The lockdown has been in effect for a while and although it has been eased in several cities, it’s largely unsafe to be outside which also means that limited restaurants offer any services at all. So, the best bet for you right now is to learn some easy recipes to make in lockdown. Additionally, would you really want to buy food cooked by an unknown person under unknown surroundings?
Since all of that is unwise in such times where the curve denoting cases hasn’t flattened too well, it’s best to cook at home.
Thus, to provide you some relief and also add some joy to your daily life, we’ve got the five best recipes that you can cook during the coronavirus lockdown.
Recipes To Cook During Coronvirus Lockdown
- Tortellini Sage
- French Onion Soup
- Red Pepper Falafel
- Manicotti
- Cheese Monkey Bread
Let’s get ourselves familiar with all the ingredients and the required procedure to cook these delicious recipes:
Tortellini Sage
You could pretty much use any kind of pasta regardless of the texture and shape to make this delightful recipe which is graced with spiciness despite having ingredients such as walnuts. This tortellini sage is one of the easy recipes to make in lockdown and add up to become the perfect dinner plan that may extend to both lunch and breakfast if chosen.
Quick Stats:
Prep Time – 15 minutes
Cooking Time – 30 minutes
Serving – 4 servings
Ingredients:
- One Pound Cheese tortellini
- Five Garlic Cloves
- One cup Walnuts
- Half cup Unsalted Butter
- One cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Two tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- Sage Leaves
- Kosher salt
- Black Pepper
Steps:
- Get a large pot filled with water to boil and meanwhile chop the walnuts to the size of peas.
- Peel and de-skin six garlic cloves and cut the butter stick into eight pieces to be put in a skillet and heated at medium flame for a couple of minutes.
- Mix in walnuts and garlic with the butter and stir with a spatula until both the ingredients are golden brown. Add sage leaves and stir constantly until the sage is crackling and crisp which is when you should remove the pan from heat and should things appear to turn too dark, put some pasta cooking liquid and add pepper and salt.
- Use the boiled water to cook Cheese tortellini pasta according to instructions on the package except do check if the pasta is ready a couple of minutes earlier than inscribed.
- Once pasta is ready, drain it and put it into the butter sauce mixture in a skillet and heat it on medium flame while stirring and tossing until the pasta is well infused with the sauce.
- Remove the heat and add two tsp apple cider vinegar and perhaps add more salt if required.
French Onion Soup
Soups could be boring and bland but not the French Onion Soup. This easy recipe to make in lockdown will surely enchant you once you taste it for its richness comes from the various ingredients that add up to make it a good choice for a quick meal between work and rest.
Quick Stats:
Prep Time – 15 minutes
Cooking Time – 35 minutes
Serving – 4 servings
Ingredients:
- Eight thinly sliced Onions
- Four slices of sourdough Bread
- Six sliced Garlic Cloves
- Half cup Dry White Wine
- Two pounds shredded Cheddar Cheese
- Fout tsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
- Black Pepper and Sliced Chives
- Kosher salt
Steps:
- Begin by seasoning the onions in a pot with three tbsp oil and salt and cook it on medium heat while scraping and stirring until the onion is softer. After nearly ten minutes of that process, add the wine and cook the same until the wine evaporates. Now, add six cups of water to simmer until the flavors are well mixed in ten to fifteen minutes.
- Next, you’ll need to preheat the oven to 450° and drizzle with oil the bread that you must place on the rimmed baking sheet. Toast it in the oven until they are lightly crisp on the edges and top it with cheese and again, toast it until the cheese has melted.
- Divide soup among bowls. Place cheesy toast on top. Sprinkle with chives and season with pepper.
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Red Pepper Falafel
For those who enjoy eating all things spicy and scrumptious, the Red Pepper Falafel won’t be a disappointment. Eating it with dips and even cheese will satisfy both your hunger and your tastebuds equally. Make a point to make this recipe for brunch and you’d certainly be revered in the community.
Quick Stats:
Prep Time – 10 minutes
Cooking Time – 25 minutes
Serving – 8 servings
Ingredients:
- Spicy Green Tahini Sauce
- Warm Pita Bread with pockets
- Shredded Cabbage Salad with Tomatoes & Pomegranate
- Eight cups Vegetable Oil
- One Onion and One crushed Garlic Clove
- Eight ounces soaked and drained Dried Chickpeas
- Three tbsp Chickpea Flour
- One Red Bell Pepper
- One tbsp Cumin
- Two tbsp Coriander
- One tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- One tsp Hungarian Sweet Paprika
- Two tsp Kosher Salt
Steps:
- Use a food processor to pulse the chickpeas for a few minutes until they resemble chopped nuts and scrape them out into a large bowl.
