Check out all the recipes featured in past Be Mighty Local Chef Cook-Alongs created by local amateur and professional chefs! Stay updated on future cook-alongs on our social media!
Chef Cook-Along Series
Check out all the recipes featured in past Be Mighty Local Chef Cook-Alongs created by local amateur and professional chefs! Stay updated on future cook-alongs on our social media!
February 2022 Chef Cook Along with Charles
Balsamic Glazed Chicken Thighs with Roasted Garlic, Lemon, and Mushroom Risotto
Ingredient list
Pantry
- 4 chicken bouillon cubes
- Olive oil (6 TBS ish)
- 16 oz Arborio Rice (or other similar short-grain rice – must be short-grain rice)
- 12.7 oz bottle of balsamic vinegar
- ½ cup of brown sugar or honey
- 3 TSP dried thyme
- Salt and pepper to taste
Produce
- 1 large yellow onion
- 1 head garlic
- 16 oz package of mushrooms (white, Bella, other mushrooms are fine too)
- 1 bunch fresh parsley
- 1-2 fresh lemons
- ¾ cup of parmesan cheese (if you can budget it – not a necessary part of the dish but makes it extra nice)
Meats
- 4 bone-in, skin on, chicken thighs
Kitchen Supplies Needed
- Large saucepan
- Large saute pan or soup pot
- Baking sheet
- Knife
- Cutting board
- Whisk or large fork/spoon
- Bonus
- Aluminum foil
- Parchment paper
Instructions
Roast chicken thighs and Garlic
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Rinse chicken thighs and pat dry. Leave the skin on and bone-in.
- In a bowl, add in 2-3 TBS of olive oil and as much salt and pepper as you like (1 tsp each is a good place to start). Add If you have any other dry herbs that you like, you should add these too ? basil, oregano, and rosemary would all be great options here to add extra flavor.
- Add in chicken thighs and mix well with hands or tongs so that olive oil and seasoning have well covered the chicken thighs.
- Place chicken thighs on a parchment or aluminum foil-lined baking sheet.
- Separate and peel all cloves of garlic within the head.
- Make a small pouch out of aluminum foil and add garlic, olive oil (1 TBS), and a generous pinch of salt. Place on pan with chicken.
- Bake until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees (35-45 min).
- Check the garlic after 15 min and then every 5 min and remove once cloves are easily squashed with a fork or spoon.
- Once the garlic is cooled, mash into a paste.
Make Chicken Broth
- Add chicken bouillon to hot water in a large pot and bring to boil on the stovetop – keep at a simmer for use in the risotto.
Cook Mushrooms and Onions
- Dice onion and cut mushrooms into quarters
- Heat a few TBS of olive oil in saute pan
- Add onions and cook for 2-3 minutes until translucent, then add 3 tsp of thyme and salt and pepper to taste.
- Add mushrooms and cook until they start to release liquid but are still firm to the bite.
- Set aside for later
Cook Risotto
- Add a few TBS of olive oil to saute pan or soup pot
- Add in short-grain rice (all 16 oz) and cook while stirring so rice is “toasted” a bit (2-3 min)
- Turn down the heat and add in broth by the ladle full – stir constantly.
- Continue to cook and stir constantly while adding ladles of broth as necessary for the rice to remain saturated. Once the rice is cooked through, add in another small amount of broth and stir once more. You should have a very wet rice mixture.
- Add in the entire head of roasted garlic and mushrooms/onions mixture. Add in juice from lemon and adjust seasoning as needed. Stir until well combined.
- If you have parmesan cheese, add ½ – ¾ cup and stir to combine
Make Balsamic Glaze
- Add entire contents of balsamic glaze to a saucepot or saute pan along with ? – ½ cup brown sugar or honey.
- Turn heat to medium and stir occasionally until glaze is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Allow to cool before eating (it will thicken a bit more here)
Assemble
- Plate with risotto on the bottom and top with chicken thigh – drizzle balsamic glaze over the top. Sprinkle more parmesan cheese and chopped parsley on top. Enjoy warm.
December 2022 Chef Cook Along with Charles
Roasted Red Pepper and Chickpea Gyro with Tzatziki-ish Sauce and Cucumber Salad
Prepare each of the following recipe components individually and assemble at the end once everything is done!
Cucumber salad
Ingredients:
- 2 cucumbers (can get away with one here if needed)
- One large tomato (or 3 Roma tomatoes)
- One small red onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 Lemon (needs to be organic, the regular ones are CRAP)
- 1 Tbs of Honey
- Olive Oil
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions:
- Start by peeling both cucumbers and cutting away the sides of the tomatoes from the inside. You can leave the middle of the tomato out of this salad if you don’t enjoy the texture and only use the “walls” of the tomato.
- Once you have the cucumbers peeled, cut them in 4th lengthwise so they look like giant pickle spears.
- Use your knife to remove the core of the cucumber so only the firm solid meat is left.
- Chop cucumber quarters into diagonal strips about ¼ inch in width and about ¾ inches long. This will allow them to maintain some integrity and not get lost in the dish.
