Gourmet Recipes for the Pandemic

[pamwv41]

Ok, so you have prepped and prepped and prepped and the catastrophe that was expected is happening...you look at the neat rows of cans and bags of beans. Now what? You must cook these things and make them edible for yourself and your family. This thread is dedicated to eating as well as possible on provisions that are canned or in bags or boxes. We assume that you have a cool space for potatoes, onions and garlic or you have dried versions of the same. Let's share some of our favorites.

Baked Bean Quintet
1 large onion chopped
6 tablespoons of bacon crumbles (Costco-keeps for 3 months)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 16 ounce can lima beans, drained
1 16-ounce can pork and beans in tomato sauce
1 15-ounce can red kidney beans, drained
1 15-ounce can butter beans, drained
1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans(chickpeas), drained
3/4 cup catsup
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1. In a large skillet cook onion, bacon, and garlic over medium heat
2. Put onion mixture into a slow cooker or dutch oven.
3. Stir in the rest of the ingredients.
Cover and cook on low setting for 10-12 hours or high setting for 4-5 hours.
12-14 servings

[pamwv41]

I bumped this up because I really would like to share pandemic recipes with folks as well as know about other people's tried and true meals made with food prep food. As I write this I have the above recipe bubbling away in my crockpot as it is a favorite at any time.
Here's another recipe for Dal, a spicy lentil dish.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup red or brown lentils, yellow or green split peas, or split, hulled, mung beans (I use red lentils)
4 cups water
2 dried chilies, whole
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons ghee or vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 cup chopped onions
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon garam masala, more to taste
salt to taste
Directions:
Wash the lentils, peas, or beans in several changes of cold water. In a medium pot, cover them with the water and add the whole dried chilies, turmeric, and salt, Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, stirring often, until very tender. This will take about 30 minutes for red lentils, 45 minutes for peas, or an hour or more for mung beans. It may be necessary to add more water to prevent sticking, but only 1/2 cup at a time, because the final consistency should be fairly thick.
When the lentils are almost cooked, heat the ghee or oil in a small pan, add the cumin seeds, and cook for 10 or 12 seconds. Stir in the onions and ginger and cook until the onions begin to brown, about 5 or 10 minutes.
When the lentils are tender, remove and discard the hot peppers. Stir in the onion mixture, lemon juice, garam masala, and salt to taste. Serve, passing additional garam masala to sprinkle on top, if desired.
Variations:
Spinach Dal: Add 4 cups of chopped, fresh spinach to the onions after they have sautied for about 5 minutes and then cook for 5 minutes more.
Tomato Dal: Add 1 cup chopped tomatoes to the onions after they have sautied for about 5 minutes and then cook for about 5 minutes more.
Spinach-Tomato Dal: Add both spinach and tomatoes
Christine's Sinful Dal: Sometimes when I'm feeling naughty (yes, I live life on the edge!) I leave out the vegetable mixture. Instead I thickly slice 1/2 to 2/3 of a head of garlic and fry it in about 1/4 cup oil (preheated to medium-high) with a red pepper pod or two. Stir constantly until the garlic is golden and then immediately dump the oil mixture into the cooked lentils. It gives a satisfying sizzle and the garlic is deliciously sweet. (Cooked like this garlic is more like a vegetable than that typical strong flavour.)
Source: Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant

[pamwv41]

Addendum: I do not make the lentil recipe in the crockpot. It's the five bean recipe that is bubbling away.

[Mellie]

pamwv,

We tried the baked bean quintet and it got a thumbs up all the way around.

This week we also tried a modified recipe one of the guys got off the internet, maybe fluwiki. They like spicy food. The original recipe called for some jack cheese. They assumed we wouldn't have any. Instead each person added a shake of parmesian cheese that we do have in our stores. It was good with or without.

Here's the recipe as they did it. It was yummy.

