In an effort to help make social distancing less lonely, we’ve been sharing our favorite recipes and a bit about ourselves to help keep us cooking and connected as a community.
We will continue adding to this list as recipe are posted. We’d love to see your favorites too! Please tag us @thenashvillefoodproject and #communitycooking!
From Chef Director Bianca Morton: “Every holiday my grandfather brought fresh-baked, melt-in-your-mouth yeast rolls. He brought some for dinner and packaged some in gallon-sized Ziplock bags for each family to take home...After he died I kept trying to get the recipe right. This last Christmas, 18 years since he passed away, my family was like, ‘I think you got it.’” .
Bianca's Yeast Rolls
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1/2 ounce dry yeast (fast-rising)
1/3 cup butter (melted, plus more for brushing)
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
4 1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
Warm 1/3 milk and water. Mix in yeast and let sit until bubbly. Combine remaining milk/water mixture with butter, sugar and salt. Add eggs one at a time. Start adding flour 1 cup at a time to form dough mixture. Gently knead. Oil bowl and place dough inside it to rise and double in size. Punch down and allow it to rise again. Roll out dough and cut rounds. Fold over and pinch like a turnover. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown, brush with melted butter and sugar.
From Kitchen Manager Brent Peadro: “Every kitchen I’ve worked in has had some sort of collard green component, and this recipe is a culmination of all of them. For me, it’s about that balance of smokiness, sweetness, saltiness, spiciness and acidity. There’s something very comforting about a bowl of delicious collard greens. Eating these collards reminds me of all of the wonderful people I’ve worked with over the years. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do and possibly have it bring you some peace and joy during these tough times.”
Brent Peadro’s Collard Greens
4 tbsp bacon fat
2 onions, julienned
1/2 pound raw bacon, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
4 tbsp salt
1 tbsp chili flake
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tbsp black pepper
1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
4 tbsp brown sugar
4 tbsp of honey
2 pounds collard greens, chopped
Heat bacon fat on medium-high heat. Add onion and bacon to pan and sweat until tender and a fond has developed. Add garlic and dry spices and cook for a minute stirring. Add cider vinegar and deglaze pan scraping up brown bits with a wooden spoon. Add brown sugar and honey.
Bring to simmer and then start adding greens in batches, covering to steam and then adding more as they cook down. Simmer, stirring every 30 minutes until tender and full of flavor.
A big welcome to the newest member of our team, Johnisha Levi, who joined The Nashville Food Project as Development Manager in the midst of tornado emergency response. A native of Washington, D.C., she also managed a community nutrition education program in Boston with a culturally competent curriculum to motivate at-risk populations to eat healthier. As for her chili recipe below, she says “it's a recipe that I have adapted over the years that includes my two favorite things— chocolate and spice!"
Johnisha’s Chipotle Chili ⠀
Serves 6 to 8⠀
1 large yellow onion, diced⠀
1 cup diced yellow, orange or red pepper⠀
2 cloves minced garlic⠀
2 pounds ground turkey or beef⠀
1 tbsp brown sugar (optional)⠀
2 tbsp ancho chili powder⠀
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder⠀
1 tsp cumin⠀
1/2 tsp pepper (or to taste)⠀
1/4 tsp salt (or to taste)⠀
2 tbsp tomato paste⠀
2, 15-ounce cans of beans (I usually use all black beans or half black beans, half pinto)⠀
28 ounces crushed tomatoes (or diced)⠀
1/2 to 3/4 quarts of chicken broth⠀
2 canned chipotles, minced⠀
2 ounces bittersweet or unsweetened chocolate⠀
Suggested toppings: chips, sour cream, green onions⠀
Heat a dutch oven over medium high heat with 2 tbsp of oil. Saute the onion, bell pepper, garlic and meat until the meat is browned and onions are soft, about 8 minutes.
Add the dry ingredients (sugar through salt) and saute for 3 to 4 minutes until incorporated and aromatic.
Add the tomato paste and saute 2 to 3 minutes. ⠀
Add the beans through chipotle; stir and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes uncovered until slightly thickened.
Add in the chocolate in small pieces and stir until melted. Serve with desired toppings.
The next recipe in our #communitycooking series comes from three housemates and staffers at The Nashville Food Project: Sally Rausch (Growing Together Market Manager), Hannah Duiven (Prep Coordinator, St. Luke’s Kitchen) and Katie Duiven (Catering & Events Manager).
Their “Clean Out the Fridge Pizza” is part of their home cooking repertoire. "We just look in our fridge, see what cheeses, toppings and sauces we have or could make do, and try to come up with something delicious," says Sally.
Sauce suggestions: red sauce, pesto, olive oil. Cheeses: mozzarella, goat cheese, parmesan, or a blend. Fridge toppings: peppers, mushrooms, arugula, any roasted veggies. Pantry toppings: olives, sun-dried tomatoes, nuts, quick caramelized onions, roasted garlic.
For the dough, they recommend this quick and easy version: https://www.food.com/…/pizza-dough-for-thin-crust-pizza-701….
These pizzas give us a tasty way to make creative use of what’s on hand!
Stay tuned for more favorite recipes from staff posted here!