Gourmet Quarantine A cooking project that began with COVID and continues into the future. Anika & Jeff

Open Air Fryer Toasted Ravioli

September 29, 2020

When I lived in St. Louis, there were some classics that I fell in love with: Imo's pizza made with Provel cheese, Bogart's barbecue, gooey butter cake, Ted Drewes custard.... But one of my favorites was toasted ravioli. T-ravs, as my partner affectionately calls them, are crispy, crunchy, savory, and delicious. We were recently gifted an air fryer by parents, so it seemed as good a time as any to try my hand at making toasted ravioli at home. These could easily be baked in the oven or fried in oil the more traditional way, but I'll outline how I made them using the air fryer for a lighter variation on the classic.

Ingredients

The ingredients here are very simple (unless you're planning to make homemade pasta):

• Ravioli of choice (thaw and pat dry if frozen)
• Egg
• Panko breadcrumbs
• Garlic powder
• Italian seasoning
• Cayenne
• Black pepper
• Salt

Bread Your Ravs

Open Gochujang Crab Rangoon

March 3, 2021 -- Guest post by Mira

Hello Hello! Guest post here from Anika’s sister out in Denver. I’ve been thinking for a while about what food would be a fitting contribution to this incredible blog that features so many tasty and fun creations. I finally settled on a recipe that came out of quarantine cabin fever, a twist on one of my favorite treats: crab and cheese wontons (or, as my college roommates called them, Rangoon). This originated as a “what can I do with what’s in my fridge” recipe that I immediately loved, combining rich cream cheese with spicy gochujang. These are super easy to make, require only a few ingredients, and work in an oven or air fryer. Even better, you can adjust the filling to taste as you make it since none of the ingredients are raw/unsafe and add more or less spice!

You will need:

For the filling:

• Cream cheese
• Chopped Green onions or chives
• Soy sauce
• Gochujang
• Imitation or real crab flaked/chopped into small pieces

For the assembl

Open Kimchi Nacho Fries

July 19, 2020

I am a huge fan of kimchi and love recipes like Bon Appetit's kimchi pancakes. In trying to increase my use of kimchi in everyday cooking, I experimented with kimchi, vegan "meat," cheese, and frozen sweet potato fries. Out of this experimentation, a delicious casserole-like dish was born.

What you'll need

• Frozen fries
• Cheese
• Kimchi
• Protein of choice
• Rice vinegar
• Sesame oil
• Sambal olek/chili garlic sauce
• Sriracha
• Sesame seeds
• Pickled or fresh jalapeno slices
• Scallions

Preparation

Start by baking/cooking your fries per instructions on the bag. We did a mix of what we had in the freezer, so sweet potato fries and waffle fries. Roughly chop your kimchi and set aside (keep your kimchi brine for later use!).

Mo

Open Not Yo Mama's Pasta Salad Pt. 1: Spicy Chipotle

July 4, 2020

I'm not typically a fan of mayo-based pasta salads. Every time I've had one at a barbecue it's been overly sweet with not enough bite or tang. This chipotle variation on pasta salad incorporates spice, funk, and crunchy veggies to help give you a more balanced side dish with excellent texture. If you want to cut down on the spice, you can reduce the amount of chipotle pepper powder and use pickles and more bell peppers in lieu of pickled and fresh jalapenos. Additionally, use of greek yogurt helps to make for a healthier, tangier dressing that doesn't sacrifice creaminess.

Ingredients

Sauce

• Greek yogurt
• Mayonnaise
• Chipotle powder
• Black pepper
• Old Bay seasoning
• Garlic powder

Substance

• Pasta (we used spiral pasta made from red lentils)
• Bell pepper, chopped
• Jalapeno, chopped
• Shallot, diced
• Pickled jalapeno, chopped

Prepare your creamy, spicy pasta salad

Open Not Yo Mama's Pasta Salad Pt. 2: Buffalo and Gorgonzola

July 4, 2020

Per part 1 of this series on pasta salad, I'm not usually a fan of mayo-based pasta salads. This simple and delicious buffalo and gorgonzola variation incorporates spicy and tangy buffalo sauce with funky, creamy gorgonzola. The addition of shallot and pickles rounds out the flavor profile and provides some nice crunch.

Ingredients

Sauce

• Mayonnaise
• Buffalo sauce
• Garlic powder
• Black pepper

Substance

• Pasta (we used spiral pasta made from red lentils)
• Shallot, diced
• Pickles, chopped
• Gorgonzola

Prepare your spicy, funky salad

Start by cooking your pasta per instructions on the box (kudos to anyone not using boxed pasta and attempting to make their own). Drain your pasta and let it cool.

Prepare your pasta dressing with a mix of mayo and buffalo sauce. If you're a spice lord, play around with a higher ratio of buffalo sauce to mayo. Whisk together with your

Open Summer Corn Salad with Tomatoes, Peppers, & Feta

July 9, 2020

I love salad. And when it's hot out, there's little better than a cool, refreshing, colorful, and crunchy salad. This is a great recipe for when you aren't really in the mood for leafy greens, but want a veggie-laden salad that takes advantage of your summer produce.

