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Downton Abbey, Downton Abbey Food, Downton Abbey Party Food, Downton Abbey recipes, Downton Abbey viewing party, Easy dishes, english chicken banana curry, Maggie Smith, Stratford Shakespeare Festival, TIFF, Toronto, Toronto International Film Festival
Maggie Smith in Toronto Source: Jag Gundu/Getty Images North America
While Downton Abbey fans in the UK are counting down the hours until Season 3 debuts this Sunday night on ITV1, Downton fans in Toronto can take comfort that the Dowager is currently in Toronto promoting her new film, “Quartet” at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival). I feel myself already correcting my posture.
Tonight she accepts a special award as the 2012 recipient of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival’s Legacy Award. The Stratford Shakespeare Festival is an internationally recognized annual celebration of theatre running from April to November in the Canadian city of Stratford, Ontario. It attracts some of the best dramatic actors in the world. Last year’s winner of this award was Christopher Plummer.
hamming it up
TIFF is a great event for those who love movies and those who make and star in them. For many years I was active patron of the event, planning months in advance to purchase gala tickets for the privilege of seeing movies for the first time, and Toronto has been fortunate enough to premier films that have gone on to win Academy Awards, like Slumdog Millionaire. Celebrity spotting is a great pastime this time of year in Toronto, so worth a trip up North to join in the fun.
Lord D and I enjoyed Maggie’s latest movie, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,
India was the jewel in the British Empire and if you travel to the UK (or watch Coronation Street), you know that the curries are as English as fish and chips. The difference is that the original dishes have been adjusted to suit the English palate with less intense flavours and far less preparation required. It is a great way to try Indian food. I have a few favorite English curry dishes, and if you like fish, you might want to try Kedgeree, which was served at breakfast in Season 1.
English Style Chicken Banana Curry
a mild curry even the Dowager would enjoy
This is a quick and easy dish for weeknights, and elegant enough to serve at your Downton dinner party. If you like more heat you can always add a dash of cayenne pepper.
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless chicken, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 cups chicken stock
- vegetable oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 tbsp. mild curry powder
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 Granny Smith apple, diced
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 2 ripe bananas, sliced
- 2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 1/2 tbsp. flour
Method
- Sweat the onions (cook on low heat until they are translucent) in a small amount of vegetable oil. Add the curry powder and cook for five minutes. Then add the garlic, bay leaf and chicken stock, stirring as you go. Bring to a boil for 3 minutes.
- Add the apple, raisins, salt and reduce the heat, simmering for a few minutes.
- While the sauce is simmering, toss the chicken pieces in the flour.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large pan. Brown the chicken and then add the sauce.
- Simmer for 10 minutes and then add the bananas, parsley. Heat for a few more minutes and then you are ready to serve.
- Serve over rice, preferably basmati, but brown rice is a healthy option.
own your own copy
This I will definitely try. Although I will not use the mild curry. I like it stronger.
I am with you. I like the heat!
I remember taking that photo with you in the TIFF photo booth at Yonge Dundas Square! That was really fun! I still have that photo strip at work.
I made this delicious recipe for dinner tonight – we loved it!!! My hubby and I are totally loving Downton (we are half way through the 3rd Season) and I think it’s so cool that you have written a Downton Abbey Cookbook!!! I look forward to trying many more of your recipes – just wish I had Daisy to help me
.
Glad you enjoyed. We always have bananas in our house, for snacking, cooking and finally for banana breads. I love this currie since it more representative of an anglo version. I still giggle when I pass packages of Hobnobs in the store thinking about Maggie Smith’s character refusing to try Indian food.
Made this for dinner tonight – very tasty! My kids (aged 6 years and 3 years) said they didn’t like it, but proceeded to eat it all up anyway. I am puzzled about the lime juice. The method doesn’t mention when it’s meant to go in.