If you’re like me and losing a bit of steam on the recipe front, a little variation on dishes to make can really help to boost our sense of wellbeing (and appetite!). I took to social media to reconnect with the best food Instagram accounts that have really inspired me with my home cooking, and I hope they offer you the same joy in the kitchen as well.
One Pot Garlic Parmesan Pasta from @damn_delicious
Yield: 4 servings
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup milk, or more, as needed
- 8 ounces uncooked fettuccine
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Directions:
1. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
2. Stir in chicken broth, milk and fettuccine; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
3. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until pasta is cooked through, about 18-20 minutes. Stir in Parmesan. If the mixture is too thick, add more milk as needed until desired consistency is reached.
4. Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.
Tiegan Gerard from @halfbakedharvest
Skillet Chicken Broccoli Pot Pie
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 6
Ingredients:
-
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 8 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme (or 2 teaspoons dried)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage, + 8 whole sage leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 small boneless skinless chicken breast, sliced in half (about 3/4 a pound)
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 ribs celery, chopped
- 4 carrots, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups roughly chopped broccoli florets
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2-4 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- 12-18 sheets frozen phyllo dough thawed
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 F.
2. Melt together the olive oil and 4 tablespoons butter In a large oven safe skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot, 1 tablespoon thyme, and 1 tablespoon sage. Cook until the shallot is fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add the flour and cook until a paste forms and turns golden, 1-2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the wine and broth. Add the chicken and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil.
3. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes. Stir in the carrots, broccoli, celery, and cayenne, and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes more.
4. Remove the skillet from the heat, then shred the chicken using 2 forks.
5. In a small bowl, combine 4 tablespoons melted butter, 1 tablespoon thyme, the garlic, and rosemary.
6. Place 2 pieces of phyllo on a clean counter, one on top of the other. Brush the melted garlic butter over the phyllo. Top with 2 more sheets of phyllo (one on top of the other), placing it slightly off-center. Butter the phyllo. Top with 2 more sheets of phyllo (one on top of the other), again, placing it slightly off-center to create a circle. Now, repeat this layer with the remaining sheets of phyllo. Carefully place the phyllo over the skillet. Make 2-3 slits in the top of the dough with a sharp knife. Lay the sage leaves on top of the crust.
7. Bake until the phyllo is golden brown, 25-30 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes, then serve!
Yotam Ottolenghi from @ottolenghi
Lentil and Eggplant Stew
Ingredients:
- 3 tbsp olive oil, plus a little extra to serve
- 3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- 1 large red onion, finely chopped (160g)
- ½ tbsp picked thyme leaves
- 2 small eggplants, cut into chunks, about 5 x 2cm (420g)
- 200g cherry tomatoes
- 180g Puy lentils
- 500ml vegetable stock
- 80ml dry white wine
- 100g crème fraîche
- ½ tsp chilli flakes
- 2 tsp picked oregano leaves
- salt and black pepper
Instructions:
1. Put 2 tablespoons of oil into a large, high-sided sauté pan and place on a medium high heat. Add the garlic, onion, thyme and ¼ teaspoon of salt and fry for 8 minutes, stirring often, until soft and golden. Tip into a bowl, leaving the oil behind. Set aside.
2. Place the eggplants and tomatoes in a bowl and season with ¼ teaspoon of salt and plenty of pepper. Add the remaining oil to the same pan (don’t worry about wiping it clean) and, once very hot, add the eggplants and tomatoes. Fry for 10 minutes, on medium high, turning them often until the eggplant is soft and golden-brown and the tomatoes are beginning to blacken. Return the garlic and onion to the pan, then add the lentils, stock, wine, 450ml of water and ¾ teaspoon of salt. Bring to the boil. Lower the heat to medium and simmer gently for about 40 minutes, until the lentils are soft but still retain a bite.
3. Serve warm, or at room temperature, with a dollop of crème fraîche, a drizzle of oil and chilli flakes and oregano on top.
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 50 mins
Author: Ashley Rodriguez
Yield 2 Servings
Crispy Chicken Thigh with Roasted Cauliflower Risotto
Ingredients:
- 1/2 head cauliflower, cored and roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- Salt and pepper
- 1 large shallot, finely diced
- 1 thyme sprig
- 1 cup arborio rice
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth, warmed
- 1 cup grated comté or gruyere cheese
- 4 small sprigs Italian Parsley
- 2 bone-in chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 450°F.
1. Add the cauliflower to a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and add salt and pepper. Roast for 20 – 25 minutes or until tender and caramelized in parts.
2. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a dutch oven set over medium heat. Add the shallots and thyme with a pinch of salt and sauté until soft, about 7 minutes. Sauté the rice with the shallots for just a couple of minutes before adding the wine. Stir until the wine is absorbed then start stirring in the chicken stock 1/2 cup at a time making sure the liquid is absorbed before each addition.
3. Cook until the rice is tender. The risotto would be quite loose when finished. Stir in the cheese and roasted cauliflower then taste and add more salt as needed. Remove the thyme sprig before serving.
4. Sear the chicken in a hot skillet, skin side down, for 5 minutes. Carefully flip over the chicken then bake in a 350°F oven for 15 minutes or until cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan to rest then very carefully add the parsley to the hot skillet and fry in the chicken grease until crisp, about 30 seconds.
5. Serve the risotto and chicken with the toasted pine nuts and crispy parsley.
Thalia Ho: @thaliaho
Roasted Cashew Cookies with Coffee and Cardamon
Ingredients:
- 45 g (1/3 cup) cashews
- 220 g (1 ¾ cups) all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 2 teaspoons coffee powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 170 g (¾ cup) unsalted butter, soft at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 150 g (1 1/4 cups) confectioners’ sugar, divided
Instructions:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 C (350 F). Adjust racks in the lower and upper thirds of it. Line two large baking sheets with non-stick parchment paper and scatter the cashews over one of them. Roast until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool completely then process to a fine meal in a food processor or blender.
2. Tip the roasted cashew meal into a mixing bowl and add in the flour, corn starch, coffee, cardamom, and salt. Whisk to combine then set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, vanilla, and half (60 g; ½ cup) of the confectioners’ sugar on medium speed until creamy, 3 to 5 minutes. Pause mixing to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl then set the speed to low and add in the dry ingredients. Beat until a soft and clumpy dough has formed, no more than 30 seconds. Tip out and onto a sheet of plastic wrap then use your hands to bring it together into a smooth disc. Cover and chill until just firm, about an hour.
4. When you’re ready to bake, pre-heat the oven to 170 C (340 F). Sift the remaining (90 g; ¾ cup) of the confectioners’ sugar into a shallow bowl for coating.
5. Set the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Use a rolling pin to roll it out until it’s about 2.5-cm’s (1-inch) thick, then stamp out as many circles as possible from it using a 4-cm (1.5-inch) round cutter. You should get about 16 – 18 cookies. Divide between the sheets, leaving a few inches apart for spreading. Re-roll the scraps and repeat.
6. Bake, rotating the sheets halfway through, until light golden-brown, 12 to 14 minutes. Let stand for a few minutes then toss in the sugar until well coated. Place onto a wire rack and let stand for the coating to slightly set, another 10 minutes. Toss each again in a thin and final coating. They’ll keep well for 5 days stored in an airtight container at room temperature.