Ingredients

Vinaigrette

• Olive oil
• Apple cider vinegar
• Red wine vinegar
• Lemon juice
• Cumin
• Coriander
• Chile powder
• Smoked paprika
• Garlic powder
• Nutritional yeast
• Turmeric
• Black pepper
• Salt

Substance

• Corn (fresh kernels, thawed frozen, or drained canned)
• Bell pepper, chopped
• Tomatoes, chopped (I used halved cherry tomatoes)
• Feta, crumbled

Prep your vinaigrette by combining the dry and wet ingredients. I usually do this in a Pyrex measuring cup with a whisk. Set aside and prep your veggies. I prefer my tomatoes and bell peppers diced, but you can cut the veggies into whate

Open Tempura Green Beans with Mango Chutney Mayo

January 16, 2021

A delicious way to make your veggies a comfort food is to fry them (duh). There's a fluffiness to tempura batter that results in a delectable and light crunch after frying. This recipes gives you a crispy, bright green bean and sweet/spicy/creamy dipping sauce that can be eaten as an appetizer, side dish, or snack.

Ingredients

• Green beans (raw, washed, and trimmed)

Tempura Batter

• Flour (1 cup)
• Cornstarch (1 T)
• Sparkling water (1.5 cups)
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Red pepper

Optional: Mango Chutney Mayo

• Prepared mango chutney or mango pickle (achar)
• Mayonnaise
• Turmeric powder

Prep your Batter

Whisk together your dry ingredients (salt and pepper to taste) and slowly combine your sparkling water. Incorporate all your ingredients until homogenous but try not to overwork the batter.

To make the mayo, simply combine the mayonnaise, mango chutney

Open Warm Quinoa and Kale Salad

February 8, 2021

If you've ever had the pre-made quinoa salad from Costco, you've known the joy of tangy dressing, crunchy vegetables, and succulent lentils and quinoa coming together in the ultimate salad. This dish is inspired by Costco's masterpiece but omits the lentils and incorporates caramelized onions and a warm vinaigrette to make for an even more comforting dish.

Ingredients

• Dry quinoa
• Red onion
• Bell pepper
• Cucumber
• Kale
• Apple cider vinegar
• Olive oil
• Lemon juice
• Honey
• Garlic powder
• Nutritional yeast
• Red pepper flakes
• Black pepper
• Salt

Start with your initial prep work (or "mise en place") of dicing your onions, cucumbers, and bell peppers and roughly chopping your kale.

Next, cook your quinoa in a small pot. Using 1 part quinoa to 2 parts water, combine water, quinoa, and a dash of sa

Open Watermelon Summer Salad

April 25, 2020

Apparently, nobody told the weather that we're still putting life on hold. It feels like summer is here, whether we're able to hit bottomless brunch on the beach or not. What we can do is cultivate some of those summer feelings indoors!

This is an experimental recipe. If anything, it's based on some of my favorite cocktails. But I think it turned out refreshing, delicious, and achieved a delicate balance between sweet and savory!

Simple ingredients

• Half a watermelon
• One cucumber
• 3-4 teaspoons' worth of crumbly feta cheese
• 8-10 basil leaves
• 3-4 dashes of balsamic vinegar

Fairly simple preparation

• Slice the watermelon into cubes as best you can
• Slice the cucumber into ½ slices
• Put those into a big bowl
• Finely slice the basil and sprinkle it on top
• Add the feta and

Open Animal Style Brunch Fries

March 29, 2020

Nothing like adding a fried egg (or two) to a homemade version of your favorite fast food side. But for real, we bought some American cheese for melty cheese purposes and my brain immediately went to animal style everything. Partner that with frozen sweet potato fries in your freezer and homemade animal style fries become a perfect choice.

What you need

This is an easy one. It only requires a few ingredients:

• frozen fries
• melty cheese (we used American here, for full authenticity)
• animal sauce (recipe below)
• eggs

Animal sauce recipes abound online. Most require mayo, ketchup, relish, white vinegar, and sugar. I didn't have any relish and try to reduce refined sugar, so our recipe was the following:

• Mayo
• Ketchup (we used a paleo variant made from tomatoes and bananas)
• White vinegar
• Serrano hot sauce (made with cucumbers, for an attempt at that relish fla

Open Brunch Strata

April 12, 2020

This year we had a Zoom family brunch for easter. With time differences, that meant the brunch was a little earlier here in California than in Colorado or Minnesota where the rest of my family is located. I knew I would want to make something I could prep ahead and then slide into the oven morning-of. Plus, we had some dried-out leftover bread (fancy Buckwheat Pave that had been on sale and was delicious). Strata seemed like the perfect marriage of all these factors.

For those unfamiliar, strata is basically a savory french toast casserole situation. You layer bread, egg/milk/spice mix, and toppings like cheese, meat, and veg into a casserole dish and bake until it's crisp on top and soft on the bottom from the bread soaking up all your eggy goodness. Growing up, I didn't love strata because I was often disapointed with the bread-to-egg ratio. I do not like eating half-dry bread. Also, I'm a huge savor

Open Oatmeal Banana Pancakes

April 14, 2020

This one is a family tradition, dating back to when the dog would jump from the banister directly into the kitchen, narrowly missing the hot skillet, just for a taste of the batter. I can't say I blame her.

