Cooking Under Quarantine

These days, we all have a little extra time on our hands. Some of us are finally reading that book from book club that we never actually finished. Some of us have taken up walking or running and now have a prominent sock tan line. And some of us have spent this time sheltering in the kitchen, trying new recipes or making familiar comfort food. Because these are stressful times and stress eating is a thing. Here are some recipes submitted by our readers that they have been cooking under quarantine. Have a recipe of your own that you want to share? DM us on Instagram or Facebook or email lwilcox@coralgablesmagazine.com.

Korean Fried Chicken from Helen Glynell

Chicken Ingredients:

• Boneless chicken thighs
• 1.5 cups frying powder (chicken mix powder)
• 1.5 cups cold water
• 1 tsp. salt
• black pepper
• ½ Tbs. minced garlic
• 1 tsp. white wine vinegar

Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 Tbs. Korean chili paste
• 5 Tbs. ketchup
• 2 Tbs. soy sauce
• 1 Tbs. chili pepper flakes
• 4 Tbs. sugar
• 1 Tbs. minced garlic
• 4 Tbs. starch syrup (corn syrup or sugar work as well)

Directions:

• Cut the chicken. Put the chicken in a bowl and add salt, pepper, garlic and vinegar. Microwave for 30 – 60 seconds.
• Fill a pan with oil and put it on medium-high heat.
• For the batter, mix equal amounts of the frying powder and cold water. Dip the chicken into the batter.
• Spread frying powder into a wide container (preferably one with a lid) and put the chicken on top. Pour more powder on top of the chicken and shake the container.
• Once the oil is hot enough, add the chicken. While frying, stir the chicken so the pieces don’t stick together. Remove the chicken from the oil once golden brown.
• Boil the sauce in a pan and toss the chicken in it.

“Skip the pepper flakes in the sauce or it will likely be too spicy for most people. The gokujang (paste) is plenty spicy. That is the one essential flavor ingredient. Also, I swapped 1T of soy sauce for 1T of hoisin sauce.” Visit youtube.com for a video tutorial. 

Chicken and Eggplant Parmesan from The H & D Law Firm

Ingredients:

• 1 eggplant sliced into 8 pieces that are ½ inch thick
• 4 boneless, skinless pieces of chicken
• cooking spray
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
• ½ tsp. paprika
• 3 large eggwhites
• 3 cups crushed rice cereal
• 4 Tbs. grated Parmesan
• 1/3 cup flour
• salt
• pepper
• 1.5 cups crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 4 slices fresh mozzarella
• finely chopped parsley

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Mix flour and paprika in a bowl. Mix egg whites in a separate bowl. Mix cereal and Parmesan in a separate bowl.
• Spray both sides of the eggplant with cooking spray. Add Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to each side. Place on cooking tray and turn the eggplant once after five minutes (10 minutes total).
• Dip chicken in the four and paprika mix, then the egg whites, then the cereal and Parmesan mix.
• If you’re using a pan, spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray and add oil. Cook the chicken on medium-high heat. If you’re using an air fryer, set to 380 degrees and cook chicken for 10 minutes, flip the chicken and cook for another 8 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
• Spray a rectangular baking dish with cooking spray and add a thin layer of crushed tomatoes. Add chicken. Cover each piece of chicken with 2 eggplants. Cover with more crushed tomatoes. Add shredded mozzarella and 1 slice of fresh mozzarella on each piece of chicken. 
• Place in the oven for 15 – 20 minutes until cheese is melted. Sprinkle parsley on top.

Lemon Blueberry Drizzle Bread from Francesca Valdes

Bread Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups + 1 tsp. all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. kosher salt
• ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tbs. finely grated lemon zest
• 3 large eggs
• ½ cup whole milk
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

Syrup Ingredients:

• 3 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
• 3 Tbs. granulated sugar

Glaze Ingredients:

• ½ cup confectionary sugar
• 3 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.
• In a bowl, sift together the 1 ½ cups flour, baking powder and salt. In separate bowl, beat the butter, granulated sugar and lemon zest on medium-high speed until lightened. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until each is incorporated. Add the milk and vanilla and stir until blended. Add the dry ingredients and stir until blended. In a small bowl, toss the blueberries with 1 tsp. flour. Gently stir into the batter.
• Scrape the batter into the pan. Bake until lightly browned (about 50 minutes). 
• While the bread is baking, make the syrup. In a small saucepan, boil the lemon juice and granulated sugar over medium heat until syrupy (about 2 minutes). 
• To make the glaze, stir the confectionary sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl.
• Check the bread is cooked through with a toothpick. Transfer the bread to a wire rack and let cool in the pan for a few minutes before putting it on the rack. 
• Using a wooden skewer, pierce the sides and bottom of the bread all over. Brush the bread generously with the syrup. When the bread is completely cool, drizzle the glaze over the top.

Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies from Francesca Valdes

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. cornstarch
• ¾ tsp. baking soda
• ¾ tsp. salt
• 2 cups chocolate chips (mix of milk and dark chocolate Ghirardelli) 
• 1 ½ cups chopped walnuts
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Mix together the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until smooth. Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing each one in thoroughly. Then add the vanilla extract.
• In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients (flour, cornstarch, salt and baking soda). Then combine wet and dry ingredients until dough is formed. Fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place dough balls onto the sheet. I use a regular ice cream scooper to create mine, but feel free to make them differently. Make sure they are not perfect balls, allow them to be “bumpy” to give that Levain feel.
• Refrigerate for 20 – 30 mins. and place in oven for 10 – 12 minutes. Allow to cool/set before serving.

“This is the recipe I make for chocolate chip cookies these days. Levain Bakery in NYC (where I used to live) is famous for their cookies and so when I moved to Florida I sought out a recipe to recreate them – and this is pretty darn close! I do alter the recipe slightly. I usually leave the walnuts out because I share with friends and never know their children’s nut allergy situation. And also I just skip that refrigeration step – it hasn’t affected the outcome for me!”

Shrimp Scampi with Linguini from Gail Scott

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. linguini
• 4 Tbs. butter
• 4 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 shallots, finely diced
• 2 gloves garlic, minced
• Pinch red paper flakes (optional)
• 1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 1 lemon, juiced
• ¼ cup parsley leaves, finely chopped

Directions:

• For the pasta, put a large pot of water on the stove to boil. When it has come to a boil, add a couple of tablespoons of salt and the linguini. Stir and cover. When the water returns to a boil, cook for about 6 to 8 minutes or until the pasta is not quite done. Drain the pasta.
• In a large skillet, melt 2 tbsp. butter and 2 tbsp. olive oil over medium-high heat. Sauté the shallots, garlic and red paper flakes until the shallots are translucent (about 3 to 4 minutes). Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Add them to the pan and cook until they have turned pink (about 2 to 3 minutes). Remove the shrimp from the pan, set aside to keep warm. Add wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Add tbsp. butter and tbsp. oil. When the butter has melted, return the shrimp to the pan along with the parsley and cooked pasta. Stir well and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil.

“The key to this dish was the spectacular Key West pink shrimp I got from Shore to Door in West Grove. This fish market literally touches Coral Gables and it has an interesting backstory. The owner is Indira Funes and she used to be a bartender at Scotty’s Landing in Coconut Grove. She decided to do this fish market and it’s just fabulous. She sources incredibly fresh seafood and during these times she will literally deliver it to your door. Not cheap, but top quality. She only has like six things to sell (even before corona) and on the weekends she does this ‘Groovey Grovey’ thing in the back of the fish market. It’s super cool. She doesn’t have a website, but if you go to her Facebook page you can check it out. It’s an awesome place and she is just lovely.”