Looking for a gourmet meal, but think it’s impossible to do on an all-points budget using Weshop’s limited selection? Luckily for you, our Photo Editor Daniel, in his spare time, doubles as a gourmet chef. A gourmet Weshop chef. Here’s a few recipes made entirely from items purchased at Weshop: a great way to use up your points at the end of the semester!
BRAISED MOROCCAN CHICKEN WITH CHERRIES AND SWEET RICE
Ingredients:
1 package chicken legs and thighs
3 carrots (chopped)
1 package celery sticks (chopped)
1 white onion (chopped)
1 cup dried cherries
1 cup almonds
1 cup jasmine rice
2 cans chicken stock
1 cup red cooking wine
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
Honey
Cinnamon
Allspice
Cumin
Butter
Flour
Melt butter in a skillet, season the chicken with salt and pepper, and coat in flower. Brown the chicken in the butter, but do not cook all the way through. Set chicken aside.
In a large pot, sauté the carrots, celery and onions in a little olive oil for about three minutes. Add the browned chicken to the pot. Pour in chicken stock, red cooking wine, dried cherries, cinnamon, allspice cumin, and about one cup of water. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover pot, and cook for about one hour.
While the chicken is cooking, boil two cups of water and cook the rice.
Toast the almonds in a small skillet with the honey, brown sugar and a few tablespoons of the braising liquid.
To serve, pour the almonds over the rice and plate with the braised chicken.
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MACARONI AND CHEESE
Ingredients:
1 box elbow macaroni
2 cups shredded gouda
2 cups shredded cheddar
4 slices bacon
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups whole milk
Nutmeg
Cook the elbows in salted water.
Sauté bacon (not too crispy) and roughly chop (set aside).
In a small pot, melt the butter over low heat and add the flower, whisking into a paste. Heat the milk in either a sauce pan or the microwave, and very slowly start pouring it into the butter/flower mixture, whisking constantly so it does not break apart. Once all the milk is incorporated, start adding the cheese, whisking in zig-zags so it does not clump together. Sprinkle in a few big pinches of nutmeg, salt, and pepper, reducing the cheese sauce to your desired thickness.
Drain the elbows and add the cheese sauce and bacon. Stir and serve.
If you prefer baked mac & cheese, just pour the pasta into a baking pan, sprinkle with bread crumbs, and bake until the top is golden.
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HOT TAMALE SNOWCONES
Ingredients:
1 cup hot tamales (those red cinnamon candies)
1 cup sugar
2 cups water (plus water for ice)
Pour water into a shallow baking pan and freeze.
Crush the hot tamales and add to a small pot with the water and sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook until you have a thin syrup. Strain the syrup to remove the hot tamales and let it cool.
Scrape the ice out of the pan with a fork and spoon it into glasses or better yet, paper cones. Pour the cinnamon syrup over the shaved ice.
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SPICED PITA WITH WHITE BEAN AND SAUSAGE DIP
Ingredients:
4 pieces of pita
1 can white beans (cannellini)
3 links hot Italian sausage (removed from casings)
Garlic
Olive oil
Rosemary
Cumin
Coriander
Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a sauté pan. Chop two cloves of garlic and remove sausages from their casings so they can be mushed into tiny pieces. Sauté the sausage and garlic until the sausage is cooked through and the garlic is golden.
Put the white beans, rosemary, three tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper in the blender and blend until smooth. Pour in the sausage and garlic and pulse a few times to mix everything together. Transfer to a serving bowl.
To make the pita, brush each piece of bread with olive oil and then sprinkle with cumin, coriander salt and pepper. Grill in a sauté pan until golden. Cut each piece of pita into quarters and serve with white bean dip.
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BABY ROMAINE SALAD WITH PEARS AND CHILI WALNUTS
Ingredients:
1 bag baby romaine lettuce
3 yellow pears
1 cup walnuts
1/2 cup raspberries
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup cider vinegar
Sauté the walnuts with the honey and chili powder over low heat until hot, coated, and slightly goopy.
To make the dressing, pour the raspberries, cider vinegar, salt, and pepper into a blender. Begin blending, drizzling in olive oil as you go. Blend to appropriate dressing consistency.
Slice the pairs, adding them and the walnuts to the bowl of greens. Dress and toss.
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BREAKFAST FOR DINNER: POACHED EGGS WITH SMOKED SALMON HOLLANDAISE AND CAPERS OVER ENGLISH MUFFIN, WITH HOMEFRIES
Ingredients:
6 eggs (4 for poaching, 2 for egg yolks)
4 English muffins
1 lemon (juiced)
1/2 can smoked salmon
1/2 cup melted butter
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
Red onion (thinly sliced)
Capers for sprinkling
4 boiling potatoes (roughly diced)
1 white onion (diced)
1/3 cup cilantro
1/3 cup frank’s hot sauce
To make hollandaise, put the egg yolks, lemon juice, mustard, water, cayenne, salt, and pepper in a blender. Mix everything together, then slowly pour in the melted butter while blending. Once smooth, add the smoked salmon and blend until the salmon is fully incorporated into the sauce.
To poach the eggs, add the vinegar to a small sauce pan filled with water and bring to a very gentle boil. Crack the egg into a small cup. With any utensil you like, make a little whirlpool in the water and carefully slide the egg in. Cook until the egg sets (about three minutes). Remove egg with a slotted spoon and repeat the process for the remaining three eggs.
Slice the English muffins in half and toast, bake or grill with a little butter until golden. To serve, top each muffin with an egg, a little hollandaise, red onion, and a few capers.
To make the home fries, sauté diced potatoes and onion with butter in a large skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the potatoes are golden and cooked through (about fifteen minutes, turning the potatoes every five minutes) . While the potatoes and onions are cooking, add cilantro, hot sauce and a few tablespoons of water to the blender. Blend mixture until smooth. Toss the sauce into the skillet with the potatoes and onions to coat. Serve with the poached eggs.
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SQUASH SOUP WITH APPLE BUTTER, BLEU CHEESE, AND FRIED SAGE
Ingredients:
3 butternut squash
2 cans squash puree
1/3 cup apple butter
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup apple cider
1/4 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup whole milk
Crumbled blue cheese
Fresh sage leaves.
Salt, pepper, allspice and nutmeg
Melt the apple butter and regular butter in a sauté pan over low heat. While the butter melts, peel and cube the squash. Sauté the squash in the butter, adding the cider and stock and seasoning with salt and black pepper. Once the squash is soft and the liquid has reduced, transfer everything to a blender. Begin pulsing the mixture, adding both cans of squash puree as you go. Blend until smooth, then transfer to a pot over low-medium heat. Stir in the milk and add a little allspice and nutmeg. Keep the soup on low heat until you’re ready to serve it.
To fry the sage, just melt a few tablespoons of butter in a small sauté pan over medium heat and add the sage leaves. Cook until slightly crispy.
To serve, sprinkle blue cheese in the bottom of the bowl, pour in soup and garnish with a few sage leaves.
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