They're very simple to make - just make sure you have bananas, eggs, and some kind of milk on hand. I've had success with dairy, almond, and soy, but my favorite is oat!

Prepare the dry ingredients

Pro tip: prep the dry portion first to avoid dipping eggy, milky measuring utensils into your flour.

Combine the following in the larger of your two mixing bowls:

• 1½ cups of oats
• 1⅓ cup of flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda

Set the bowl aside; we'll come back to it soon.

Mash the bananas

In the smaller of your two mixing bowls,

• Peel and add 2 banan

Open Pista Elaichi (Pistachio Cardamom) Scones

July 27, 2020

Among our family friends, my mom is famous for her scones. Her go-to is an apricot pecan variant that is DELICIOUS. Wanting to pay tribute to her delicious scones but with my own twist, I experimented with one of my favorite flavor combinations: pistachios (pista) and cardamom (elaichi). These two are a dream pairing and feature in many of my favorite Indian desserts. These scones will make you wonder why you don't put cardamom and pistachio in everything.

As a note, because this is a baked item, I actually will be including measurements in this recipe!

Scone Dough Ingredients

• 3 cups flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2.5 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon ground cardamom
• 1.5 cups shelled pistachios, chopped
• Zest of two limes
• 1

Open Shakshuka

April 6, 2020

I love a savory breakfast with veggies, eggs, and cheese. Shakshuka is a perfect marriage of all those things with the flexibility to spice things up to your heart's content.

Ingredients

• Cherry tomatoes (I used 2 pints fresh tomatoes, but you can also use canned diced)
• Red bell pepper
• Jalapeno
• Red onion
• Garlic
• Cumin
• Coriander
• Smoked paprika
• Ancho chile powder
• Salt and/or TJ's mushroom umami powder for saltiness
• Goat cheese or feta
• Eggs
• Scallions for garnish

Prep your veggies

Start by chopping up your veg, onion, and garlic. You're going to cook these bad boys until they get all saucy and jammy, so give them a head start with a chop.

Cook your veggie base

Once your fresh ingredients are all prepped, start by sautéing your onions in a good amount of extra virgin olive oil. O

Open Bison Chili

March 15, 2020

With the rush to clean the grocery shelves, many of us are left with no standard meat options, forced to choose between low-end and high-end options. When possible, I recommend the high end route. This week, all we could scrounge up at Sprouts was some high-end ground bison. Without much experience and with a deep love for slow cooking, I decided to try Bison Chili.

This is a very flexbile medium, so feel free to improvise at any stage. I'll outline my general approach here.

Prepare the Meat

If I've learned anything while slow cooking, it's that precooking the meat is crucial to lock in maximum flavor. For chili, adding some veggies helps as well.

Sauté the Good Stuff

• Finely chop a couple of garlic cloves
• Chop onions, bell peppers, and any other veggies
• Add some olive or avocado oil and heat the pan
• Add your ground bison. Break it up and cook until it's getting brown
• Add the veggies and

Open Slow Cooker Chana/Chole Masala

November 17, 2020

You may usually get chana masala, also called chole, from your local Indian restaurant or you might buy it frozen from Trader Joe's. But if you have a crock pot, you can make a super flavorful chana masala right in your own home.

Ingredients

• Dried chickpeas
• Water
• Tomato paste
• Bay leaves
• Dried red chili, whole
• Cumin seeds
• Cardamom pods
• Garam masala
• Asafoetida (hing)
• Turmeric
• Crushed whole garlic cloves
• Mango pickle (optional)
• Ghee
• Onion, chopped
• Ginger, chopped
• Green chili (jalapeño or serrano), diced
• Mustard oil
• Salt
• Kashmiri mirch or cayenne powder
• Cilantro to garnish

Prep your crockpot

Combine chickpeas and water using one part chickpeas to 2.5 parts water. Before adding the water, heat and stir in tomato paste. Add your whole spices (bay leaves, cardamom pod

Open Slow Cooker Dal

March 7, 2021

A warm and spicy dal may be one of the most comforting dishes. It's also extremely versatile! You can dip naan, roti, paratha, etc. in it, you can eat it on a bed of rice, or it can be eaten on its own in a bowl with a spoon. The main problem with this delicious lentil dish is it can be tough to make without a pressure cooker. Luckily, I experimented with a crockpot for you and can tell you some important tips and tricks for making perfectly cooked dal in a slow cooker.

There are two important pieces of information going into this recipe:

1) This recipe takes a LONG time in the slow cooker. I cooked this dal for 24 hours to get soft lentils. The minimum cook time will vary depending on your specific lentils, but the longer you cook your dal the more flavorful your end result will be. Luckily, this is a set-it-and-forget-it dish and a long time in the slow cooker means you get an amazing development of

Open Spicy Chipotle Pot Roast

April 17, 2020

Ever since scoring a secondhand, priced-to-move slow cooker from a local seller, I've been hooked. Even when it feels summery outside, I can't resist making stews and turning meat criminally tender.