Zesty Chicken-Rice Casserole

• 2 cups water
• 3 chicken flavored bouillon cubes
• 1 cup long-grain brown (or white) rice
• 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
• 2 large cans of chunk chicken, drained
• 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 can (12 fluid ounces) evaporated milk, or powdered milk that's been mixed up on the thick side
• 1/2-1 T pasilla chili pepper powder to taste, or other hot pepper (pasilla is fairly mild and very flavorful)
• 1/2 -1 finely chopped onion (or dried chopped onion), they used red
• 2 eggs, beaten (could be done with egg substitute)
• 6 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (could use dried)

Preheat oven to 350° F.
Lightly grease dutch oven or 2-quart casserole dish.
Bring water and bouillon to a boil in medium saucepan. Add rice and butter; cover. Reduce heat to low; cook until rice is almost tender and most of liquid is absorbed.
Combine prepared rice, chicken, condensed soup, spices, milk, onion, eggs and cilantro. Stir well.
Put into Dutch oven or casserole dish.
Bake for about 45 minutes (uncovered) or until bubbly and edges are golden.


Prep notes:

• Rice: they used brown; white rice is a better prep rice for storage longevity, however.
• Soup alternative for condensed Cream of Chicken Soup and peppers/spices: 1 can of Campbell’s Pepperjack soup is about right for many people in spicyness, but this is 4 times the cost of cream of chicken.)

[pamwv41]

Mmmm. That sounds yummy. I can't wait to try it.

Here are some things I ordered to season my prep food. Except for the fresh ginger and garlic, most of the spices last for a long time. I have the usual other herbs and spices but I do love Indian food.

Aeroplane Brand Tamarind Slab (Imli)
Fresh Garlic
Fresh Ginger
Nirav Bay Leaves (Tejpata)
Nirav Black Cumin Seeds (Kala Jeera)
Nirav Cardamom Pods Green (Elachi)
Nirav Chili Powder Red Hot (Regular) Fine
Nirav Fenugreek (Methi) Powder
Nirav Garam Masala Special
Nirav Ginger Powder
Nirav Garlic Powder - Fine
Nirav Mustard Seeds
Nirav Onion (Kalonji, Nigella) Seeds
Nirav Poppy Seeds (Black)
Nirav Saffron (Spain) - 2 gm
Nirav Sesame Seeds (Natural)
Nirav Star Anise (badiyan)
Nirav Turmeric (Haldi) Powder
Tamcon Tamarind Concentrate
Vandevi Asfoetida
Nirav Ghee - 16 oz.
Nirav Chana Dal (Bengal Gram)
Nirav Masoor Dal (Red Lentil)
Nirav Moong Dal Washed
Nirav Black Eye Beans
Nirav Coriander Powder
Nirav Cumin Powder
Nirav Major Grey Mango Chutney-mild
Bikaneri Special Spicy Crisp Papad

[pamwv41]

Beef Stewed with Cinnamon and Star Anise

From Vatch's Thai Cookbook (Canada, UK), by Vatcharin Bhumichitr. Ingredients:
4 cups beef stock
1 lb lean boneless beef, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
3 coriander roots
2 cinnamon sticks
4 star anise
2 Tbsp light soy sauce
2 Tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp sugar
1/2 cup fresh beansprouts
1 spring onion/scallion, finely chopped
fresh coriander leaves/cilantro, roughly chopped, to garnish
Instructions:
Put the stock into a large saucepan. Add the beef, garlic, coriander roots, cinnamon, star anise, soy sauce, fish sauce and sugar. Bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Skim off the scum occasionally.
In the meantime, put the beansprouts into a serving bowl. Pour the hot soup over the beansprouts, garnish with chopped spring onion and coriander and serve.

You may have to toy around with some of the ingredients if you can't get any fresh food, however, it looks possible. Don't use star anise from Japan as it may be a sub par version which can be toxic.

As long as I have electric, the meat in my freezer will be ok. During the winter if there is no electric I will keep my meat in a large insulated cooler outside.

