The following article is one of many final projects from Visiting Lecturer Denise Drower Swidey’s innovative spring 2020 food media course at Tufts University’s Experimental College called “An Insider’s Guide to the World of Food Media.” Drower Swidey generously shared some of her students’ work with us, and Edible Boston is publishing four of them online in their entirety, edited only for clarity and punctuation. For Drower Swidey’s introduction and links to the rest of the projects, click here.

This cookbook, Coronavirus Kitchen: Cooking in Quarantine, offers five unique recipes that make use of often overlooked food items in unconventional ways.

By Ben Shapiro

Ben Shapiro is a recent graduate from Tufts University, where he studied Architectural Studies and Art History. His passion for the design side of food originates in a childhood habit of collecting menus from the restaurants he dined at around the country. He believes that taste is the most powerful sense and is interested in how it can be drawn upon to create narrative experiences. Ben is pursuing a career in the themed entertainment industry, where he hopes to one day work on a theme park project involving restaurants and food. His In-N-Out order is a double-single animal style.

The global COVID-19 pandemic is something unprecedented in our lifetimes, with many people reacting as if it were the apocalypse. The world as we know it will forever be changed. Though it remains to be seen how this chapter will impact the food industry in the long term, there are major implications for restaurants and home cooking right now as we deal with the new normal. With the shuttering of dine-in service at restaurants and many wary to leave their homes for takeout or have contact with a delivery driver, more and more meals are being made at home. However, this increase in the amount of food preparation means there is an increase in what ingredients and food staples are needed. Most visibly and jarringly, newfound survival instincts initially lead shoppers to flock to grocery stores and purchase anything and everything, leaving shelves empty early in the day.

Given such a possible shortage of ingredients, one might want to optimize what they already have at home. This cookbook, Coronavirus Kitchen: Cooking in Quarantine, offers five unique recipes that make use of often overlooked food items in unconventional ways. Each recipe centers on one ingredient that can be found lying around normally for consumption by itself, such as a snack or beverage, or is past the point of use in its original form but is still consumable. Inside you will find innovative takes on meals suitable for a lunch or dinner, a sweet breakfast or dessert food and a shareable snack. All have been tested, created, plated, styled and photographed for your enjoyment and inspiration.

Ginger Beer Cake
We’ve all been there: extraneous bottles of soda left in the garage only to become flat and undrinkable. Instead of throwing away that ginger beer, its powerful spicy-sweet flavor can be leveraged to bake an exciting and versatile cake. With just a few household ingredients, this easy-to-make Ginger Beer Cake can be eaten as a sweet breakfast to start the day, or pairs nicely with tea or coffee as a dessert. Adapted from Bundaberg.

Serves 5-7

1¾ cup all-purpose flour
⅔ cup evaporated cane juice (cane sugar)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1½ teaspoons ground ginger
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¾ cup light corn syrup
⅓ cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
¾ cup ginger beer, carbonated or flat
2 teaspoons dark brown sugar, for topping

Preheat oven to 300˚ F.

Pour white flour, evaporated cane juice/sugar, baking powder, ground ginger and ground cinnamon into a large bowl.

Mix corn syrup, vegetable oil, eggs and ginger beer into the dry mixture with electric mixer or beater.

Grease a medium-sized loaf tin with cooking spray or just enough butter or oil. Line the tin with a sheet of baking paper (parchment paper) in each direction, one lengthwise and one crosswise. Do not use wax paper.

Pour the mixture into the loaf tin. Sprinkle the top with brown sugar.

Bake in the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until risen and brown on top. Check doneness with a toothpick.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before plating and serving.

Store in an air-tight container or bag.

Cheddar, Cauliflower, Corona Soup
What good would a Corona-themed cookbook be without a recipe using Corona beer? Its subtle flavor and hint of sweetness complements the nuttiness of the cheddar, resulting in a hearty soup that holds its own as a stand-alone meal. No need for a drink pairing–this one has enough in it. Adapted from the Nutmeg Nanny and Framed Cooks.

Serves 5–6

1 medium head of cauliflower
6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 slice bread, processed into breadcrumbs in a food processor
1 small onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
2 bottles beer
3 cups chicken stock
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 bay leaf
8 ounces extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated
chopped flat leaf parsley for garnish

Preheat oven to 425˚F.

Cut off the bottom of the cauliflower and remove any leaves. Slice into 1-inch thick planks from top of head to the base. Line a rimmed baking sheet with tin foil and brush with oil. Lay cauliflower out onto the baking sheet, drizzle with 4 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cover with a matching rimmed baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the top baking sheet and continue baking for another 10 minutes until cauliflower is soft and golden brown. Let cool and chop coarsely.

While the cauliflower roasts, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small frying pan over medium heat and add breadcrumbs. Stir continuously until crispy.

In a large soup pot over medium heat add onion, carrots and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Reduce heat after a minute to medium-low, stirring occasionally. Cook for about 10–15 minutes until vegetables soften. Be careful to not let onions brown.

Add in roasted cauliflower, beer, chicken stock, cayenne pepper, salt to taste and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaf.

Puree with an immersion or regular blender until completely smooth.

Add grated cheddar cheese by the handful and stir over medium heat until melted. Taste and adjust seasonings; you may need more salt and pepper.

Ladle into bowls and garnish with breadcrumbs, chopped parsley and more pepper to taste.

Stale-Bread Pizza Bites
Your local pizzeria may be taking a pause right now, but that’s okay because it doesn’t compare to the real thing in New York. Luckily that stale baguette you have lying around is prime to be revived for this shareable snack with a simple dunk in milk. Fit for a midday bite or parties of under 10 people, fresh basil from your garden or windowsill highlights this international dish that’ll have you dreaming of traveling to Italy (or Little Italy). Inspired by the New York Times Cooking.

