Welcome to the Great G / O Media Recipe Exchange
Aside from hanging out with my family and watching every Hallmark movie ever made, my favorite part of the holiday season is food. My mom and grandmother make homemade creams ( egg mogul , I think, but Haitian and much better), and my sisters and I eat dozens of Christmas cookies, while my father judges us all for making our dogs wear Christmas sweaters, despite the fact that we live in Miami. Not to mention, there are plenty of GBBOs to watch out for. (#teamnadiyaforever)
Obviously, the pandemic has disrupted traditional vacation plans for many people, which is why Lili Nguyen (our video leader) and I developed a virtual recipe exchange plan to keep the company festive. And thanks to all our incredible contributors from all G / O Media sites – Claire Lower of Lifehacker , Riley MacLeod of Kotaku, Felice Leon of The Root , Sam Rutherford of Gizmodo, Dharna Noor of Gizmodo , Emily Alford of Jezebel, and Raphael Orlov of Jalopnik – we have found our own way to make this socially distant holiday season more enjoyable.
Watch the video above and laugh as some of your favorite journalists cook / bake some really great recipes, from latkes to cornbread casserole to vegan butternut squash soup. And when you get hungry, check out the full recipes below.
Special thanks to the casual English gentleman for the excellent voice acting.
Felice’s Recipe: Vegan Pumpkin Soup
Adapted from the book by Richie Hingle-Garg
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 1/2 cup (80 g) onions
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 clove optional
- 1/2 inch (0.5 inch) minced ginger
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1/4 cup (32 g) carrots, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) cinnamon powder
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) garam masala or curry powder
- 1/8 teaspoon (0.13 teaspoon) turmeric powder
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 1.5 cups (210 g) butternut or canned puree or 2 cups diced
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) salt, or to taste
- 1/2 cup (113 ml) coconut milk
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) less or more water to desired consistency
- 1 pinch black pepper, cayenne pepper, or both
- 1 teaspoon sugar or maple syrup
Garnish
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut
- 2 tablespoons raw pepitas pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds
- cashew cream or coconut milk for garnish
instructions
- Pour oil into a skillet and heat over medium heat.
- Add onions, bay leaves and cloves and cook for 5 minutes, until translucent. (Boil in broth so that there is no oil)
- Add garlic, ginger and carrots and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add garam masala, cinnamon, turmeric, nutmeg and stir for a few seconds.
- Add pumpkin and salt puree and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add coconut milk, water and black pepper, cover and cook for 7-8 minutes.
- Taste and add sugar and spices. Remove the heat. mix with a hand blender or cool slightly and whisk in a conventional blender until smooth.
- Garnish: Saute the coconut and pumpkin seeds in a skillet over medium heat until the coconut is golden brown. Add a pinch of cinnamon and use as a side dish.
- To prepare with diced butternut squash: Cook onions, bay leaves, and cloves for 3 minutes. Add the diced butternut squash and cook for 8-10 minutes, until golden and slightly tender. Add garlic, ginger and carrots. Cook for 2 minutes. Add spices, stir. Add coconut milk, water, pepper and salt. Cover and cook until the courgettes are tender. Mix and serve.
Emily’s Recipe: Louisiana Cornbread Dressing
Ingredients
- 2 boxes of Jiffy cornbread mixture
- 1 bag of turkey giblets (200 g chicken liver can be used if turkey is not available)
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 bell pepper, chopped (use whichever color you like, but I think the orange looks festive)
- 3 tablespoons chopped sage
- 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning (I use Jamie Bagerona’s Kickin Cajun but Tony is just as good, although Louisians always say it’s quite salty)
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup chicken stock
instructions
- (This step can be done in advance.) Boil four cups of water in a saucepan, add giblets / liver, bring to a boil again and reduce heat to medium / low, simmer for one hour, adding liquid if necessary. When cooked and cooled, cut into small pieces
- While the giblets are boiling and stinking, cook your cornbread according to the instructions on the package, then turn the oven temperature down to 350 (this step can also be done beforehand).
- Cook the onions, peppers, and celery in a tablespoon of butter, butter, or other fat until the onions are translucent (ten minutes or so).
- Crumb cornbread in a greased 8-inch baking dish, gently add vegetables, offal / liver and seasonings and salt and pepper to taste, mix with chicken stock (slowly because you may not need all of this) and eggs. until the whole mixture is smooth. wet, but not wet through
- Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
Raphael’s Recipe: Potato Latkes
Ingredients
- 5 medium Idaho potatoes (about half a five pound bag)
- 3 small onions
- 1 egg (if you are Granny Gus)
- A few spoons of flour
- Salt
- Pepper
- Vegetable oil for frying
instructions
- Grate potatoes in a large bowl. I like to grate potatoes in the largest hole. My great-grandmother used small holes. Small holes make the consistency more pancake. The large holes create a crispy bird’s nest. Be careful with your knuckles! You don’t want red latkes. Add some salt and pepper to taste – you can now taste the mixture.
- This is a gimmick. The potatoes are full of water. They are designed to hold water. You must squeeze as much water out of these things as possible. Let the potato juice collect in the bottom of the bowl and let it settle. You are allowing the starch from the potatoes to separate from the liquid. Let it separate completely before carefully draining the liquid, but not the gummy starch at the bottom. Mix this again with the squeezed potatoes.
- This is critical! Starch is your glue. That’s all you need. I’ve seen so many jaded latkes cooking tricks that don’t recognize this step. I’ve seen kind and well-meaning Jews put potatoes in a blender to make latkes. You don’t have to do all of this. Drain the potatoes, leave the starch and mix.
- This is when you add the beaten egg, about one egg for two or three potatoes. If the mixture is very wet and does not hold the pancake shape, add maybe a spoonful of flour to bring everything together. If it’s still crumbly, add a little more flour, but the more flour you add, the more pancake-like latte will become.
