The Best Home Cooking and Baking Recipes of 2020 - Eater

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The Best Home Cooking and Baking Recipes of 2020 - Eater

The Best Home Cooking and Baking Recipes of 2020 - Eater

Posted: 30 Dec 2020 09:53 AM PST

While 2020 — the year of So. Much. Cooking. — might be remembered recipe-wise for sourdough, none of us could have made it through quarantine on bread alone. Among Eater editors, shelter-in-place got us into our home kitchens like never before and, naturally, we've depended on some recipes more than others to keep us going, rediscovering old favorites and finding new gems.

There were some common threads among the recipes we consistently turned to when we needed to cook, yet again. Meatballs were both fun to make and wildly practical; we could always count on noodles; we finally figured out what to do when we had too many greens in the fridge; and we made time for baking projects.

Below, the recipes we relied on this year:

Broccoli and egg fried rice: I basically lived on this for the first few months of quarantine. Its virtues are numerous: among other things, it's pantry-staple-simple, highly flavorful, and an excellent way to use up leftover cooked rice. It's also versatile; although it says "broccoli," I've made it with many a hardy vegetable. Plus, it's essentially a ginger delivery vehicle, which is always a good thing. — Rebecca Flint Marx, features editor

Marcella Hazan's tomato sauce: This year, the recipes that have appealed to me most are the ones that are barely even recipes. This iconic tomato sauce from Italian culinary legend Marcella Hazan is so ridiculously easy that it almost feels like a scam. You just open a can of the best tomatoes you can find — spend the extra cash on real San Marzanos or imported Datterinos — dump 'em in a saucepan, add in a stick of butter and half of a peeled onion, and let it simmer on the stove for an hour. Sometimes I throw in a few anchovy filets or whole cloves of garlic if I'm feeling fancy.

The best part, though, is that after you've eaten your perfectly sauced noodles, you can whiz the leftover sauce with cream in a blender for the best tomato soup of your natural life. (I got that tip from Queer Eye's Antoni Porowski's Instagram and maintain that it is likely the only good cooking advice ever given by that man.) — Amy McCarthy, Eater Dallas/Houston editor

Sautéed dandelion greens with eggs: My CSA sent me this recipe one week when we got dandelion greens and had no idea what to do, and it's completely changed my relationship to dark, leafy greens in the kitchen. It works because it's less of a hard recipe and more of a set of guidelines. Instead of leeks I've used onions, garlic or shallots. I used mustard greens, kale, and chard in place of dandelion greens when I had them. I've topped it with cheddar and parmesan and goat cheese. Use literally whatever you have in this vague order, and add spices if you want. But it has hands-down gotten me to eat more greens than any other recipe. — Jaya Saxena, staff writer

Chocolate babka: The first time I baked this recipe, which makes two loaves of intensely chocolaty babka, I fully intended to keep one for my immediate family and give one away — until I saw my fiancée and parents ravenously devour the first loaf. The next few times I baked it over the course of the year I successfully gifted a loaf — to a friend as a parting gift upon leaving L.A., to my sister-in-law as a house-warming present — and even baked it in place of a birthday cake for my partner, who literally responded, "This is the best thing you have ever made." The babka is a lot like my 2020: arduous, messy, a chance to support loved ones, and full of chocolate. — Nick Mancall-Bitel, editorial associate

Spaghetti alla Carbonara: Though I love cooking, working at Eater means a lot of eating out at restaurants. My first forays into the kitchen, I felt a little bit like a weak baby bird, so I wanted something easy to make and comforting. That means pasta alla carbonara — which needs just pasta, eggs, pancetta (or bacon), and Parmigiano-Reggiano (NO CREAM cc: @italians_mad_at_food). Just boil the pasta, cook the pancetta, beat the eggs until they're super foamy, and combine everything over a low flame until you have a thick, creamy sauce. I don't have a recipe because I learned from my friends in Italy, but this one is the closest. — Erin Russell, Eater Austin associate editor

