Got time for the kitchen now? We’ve got recipes.
It’s a cliché that we often turn — maybe too often? — to food in times of trouble and stress. But when you need comfort (not to mention strength and nutrition) and hugs are off the social-distancing menu, there’s nothing quite like a familiar and delicious dish — or a new one. Here’s a handful of home recipes for some items we like to order in the Dallas area when we need a yummy lift. And here’s hoping you’ve got the ingredients on hand.
Mendocino Farms Curried Couscous
The pantry staple reimagined. This dish holds well in the fridge and is perfect for a dish base or a star-studded side with bold flavor.
Ingredients
1 box Israeli couscous or orzo
1 head cauliflower, florets broken into pieces
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 tablespoon cumin, ground
1 tablespoon coriander, ground
½ tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons oil
2 small carrots, peeled, and diced small
1 cup Vegenaise (or mayonnaise)
½ bunch cilantro, chopped
½ lime, juiced
Cayenne, sugar, and salt to taste
Instructions
Cook couscous or orzo according to the instructions on the box. Rinse in cold water, drain well, put in a bowl, and set aside. Heat oven to 450 degrees F.
Put cauliflower florets in a bowl and toss with spices, salt, brown sugar, and oil. Spread out on a lined sheet tray and roast in the oven for about 10 minutes until cauliflower is browned around the edges but still crunchy. Remove just the cauliflower and put in the bowl with the pasta. Put diced carrots on the same sheet tray and, using spatula, toss the carrots with the leftover spices and oil. Roast carrots until brown around the edges but still crunchy, about 8 minutes. (If you find that the spices and oil got too burnt when roasting the cauliflower, just toss the carrots in the same proportion of new spices, salt, sugar, and oil.)
Add to the pasta. Mix in Vegenaise, cilantro, lime juice to the pasta, cauliflower, and carrot mixture. Adjust seasoning to desired consistency, flavor, and spice level.
The Biscuit Bar’s Hot Chocolate Gravy
Those looking to curb their sweet tooth during this quarantine can dive into this scrumptiously sinful Hot Chocolate Biscuit with the Biscuit Bar’s chocolate gravy recipe for at-home cooking. The dish features chocolate gravy, a Southern tradition originating from the Appalachian Mountain region. The chocolatey sauce appears atop of a flakey buttermilk biscuit and crowned with toasted marshmallow fluff.
Makes 10–12 servings
Ingredients
¼ cup cocoa
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¾ cup sugar
2 cups milk
1 tablespoon butter, softened
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
Instructions
Whisk the cocoa, flour, and sugar together in a bowl until there are no lumps. Pour the milk into the mixture and whisk until well incorporated.
Transfer the mixture into a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until consistency is similar to gravy, 7 – 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir the butter and vanilla into the mixture until the butter is melted. Serve immediately over buttermilk biscuits and top with toasted marshmallow fluff.
Eatzi’s Market & Bakery’s Meat Lasagna
There is nothing more comforting than homemade lasagna. This recipe is stacked with layers of gooey mozzarella, ricotta, marinara, and meat filling. If you’re in need of a comforting, this is a great homemade meal for the family.
Meat Filling:
Ingredients
1 pinch fennel seed
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 garlic clove, sliced
1/8 teaspoon red chili flakes
¼ pound ground beef
1 ounce ground veal
2 ounces ground pork
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon dried oregano leaves
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
½ cup water
¼ cup canned peeled tomatoes
¼ cup marinara sauce
Instructions
In a small sauté pan over a medium heat, toast fennel seed and set aside.
Heat oil in large sauté pan until it begins to smoke. Add garlic, crushed red pepper and toasted fennel/anise seed and sauté. Add all meat and remaining dry spices, break up any clumps of meat, with a spoon, and brown completely for about 10 minutes.
Add water and bring to a boil. Continue to break up meat, until all water is boiled away, about 15 minutes. Drain all excess fat from meat. Add peeled tomatoes and marinara sauce to the meat. Simmer while mixing for an additional 10 minutes.
Remove from the heat and chill.
Meat Lasagna:
Ingredients
4 each 4” x 6” sheet of fresh pasta
12 ounces ricotta filling
1 cup marinara sauce
9 ounces meat filling
1 ounce freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1½ ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
In a 4 x 6 loaf pan, place ¼ cup of marinara sauce on the bottom. Top with 1 pasta sheet, then 4 ounces of ricotta filling, 3 ounces meat filling, and 2 tablespoons of marinara; spread evenly.