[pamwv41]

Here's an easy one from Backwoods Magazine.
You can use Turkey Spam.
Black beans and rice

Courtesy of
Tom Barth





You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.
Click Here Ingredients
1 lb. black beans, rinsed and sorted
2 Tbsp. margarine
2 onions, coarsely chopped
3-4 bay leaves
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 lb. diced turkey ham
2 10-3/4-oz. cans chicken stock
1 Tbsp. chili powder (or to taste)
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (or to taste)
2-3 cups cooked long grain brown rice
Method
Cover beans with cold water and boil 3 minutes, remove from heat, and let stand for 1 hour.
Drain beans. Heat margarine in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add onion and bay leaves and cook until onions are soft. Add garlic and turkey ham and cook for 2-3 minutes more. Add chicken stock, black beans, chili powder and cayenne. Add water to cover mixture if necessary. Cover and simmer beans until tender but not mushy, approximately 2 hours. Stir occasionally.
When beans are cooked stir in brown rice and adjust seasonings and liquid, if necessary. Mixture should be very moist but not soupy. Serve with a green salad and warm tortillas or French bread.
Note: to prepare a nice light brown rice make sure you are using long grain brown rice. Use a ratio of slightly more than 1 part water to 1 part rice (e.g.; 11/8 cup of water to 1 cup of rice) Put rice and water in a heavy saucepan, bring to a boil, reduce heat to a very low simmer and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Cook rice for exactly 31 minutes. Do not remove lid during cooking! After removing rice from heat let set about 10 minutes. Remove cover and fluff rice with a fork.

[Mellie]

My family's very favorite recipe of all times can easily be made from pandemic stores. I often make it from dried small white beans. I usually double or triple the recipe (without necessarily tripling the chicken) and invite the whole family to stop by.

I find I do it somewhat differently every time depending what I have on hand that's fresh, dried or already soaked. Sometimes I have lots of chicken stock to use up and I soak the beans overnight and drain them, then simmer them on very low all day. Could use a crock pot. Most often I make it almost as a soup with lots more liquid, using a veggie broth if I don't have chicken, or I add water and chicken or veggie bullion cubes.

Abercrombie's White Bean Chicken Chili ©
(Abercrombie is an excellent cook and a wildland firefighter.)
http://www.wildlandfire.com/recipes/white_chili.htm

1 Tbsp olive oil
3-4 cups boneless chicken or turkey meat
1 can 14.5 oz. chicken broth
1 can 4 oz. chopped green chilies
4 cans 15 oz. ea, un-drained, small white beans, I use S&W small premium, lightly seasoned
1 small onion chopped fine
4 cloves minced garlic
2 tsp cumin powder
½ tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro leaves or 2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp dried, ground pasilla pepper
1 tsp ground red pepper (cayenne or chili powder like Gebharts)
1 Tbsp minced jalapeno pepper, optional

Cook the chicken or turkey in a pan with the olive oil, jalapeno, onion, and garlic. I normally use a pressure cooker instead of a fry pan to speed up the process.

When the meat mixture is done, shred it into smaller pieces, then put it along with all other ingredients in a pot and simmer for at least an hour. I usually let it go for a couple. If you want to crockpot it, do it on low for the day. Add more jalapenos/red pepper/chili powder to kick it up a notch for your own taste. I use boneless/skinless chicken thighs because I like the flavor better than breast meat, but any kind of chicken/turkey will do fine.

[pamwv41]

Great recipe! Maybe if we get enough recipes from members we can publish a Pandemic Cookbook.

[DRJJ]

African Peanut Stew

This is terrific pantry-based soup/stew....Kids who like Chili, like it too.

1 TB oil (olive)
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 TB Cumin
Saute till onion is tender.

1 Can tomatos, chopped or 1 16 oz can tomato juice.
3 TB to 8 TB of peanut butter (I like unsweetened crunchy) to taste
Simmer 5 to 10 min.

1/2 to 1 cup of milk, canned milk, powdered milk
chicken broth or boullion cube
Salt & Pepper
Warm and Serve

If made with onion powder and tomato juice, it is soupy. If made with onions, chicken broth and canned tomatos, it is more stew like and very hearty.