Saffron risotto: The ability to make a hands-off risotto that requires no constant stirring is one of the major appeals of the Instant Pot. This simple, yet sophisticated saffron risotto from Melissa Clark's cookbook Dinner in an Instant has become a mainstay in our house this year, and it's also caught on in my sister's household, to the point where it will earn a marquee place at Christmas dinner this week. I expect further members of my family will embrace this dish: Clark's excellent pressure cooker-focused cookbook has found its way under the tree of both my mother and my brother-in-law this year, courtesy of yours truly. — Missy Frederick, cities director

Kale-sauce pasta: Back when we all first started sheltering in place, I asked the food writer and cookbook author Jamie Feldmar to pull together the best recipes the internet had to offer when it comes to cooking with pantry staples. Brilliantly, she also included a list of recipes to turn to when it was time to eat something super-fresh, including this kale-sauce pasta recipe from Ava Genes chef Joshua McFadden, and adapted for the Times by Tejal Rao.

One of the perks of editing is getting to see a story before everyone else does, and I started cooking this recipe almost as soon as I finished reading the draft. Kale is one of things I tend to buy out of obligation, then kind of complain about having to actually do something with. But this sauce is so good. It's lighter than a pesto, thoroughly vegetal, and calls for a whole bunch of kale. It's also easily adaptable; I like to add lemon juice and crushed red pepper flakes, but you could experiment with different greens, too. — Hillary Dixler Canavan, restaurant editor

Spiced chickpea stew with coconut and turmeric: This may be the least original entry, but hey, popular recipes are popular for a reason. I'd spent months resisting Alison Roman's hashtag recipes, including #TheStew (turned off by the banal ubiquity of it, as well as the somewhat culturally tone-deaf vacuum in which it was seemingly conceived). But one night in 2020, my husband (the cook of this household) finally decided to try out the spiced chickpea stew — and we promptly fell in love. As mostly-vegetarians (in the house, at least), we are suckers for any one-pot, hearty, veggie-forward dish that can function as a weeknight dinner for both of us. This one is ideal, with filling chickpeas, wilted greens that make it feel healthy, and our most-used pantry ingredient: coconut milk. — Ellie Krupnick, director of editorial operations

Somen salad: I turned to a handful of recipes on Onolicious, my favorite Hawaiian food blog, when cooking fatigue set in and it was too hot during the summer to tackle complicated recipes. But the one (chilled) dish I kept returning to was this simple, refreshing somen salad. It's easier to make than boxed mac-and-cheese and made me nostalgic for Hawaii. — Bao Ong, Eater NY editor

Weeknight meatballs: I've made these meatballs upwards of ten times, always with turkey. They're extra moist, super easy to throw together, and make for great leftovers. They're so good I'll be making them for Christmas eve again — so weeknight AND special occasions meatballs. — Alyssa Nassner, art director

Snickerdoodles: I am lucky enough to have Weeknight Baking author Michelle Lopez freelance for me from time to time, and her baking blog, Hummingbird High, has become my go-to spot for dessert recipes. There are quite a few knockouts in her archives, but the raspberry sumac snickerdoodles in her book are my absolute favorite cookie — they're impossibly soft and just lightly chewy, with a lovely tang to them. For those unwilling to buy the book, her basic snickerdoodle recipe will do the trick — just roll them in a blend of food-processed freeze-dried raspberries, sugar, and a few teaspoons of sumac instead of the standard cinnamon sugar. — Brooke Jackson-Glidden, Eater PDX editor

Pasta alla norma: I admittedly made this recipe a lot pre-quarantine but it's remained a staple in my household throughout the pandemic. I'm lucky enough to have a garden that produces a lot of eggplant, which I grilled and froze. Now, I pull it out of the freezer anytime I'm feeling lazy. Toss it with tomatoes, garlic, cayenne peppers, pasta, cheese, and lots of capers. It always comes out great. — Brenna Houck, Eater Detroit editor

