These Black chefs find joy in their own cooking by creating beautiful meals for their families. From James Beard Award winners to farm-to-table, the following chefs have sent in some of their favorite dishes to make around the holidays. Each side, main, dessert, and drink are simple to make and easy to share with those around you, even if it’s just yourself.
Suggested Reading
All recipes and descriptions are by the chefs.
Edouardo Jordan: Roasted Carrots in Ginger Syrup and Mushroom-Braised Greens
Roasted Carrots Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs carrots
1 piece ginger
3 tbsp golden raisins
1 bunch parsley
2 tbsps honey
2 tbsps roasted pistachios
Mushroom-Braised Greens
2 bunches collard greens or kale
1/2 lb mushrooms
1/2 oz dried Shiitake mushrooms
1 red onion
2 tbsps soy sauce
2 tbsps rice vinegar
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Roasted Carrots Directions
Remove the honey from the refrigerator to bring to room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Wash and dry the fresh produce.
Peel the carrots; halve crosswise, then halve lengthwise. Transfer to a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Arrange in an even layer.
Roast 30 to 32 minutes, or until browned and tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from the oven.
Prepare the remaining ingredients
Peel the ginger; finely chop to get 2 teaspoons (you may have extra).
Roughly chop the pistachios.
Roughly chop the parsley leaves and stems.
Make the syrup & finish the carrots
Once the carrots have roasted for about 25 minutes, in a small pot (or pan), combine the chopped ginger, raisins, honey (kneading the packet before opening), a pinch of salt, and 1/4 cup of water. Cook on medium-high, stirring frequently, 4 to 5 minutes, or until thickened to a syrup-like consistency.
Transfer to a large bowl. Immediately add the roasted carrots; toss to coat. Taste, then season with salt and pepper if desired.
Serve the finished carrots garnished with the chopped pistachios and chopped parsley.
Mushroom-Braised Greens
Place the dried mushrooms in a large bowl; add 3 cups of hot water and set aside to rehydrate at least
10 minutes.
Wash and dry the fresh produce.
Halve, peel, and thinly slice the onion.
Thinly slice the fresh mushrooms.
Separate the collard green or kale leaves from the stems; discard the stems and roughly chop the leaves.
Braise the greens
Reserving the liquid, drain the rehydrated mushrooms. Transfer to a cutting board; roughly chop.
In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot.
Add the sliced onion, sliced mushrooms, and as much of the red pepper flakes as you’d like, depending on how spicy you’d like the dish to be; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 3 to 4 minutes, or until slightly softened.
Add the chopped rehydrated mushrooms, reserved liquid, chopped collard greens or kale, and soy sauce. Cover the pot and cook, without stirring, 8 to 10 minutes, or until the greens are wilted.
Uncover the pot and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, 18 to 20 minutes, or until the greens are tender and the liquid is reduced in volume by half.
Turn off the heat and stir in the vinegar. Taste, then season with salt and pepper if desired. Enjoy!
Instagram: @edouardojordan
Marisa Moore: Vegan Black Eyed Peas
From Marisa: “I love traditional black-eyed peas and they are a must for New Years’ Day. With so many people going plant-based these days, I’m often asked for a vegan version so here it is! This meatless option is simmered in a rich vegetable broth and seasoned with plenty of onion and thyme.”
You can find the recipe here.
Instagram: @marisamoore
Canieka Fleming: Sage and Pomegranate Sweet Potato Soufflé
Ingredients
2 large orange-fleshed sweet potatoes
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons sugar, granulated
¼ cup heavy cream
Photo: Brooks Grant
1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
1 pinch cayenne pepper in your
1 teaspoon sage, rough chop or to taste
4 tablespoon pomegranate seeds
4 large fried sage leaves
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) Place sweet potatoes on a baking sheet, prick with the tip of a knife and roast until very soft, about 20-25 minutes.
