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Recipe Friday: Modernized Comfort Food (update from October 2024)
Catersource
October 18, 2024
13 Min Read
-23.png?width=1280&auto=webp&quality=95&format=jpg&disable=upscale "Recipe Friday: Modernized Comfort Food (update from October 2024)")
Comfort food as we know it is changing. Where once we saw comfort food as dishes that were familiar and safe, we’re making way for new recipes that reflect not only heritage but also location, according to Unilever Food Solutions' Future Menus report (which identified Modernized Comfort Food as one of 2024's top trends).
Through rich culinary storytelling and the chef’s genuine emotional connection to the dish, diners are presented with new and fresh food experiences that feel and taste special. Think classic and rustic ancestral recipes to be shared and enjoyed to create the new comfort food like Chef Kenneth Cacho’s innovative lumpia filled with smoked wintermelon.
History is full of lost culinary treasures, and chefs, restaurateurs, and recipe creators around the world are re-discovering local traditions, and reimagining dishes by looking to history for fresh ideas in an industry that increasingly demands authenticity. This, coupled with the demand for local, sustainable sourcing, means ingredients that had been resigned to the longlost past are back on our plates.
New trends are wonderful and coupled with a historic relevance they’re even better. In the quest for originality, it might sound ironic to look to the past, but what better way to show a new ingredient, a fresh concept, or a sophisticated technique than to apply it to a classic. There’s a simple joy in being served a familiar dish in a bright new way; it’s the best of both worlds.
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Lamb Shank Fatteh
Recipe courtesy Chef Sherif Afif for Unilever Food Solutions' Future Menus report
Yield: 10
Ingredients for Lamb Shank
2000 g lamb shank, 5 ea. of 400 g
25 g Knorr Mix Grill Seasoning
500 g orange, sliced
20 g salt
5 g black peppercorn
25 g garlic, cloves
25 g rosemary, stalks
50 ml olive oil
75 g Knorr Hickory BBQ Sauce
Method
Rub the lamb shanks with Knorr Mix Grill Seasoning, Knorr Hickory BBQ Sauce, and salt.
Prepare the vacuum bags and add all ingredients along with the lamb shank in the bag.
Vacuum seal it and cook it for three hours at 85°C.
Ingredients for Mushroom Freekeh Duxelles
250 g cremini, shiitake or oyster mushrooms, diced
50 g carrots, minced
50 g shallots, minced
5 g garlic, minced
50 g olive oil
20 g Knorr Vegetable Stock Powder
1 g black pepper
500 g freekeh
500 ml water
Method
Sautee the mirepoix (carrots, shallots, and garlic) in olive oil until soft.
Add the mushroom and keep stirring.
Season with Knorr Vegetable Stock Powder and black pepper then add the freekeh.
Add hot water then cover. Let it cook for 20 minutes over a low heat.
Ingredients for Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
500 g red bell pepper
20 g thyme, fresh
1 g black pepper
5 g garlic, cloves
50 g olive oil
5 g Knorr Vegetable Stock Powder
20 g butter
Method
Slice the bell pepper and season it with Knorr Vegetable Stock Powder, black pepper, and olive oil.
In a tray, place the marinated bell pepper and add the garlic cloves and the thyme.
Roast for 10 minutes at 190°C.
Place the roasted bell pepper in a bowl, cover with cling film for 10 minutes then peel its skin off.
Blend the roasted pepper with the roasted garlic then finish with a cube of butter.
Ingredients for Nutmeg Caramelized Onion
1000 g white onion, julienne
50 g olive oil
1 g nutmeg
1 L boiling water, for deglazing
5 g Knorr Vegetable Stock Powder
2 g salt
Method
In a medium-sized pan, heat up the olive oil then sauté the onions.
Season it with Knorr Vegetable Stock Powder, salt, and nutmeg.
Deglaze with the boiling water until the onion caramelizes.
Ingredients for Pot Assembly
500 g freekeh duxelles
5 ea. lamb shanks
400 g nutmeg caramelized onion
20 g parsley, chiffonade
20 g coriander, chiffonade
800 g puff pastry, block
Method
In a round baking pot, add 100 g of mushroom freekeh duxelles.
Add the cooked lamb shank on top of the mushroom freekeh duxelles.
Add 80 g of nutmeg caramelized onion around the lamb shank.
Add parsley and coriander then seal the pot with the puff pastry. Bake for 10 minutes at 230°C.