Whole roasted cauliflower and whipped goat cheese: I didn't think my repeat quarantine recipe would be a literal head of cauliflower, but here we are. I went on a cookbook ordering frenzy between March and May, and ended up falling for this charred cauliflower recipe from Alon Shaya's eponymous Shaya, a dish that evokes the blistered and buttery heads of cauliflower stuffed into pitas at Miznon in Tel Aviv. I made this many times over the months, but more fervently so in July and August when I was experimenting with a mostly plant-based diet. The cauliflower blackens in the way that it should when you crank your oven up to 500 (I go a little hotter than the recipe suggests), and gives at the first touch of the knife. I don't usually make the whipped goat cheese, but I do sometimes dust the head with grated parm for a sharp, salty bite. — Nicole Adlman, cities manager

Sheet pan chicken meatballs with tomatoes and chickpeas: Meatballs are fun to make because there are so many iterations of the simple meaty spheres, plus who doesn't like to mash things together with their hands? A fellow Vox Media colleague had raved about the chicken meatball recipe from Bon Appetit over the summer, so I decided to try it out. The results were delicious: the feta brought a nice brininess, the harissa added a zip of spice, and I'm generally a sucker for anything involving chickpeas and tomatoes. The recipe is already a staple in my go-to recipe collection. Once I made it with ground halal chicken thighs, which lend to a juicer meatball, honestly. — Nadia Chaudhury, Eater Austin editor

A Look Back At Cooking In 2020 | Columns - CapeNews.net

Posted: 30 Dec 2020 06:30 PM PST

A few weeks ago when I wrote about the new community cookbook, Neighborhood Falmouth, I called it the "lemonade" cookbook. When life gives us lemons, we then have the option of making lemonade. And thus it is with today's column: let's look back on our cooking in 2020, before and during the pandemic, and see what we can come up with.

With the pandemic upending our world, devastating our restaurants, more and more of us turned to cooking at home. In fact, the best recipes of 2020 could be called "cooking as therapy," as many people explored baking with sourdough and growing scallions in water as a symbol of hope. As I look back over the columns of the past year, I am struck with how resilient people are.

Often when I asked what's cooking, I came face to face with that unique New England practicality. I was told that many home cooks took a realistic approach. They told me that they were making a dish that set them up for the next meal. Cook some rice, make stock from leftovers, have bread for toasting—these were popular answers to my question.

As I review the year, I have to chuckle at my first column of 2020. I remember feeling optimistic: new year, new decade, let's look at this new book, called "Cooking for Good Times." I even thought it sounded propitious. Ah, the ups and downs of food writing.

But wait (there's more!). Here's the advice I published for you back in January, as suggested by the author and chef Paul Kahan: "how to cook amazing food at home, while everyone, including the cook, is hanging out in the kitchen. He shares his secrets for low-stress cooking for family and friends, including the following:

• There is no particular order food needs to be served in, and no set menu you need to create or follow;

• There is no special wine you need to serve;

• Food can absolutely go straight from the oven to a trivet on the table;

• You want to make as much as possible in advance;

• You will be most successful if you have a small collection of can't-miss dishes (along with small changes you can make to them)

Truer words were never spoken, except for the part about having everyone hang out in the kitchen. Nowadays we don't even do that with masks on. But that doesn't mean we can't have good food. Here's the recipe from that book; I am including it here because 1) it's absolutely delicious 2) it's very flexible and 3) I received a positive feedback on this particular winter dish.

Panzanella With Hearty Greens, Honey-Roasted Squash And Pear

2 cups torn and toasted bread

1 recipe apple cider vinaigrette

1 recipe honey roasted squash

½ cup thinly sliced red onion

1 cup sliced pear (you choose what kind)

2 cups hearty greens such as kale, sturdy spinach or dandelion greens, cut into bite-sized pieces

½ cup shaved Parmigiano cheese

1 tsp kosher salt

6 cranks black pepper

Make the toasted bread:

One half-loaf day-old good bread

1 TBSP each: butter and olive oil

½ tsp each: minced garlic, herbes de Provence or thyme leaves, and kosher salt

Tear the crust off the bread and set it aside; tear the inside into rough, shaggy, one-inch pieces, then tear up the crust and measure (should be 2 cups) out into a salad bowl. In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the oil, garlic, herbes de Provence, and salt; mix well, then pour over the bread and toss, squeezing the bread to absorb all the oil and butter. Spread the mixture on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer and toast for 10 minutes in a preheated 350°F oven; shake the pan and continue toasting until bread is golden brown and crispy, but not hard. Return the bread to the salad bowl.