Serves 4–6

½ baguette, left out until dry
½ cup milk, either 2% or whole
½ cup tomato spaghetti sauce
6 tablespoons mozzarella, shredded
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Parmesan cheese
Fresh basil

Heat oven to 350˚ F.

Cut slices of baguette less than half an inch thick. There should be about 18 slices.

Line a baking sheet with tin foil and oil with cooking spray.

Quickly dunk slices of bread into milk and shake off excess, laying out onto the baking sheet in rows. Spoon 1 teaspoon spaghetti sauce on each slice and spread.

Cover each with 1 teaspoon mozzarella, sprinkle with Parmesan and basil and drizzle with olive oil.

Bake on the bottom rack of the oven for 10–12 minutes. Cheese should be melted and slightly crispy. Be careful not to burn the bottom of the bread.

“Voodoo Chips” Crusted Chicken
Potato chips make the perfect, homemade coating for fried chicken, with a balance of crunchy and juicy. The unique sweet-and-sour flavor of “Voodoo chips” from Zapp’s of New Orleans packs a punch, but if you can’t find them, regular chips and a few pinches of cajun spice will work just as well.

Serves 2–3

2 chicken breast halves
2 bags Zapp’s Voodoo Flavor potato chips
1 large egg
2 tablespoons water
1 heaping tablespoon all-purpose flour
¼ cup olive oil

Cut each chicken breast in half horizontally, parallel to the cutting board. Pound to an even thickness, about ½ inch, with a mallet between two sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap. Further cut chicken into pieces of desired length.

Crush 2 bags of chips with a rolling pin and place in a small bowl.

Beat egg together with water in a separate small bowl.

Dip chicken in bowl of flour and shake off excess. Dredge chicken in egg mixture, then transfer to bowl of chip crumbs. Once evenly coated, add oil to a medium frying pan on high heat; transfer chicken to hot oil.

When chicken is golden-brown on the edges, flip over to fry the other side. Differently sized pieces will need between 3–5 minutes on each side. Chicken is done when internal temperature is 165˚ F.

Place finished chicken pieces on paper towel to drain excess oil before serving.

Instant Ramen Stir Crazy Stir Fry
The traditional college dinner of instant ramen might already sound like quite the complete meal, but unlike the Class of 2020 it’s due for a graduation. Coupled with Asian staples like shelf-stable water chestnuts and bamboo shoots, long-lasting tofu and edamame from the frozen food section, this well-portioned dish uses a wok for less effort and less mess.

Serves 3–4

2 blocks extra firm tofu
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
⅓ cup onion, diced finely
1½ carrots, cut into matchsticks
1 small head broccoli, cut into florets
½ cup edamame beans
¼ cup sliced water chestnuts
¼ cup sliced bamboo shoots
2 instant ramen cups, with seasoning
2 cups boiling water

Drain tofu thoroughly and cut into 1 inch cubes. Season tofu cubes with salt and toss with cornstarch.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil on high heat in wok and sauté onion and carrots until they begin to soften. Season with salt to taste.

Add tofu cubes, broccoli, edamame, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots and remaining oil to wok. Stir continuously until all vegetables are soft and tofu has browned.

Add 1 cup boiling water to each instant ramen cup, draining after noodles soften.

Add cooked ramen noodles to ingredients in wok. Mix thoroughly and serve.

Possible Substitutions

GINGER BEER CAKE

Ginger Beer → Ginger Ale + additional 1⁄2 tsp. ginger powder
Evaporated cane juice → Confectioners sugar 
Corn syrup → Simple syrup (1 part sugar, 1⁄4 part warm water)

CHEDDAR, CAULIFLOWER, CORONA SOUP

Chicken stock → 1 tsp. chicken stock powder per cup of water
Corona Beer → Pacifico or other light beer

STALE-BREAD PIZZA BITES

Baguette → Sourdough bread, for larger pizzas
Spaghetti sauce → Tomato sauce + basil, parsley, & oregano
Egg + 2 Tbsp. water → 1⁄4 cup Egg Beaters

VOODOO CHIP CRUSTED CHICKEN

Voodoo Chips → Any flavorful chip, such as BBQ or Maui Chips

INSTANT RAMEN STIR CRAZY STIR FRY

Carrots & broccoli → Frozen mixed vegetables

Stories from the Kitchen

I used to run to the grocery store in the middle of cooking a recipe if I was lacking even just one ingredient. Now that I have to be more careful with how many times I leave my house, I’ve needed to adapt and get creative. I was recently making pizza with some frozen dough I found hiding in the back of my freezer. Normally I would use jarred sauce and some tomato paste, but I didn’t have either—I only had a can of puréed tomatoes. So instead, I reduced the tomatoes to make it thicker, more like a pizza sauce than a thinner pasta sauce. I added in sugar and some flavorful spices and continued to reduce the sauce until it was the perfect consistency for pizza. – A.S., Boston

So now that I have a ton more time on my hands, I feel like I could up the taste game. I have an electric stovetop, but honestly, it’s not good enough (same with the oven, no offense to Oster). I have a tiny stove that I usually take on camping trips to keep things cozy. So I grabbed some wood and an axe and trimmed the logs down to kindling. I was then able to get my pan as hot as necessary. I had a fresh tuna steak that I salt-and-peppered and seared on both sides. I was finally able to get the edges of the tuna black while having the center raw, as it should be. – M.G., Los Angeles

This story appeared as an online exclusive in September 2020 as part of a larger story on Tufts University’s course: “An Insider’s Guide to the World of Food Media.”