• 1 cup onion, chopped
  
• 1 cup tomatoes, chopped
  
• 2/3 cup peanut butter
  
• 2 teaspoon salt
  
• 2 fresh green chiles,
  
• minced
  
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  
• 1 medium eggplant, peeled and cubed
  
• 2 cups okra

Boil chicken with ginger and  1/2 onion using 2 cups of water, about 20 minutes. In separate pot, fry tomato paste in oil over low heat, about 5 minutes. Add to the paste the chopped onions and tomatoes, stirring until onions are translucent. Put partially cooked chicken with half the broth in the large pot. Add peanut butter, salt, chiles and peppers. Cook 4 minutes before stirring in eggplant and okra. Cook until chicken and vegetables are tender, adding rest of broth as needed, about 30 minutes more.

Serves 6 to 8.