Make the vinaigrette:

2 TBSP apple cider vinegar

¼ cup olive oil

2 tsp minced shallot

1 tsp each: Dijon mustard and fresh thyme leaves

½ tsp each: honey and kosher salt

Combine all ingredients in a small jar and shake to combine; this recipe makes more than what you will need for this particular salad.

Make the honey-roasted squash:

½ lb winter squash (butternut, delicata, or acorn)

1 TBSP each: olive oil and honey

½ tsp each: kosher salt and fresh thyme leaves

¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Cut off the ends of the squash and slice it in half lengthwise; remove the seeds and cut it into one-quarter-inch slices. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss all the ingredients together until evenly coated; place in a preheated 350°F oven for 8 minutes, until the squash starts to sizzle. Stir the squash and roast another 5 minutes, until the squash is golden brown and tender, but not falling apart. Remove and let cool.

Put it together and serve:

Toss the bread pieces with a quarter of the vinaigrette and let them sit for a few minutes to soften slightly; add the squash, onion, pear, greens, cheese and salt and pepper and give the salad a good but gentle toss, being careful not to break up the squash too much. Taste and add more vinaigrette if desired, or serve the dressing on the side.

Last winter was also the time to explore techniques with the Instant Pot, which many folks had received as holiday gifts. We explored dishes such as rice pudding with cardamom and barbecued brisket, nice winter-y comfort foods. As we moved from a debate about chocolates versus berries for Valentine's Day, February ended and I started to write about the Meet the Chefs series I was teaching at Highfield Hall & Gardens. I covered just the first class. Then the rest were cancelled as March progressed, and along with it, our governor's mandate to stay at home.

That, of course, led to pandemic cooking and, of course, sourdough baking. Skillet cooking, one-pot meals, "STRESSED IS DESSERT" spelled backward, and other timely topics were my focus. I devoted an entire column to wacky cakes (that's how stressed I was). In May, I was a little weary:

"Speedy, uncomplicated dinners. That's what I'm ready for. As much as I love cooking (and reading about and writing about food), I find myself a bit weary these days. I don't mind the limited choices at the supermarket; in fact, I sort of enjoy them—a challenge! But coming up with dinners that are simple, and flexible, has tired me out.

"That's where the sheet pan comes in. And chicken. Seasoning the chicken, adding some aromatics and vegetables, cooking it all together in a hot oven—what's not to like? Chicken, whole or cut up, seems to be relatively easy to come by. If you have a small family, use a large skillet instead of a sheet pan." Or use a half or even a quarter-sheet pan, and try this recipe, definitely a winner based on the comments I received in May..

Sheet Pan Pasta Bake
With Chicken And Kale

12 ounces short pasta, such as gemelli or penne, cooked and drained (reserve ½ cup cooking water)

1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

1 cup grated Parmesan (about 3 oz), divided

4 TBSP olive oil, divided

1 bunch curly kale, ribs and stems removed, torn into bite-sized pieces

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1 cup sour cream or crème fraîche

1 TBSP Dijon mustard

4 cups shredded cooked chicken

1½ cups shredded mozzarella (about 6 oz), divided

Arrange a rack in top of oven; preheat to 450°F. Meanwhile, mix panko, one-quarter cup Parmesan, and 2 TBSP oil in a small bowl; season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss kale and tomatoes with a little more salt and remaining oil on a rimmed baking sheet. Mix the pasta with the sour cream, mustard, a quarter-cup of the cooking liquid from the pasta, and the remaining Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir in the chicken and 1 cup mozzarella, adding more pasta cooking liquid if needed, until evenly coated. Transfer to sheet with kale and tomatoes and toss to combine; top with panko mixture and remaining mozzarella. Roast pasta mixture until cheese is melted and top is lightly browned, 5–7 minutes; serve hot.