This recipe is great when you want hearty, tender beef with a strong backbone and plenty of spice.

Even better, it uses only part of a beer, which means you get a well-deserved treat after you pop the lid on the slow cooker — even if it's 9am! It's not like a half-finished beer is gonna keep in the fridge. 🍻

Prepare the ingredients

This is a basic template to follow, but as always, feel free to experiment. Ingredients with a 🔥 should be treated with caution as they can get you into hot water soup. If you're more of mild salsa fan, consider using a smaller portion of these hot ones.

Seriously, if you're not careful, this can end painfully.

![raw-in-the-pan.jpeg](https://gourmetqua

Open Arugula Chimichurri

March 29, 2020

In the time of COVID, you work with what you have. That included making chimichurri with an entire box of arugula. The arugula lent a really nice bite beyond the normal parsley variant. This was a great experiment and highly recommend trying it! Of course, you can always use parsley or cilantro instead of arugula, but my guess is this recipe works with any bright green you have lying around. I used our Magic Bullet to make this sauce smooth, but we've also made chimichurri with just a rough chop of the greens.

Ingredients

I don't deal with measurements, so here is a list of ingredients:

• a bunch of arugula (or preferred green)
• olive oil
• chopped garlic
• jalapeño
• red chili flakes
• red wine vinegar (or white, apple cider)
• salt

Prep

If you're using any sort of blender, a rough chop of your greens, garlic, and jalapeno will suffice. Otherwise, you'll want to do a fine c

Open Green Goddess Dressing

May 18, 2021

Although I often don't want to take the time and effort to make my own non-vinaigrette dressing and opt to buy something pre-made, making your own dressing ALWAYS turns out better than anything you can buy in the store. This dressing is no exception. This is a light variation on green goddess dressing using greek yogurt and basically any bunches of green herbs you want as the core base. The result is something that tastes good in any number of contexts-- on salads, grain bowls, or sandwiches, or stright up as a dip... the possibilities are endless.

Ingredients

• Low fat greek yogurt
• Olive oil
• Buttermilk
• Lemon Juice
• Minced garlic or garlic powder
• Cayenne
• Salt

Pick 2 or more fresh green herbs:

• Chives
• Parsley
• Basil
• Cilantro
• Tarragon
• Watercress
• Dill
• Mint (this will give you a bit of a raita vibe)

![washed_greens.jpeg](https://gourmetquarantin

Open Roast Your Tomatoes!!!

June 2, 2020

The first time I learned about throwing a bunch of beautiful cherry tomatoes on a sheet pan and roasting them, I was flabbergasted. I thought that sounded like such a waste of beautiful tomatoes. That was before I tried roasting my tomatoes. While there is very little better than a fresh, juicy, sweet tomato, roasted tomatoes are a revelation. Yes, I still love a raw tomato plain or in a nice salad, but this is a great recipe for when you want to change things up, and an even better recipe when you have tomatoes that are maybe just a little past their prime and not as good raw. The end result is salty, sweet, jammy, caramelized perfection.

Ingredients: Keep it Simple

This can be as simple or as complex as you want, but if you're new to this, stick with salt and pepper.

I'll list an intermediate rec

Open Three Pepper Salsa

April 2, 2021

Prepare yourself for a really quick one. Finding myself with a lot of peppers around, I threw this admittedly very spicy salsa together as a topping for fish tacos, but it's great with anything that can handle the heat.

You'll need:

• Jalapeños
• Habaneros
• Serranos
• A lime or two
• Apple cider vinegar
• Honey

The Process

Basically, all you have to do is dice up the peppers and put them in a bowl.

Once you've got everything nice and uniformly sized, add:

• A tablespoon or so of honey
• A tablespoon or two of apple cider vinegar
• The juice of a couple of limes

No precision is warranted here.

After stirring together, I recommend letting everything sit and meld for 45 minutes or longer. With the variety of peppers, you end up with a floral, complex, delicious, and very spicy condiment that g

Open Apple Bourbon Chardonnay Cider

September 20, 2020

Other than Glühwein, warm & boozy apple cider is my favorite cold-weather beverage. It's easy to make a large quantity to share (or not), and you can get great results with even a basic spice cabinet.

Mulling Spices

The term "mulling spices" leaves a lot of room for interpretation. Classics are clove, cinnammon, allspice, and orange peel. I also like to add star anise, nutmeg, and ginger. This time, I also included some "pumpkin spice" from the grocery for a hint of the PSL treatment.

It's pretty much impossible to go wrong -- feel free to try weird stuff.

So, in a large pot, combine

• Mulling spices of your choice
• 3 cups apple cider
• 1 bottle chardonnay
• A few shots of bourbon or whisky

Let it simmer until warm and combined, but not too long, lest too much alcohol

Open Bar Drake Manhattan

April 29, 2020

When you want a whisky cocktail — (and when don't you want a whisky cocktail?) — the Manhattan has to be the undisputed champion of bar orders and home mixology alike. For me, the Old Fashioned is a close second, but unless I have fresh citrus, I'm reaching for the vermouth.