- Chop your onion
- Cut onion in half and remove skin
- Slice onion into very thin strips
- Peel and finely chop garlic
- Combine all chopped veggies in a bowl and add in the juice of ½ – 1 whole lemon, 2 TBS of olive oil, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Roasted Red Peppers
Ingredients:
- 1 large red pepper
- Olive oil (2 tbs)
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions:
- Remove top and bottom of pepper and remove stem (save bottom, you can use it)
- Slice pepper into 4 pieces and use a knife to trim out any of the internal connective white membranes.
- Place on a baking sheet and rub olive oil over pepper pieces.
- Season with salt and pepper
- Place in the broiler on high for 3-4 min, turn, broil on the other side for 3-4 min. You’re looking for about 1/3rd of the pepper to be charred.
Roasted Chickpeas
Ingredients:
- Olive Oil (3 tbs)
- Salt
- Pepper
- Cumin, Garlic Powder, Paprika, Coriander
- 1 can chick peas (2 if budget allows)
Instructions: Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix until well combined. Once chickpeas are well covered in oil and seasoning, spread in an even layer on a baking sheet. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. For crispy texture, smash chickpeas down slightly before baking.
Tatziki-ish Sauce
Ingredients:
- Olive oil (1TBS)
- Salt (½ tsp)
- Pepper (½ tsp)
- 1/2 Lemon
- 1/2 cup greek yogurt (plain)
- 1/2 bunch fresh herbs (dill would be best, cilantro or parsley is okay too), finely chopped.
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped.
- (Bonus) feta cheese (if budget allows)
Instructions:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl until well combined. Taste and add more lemon if you want it to be tangier. Add more salt and pepper as needed. If the sauce is too sweet, add more lemon. If it’s too tart, add a small amount of honey.
ASSEMBLY:
- Warm 4 pitas in the microwave for 20 seconds until slightly warm but not hot.
- Start with a bit of sauce on each pita – we need something for the ingredients to stick to.
- Next, add on a fair helping of the chickpeas (there should be a solid pile of these as they’re the main part of the dish)
- Next, take your roasted red peppers and slice into strips. Add strips on top of chickpeas.
- Finally, add some cucumber and tomato salad on top – add as much of this as you like, it adds a great crunch.
- Finish with more sauce and serve!
Condensed list (for 4 pitas)
- Olive oil
- Lemon (1 or 2 organic)
- Tomatoes (1 large or 3 roma)
- Cucumbers (2) (1 is okay if needed)
- Red pepper (1 large)
- Red onion (1 small)
- Garlic (4 cloves)
- 1/2 bunch fresh herbs dill would be best, cilantro or parsley is okay too)
- 1 can chickpeas (2 if the budget allows it)
- 1/2 cup greek yogurt
- Cumin, Garlic Powder, Paprika, Coriander, salt, pepper
- Honey (1 tablespoon)
- (Bonus) feta cheese (if budget allows)
Cook Along with Lili's Mexican Street Food
Calabacita
by Laura Ochoa – Lili’s
- Ingredients
- 6 large Mexican squash (if not available zucchini works)
- 3 firm tomato
- 1 small white onion
- 4 garlic clove
- 1/2 cup corn
- 1/2 cup of vegetable or chicken stock
- 1/2 cup of crumbled queso fresco
- 1/2 cup Mexican crema or sour cream
- 1 cilantro bunch
- 2 Tbsp cooking oil of choice
Instructions
(est. time 30 min)
- Chop corn, onion, and garlic (doesn’t have to be superfine)
- Add oil to a pan on med heat
- Dice 2 tomatoes, set aside for now.
- Saute corn, onion, and garlic, stirring occasionally until onion is translucent.
- Add tomatoes.
- Chop squash into ½ in cubes, then saute in a separate pan on med heat (separate pan is optional)
- Chop cilantro, set aside.
- After a few minutes, combine squash with the other pan
- Add ½ cup of stock and raise to med-high heat, stirring occasionally for a few more minutes until desired texture. Add salt/pepper to taste
- Scoop into a bowl or plate, then add sour cream, queso fresco, and cilantro over top.
Cook Along with The Plant Kings
Vegan Lasagna by Denzel the Plant King
Ingredients:
- Lasagna noodles w/ no egg
- 1 15oz cans of Hunts marinara sauce
- 1 pack of beyond beef crumbles
- 1 bag of Daiya Shredded Mozzarella
- Whole onion
- Garlic powder
- Shredded Basil
- Vegan Butter (Earth balance or any soy-free vegan brand)
Instructions
- Chop onion, saute in pan over medium heat and cover, stirring occasionally for 2-3 minutes.
- Add garlic, ground ‘meat’, and 2 tbsp of butter to the pan, stir and cover for another 2-3 minutes.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add 10 noodles or so, boil for 8-10 minutes (do not need to be fully cooked).
- Preheat the oven to 375.