Ingredients for Side Dish Assembly
200 g paprika sauce
500 g sautéed spinach
Method
In a medium-sized side plate, pour 40 g of the paprika sauce.
Top it with 100 g of sautéed spinach
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Fresh Vegetable "Lumpia" with Peanut Sauce and Pickled Radish
Recipe courtesy Chef Kenneth Cacho for Unilever Food Solutions' Future Menus report
Yield: 10
Ingredients for Pickled Radish
100 g radish, cut into 1 cm cubes
10 g kosher salt
3 g ginger, sliced
30 g distilled white or coconut vinegar
30 g sugar, white granulated
2 g bay leaves, dried
10 g black peppercorns
2 g Thai red chili, whole
5 g Knorr Tamarind Soup Base
3 g bay leaf
Method
Salt the radish and leave at room temperature for one hour.
Strain and wash the salted radish.
Make a gastrique with the rest of the ingredients then bring to a boil.
Pour the gastrique directly to the radish and leave to pickle for two weeks.
Or
Ingredients for Guisadong Gulay (Sauteed Vegetables)
30 g vegetable oil
10 g garlic, minced
50 g onions, deseed, sliced into strips
100 g tomatoes
150 g bottle gourd, julienne, seeds removed
150 g sponge gourd, julienne, seeds removed
150 g jicama, julienne, peeled
10 g Knorr Chicken Powder
Method
Heat a frying pan and add the oil. Sauté garlic, onions and tomatoes.
Add the rest of the ingredients and continue sautéing.
Cover and lower the heat. Cook for 15 minutes until vegetables are tender
Or
Ingredients for Guinataang Gulay (Vegetables in Coconut Milk)
30 g vegetable oil
10 g ginger, brunoised
10 g garlic, minced
50 g onions, brunoised
100 g winged beans, julienned
150 g long beans, 4cm in length
100 g squash, 1cm diced
5 g fish sauce
150 g coconut milk
10 g Knorr Chicken powder
Method
Heat a frying pan and add the oil. Sauté ginger, garlic, and onions.
Add the winged beans, long beans, and squash.
Cook for five minutes and deglaze the pan with fish sauce.
Pour the coconut milk and add Knorr Chicken Powder.
Bring to the boil and cover the pan.
Cook for 10 minutes or until the squash is soft.
Or
Ingredients for Tortang Talong (Eggplant Omelette)
60 g eggs, beaten
1 g Knorr Chicken Powder
15 g spring onions, finely sliced
100 g eggplant, charred, peeled and chopped
1 g pepper
Method
In a bowl, mix all ingredients together.
In a greased pan, cook the omelette, evenly spreading the mixture until set.
Cut into 10 wedges.
Or
Ingredients for Smoked Wintermelon
500 g wintermelon, seedless
50 g Knorr Liquid Seasoning
100 g brown sugar
2 g pepper
10 g Knorr Chicken Powder
Method
Marinate the wintermelon with all the ingredients overnight.
Place in a smoker and hot smoke at 120°C for one hour.
Cool down and cut into strips.
It can be pan-fried or used as it is.
Ingredients for Peanut Powder
80 g roasted peanuts
40 g brown sugar
Ingredients for Peanut Sauce
200 g water
80 g sugar
50 g Knorr Liquid Seasoning
50 g Knorr Oyster Sauce
2 g star anise
15 g cornstarch
50 g Lady’s Choice Peanut Butter
Method
Whisk all ingredients in a pan.
Bring to a boil while constantly stirring to avoid lumps
Simmer for five minutes and strain.
Ingredients for Asssembly
30 ea. spring roll wrapper
100 g mustard leaves, middle stalk removed and cut into thick strips grated garlic water
Method
Make a spring roll, arranging each component in layers, except the sauce and radish.
Roll tightly then brush edges with garlic water to seal.
In a frying pan, shallow fry the lumpia and cook until golden brown on all sides.
Serve with the sauce and pickled radish.
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Torched Barbecue Pork with Mala Lotus Root Slices, Preserved Plum
Recipe courtesy Chef Chris Zhong for Unilever Food Solutions' Future Menus report
Yield: 10
Ingredients for Pork Neck
400 g pork neck meat, trimmed
1 g ginger, sliced
10 g spring onions
5 g Mei Kuei Lu Chiew
30 g red preserved bean curd sauce
10 g Knorr Chicken Powder
50 g peanut butter
10 g shallots, chopped
5 g salt
Method
Trim the pork into two-cm thick pieces.