But sometimes, you need a change of pace while staying in your comfort zone. During a recent exploration of Port wine, I discovered the Bar Drake Manhattan, which uses Port instead of vermouth to sweeten the drink — but still with something boozy, of course.

Making the drink

Pour the following over a generous amount of ice in a cocktail shaker or glass:

• 1.5 shots of whisky
• 0.75 shot of Ruby or Tawny Port
• A "bar spoon" of maple syrup - probably a teaspoon or two
• A couple dashes of Peychaud's bitters (or whatever kind you prefer)

![cocktail-shaker.jpeg](https://gourmetquarantine.com/u/cock

Open French 75

September 6, 2020

There's no better way to mark a special occasion than popping the cork on a bottle of sparkling wine and sharing a toast with your friends. But as more of those "cheers" are heard through the tubes of the interweb, we're ending up with more bubbly to finish solo than ever before. To mix things up a bit, why not try a classic cocktail that's topped with the effervescent good stuff?

Let's make a French 75.

The ingredients are simple

• A shot of gin
• Half a shot of lemon juice
• Sparkling wine

The process is simpler

• Put a couple of ice cubes in your cocktail shaker
• Add the lemon juice and gin
• Shake until the cocktail shaker is colder than you'd like to hold

You can serve it over ice if you want -- that's up to you.

Finally, top your glass off with the sparkling wine and serve!

Open Grapefruit Hot Toddy

April 7, 2020

Here's a classic. Easy to make, served in a mug, but nonetheless delicious. When it's cold outside, there aren't many better ways to warm up.

Ingredients

You probably already have this stuff in your kitchen.

• Hot water
• 1-2 shots of bourbon or rye whiskey
• Lemon juice (a half lemon per drink)
• A splash of honey or artificial sweetener
• A splash of grapefruit juice

This is an extremely flexible drink; if you have warm bourbon and citrus, you're gonna have a good time.

Preparation

There's no wrong way to do this, but I like to add the honey (or sweetener) after the hot water to make mixing easy, and then finish with the citrus.

• Boil some water, ideally in an electric kettle for easy pouring
• Pour the bourbon or rye into a mug
• Add the hot water
• Add the honey or sweetener, then stir to mix
• Add the lemon and grapefruit juice

That's all there is to it! Enjoy &mda

Open Jäger Café

February 8, 2021

Jägermeister has a reputation in America, and typically brings to mind one of two things: bombs, or Red Bull. Luckily, we now know better, and we get to enjoy a lot of complex and well-rounded cocktails for our efforts.

The Jäger Café brings a hint of White Russian, but with a lot more herbs and spices (and no cream, so I guess a Black Russian, actually). To make it, simply combine an ounce each of:

• Jägermeister
• Coffee liqueur (we like Borghetti)
• Vodka

Some recipes also call for a dash or two of grenadine. I used Peychaud's bitters instead, and it was still tasty. Your mileage may vary. Also, Borghetti is on the sweeter side which works nicely here.

Shake with ice, and serve on the rocks:

Open Penicillin: For Your Health

March 31, 2020

I love bourbon. I love scotch. I love cocktails. And I really love bourbon-scotch cocktails. This one is a little harder to make than a Manhattan, but well worth it if you have the fresh ingredients.

Ingredients

• Fresh ginger
• A fresh lemon
• Maple syrup or honey
• Rye whisky or blended Scotch whisky
• Islay single malt scotch

I like Bulleit Rye for the whisky, and Lagavulin for the single malt. You'll want to muddle the ginger and juice the lemon, but you can use a wooden spoon in lieu of a proper muddler.

Make the drink

• Chop the ginger and add it to a pint glass. Muddle thoroughly
• Juice half the lemon - you want about half a shot of juice. Add to the pint glass
• Add a splash of maple syrup or honey for sweetness
• Add a shot and a half of rye whisky (or blended Scotch)
• Add 3-4 ice cubes and

Open Spicy Sparkling Margarita

The recipe takes a standard margarita and elevates it with a few clever touches. You'll need the following to make two servings' worth:

• 3-4 limes, preferably organic as we'll be zesting the peel
• A fresh orange or nice orange juice — the kind made of just oranges
• One jalapeño
• Silver tequila
• Cointreau or another orange liqueur
• Sparkling wine
• Sea salt — larger grains are ideal

Prepare the Rim

First, sprinkle a good amount of sea salt on a small plate.

This recipe takes the standard salt rim and adds the brilliant flair of lime zest. Before juicing your limes, grate them with the microplane until you have a good amount of zest with the salt, and mix together.

Prepare the Drink

First, juice your limes. You want a little more than a shot's worth (1.5oz).

![cut-limes.jpg](https:

Open Sunday Morning Michelada

March 29, 2020

After a couple weeks of nonstop social distancing, the breakfast beer routine starts to lose its sheen. You can prolong the novelty a bit by rotating in some light breakfast cocktails, with the added benefit of a rush of electrolyte and spice to get that metabolism fired up for a day of sitting on the couch!