- Divide the mixture into palm-sized pancakes. You should receive three patches per potato.
- Heat enough vegetable oil in a thick skillet over medium to high heat for the best potato pancakes. You can always deep-fry these things, but you don’t need a lot of oil.
- Fry the latte until dark golden brown, a few minutes on each side.
- Serve with sour cream and applesauce.
Sam’s Recipe: Mexican Corn Salad
Adapted from J. Kenji Lopez-A lt.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil
- 4 fresh corn cob, cleaned of peel (about 3 cups fresh corn kernels)
- Kosher Salt
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) mayonnaise
- 2 ounces (60 g) finely crushed feta or cotia cheese
- 1/2 cup finely chopped green onions, green parts only
- 1/2 cup (1/2 oz) fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and stem, finely chopped
- 1-2 medium cloves of garlic, pressed or minced on a Microplane grater (approximately 1-2 teaspoons)
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) fresh juice from 1 lime
- Chili powder or hot chili flakes, to taste
instructions
- Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet or wok over high heat until it starts to shimmer. Add corn kernels, season with salt to taste, stir once or twice and cook, still, until charred on one side, about 2 minutes. Stir the corn, stir and repeat until the other side is charred, about 2 minutes longer. Continue stirring and charring until the corn is completely charred, about 10 minutes total. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Add mayonnaise, cheese, green onions, cilantro, jalapenos, garlic, lime juice and chili powder and stir. Try and modify the seasoning with salt and more chili powder to taste. Serve immediately.
Dharna Recipe: Loaded Asparagus
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 anchovy fillets (optional)
- 1/4 cup shaved Parmesan
- 1 pound asparagus, trimmed, sliced lengthwise if thick
- 2 leeks, cut in half, then criss-cross into half a moon
- 2 cloves of garlic, thinly chopped
- Zest of one large lemon
- 2 cups walnuts
- A bunch of parsley, chopped
- Pepper, kosher salt flakes, grated fresh nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground fennel
Directions
- Grind the fennel in a mortar and pestle.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. When they are hot, place the walnuts on a baking sheet and bake for 6 minutes, until they are nice and toasted, then toss the walnuts with a pinch of kosher salt.
- Grind the walnuts in a mortar and pestle, you want small pieces, not powder!
- Preheat a large skillet, add one tablespoon of butter. when it starts to foam, add a little pepper, grate the nutmeg and add half a teaspoon of fennel. Wait 30 seconds for the spices to dissolve.
- When you smell like something is happening with spices, add asparagus, leeks and another tablespoon of oil. Fry until the asparagus is slightly crispy, about 4 minutes.
- Add the garlic and sauté for another minute, until lightly browned. Add the lemon zest, simmer for another minute.
- Add most of the chopped walnuts, season with fresh pepper and some shavings.
Riley’s Recipe: Honey Ginger Tofu and Fried Zucchini.
Based on the work of Diana Henry.
Ingredients
- 1 pack of hard tofu
- 1 lb. winter gourd (kabocha preferred)
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1/3 cup soy sauce or tamari
- 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
- 3/4 inch fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- 8 tablespoons peanut butter (or other neutral butter)
- Salt and pepper
- 6 garlic cloves, very thinly chopped
- 3 teaspoons sesame seeds (optional)
- 2 green onions, trimmed and chopped diagonally (optional)
- 1/2 lime juice (optional)
instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Drain and press down on the tofu (to squeeze out the tofu: wrap it in paper towels, place on a plate, then place something heavy on top of it for about 15 minutes), then cut it into half-inch pieces, then cover with a board or dice.
- Cut the pumpkin in half, then cut into 1 / 2–1 / 4-inch wedges. You want them to be the same size so they cook evenly, but the shape doesn’t really matter and probably depends on the type of pumpkin you are using.
- In a small bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, crushed red pepper, ginger, and 5 tablespoons of oil.
- Divide the pumpkin in one layer between two roasting pans (parchment paper can be used if desired) and place two-thirds of the soy sauce mixture on top of it. Flip the pumpkin slices over with your hands so that they are coated. Place the tofu slices on a smaller roasting pan and drizzle with the remaining soy sauce mixture, also turning onto the cover.
- Season the pumpkin and tofu with salt and pepper to taste, then bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
- Combine the remaining 3 tablespoons of the oil with the garlic. When 15 minutes are up, turn the pumpkin and tofu pieces over. Spoon the garlic mixture over the pumpkin, then bake for another 10-15 minutes, until the tofu is darker and the pumpkin is tender.
- Place the pumpkin and tofu on a preheated serving plate, sprinkle the top with sesame seeds and green onions and add lime juice. I have never warmed up a serving plate, so I mostly mix everything together.
Claire’s Recipe: Jiffy Corn Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 box Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
- 1 slice of butter, melted
- 1 8 3/4 ounce can of creamy corn (or half a regular-size can)
- 1 8 3/4 ounce can of whole grain corn, dried (or half a regular-size can)
- 1 glass of sour cream
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 6 ounces chopped hot cheddar
instructions
- Add oil and both corn to a 1 1/2 liter baking dish or 12-inch cast iron skillet.
- Stir everything together, then add sour cream and eggs and stir again.
- Add the mixture and stir again until a visually homogeneous mixture is obtained.
- Sprinkle it all over with grated cheese, then place in the oven at 375 degrees until it is in the middle (about 30 minutes), covered with foil if the cheese browns too quickly.
- Let cool for five minutes, cut into neat squares and enjoy with your other favorite sides.
Happy Holidays from all of us at G / O Media! I want to especially thank Lili Nguyen for being such a positive and amazing boss in the midst of this terrible year. For the best year 2021!