As we moved through spring into summer, grilling became the technique du jour as we could be outside. I explored mayonnaise—so much information, it covered two columns. And got me a LOT of mail about Hellman's vs Duke's vs Sir Kensington's. Who knew about Sir Kensington mayonnaise? Now I see it in our local supermarket, along with Duke's.

Here are just a few ideas from those summer days when we could lounge on the deck while basting our food on the grill. It doesn't mean we can't do it now—just throw on a vest and pull on the boots for warmth.

Salmon fillets—with mayonnaise and chopped fresh dill.

Garlic bread—with mayonnaise, chopped fresh oregano, garlic and Parmesan cheese.

Chicken breasts—with pesto-flavored mayonnaise.

Steaks—with mayonnaise,

and Montreal Steak Seasoning.

Pork chops—with mayonnaise and toasted, ground fennel seeds.

Lamb chops—with mayonnaise, flavored with mint, rosemary and anchovy.

Sliced fingerling potatoes—with mayonnaise, garlic and thyme.

Grilled onions—with mayonnaise flavored with sherry vinegar and fresh thyme.

I learned quite a bit about grilling, both at home and at Highfield, where we held our classes on the porch, with masks and social distancing. We had a good time figuring out ways to showcase the "bounty of the garden meets the sizzle of the grill." But by September, there were a lot of us who would agree with Sam Sifton, food editor of the New York times, when he said: " I'm kind of sick of cooking. Not every day, and not all of any day, but sometimes lately, yes, for a moment or two, cooking is a drag. There's the tyranny of it, for one thing: three squares…same as yesterday, same as tomorrow."

But he ended on a hopeful note, one that carried this writer through the last few months of 2020. "Here's what to do. Cook anyway. Cook something new, even if you don't have all the ingredients. Cook to surprise yourself and maybe you will be surprised." I like that.

I like it even better than starting the year with "Cooking for Good Times." Let's call it Cooking for Now, and wait to see what 2021 will bring us. Happy New Year to all of you, my readers; may this year surprise us as we continue to cook—both new dishes and the comfortable familiar ones. Pandemic cuisine or not, we still need to eat!

Commentary: Let's get cooking on a great recipe for 2021 - williamsonherald.com

Posted: 30 Dec 2020 04:54 PM PST

This year, home for the holidays has never sounded better. 

Since I have been staying home more, I've been working on homemade gifts for my children. 

With both of our sons living out of state, they had asked for recipes for some of their favorite items. I came up with the idea of creating a cookbook for them to have recipes from their nana, grandma, aunt and friends. 

What started as a gift for them transcended into a gift for me. 

Walking down memory lane, recalling Sunday dinner traditions, looking through cookbooks and remembering special meals together brought moments of tears.

Where has time gone? It was only yesterday that my kids were babies and we were baking cookies and making homemade gifts together. 

I think that as we get older, we get nostalgic and appreciate more of those favorite meals we enjoyed as children or the rituals that were part of our family culture. 

During Advent, my memories go to Sunday dinners, during which each child was assigned a day to light a candle. As I wrote in the cookbook, Sunday's traditional pot roast was a favorite during the winter. 

One of my favorite cookbooks is "The Second Most Valuable Book You'll Ever Need." It is filled with recipes from the women of Brentwood United Methodist Church. First printed in 1992 and then again in 1997, there is now a part two, "Recipes From the Heart." 

Nestled within the pages of "The Second Most Valuable Book You'll Ever Need" is a golden nugget written by Linda Maynard that was taken from "Pass It On: Cookbook of Woodbine Methodist." I've shared it with my children, and it's going to become my new tradition for wedding showers. 