Michelada Recipe

First, prepare the Tajín rim

• Pour a bit of Tajín into a bowl
• Rub a quarter lemon around the rim of your glass
• Roll the rim of your glass through the Tajín

Then, mix the drink

• Fill about a third of the glass with tomato juice or bloody mary mix
• Add a dash of worcestershire
• Squeeze the quarter lemon into the glass
• Dump the remaining Tajín into the glass
• Fill the rest with beer, ideally lager. I used Sierraveza

As the day progresses, you can easily make more, or transition into a Bloody Mary or Blo

Open Chicken Parm

June 2, 2020

I love a thin, crispy chicken cutlet. It's a bit of an effort to do the full flour, egg wash, and bread crumb process to get that golden brown exterior, but every once in a while its a delicious, cozy treat that is totally worth it. You will go through a lot of dishes and make a mess in your kitchen, but the pay-off is crispy, cheesy, zesty tomato goodness.

For a vegetarian option, you can easily replace the chicken breasts with extra firm, drained tofu. If using a meat substitute like tofu, tempeh, etc. skip to the "Dredge, Dip, and Coat" section!

Ingredients:

• Chicken breasts
• Flour
• Eggs
• Breadcrumbs
• Parmesan
• Garlic powder
• Smoked paprika
• Black pepper
• Cayenne pepper
• Salt
• Marinara/pasta sauce
• Cherry tomatoes (optional)
• Mozzarella

Prepare Your Chicken

Use Your Mallet (or whatever)

![pounding-resized.jpg](https://gourmetquarantine.com/u/pounding-r

Open Desi Saag

April 30, 2020

As a desi living away from the delicious cooking of my family, I've cultivated a decent spice cabinet. However, quarantine means I'm not able to replenish my pantry with trips to the Indian grocery as often as normal. That said, I'm not willing to give up favorites like dal or curry chicken. Here, I make a delicious dish that is not intimidating when it comes to ingredients. I had a craving for saag (spinach) and threw something together with frozen spinach, which is less than ideal but will work in a pinch and seems a likely option for a lot of us right now who may be avoiding fresh spinach because it takes up lots of room in the fridge and spoils fairly quickly.

The spice and acidity of this dish make it a delightful side and great way to liven up frozen veggies! For bonus points, you can mix this saag with dal for a more filling meal.

Ingredients

![ingredients.jpeg](https://gou

Open Enchiladas Suizas

November 5, 2020

Since first having them in Cuernavaca, Enchiladas Suizas have been one of my favorite Mexican dishes, which is saying something. Beautifully cooked pulled chicken blends with spicy green salsa balanced with tangy sour cream to create delicious, creamy, and flavorful enchiladas.

I only recently attempted to make them myself and was surprised how easy it is to come up with some impressive -- if not entirely authentic -- results. The slow cooker makes easy work of the chicken and green salsa!

Slow Cook Ingredients

Gather the ingredients pictured above:

• Chicken thighs
• Apple cider vinegar (a tablespoon or two)
• Cumin (a tablespoon or two)
• A handful of garlic cloves
• Cerveza - Pacifico or Modelo are great choices.
• Canned jalapeños -- the kind with carrots in escabeche sauce is the best. This one's well worth getting the name brand at the whopping \$0.80/can premium

Open Korean-Inspired Pork and Kimchi Burrito/Bowl

June 2, 2020

Spicy. Creamy. Funky.

If you're feeling this flavor profile, it's time for Korean-Mexican fusion. Whether you want this combo wrapped in a giant burrito or plated in a bowl, this is the perfect eclectic mix to soothe your quarantined soul. The main components of this dish are spicy marinated pork and kimchi fried rice. What could be better?

Ingredients

Pork

• Pork shoulder
• Minced garlic
• Minced ginger
• Tamari
• Honey
• Rice Vinegar
• Onion powder
• Gochujang

Kimchi Fried Rice

• Kimchi
• Cooked rice (I used a combo of brown and cauliflower rice)
• Onion
• Sesame oil
• Soy sauce
• Sriracha
• Sesame seeds

Extras

• Shredded cheese
• Green onion
• Hot sauce/sriracha for topping

Prep your Pork

Start this step in advance so you can marinate and really seal in the flavor. The pork can handle it. Place your pork shoulder and marinade ingredients all together and

Open Loaded "Carbonara"

April 18, 2020

Carbonara feels fancy without requiring a ton of ingredients. If you're willing to deviate from tradition, it means you can be really flexible, which is key right now in this time of limited grocery items. I'll outline the ingredients I used, but in the end you can be extremely creative and the only really necessary ingredients to get a carbonara-feel (in my non-professional opinion) are the eggs/egg yolks, grated parmesan, pasta/pasta water, and some sort of fat, whether from traditional pork fat or otherwise. Everything else is just bonus deliciousness.

Necessary Carbonara Ingredients

• Pasta
• Eggs (2 whole eggs, 4 yolks)
• Guanciale/Pancetta/Bacon (see vegetarian suggestions below)
• Parmesan

Delicious Bonus Ingredients

• Garlic
• White beans
• Asparagus
• Black pepper/cayenne

Prep

Open Pan-Fried Kimchi Noodles

January 16, 2021

I love pan-fried Asian noodle dishes. Pad see ew and pad kee mao are common among our go-to takeout orders from our local Thai restaurant. This dish is inspired by those types of delicious noodle dishes but with a Korean flavor profile strongly driven by the use of kimchi and gochujang.

