Smithsonian Folklife Festival

It's that time of year again! Smithsonian Folklife Festival!! The weekend before and during the 4th of July, the Mall is transformed into a culture, a country, and, what I call, an "other."

This year the culture is the Asia Pacific, the country is Mexico, and the other is "Inside the Smithsonian." It's always hot and humid and tons of fun. Last year featured Wales and my sister, mother and I spent hours wandering around. Especially at the cooking tent, where they had welsh cooks who were a hoot to listen to. I also purchased some cookbooks and socks - corgi welsh socks!

So, this year my sister and I headed off and arrived a little after 11 - I must say, this years wasn't quite as much fun - could be a bit of the language barrier. I'm used to how welsh sounds (my mom's family comes from Cornwall) But the guest cooks this year were really hard to understand.


Mexico, being the featured country, was located in the middle with the most tents. They featured cooking, storytelling, musical instruments, and . . .


Tequila! I stepped into the area and turned to my sister and said "do you smell liquor?" Yes, we did, they were distilling on the Mall.

Next we wandered to the "Inside the Smithsonian" section, where I shamelessly petitioned for a job. I should have made a sandwich board reading "Hire Me!" and wandered around, it might have been less subtle.

Then we were off to the Asia-Pacific section- which was much smaller than Mexico, but also offered cooking, story telling, and how to make your own traditional Hawaiian musical instrument . . .

Then, of course, it was time for lunch - my favorite part of the festival -

Kate purchased some chicken mole from the Mexico section and I got chicken tikka Marsala. Very yummy - I am seriously thinking next week for the 4th going down and getting some more. Those who know me, know I love chicken tikka - so below I have my recipe (which while not quite being as good as this, is very tasty). And yes, for those who came to my house party last month and have been asking - this is the recipe I used -

Chicken Tikka Marsala:

Ingredients:
1 cup yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 teaspoons salt,
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

1 tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions
In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, chili powder, black pepper, ginger, and salt. Stir in chicken, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat a grill for high heat.

Lightly oil the grill grate. Thread chicken onto skewers, and discard marinade. Grill until juices run clear, about 5 minutes on each side. (I usually cheat on this - yes, yes, tikka means grilled, but I only own a little one and find the skewers messy, especially when I cook for 20+ people - I usually cook the chicken in a large fry pan)

Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for 1 minute. Season with 2 teaspoons cumin, and paprika. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add grilled chicken, and simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter, and garnish with fresh cilantro.

I keep the salt low in the recipe so people can add the amount they like. Serve with rice.