Mix all ingredients well and let it marinate in the refrigerator for 12 hours.
Steam the pork for two-and-a-half hours until very tender.
Chill the pork. Place in a gastronorm with a weight on it to press and form the pork
Cut into 4 x 2 cm-sized cubes.
Ingredients for Pickled Lotus Root in Spicy, Sweet and Sour Sauce
200 g lotus root, sliced
10 g Knorr Chili Liquid Seasoning
20 g preserved plum
2 g salt
200 g white vinegar
50 g water
110 g granulated sugar
Method
Mix all condiments together and let it rest for six hours in a clean pickle jar.
Slice the lotus root into 1.5 mm pieces and add the spicy, sweet and sour marinade. Let it sit for two hours.
Assembly
Pan-fry the pork cubes on both sides until golden brown.
Sprinkle brown sugar on top of the pork cubes then torch them until the sugar is caramelized.
Top the pork cubes with pickled lotus root then garnish with some organic flower.
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Braised Beef, Red Cabbage Roulade, and Potato
Recipe courtesy Chef René-Noel Schiemer for Unilever Food Solutions' Future Menus report
Yield: 10
Ingredients for Braised Beef
1.5 kg beef topside
500 g mirepoix
220 g Knorr Professional Clear Gravy
2 L water
500 ml red wine
Knorr Professional Clear Gravy, to taste
Mondamin Roux Dark, to taste
Method
Cut the topside into approx. 150 g pieces then sear all sides.
Roast the mirepoix in a pot.
Deglaze with wine and add water and delicatessen sauce.
Place the meat in a gastronorm and cover with stock.
Braise the beef in the oven until tender.
Season to taste with clear gravy.
Ingredients for Crunchy Topping
250 g onion, brunoise
250 g cornichons, brunoise
150 g coarse Pommery mustard
Method
Fry the onion in a pan until golden.
Add the cornichons and toss.
Combine everything in a bowl and mix with mustard.
Spread on a silicon mat and dry at 80°C for about three hours.
Ingredients for Red Cabbage and Apple Roulade
1 kg red cabbage
40 g Knorr Professional Vegetable Stock
500 g Granny Smith apple
50 ml white wine
100 ml apple juice
100 ml water
Agave thick juice, as needed
Olive oil, as needed
Method
Remove the outer leaves of the red cabbage and set aside.
Cut out the lower part of the thick stalk.
Place the leaves between the cling film and a tea towel.
Blanch the leaves then rinse with cold water.
Slice the apple with a peeler into thin long strips.
Place the apple on the red cabbage leaves and roll into a roulade.
Cut the roulade in approx. 2-cm lengths.
Mix white wine, apple juice, and water with vegetable stock.
Put olive oil in a pan and fry the roulades briefly then add the stock.
If needed, season with agave syrup.
Ingredients for Potato Donut
120 g Pfanni Potato Fix & Fertig
80 g flour
560 ml milk
15 g baking powder
2 ea. eggs
Nutmeg and salt, as needed
Method
Mix all ingredients in a blender.
Blend it for 30 seconds.
Season with salt and nutmeg.
Pour everything into a siphon and shake well.
Bake in an iron or silicone donut mold.
Assembly
Plate the braised beef, red cabbage and apple roulade.
Add the potato donut and crunchy topping.
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Gourmet Rice with Saffron Aioli
Chef Peio Cruz for Unilever Food Solutions' Future Menus report
Yield: 10
Ingredients for Rice Base
450 g onion
500 g fresh calamari, 25-cm width, diced
1 ea. bay leaf
400 g white wine
200 g olive oil
600 g rice, bomba variety
1 ea. rosemary, fresh
Method
In a sauté pan, cook the finely chopped onion in olive oil. Add calamar. Cover and add salt.
After 10 minutes, add bay leaf and wine. Slow cook until golden brown and soft. Cover the pan.
Char the rosemary then add into the mixture for smoked flavor. Leave the rosemary in the pan for a few mins.
Add 250g of salmorreta then cook for another five minutes.
Add rice and 1 L of prawn bouillon. Reserve some bouillon in case needed at the end.
Keep cooking for 12 minutes until the rice grains are nearly cooked.
In the square metal tray, spread the mixture evenly – around 300g – covering the full surface at the same height, max 1 cm. Let it rest for two minutes. Add some bouillon if needed to get the perfect doneness of the grain.
