Dining In? Enjoy Our Series on Simple Recipes to Cook at Home

During these times, we are finding ourselves at home day in and day out, and there are only so many deliveries and frozen meals you can consume before the obvious opportunity occurs to you: make use of your new-found time by indulging your inner aspiring chef to pick up some culinary skills, starting with easy things to cook at home.

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Enter Rouxbe, an online culinary school that gives access to 75 lessons, hundreds of chef-created recipes, cooking tips and techniques, live events with chef instructors and culinary experts, and 13 courses ranging from pasta to knife skills, available 24/7 and streamed on any device so you can make them easily at home.

The membership also includes traditional and next-gen culinary foundations and techniques including plant-based cooking, mastering the fry pan, knife skills and a Food Safety Course that covers common causes of foodborne illnesses, the importance of handwashing, how to purchase, store, prepare and cook food in a safe manner, and how to keep a clean and sanitary kitchen. For this month at home, a 30-day membership is Rouxbe’s gift to us to help us master the skills for making easy things to cook from home.

“With so many of us practicing social distancing—either by choice or mandate—it is inevitable that we will be eating at home,” says Ken Rubin, Chief Culinary Officer at Rouxbe. “There is no reason we should settle for mediocre food or processed foods, when it’s possible to learn basic techniques that make cooking easy things from home with pantry staples not only more enjoyable, but also efficient and healthy. By providing this free trial, we hope home cooks will take an opportunity to learn this important skill while taking care of themselves and their family at the same time.”

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Want to add more excitement and pull your family into the fun? Register for a live event with chef instructors and culinary experts covering a wide range of hot topics where you can engage in real-time Q and A. If you want to learn at your own pace, Rouxbe developed video and text-only recipes with step-by-step instruction, including more than 400 plant-based dishes.

What do get for all your efforts? You’ll work one-on-one with an instructor for support and grading your courses. And at the end, you’ll get a Certificate of Completion upon graduation.

Rouxbe offers cooking courses to individuals as well as industry professionals. Organizations including Marriott Hotels, Four Seasons and Wegmans have trained their cooking staffs using Rouxbe tools, along with hundreds of thousands of restaurant chefs and home cooks across the country. Rouxbe is recognized by the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation as a quality program, and by WorldChefs as Approved Quality Culinary Training.

“In strange and uncertain times, often the most calming and reassuring thing we can do for ourselves is get back to basics—including cooking meals from scratch,” says Rubin. “If we can learn more about what goes into our bodies, including food that can boost our immune systems, even better.”

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CHANA MASALA | Curried Chickpeas

Step 1: Cooking the Onions
• 2 large onions
• 5 tbsp coconut oil
• 1/4 tsp sea salt

Method
To start, first finely dice the onions. Then heat a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat and add the oil. Once melted, add the onions followed by the salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes or until soft and golden.
*Note: If desired, omit the oil and sweat the onions with a bit of vegetable stock or water.
Meanwhile, prepare the rest of your mise en place.

Step 2: Preparing Your Mise en Place
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 1/2″ -inch piece ginger
• 2 green chilies
• 3 large ripe tomatoes (approx. 3 cups)
• 1 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/4 tsp ground cayenne
• 1/8 tsp Kashmiri powder (Indian chili powder)*
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 2 – 19 oz cans chickpeas

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Method
To prepare your mise en place, first crush the garlic into a paste. Finely chop the ginger and mince the chilies. Depending on how spicy you like your curry, you may want to remove some of the ribs and seeds. Next, core and dice the tomatoes into medium dice. Drain and rinse the chickpeas under cold water and set aside.

*Note: For the best flavor and results, soak and cook about 1 cup or so of dried chickpeas from scratch. Using canned chickpeas is faster but the flavor and texture of the dish is not as good as it could be.
Remember to stir the onions occasionally and adjust the heat downward, if necessary. They need to cook slowly until they become a nice, even golden color.

Next, using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, finely grind the coriander followed by the cumin. Lastly measure out the cayenne, turmeric and Kashmiri powder.

*Kashmiri powder can be substituted with regular chili powder.

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Step 3: Cooking the Dish
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 tsp sea salt

Method
Once the onions are soft and golden, add the garlic, ginger and chilies. Stir to coat with the oil and let cook for a minute or so until they release their aroma. Then add the spices and fry just until they release their fragrance.

Next, turn the heat up to medium, add the tomatoes and stir to combine. Then add the salt and cook until the tomatoes start to break down and soften, about 10 minutes. Once the tomatoes are soft, add the chickpeas and water. Stir to coat with the onions and spices. Bring the mixture to a quick boil and then turn down the heat to low. Cover but leave the lid slightly ajar. This will allow the moisture to evaporate very slowly, while the chickpeas cook. Let this simmer and cook for about 20 minutes in total, stirring occasionally to ensure nothing is sticking. After about 10 minutes, check to see how much moisture remains. You want it to reduce and thicken, but still have some liquid.
Meanwhile, you can prepare the garnish.