Repeat 2 more times. Top with last pasta sheet, then 3 fluid ounces of marinara, shredded mozzarella, and Parmesan.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes until top is browned and bubbling.
Ricotta Filling:
Ingredients
½ pound whole milk ricotta
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
1 egg yolk
1/8 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons fresh chopped garlic
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoons ground white pepper
¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon freshly grated pecorino Romano Cheese
Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix on low speed until well blended.
Street’s Fine Chicken Bread Pudding
Street’s Fine Chicken is a Southern chicken house offering comfort foods with French flair. Their famous bread pudding is an easy and delicious dessert that can be made at home, filled with white chocolate and macadamia nuts.
Bread Pudding:
Ingredients
4 cups heavy cream
2½ cups whole milk
1½ cups sugar
11 ounces chopped white chocolate or white chocolate morsels (1 retail size bag)
4 egg yolks, plus 1 whole egg
3 cups toasted and coarsely chopped macadamia nuts
8 brioche buns, day-old is best, cut into ½-inch – ¾-inch cubes
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter or pan spray 6-ounce soufflé ramekins.
Combine the cream, milk, and the sugar in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and bring just to a boil. Add the white chocolate chips and remove from the heat. Let sit for 5 minutes, undisturbed; then whisk until the chocolate is completely dissolved.
Whisk the egg yolks and egg together in a large bowl. Whisk in 1 cup of the hot cream mixture; then gradually add the remaining cream mixture and whisk to blend.
Add the macadamia nuts and the cubed bread and set aside to soak for 30 minutes. Transfer the bread pudding mixture to the prepared soufflé dishes. Cover and bake in the center of the oven for 40 minutes or just until the bread pudding begins to set. Remove cover from bread pudding and rotate 180 degrees; then finish cooking until the bread pudding is puffed, golden brown, and set in the center, about 20 minutes.
Total baking time should be 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. Test with a skewer in the center. It should not be overly wet, soggy, or soupy but come out hot with moisture of the set bread pudding.
Texas Whiskey Anglaise:
Ingredients
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 vanilla bean split seeds separated
2 pounds white chocolate chips
3/4 cups of your favorite Texas Whiskey
1/4 teaspoon kosher-salt (taste first before adding)
Instructions
In a medium saucepan, bring cream and vanilla bean to a boil.
Remove from stove and add white chocolate. Stir until melted and smooth. Add whiskey and stir with whisk to incorporate.
Pappas Delta Blues’ Sunday Deviled Eggs
Maybe you won’t be heading to a Sunday potluck, but you can still spruce up the dozen of eggs in your fridge with this recipe. Add flavor and fun and top with signature pork belly or another type of meat to make these tasty nibbles a bit heartier.
Makes 12 deviled egg halves.
Deviled Eggs:
Ingredients
6 eggs
Water as needed
Kosher salt
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
¼ cup Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon paprika
¼ teaspoon cayenne
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon paprika (or smoked paprika) to garnish
Chopped parsley to garnish
Instructions
Place eggs in a single layer in a saucepan and cover with enough water that there is 1½ inches of water above the eggs. Heat on high until water begins to boil; then cover, turn the heat to low, and cook for 1 minute.
Remove from heat and leave covered for 10 minutes. Then rinse under cold water continuously for 1 minute. Carefully peel shell away from egg and rinse under cold water. Gently dry with paper towels.
Slice the eggs in half lengthwise; remove yolks to a medium bowl and place the whites on a serving platter. Mash the yolks into a fine crumble using a fork.
Add mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, paprika, cayenne, and black pepper. Place the egg-yolk mixture into a piping bag or Ziploc bag and make a small cut to corner of bag. Pipe mixture into the hardboiled egg whites.
Place the deviled eggs on desired platter. Garnish with paprika and chopped parsley.
Slow-Roasted Pork Belly:
Ingredients
1½ pounds pork belly, raw and unsmoked
Kosher salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
Olive oil
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Score the skin and fat of the pork butt with a sharp knife into rows about 1inch apart. Rub with olive oil and season liberally with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Place pork belly on a rack on a sheet tray, skin side up.
Roast in oven for approximately 2 hours, depending on the thickness. Roast until skin is golden brown and internal temperature to 195 – 200 degrees.
Remove from the oven and allow to rest before slicing.