[MHSC]

Portobello mushrooms taste like steak when dipped in olive oil and grilled. They can be grilled over an open fire in the event of no electricity, or in a pudgie pie in the fire. They are also good in sandwiches with melted cheese.

You can get portobello mushroom kits and grow your own (indoors and out), just google mushroom kits, there are kits for many types of mushrooms available.

[MHSC]

Lion's Mane Mushrooms taste similar to lobster. Cook with butter and onions and serve as you like. Again it is available in a grow it yourself kit. Check around, prices vary for these kits.

[lamrobertson]

I have a couple to contribute. We tried these yesterda, they were really good!

Roasted Chickpeas

INGREDIENTS

* 1 (12 ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* salt
* garlic salt
* oregano
* cayenne pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
2. Blot chickpeas with a paper towel to dry them. In a bowl, toss chickpeas with olive oil, and season to taste with salt, garlic salt, and cayenne pepper, if using. Spread on a baking sheet, and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until browned and crunchy. Watch carefully the last few minutes to avoid burning.

[lamrobertson]

Another one we tried and liked. I used white beans instead of navy beans.

Vegan Baked Beans

NGREDIENTS

* 1 (16 ounce) package dry navy beans
* 6 cups water
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 2 cups chopped sweet onions
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 4 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
* 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
* 1/4 cup molasses
* 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
* 3 bay leaves
* 1 teaspoon dry mustard
* 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

1. Place beans and water in a large pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and continue cooking 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender. Drain, and transfer to a large casserole dish.
2. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
3. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onions, and cook until tender. Mix in garlic, and cook until golden brown. Mix onions and garlic into casserole dish with the beans. Stir in the tomato sauce. Mix in brown sugar, molasses, vinegar, bay leaves, mustard, pepper, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
4. Cover and bake 3 1/2 hours in the preheated oven, stirring frequently and adding water if necessary. Remove cover, and continue baking 30 minutes.

[susieM]

Chicken Pie

Piecrust made from one pound of flour, 1/2 pound of canned butter, a dash of salt, a teaspoon of baking powder, and a cup of evaporated milk mixed with dried egg yolks...doublecrust and some leftover.

A white sauce made of flour, butter, mustard, tabasco, salt and pepper, with chickenbroth for the liquid. A can of chickenmeat, and a handful each of dehydrated vegetables, soked for a while in cold water...peas, mushrooms, onions, celery, carrots, parsley.

Doublecrust, bake for about an hour at 200° c.

[susieM]

Prep Paella

One half cup of dehydrated ..... peas, onions, peppers, greenbeans, turkey or chicken, seafood cocktail, white fish....soaked for a bit in cold water.

One half of a canned chorizo, chopped, some of the chorizo oil, a few slivers of dehydarted garlic, and a big spoonful of paella spice mix.

A pound of rice.

Toss it all in a pot (or a rice cooker, if you have power) with enough water to come up to the knuckle of your thumb when touching mixture. Boil on high til the water is just absorbed, then cover and cook on low for about twenty minutes, or til the rice is done.

Fluff and serve. Good hot or cold.

[kr105]

Spam Quiche


Ingredients

1 small can spam
1 deep dish pie shell
Slices of velvetta cheese
1/2 cup of grated mozzarella cheese
Slices of Swiss cheese
4 eggs
1 cup cream (heavy tastes best, light is alright, 1/2 and 1/2 for the dieting)
1 sauteed onion

In a deep dish pie shell, layer spam, velvetta, onions, swiss and mozzarella. The average deep dish pie shell will allow two complete set of layers.

Set the pie pan on a baking sheet that is covered in aluminum foil.

Mix the eggs and cream together and pour over the layers.

Bake 350' over for 30 minutes or until golden brown on top.

[kr105]

Super Easy Chicken a la King


Ingredients

1 can of Swanson Chicken a la King
1.5 cups of cooked rice
1 can of peas

Stir peas into chicken.
Heat chicken in a sauce pan or microwave.

Laddle on top of rice and serve.