- Do the same again with onion, bell pepper, and garlic until they’re coarse then mix them with chickpea flour, salt, coriander, cumin, paprikas, and baking powder to form golf ball size spheres.
- Use a large pot and add oil to a depth of 3 inches and heat oil over medium flame till the temperature reaches 320°C which you can gauge with a thermometer.
- Cook the falafel in batches in the hot oil and turn them occasionally until they’re crisp and brown within five minutes to be then drained for another 5 minutes on paper towels.
- Serve the ready falafel with tahini sauce, salad, and pita.
Manicotti
While there do exist two types of manicotti, the one that requires crepes is a favorite and with a reason. It can also be eaten cold which will make you appreciate the sauce even more and reheating it won’t mess with the taste at all even if you freeze it for a day and a half at max. Manicotti can become your savior if you’re tired of experimenting with different foods.
Quick Stats:
Prep Time – 10 minutes
Cooking Time – 1 hour
Serving – 2-4 servings
Ingredients:
- Six Eggs
- Three beaten Egg yolks
- Vegetable Oil spray
- 20 ounce chopped Spinach
- One and a half cup Flour
- One pound Ricotta
- Eight ounces Mozzarella
- One and a half ounce grated Parmesan Cheese
- Three cups Marinara Sauce
- Kosher Salt
Steps:
- Beat the eggs in a large bowl thoroughly for five minutes and add flour and salt in between until no clumps of flour remain. It can be done using a mixer at a low speed where you must now pour one and a half cups of water to further beat the mixture. Cover and rest it for at least 2 hours.
- Now apply vegetable oil on a nonstick skillet followed by adding two tbsp batter to be cooked like a crepe in 20 seconds or less and then remove the crepe to be placed on a clean paper towel. Repeat the procedure with the remaining batter and do not stack the crepes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°C and meanwhile mix Parmesan, Mozzarella, ricotta and beaten egg yolks in a large bowl with both salt and pepper. Mix this well with the egg mixture.
- Fill the center of the crepe, one at a time from one cup sauce spread in a baking pan. Spread to all edges of the crepe to then both roll it and flatten it gently before transferring it to the dish. Repeat this with remaining crepes and top each with sauce for them to be covered with foil before baking manicotti long until the cheese has melted and the sauce is bubbly in about half-hour.
- Allow the manicotti to cool for fifteen minutes and top it with pepper and parmesan before serving.
Cheese Monkey Bread
Cheesiness can put you in perilous situations at times but not even a cheese burst pizza could match the Cheese Monkey Bread. You can make this recipe with very few ingredients, thus, making it one of the easy recipes to make in lockdown. Have it with wine or with something spicy and you’ll always remember the taste, always.
Quick Stats:
Prep Time – 15 minutes
Cooking Time – 60 minutes
Serving – 4 servings
Ingredients:
- One chopped Shallot
- Four chopped Garlic Cloves
- One pound Cold Pizza Dough
- Half stick of Unsalted Butter
- One ounce Parmesan Cheese
- Half pound Monterey Jack
- 1/2 tsp crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- Three tsp chopped Parsley
- Nonstick Vegetable Oil Spray
- Kosher salt
Steps:
- Shred both kinds of cheese on a box grater and follow suit with butter too. Now, in a medium bowl mix shallot garlic, butter, cheeses, red pepper, and parsley to be seasoned with salt and pepper.
- Put one-third of the cheese mixture in a small bowl to be set aside and into the remaining mixture add dough pieces to be tossed well for coating purposes.
- Apply nonstick vegetable oil on a medium skillet and place the dough on it evenly along with leftover cheese. Let this become puffed by settling it in a warm place for nearly half-hour.
- In the meantime, preheat the oven to 375°C for later baking the bread until the top is mildly brown and all the cheese has melted in twenty minutes or so. Put the reserved cheese on top of the bread and bake again for ten to fifteen minutes to be then served hot.
Final Words
Living under the lockdown could become monotonous but you can escape the ennui of it by cooking these recipes that will help you re-discover the joy of eating well. Learning these easy recipes to make in lockdown can benefit you later when you’re stuck with limited ingredients at hand or when you’re asked to make something surprisingly tasteful.