- Cover the bottom of a glass baking dish with a light layer of sauce, then add a layer of noodles. Cover the noodles with more sauce, sprinkle the cheese, and add in the ground meat, and cover with another layer of noodles. Repeat this process until you fill the baking dish. Top with sauce, cheese, meat and basil.
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, remove foil, and bake for 15 more minutes
Cook Along with The Cajun Trouxth
Jambalaya: by Charles Gilmer
1 Bell Pepper
1 large onion
2 Stalks of Celery
Green onions
1 Tablespoon of minced garlic
1 pound of Chicken
1 pound of Pork
1 pound of Andouille/Smoked Sausage
½ cup of vegetable oil
3 1\2 Cups of Chicken Broth (or 3 bouillon Cubs)
2 cups of par-boiled rice
1 tablespoon of Hot Sauce
1 tablespoon of Cajun Seasoning
1 teaspoon of cayenne
2 Tablespoons of Kitchen Bouquet
1. First, dice your bell peppers, onion, celery, and green onion.
2. Cut all of your meat into bite sized cubes, season with salt and pepper, and lay them to the side.
3. Heat vegetable oil in a 5-quart pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
4. Once oil is hot, start browning the pork. Brown for about 10-15 minutes.
5. Next brown your chicken for 10 to 15 minutes until no pink is visible.
6. Last brown your sausage. The fat from the sausage will liquify and give excess oil for the next step.
7. Once all meat is browned and sat to the side, you now can sautee your vegetables. Sautee all your vegetable until soft and translucent. Once vegetables are cooked, add your chicken broth and meat to the pot.
8. Season your pot with hot sauce, Cajun seasoning, cayenne, and kitchen bouquet.
9. Bring pot to a boil and then lower heat to simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
10. Turn off pot and allow to set for 5 minutes.
11. Open pot and stir around to
Cook Along with Vito & Vera
Cook Along with Bella's Kitchen
Lentil Salad with Bacon and Confit Tomatoes by Micheal Quandah
Ingredients
- 1 cup French Le Puy Lentils
- 1 medium carrot, trimmed and peeled
- 1 medium yellow onion, halved through the root
- 1 medium fennel bulb
- 5 medium cloves garlic
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme, or sage
- 3 sprigs of parsley
- 1 cup cherry/grape tomatoes
- ½ cup of olive oil
- 2tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 handful of spinach or arugula
- 3oz goat cheese
- 2 strips of bacon
- Kosher salt
1. Preheat oven to 300
2. Take 2 sprigs of thyme, 4 cloves of garlic, tomatoes, place in an oven safe dish and cover with olive oil (about ½ cup.) Place in the oven for about 30ish minutes.
3. Take ½ of the onion, ½ of the fennel bulb, and 1/2 of the carrot and combine in a pot with lentils, garlic, and 2 sprigs of thyme and 1 sprig of parsley. Cover with 2 inch of water and salt your water. Heat over medium heat.
4. Bring to a simmer then reduce heat to bare simmer, cook lentils till soft around 15-20 minutes.
5. Drain the lentils and run a little cold water over them. Pick out the veggies and herbs.
6. Drain tomatoes from the oil and reserve the oil.
7. Add minced or grated clove of garlic, vinegar, and dijon in a bowl. Whisk together and slowly add olive oil from tomatoes. Whisk till fully emulsified. Season with salt and pepper.
8. Take bacon and cut into lardons. Take the other half of the veggies and dice them.
9. In a large skillet render bacon over medium heat until crispy, remove to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside. Heat bacon fat over medium high heat, then add chopped veggies and cook till barely tender, about 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat and add lentils and toss to coat. Add confit tomatoes and gently fold in. Add 2-4 tbsps vinaigrette and gently mix.
10. Spoon out onto a bowl or plate. Crumble goat cheese over the top, sprinkle crispy bacon, and top with whole or chopped parsley
Cook Along with Charles Maxwell
Easy- Oven Roasted Ratatouille
Ingredients:
-
1 Tomato
-
1 Eggplant
-
1 Yellow Squash
-
1 Zucchini
-
1 Red Onion
-
2-4 Cloves of Garlic
-
1 tbsp Dry Basil
-
1 tbsp Oregano
-
Quarter tsp Salt and Pepper
-
Fresh Oregano
-
3 tbsp Olive Oil
Instructions:
-
Rinse and dry veggies
-
2-4 cloves garlic peel and separate/chop into fine pieces
-
3 tablespoon olive oil add into bowl with garlic
-
Add Dry basil, oregano, salt, pepper into bowl with the garlic
-
Cut and peel red onion then dice into fine pieces then add into bowl
-
Cut up squash, zucchini, eggplant cut into halves then quarters
-
Marinate veggies in herb oil blend
-
Spray on a cooking pan
-
Spread veggies evenly on pan
-
Bake on 425 Fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes
-
Slice tomato into thin slices
-
Chop up fresh oregano and put over tomato into a bowl
-
Remove veggies from oven and mix around the pan
-
Spread tomatoes evenly along the pan then put pack in oven for 15 minutes
-
Serve on plate and enjoy!