Ingredients

• Rice noodles (we used black rice noodles in case you're wondering about the color in the below photos)
• Kimchi
• Eggs
• Optional: protein of choice (tofu, chicken, shrimp, etc.)
• Garlic, minced
• Ginger, paste or minced
• Gochujang
• Sesame oil
• Rice vinegar
• Soy sauce

Prepare your noodles

Rice noodles are a little tricky if you're not used to working with them. They don't need to be boiled like wheat pastas. Packaged, store-bought noodles will provide instructions and these vary from soaking in boiled water for

Open Roasted Tomato BLT

August 6, 2020

BLT sandwiches are delicious. One issue that can come up is slippery, squirty raw tomato that makes it hard to eat and enjoy your sandwich. It's no secret I love roasting tomatoes, and by roasting the tomatoes for your BLT you add great depth of flavor and a pleasant mouthfeel that can only be provided by jammy tomatoes, all the while making your sandwich physically easier to eat and enjoy! This is a recipe for one of my favorite BLT variants. The one improvement, in my eyes, might be the addition of avocado (because avocado is amazing) or a runny egg. Whatever you choose, BLTs are an amazing medium for tasty personalization.

The Core Components

• Bacon of choice
• Bread of choice
• Mayo/spread of choice
• Tomato of choice
• Lettuce of choice

For this BLT, I used uncured turkey bacon, whole wheat sourdough, homemade mayo spread (see recipe below), roma tomatoes, and arugula.

The

Open Spicy Sardine Puttanesca

November 13, 2020

I love fish. it's probably in my genes. My mom is from a harbor town in Germany and my dad is Bengali, which any Indian will tell you is synonymous with loving fish. Although it doesn't take much for me to try a new seafood dish, I had always been a little hesitant to buy and open a can of sardines. My dad often had them as a lunchtime snack and as a kid the smell seemed overpowering. However, as an adult I've been intrigued by sardines because they're super nutritious and environmentally friendly. So when we decided to experiment by buying a full case of sardines at Costco, I expected to try out a couple different recipes. However, the first recipe I concocted with these bad boys was so easy and delicious that I've now used the entire case of sardines just making this recipe over and over again.

Only after I made this recipe did I realize it's basically a spicy, sardine-y play on puttanesca. It's flavorful

Open Stuffed Mushrooms

April 2, 2020

As a kid, my mom had go-to recipes for when she was having friends over for things like Bunco or book club. One of my favorites was her stuffed-mushroom recipe. These are probably my favorite way to eat mushrooms. Plus, just the addition of a vegetable side dish and you get to have a delicious appetizer for dinner. My mom's recipe uses italian sausage, so mine does as well, but any meat substitute like tempeh could be used instead.

Ingredients

What you'll need:

• mushrooms (I used white because $, but crimini are best IMO)
• breadcrumbs
• parmesan or nutritional yeast (for funk)
• cream cheese
• smoked paprika
• chopped garlic
• black pepper
• cayenne
• italian sausage or meat substitute

Prepping

The main steps are:

• cleaning the mushrooms
• removing bottoms of the mushrooms
• chopping up the mushroom bottoms
• cooking the sausage
• incorporating all the ingredients to stuff into the mushroom tops

Step by Step

The first necessary step is cle

Open G.O.M. Burgers

July 4, 2020

I've been on a bit of a burger kick lately. It's a forgiving medium; when you start with nice grass-fed beef and add your favorite toppings, you're going to end up happy.

For this burger, I was craving caramelized onions and a little cheese-based funk. A Gorgonzola-onion-mushroom combo scratched the itch.

Prepping the Toppings

The toppings are simple:

• chopped onions and mushrooms
• salt and black pepper
• a few dashes of red wine vinegar

Sauté on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until everything kind turns into a caramelized jammy amalgam. (Is that an appetizing word? Close enough.)

Set these aside for now. We'll come back to them soon enough. Oh yes.

It's Patty Time

This is a good place to get creative, if you feel like it. It's important to avoid over-working the meat; other than that, it's hard to

Open Jalapeño Animal Burgers

May 8, 2020

To be an American is to crave a burger. I'm not sure if this applies to other nationalities, but I wouldn't be surprised. The unique balance of salt, mustardy tang, melted cheese, juicy meat, and a toasted bun... oh yes.

A grill is the undisputed king of, well, grilling. But in an aparment, sometimes it's not an option. I was able to get an acceptable burger out of the frying pan, and I'd love to tell you how!

Ingredients

• 1 lb grass-fed beef
• 1 jalapeño
• Animal Sauce
• Chipotle powder
• Elote seasoning (optional)
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Hamburger buns — I recommend jalapeño buns to stay on theme

Preparing the Patties

Dice a jalapeño into a size you'd enjoy inside a burger patty.

Onto your primo grass-fed beef, sprinkle the jalapeño, chipotle powder, elote seasoning, salt, and pepper. Com

Open Ju(i)cy Lucy

July 25, 2020

The Jucy Lucy is a point of great pride and great contention among the people of the Twin Cities. I had the privilege of trying (one of) the original, genuine creations at the 5-8 Club and became a fan instantly.