Step 4: Finishing the Dish
• 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
• 3/4 cup non-dairy yogurt*

Method
While the chickpeas cook, roll the lemon to release its juices and then cut in half. Roughly chop the cilantro and measure out the yogurt.
Check on the chickpeas. Once almost all of the liquid has evaporated, squeeze the lemon juice over top and let cook for another minute or so. To finish the dish, turn off the heat and stir in the yogurt.

NOTE: Either plain non-dairy yogurt, Cashew Cream or full-fat coconut milk work well in this recipe.
Just before serving, fold in the cilantro and test for seasoning.
Served with rice, this delicious vegetarian dish is hearty enough to be served as a main course. However, it’s also great served with a variety of other dishes such as dal and grilled pappadums.

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BROCCOLI & CHICKEN STIR FRY

Step 1: Preparing the Chicken
• 1 lb chicken breasts
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp medium-dry sherry
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

Method
To prepare the chicken, slice it into bite-size pieces and place into a bowl.
Mix the cornstarch, soy sauce, sherry and oil. Pour over the chicken and stir to evenly coat. Set it aside, while you make the sauce.

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Step 2: Making the Sauce
• 1 tsp sambal oelek
• 1 1/2 to 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp medium-dry sherry

Method
To make the sauce, simply combine the sambal, oyster sauce, soy sauce and sherry. Set this aside, while you prepare the rest of your mise en place.

Step 3: Preparing Your Mise en Place
• 3 cups broccoli
• 1/3 cup almonds
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 slice of ginger (about 1/4″ -inch)
• 2 green onions

Method
To prepare the rest of your mise en place, smash a clove of garlic and gather the slice of ginger.
Peel the bottom stem of the broccoli and remove the florets. Cut the florets into large, even-sized pieces. Cut the stems a bit thinner, as these take more time to cook.
Next, slice the green onions on a slight bias and set aside. You can either leave the almonds whole or roughly chop them.

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Step 4: Stir-Frying the Dish
• 1 to 2 tbsp vegetable oil

Method
To cook the stir-fry, heat a wok or large fry pan over high heat. Once hot, add the oil, followed by the ginger and garlic. Let it cook for just a few seconds before discarding. The ginger and garlic are used to infuse the oil.

Place half of the chicken into the wok and separate any pieces that are stuck together. Let it sit for a bit before tossing. Stir-fry the chicken until golden and just cooked through. Once done, remove the chicken and set aside, while you cook the other batch.
Once the second batch is done, add a touch more oil, if needed, followed by the broccoli. Let the broccoli partially cook for about a minute. Then add the sauce and toss to coat. If the broccoli is still quite hard and the sauce seems too thick, you can add a touch of water to thin it out. Once the broccoli has started to soften, but is still green with a slight crunch, add the chicken, followed by the almonds. Lastly, add the green onions and toss. Once everything has heated through, serve immediately and enjoy.

Rouxbe

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BAKED PARMESAN CHICKEN

Step 1: Preparing the Breading

• 1 cup fresh bread crumbs
• 2 cups Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 2 green onions
• 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt (to taste)
• freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

Method
To start, preheat your oven to 375° F (190° C). If you don’t have fresh bread crumbs on hand, grind/pulse 2 to 3 slices of white bread in a food processor until quite fine.
Next, finely grate the Parmesan cheese and finely chop the green onions. Melt the butter. Zest half of the lemon. Juice half of the lemon and reserve for making the sauce.
In a medium bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, cheese, onions, lemon zest, melted butter, salt and pepper to taste.

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Step 2: Preparing the Chicken
• 4 single chicken breasts

Method
To prepare the chicken, remove the tender from each breast and save for another use. If desired, remove the tendons before storing.
Lightly grease or spray a baking tray with oil. Place the chicken breasts onto the tray, leaving about one inch between each breast.
Divide the crumb mixture between the breasts and press evenly over the top.

Step 3: Baking the Chicken

Method
Place the chicken into the oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until just cooked through.
Remove the chicken from the pan. Gently cover with foil to keep warm while you make the sauce.

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Step 4: Making the Sauce & Finishing the Dish
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 tbsp Italian parsley
• 1 to 2 tsp cold, unsalted butter (optional)
• kosher salt (to taste)
• freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
• 1 tbsp reserved lemon juice

Method
To make the sauce, scrape any bits from the baking tray (even the crumbs) into a small pot. Place over medium heat and add the chicken stock, along with the lemon juice. Bring to a simmer and let reduce by about half.
In the meantime, roughly chop the parsley.
To finish the sauce, taste for seasoning. This sauce is supposed to have a nice punch of lemon flavor, so add a touch more lemon juice, if needed. If you like, you can also finish the sauce with a bit of cold butter. This will give the sauce a nice sheen and will also mellow out the lemon juice.
Once the chicken is plated, spoon about 1 tablespoon of the sauce over each breast and serve immediately.