Pantry Raid

With the coronavirus pandemic nearly shutting down the restaurant industry for an undetermined period, cooks, bartenders, servers and other staff are finding an unexpected abundance of free time. We touched base with a few folks in the Richmond dining community about their at-home creations and pantry-pilfering recipes to help tide us over until their doors reopen. 

Quarantine Bloody Mary Mix

James Kohler, bar director and co-owner, Brenner Pass

"100% of my focus [during this time] is on keeping myself/fam safe and also trying to secure assistance for our out-of-work family."

1 bottle Clamato 

3 ounces prepared horseradish 

1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup olive brine

Hot sauce to taste (we like it pretty spicy)

Combine all ingredients and store refrigerated for up to a month. Obviously, the old standard calls for vodka, but I like to do a split base and do 1 ounce vodka and 1 ounce of Fino or Amontillado sherry, a natural pairing for the briny nature of this bloody mary mix. 

Three Quick Fixes

Michelle Parrish, chef-owner, Soul N’ Vinegar

"I was on the brink of burnout as this all started happening and have been just floating around and taking the time to remain as calm as possible and clear-headed and healthy. I honestly feel so blessed to be enduring this in this city, I feel like there is no better place than Richmond for our industry to survive this type of event. I feel so fortunate to have received emails like this and others showing support."

1. Ramen

My favorite way to cook ramen is to bring the water and seasoning packet up to a boil and then add the noodles. While maintaining a rapid boil, it also reduces the liquid into a more concentrated sauce of sorts. Add a dab of butter and coat noodles. Remove the noodles, sans liquid — or use it if you like your ramen brothy; if not, reserve the broth for another use — and top with any pickled items hiding out in your fridge: chile flakes, sesame seeds and some julienned vegetables; cucumber, carrot, onion and iceberg are all great options.  

2. Mashed Potatoes

Chop up some clean potatoes, removing only the eyes or dirty bits, then place in a pot with water (the smaller the pieces, the quicker the cooking!). After the potatoes are cooked, drain asap, leaving a few tablespoons of liquid in the pot to reserve for extra cooking water. Season the potatoes with salt, pepper and your fat of choice. Butter is king, while sour cream and Greek yogurt are great alternatives. Hidden Valley Ranch all you can find in the fridge? Add some. Smash everything together with a fork and add more cooking liquid if potatoes don't seem fluffy enough. This is also the time to add any questionable cheese/old cheese rinds you have been hanging onto; just use a grater to shred any hard bits. My current fave mashed potato topper is extra funky kimchi that I saute with butter and place in heaps on top of the potatoes. Old mushrooms make a great addition, as well as any wilted and sauteed vegetable hanging out in the fridge — yellow celery and flaccid carrots, we see you.

3. Rice (The OG)

I like to make a quick seasoned broth with anything I may have — an extra ramen packet, diced tomato with shaved garlic and white wine, a broth of frozen shrimp shells and Old Bay, diced and sauteed onions with lemon zest, dried mushroom and herbs, leftover bones from a rotisserie chicken — the list goes on.  

After your broth tastes nice and overly seasoned, about 10-15 minutes, add in your rice and any other water you may need. Simmer on low until done. Finish with a bit of butter, and you have something pretty delicious. If you want to get crazy, you can toast the rice in a saucepan with oil and broken bits of spaghetti before adding to the stock for rice a la "Roni-style," — long-grain rice works best with this application.

Black Bean Soup

Nate Gutierrez, chef and co-owner, Don’t Look Back Triple and Don't Look Back South 

"We closed both restaurants Monday. It's cripplingly depressing. We had 75 employees between the two places. Hopefully we'll be able to open both back up after all this is over."

1 cup chopped carrot (about 1 large carrot)

1 cup chopped poblano (about 2 poblanos), substitute canned peppers if that's all you have

2 cups white onion (about 1 white onion)

1/2 cup whole garlic, crushed

32 ounces of cooked and rinsed black beans

16 ounces veggie stock or water

Cilantro

Chop carrot, poblano and onion and crush the garlic. Transfer ingredients to a saucepan and sweat, making sure to stir frequently. Add the black beans and veggie stock or water. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add one bunch of chopped cilantro and transfer ingredients to a blender or blend with an immersion blender. Season soup with salt, pepper, cumin, coriander and bring to a low boil. Lower heat and simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes. Top with diced red onion, cilantro and sour cream.

Soul Bowl and Corn Cakes

Quillin Drew, chef and co-owner, Harrison Street Cafe 

"Because black-eyed peas don't require a soak, we go with this meal often. The greens are interchangeable. Anything you have on hand will work. The sweet potatoes are required. Something about that roasted sweet potato candy really brings this dish together."

For the Soul Bowl

2 cups brown rice 

1 pound dried black eyed peas

1-2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon dried parsley

3/4 teaspoon paprika (regular, not smoked)

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (regular, not powdered)

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (we've found that any version will work)

1/2 teaspoon black pepper (or a few turns of the ole pepper mill)

Vegan chicken stock (either use the bouillon cubes or concentrate or just use the liquid variety, veg stock is also fine)

2-3 sweet potatoes

1 bunch hearty greens such as chard, kale, collards, chopped

2 cloves garlic

Corn Cakes (recipe below)

BBQ sauce of your choosing, optional

Fresh herbs, optional

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Cook rice according to package directions. Combine black-eyed peas, spices and enough water to cover the peas by 2 inches. Cook over medium/medium-low heat for about two hours, maintaining a gentle simmer. Cut sweet potatoes in chunks and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper; roast on a sheet tray until soft. Smash garlic cloves with the back of a knife and add to a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat with a tablespoon of olive oil. Cook on medium-low heat until fragrant. Add greens and saute, adding a few tablespoons of water if the pan gets too dry, until greens have wilted. Cover and set aside.

For the Corn Cakes

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

1/4 cup whole wheat flour (all-purpose flour works, too)

2 tablespoons turbinado sugar (any sugar works)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup plain applesauce

Milk (whole, almond, oat, whatever) as needed to achieve a pancake batter-like consistency (about 1/2 cup)

Add dry ingredients in one bowl and whisk to combine. Add applesauce and milk and mix. Heat a griddle or pan over medium/medium-low heat. Cook spoonfuls of corn cake batter as you would pancakes, about 4 minutes per side.

Combine rice, beans, greens, and a few corn cakes per bowl. Garnish with fresh herbs if you have them on hand, or add a dollop of your favorite barbecue sauce or hot sauce. 

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies

Morgan Botwinick, owner, Whisk

"In stressful times, I crave comfort food, and I can't think of anything more comforting than the smell of freshly baked cookies ... except maybe eating one still warm from the oven. If you're not up for baking from scratch, Whisk is still stocking all our freezer-to-oven items including chocolate-chip cookie dough, so you can have freshly baked cookies in just minutes, no mixing required."

Yield: About a dozen cookies

1 cup creamy peanut butter (not natural)

1 cup granulated sugar, plus more for rolling

1 egg

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch kosher salt

Stir together sugar and peanut butter until well mixed. Beat in egg, vanilla, baking soda and salt. Chill the dough in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Form the dough into 2-inch balls and roll in sugar. Bake for about 14 minutes or until the edges just begin to set. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool completely.