Cook again for the last five minutes at 200°C in a dry-heat oven, adding more bouillon if needed until the grains are cooked.
Remove the tray from the oven and let it rest for two minutes.
Finish the dish with two cooked prawns and some drops of saffron aioli and saffron strands. Plate symmetrically
Ingredients for Salmorreta (concentrated paste to boost the taste)
3 ea. Ñora pepper (dry pepper)
15 g garlic, sliced
200 g ripe tomatoes
200 g olive oil
30 g Knorr Umami
10 g salt
Method
Open the peppers and remove the seeds. Keep the peppers in warm water for at least two hours.
In a pan, fry the sliced garlic. Add the hydrated peppers and strain them. Cook for two minutes.
Add the chopped tomatoes, and cook slowly for about 60 minutes, until most of the water has evaporated. Mix the ingredients and pass through a fine sieve.
Add Knorr Umami and some salt to taste. It should reach a pasty texture similar to a puree.
Use this paste for boosting the taste and color of the dish.
Ingredients for Prawn Bouillon
10 ea. fresh prawn heads
1.5 L water
60 g Knorr Paella Bouillon
20 g oil
Method
Take the prawn heads off and fry them in a pan. Smash them in order to extract all the flavors.
Add water and the paella bouillon powder. Stir and boil for at least 10 minutes.
Use this bouillon to hydrate the rice if needed.
Ingredients for Assembly
30-40 ea. prawns, defrosted
Ingredients for Topping Sauce
0.03 g saffron
10 g garlic
80 g Hellmann´s Mayonnaise
Method
Saffron aioli: In a mortar, mix together garlic, toasted saffron, a pinch of salt, and a few drops of olive oil. Smash the mixture until it becomes a smooth paste. Keep adding mayonnaise gradually until the mayo emulsifies the mixture. Transfer the mixture to a squeeze bottle.
Top the rice with cooked prawns.
Finish with some dots of sauce.
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Grilled Chicken Jackfruit in Seruit Sauce
Chef Gungun Chandra Handayana for Unilever Food Solutions' Future Menus report
Yield: 10
Ingredients for Grilled Chicken
1000 g boneless chicken breast, skinless
400 g jackfruit
35 g lemongrass
4 g salam leaf/ bay leaf
300 g Bango Kecap Manis
20 g Knorr Oyster Sauce
Method
Sauté the ground spices and add jackfruit, lemongrass, salam, Bango Kecap Manis, and Knorr Oyster Sauce.
Add the chicken, braise for 45 minutes, and turn off the heat. Let it cool and soak for one to two hours.
Grill the chicken while brushing it with the remaining braising sauce.
Ingredients for Spice Mix Paste
25 g garlic
60 g shallot
20 g galanga
l20 g ginger
6 g coriander powder
120 g cooking oil
Ingredients for Crispy Spinach
400 g spinach
25 g garlic, chopped
40 g shallots, chopped
20 g spring onion, chopped
10 g Knorr Chicken Powder
80 g cooking oil
Method
Heat the oil to 190°C in a fryer. Deep-fry spinach until crispy.
In a pan, cook the garlic, shallots, cayenne pepper and red chili. Add Knorr Chicken Powder and crispy spinach.
Ingredients for Stir-Fried Udon Manday
40 g cooking oil
15 g garlic, chopped
20 g shallots, chopped
10 g red chili, seedless, sliced
10 g green chili, seedless, sliced
6 g toasted shrimp paste
160 g Manday, shredded
60 g Bango Kecap Manis
6 g Knorr Chicken Powder
500 g udon noodles
200 g unripe jackfruit, diced
Method
Deep-fry shredded manday until crispy. Set aside.
Cook the garlic, shallots, red and green chilies, shrimp paste, manday, Bango Kecap Manis, Knorr Chicken Powder, and udon.
Ingredients for Seruit Sauce
20 g shallots, chopped
200 g red chili, sliced
140 g cherry tomatoes
10 g white sugar
6 g toasted shrimp paste
10 g calamansi
6 g Knorr Chicken Powder
6 g agar agar
500 g cooking oil
Method
Blend the chili mixture until smooth. Cook until it boils.
Pour small drops of the chili sauce in the cold oil. Let it set and strain.
Assembly
Plate the chicken, udon, and crunchy spinach.
Top with sambal seruit caviar.
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