Entitled "Recipe for Making a Home," it reads like this:

"Take 1 cup friendship, add 1 cup thoughtfulness. Mix well with a pinch of powder tenderness, lightly beaten into a bowl of loyalty to which has been added 1 cup of faith, 1 cup of hope and 1 cup charity. Be sure to add a teaspoon of gaiety that sings and the ability to laugh at the little things. Moisten with sudden tears and heartfelt sympathy. Bake in a good-natured pan, serve often."

Today, I pass this on to you: I hope you cook up a wonderful new year and may your home be full of peace, hope, joy and love in 2021.

Virtual cooking classes more food and dining news - The Detroit News

Posted: 30 Dec 2020 03:05 PM PST

Upcoming food and dining events

Magical Feast with Chef Nikita Sanches at Frame: Enjoy this Harry Potter-influenced meal from Rock City Eatery chef Nikita Sanches. Expect some British-influenced dishes on this special menu, including Scotch eggs, Irish stew, steak and ale pie, toad in a hole, Yorkshire pudding and glazed carrots with parsnips. There are two ways to enjoy this limited feast: as a carryout from Frame or dine in one of their outdoor yurts (six guests per yurt). 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. Jan. 7-9 and 14-16 plus 4 and 7 p.m. Jan. 17. $62 per person plus tax and service fee. 23839 John R, #2, Hazel Park. framehazelpark.com/experience/a-magical-feast.

New virtual cooking classes at Zingerman's Cornman Farms: If one of your New Year's resolutions is to become more skilled in the kitchen, consider a virtual cooking class with chef Kieron Hales. Zingerman's has released a new schedule of courses, including "How to Roast a Chicken" on Jan. 15 and an MLK Day pancake breakfast class for kids on Jan. 18. Tickets range from $35-$125 and come classes may require a pick-up of ingredients and materials at the farm, 8540 Island Lake, Dexter. shop.zingermanscornmanfarms.com.

Virtual seafood cooking class at Mabel Gray: Chef James Rigato shares techniques for perfecting seafood in your home kitchen. Class kits include all the seafood and ingredients to create a meal for 3-4 people, including green curry clams, slow-roasted seeded salmon, shrimp cocktail and potato blinis. You can add on wine pairings or cocktails to-go. Kit pick up is noon-2 p.m. Jan. 16 (at 23825 John R, Hazel Park) and Zoom class is 6 p.m. Jan. 17. $200. https://www.exploretock.com/mabelgrayhazelpark.

Vegan-ary January Super Foods meal at Frame: Mieko Krishok of Guerrilla Foods will prepare vegan dinner kits including make-your-own fresh rolls, winter salad, stew and dessert. $35 per person. Pick ups are Jan. 13 and 27. 23839 John R, #2, Hazel Park. framehazelpark.com/experience/veganuary-superfoods.

Dining news

JEDs Detroit now open with pizza and "fireballs": Chef Max Hardy recently opened fast-casual JEDs Detroit with pizza, chicken wings, burgers and fireballs, which are chicken tenders smothered in sauce, cheese and other toppings. It's open daily at 1648 E. Seven Mile, Detroit. (313)-305-7737 or jedsdetroit.com.

James Beard Award-winning chef lands in Grand Rapids: Chef Paul Berglund is the new executive chef at Mertens Prime in Grand Rapids. Coming from the Bachelor Farmer in Minneapolis, Berglund will start in early 2021. He's the winner of the 2016 James Beard Foundation Best Chef Award Midwest. Mertens Prime is at 35 Oakes St. SW in Grand Rapids. 

Ackroyd's changes hours: Starting with the new year, this popular Scottish bakery will be open for curbside pick up 10 a.m-4 p.m. Thurs.-Sat. (order by phone during these times). Soon the bakery will launch specials for the upcoming Burns Night on Jan. 25. 25566 Five Mile, Redford Charter Township. (313) 532-1181. Online ordering is always open at https://ackroydsbakery.com. 

Melody Baetens

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