What follows is a rough recreation from the vague, cheese-clouded memories of that fateful trip. If you're from the Twin Cities and have a cheese-filled beef with my methodology, don't @ me... unless it's to politely, yet firmly, correct my technique. I'm not taking comments about spelling at this time.

The Game Plan

In order to make our DIY Jucy Lucies, we'll take a pound or so of beef and yield two large patties filled with cheese.

Let's prepare some ingredients:

• American cheese, two slices
• Cheddar cheese, grated into a nice pile
• A pound or so of grass-fed beef, kneaded in a mixing bowl with some salt and freshly cracked blac

Open Hard Apple Cider

September 29, 2020

As an aspiring homebrewer, I have a very rudimentary understanding of fermentation which I will try and document here.

It's helpful, but not necessary, to have some special-purpose equipment:

• A hydrometer so you can measure how much alcohol is produced
• An airlock to allow fermentation gases to escape

Both of these are available at homebrew suppliers, along with the yeast (not optional).

Without the hydrometer, you'll just have to trust in the process. Without the airlock, it'd be best to have a screw-on lid you can apply loosely and "burp" the jar frequently to avoid any high-pressure adventures.

Required Ingredients

• A large glass vessel for fermentation with a closing lid
• A bottle of normal apple cider
• Champagne yeast (other yeasts are cool too, and will create interesting and different flavor profiles)

Yep... that's it. We'll add some spices after fermentation, but all we need for now is sugar and yeast.

The Process

If you have a hydrom

Open Merguez Aioli Sandwiches

January 20, 2021

After coming across beautiful looking, local Merguez lamb sausage in the grocery, I wanted to try recreating the amazing Merguez sliders I had at a French restaurant (in the US). The basic components are a lemon aioli sauce, arugula, and of course, well-grilled Merguez sausage.

Preparation

The cooking comes fast and furious, as nothing takes very long, so it definitely pays to have everything laid out ahead of time.

The Aioli

I combined the following and whisked, but feel free to mix & match!

• Mayonnaise
• A little olive oil
• Lemon juice, from a quarter to a half lemon
• Black pepper
• Garlic powder

The Arugula

Simply toss some fresh arugula in a bowl with a simple dressing. Here's what we did:

• Lemon juice
• Olive oil
• Black pepper
• Mustard powder
• A little red pepper flake
• Garlic pow

Open Shrimp Étouffée

November 7, 2020

Although my family consistently cooked amazing dinners throughout my childhood, the one I missed the most when I left for college was seafood étouffée. There was something so perfect about a spicy, flavorful sauce combined with shrimp, lots of vegetables, and served over perfectly-cooked rice. Plus, étouffée wasn't something I was getting in my college dining halls and wasn't readily available off-campus in Boston. Now as an adult with a full kitchen, making étouffée is an amazingly comforting meal that's perfect for quarantine.

Ingredients

• Shrimp (can sub crawfish or firm white fish)
• Seafood stock (2-3 cups; store-bought or make your own with shrimp shells-- see below for instructions!)
• Butter/neutral oil
• Flour
• Onion, diced
• Celery, diced
• Bell pepper, diced
• Green onions
• Black pepper (~2 t)
• Cayenne (~2 t-- more or less to taste)
• Dried thyme (~1 T)

- Dried basil (~1 T)

Open Sticky Ribs from Flavortown

April 5, 2020

Thanks to my friend John, who introduced this recipe to me one fateful New Year's Eve. It's a slow cooker adaptation of a Gordon Ramsay recipe, and it has been a regular in my dinner rotation ever since.

First, get chopping

To keep dishes to a minimum, I try to save the meat for last. Let's start by chopping the other stuff.

• Mince 4-5 large cloves of garlic
• Peel and slice a few inches of fresh ginger

Set that aside; we've got work to do first.

Sear the Ribs

As always, we've got to lock in that flavor with a sear before anything hits the slow cooker. Lay on a layer of salt and black pepper and press it into the meat with your fingers - don't be afraid to really get in there. You'll noticed I've cut my ribs in half at this point. Quarters

Open Spicy Lamb Lahmacun

September 25, 2024

Lahmacun is sometimes called “Turkish Pizza” (without the cheese) and is a delicious meal you might get at a Döner Kebab stand. You can eat it like a pizza, or use it as the base for a döner/gyro-like wrap by topping with cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, and tzatziki and rolling it up!

Ingredients:

• Thin pizza crusts or flatbread
• Ground lamb
• Tomatoes (can substitute tomato paste)
• Bell pepper
• Garlic cloves
• Onion (~1/2)
• Cinnamon
• Paprika (ideally smoked)
• Chipotle powder (optional)
• Oregano
• Lemon juice
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Start by putting your tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, and garlic cloves in a food processor with the spices, olive oil, and lemon juice. To get a nice smokiness, it's ideal to use smoked paprika. I did not have any smoked paprika, so I used paprika and added chipotle powder. Chipotle powder isn't a bad option anyway, but it will add extra spice!

If you use tomato paste in lieu of fresh to