Let sweet potatoes cool briefly until safe to handle. While warm, halve and scoop potatoes into a bowl and mash until slightly smooth. Mix in the butter until melted.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fº (220 degrees Cº) and generously coat four 5-ounce ramekins with pan spray or oil.
Separate egg whites and yolks into 2 mixing bowls.
Transfer 1 cup of the mashed sweet potatoes into egg yolks bowl. Add brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar, heavy cream, salt, cayenne, and chopped sage. Whisk until smooth.
With a clean whisk, beat egg whites until frothy. Add a pinch of salt and 1 teaspoon of sugar finish beating until soft peaks.
Transfer 1/2 of the egg whites to the sweet potato mixture. Fold in with a spatula gently until most of the egg whites. Add the remaining egg whites and 1/2 tablespoon pomegranate seeds to the mixture and fold in very gently, turning the bowl and scraping the sides, until whites are mostly blended in; a few streaks should still be visible.
Gently spoon sweet potato mixture into the ramekins. Place evenly on a baking sheet and gently top each ramekin with 1/2 tablespoon of pomegranate seeds.
Bake until fully inflated and browned, about 15 minutes. Garnish with sage. Unmold or serve in ramekins.
Instagram: @chefcanieka
Hannah Bronfman: Spice-Rubbed Salmon with Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce
For the salmon
₁/4 cup olive oil
4 salmon steaks, skin on
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon powdered garlic
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
₁/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 lemon, sliced (the one you zested is perfect, see above)
For the sauce
1 cup plain Greek yogurt or plain coconut yogurt
Juice of 1 lemon
₁/4 cup minced fresh dill
₁/4 cup minced fresh mint
₁/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 shallot, minced
1 Persian cucumber, peeled and diced (about ₁/2 cup)
Salt
Directions
Makes 4 generous servings
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly oil a shallow baking dish with half the olive oil and set the salmon steaks in the dish. Drizzle the remaining oil over the top of the salmon.
In a small bowl, combine the orange and lemon zests, garlic, paprika, sea salt, black pepper, and cinnamon.
When well combined, pat onto both sides of the salmon.
Top the salmon with the lemon slices (they add flavor and protect the spices from burning), and bake, uncovered, for about 20 minutes.
While the salmon is baking, make the sauce: Put all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together until well combined. Taste, and season with salt as needed.
Serve the salmon steaks with about ¼ cup of herb sauce per serving
Instagram: @hannahbronfman / @HBFIT
Chef Lovely: Roasted Chicken with Pomegranate Molasses Glaze
Ingredients
1 4 lb chicken
1 head of garlic, cut in half
6 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 cup pomegranate molasses
1/2 cup honey or date syrup
8 tablespoon unsalted butter
Salt & Pepper
Rosemary sprigs and pomegranate for garnish
Directions
Pat chicken dry with a paper towel
Rub outside of chicken with 2 tablespoons of butter
Place 4 tablespoons of butter under the skin (breast) and massage it in
Season chicken with salt and pepper (inside cavity and on the skin)
Stuff cavity with garlic and 6 rosemary sprigs
Place chicken in a preheated 400° oven for about 30-35 min
In a small saucepot over low heat, whisk together molasses, honey, 2 tablespoons of butter, and a pinch of salt until all ingredients are well combined. Turn off heat and put on the lid.
Remove chicken from oven, with a pastry brush, glaze the chicken with half of the molasses mixture.
Place the chicken back in the oven for another 15-20 minutes
Remove from oven, glaze with remaining half of molasses mixture. Remove garlic and rosemary from cavity
Place the chicken on a cutting board, let rest for about 20 minutes before carving
Garnish with fresh-cut pomegranate and fresh rosemary springs
CLT’s (Chef Lovely Tips)
Add a sprig of rosemary and 1 smashed garlic clove to your glaze for an extra punch of flavor
Bring the chicken to room temperature by removing it from the refrigerator one hour before you begin cooking
Plain molasses will work with this recipe. To replace the acidity the pomegranate molasses has, add in the juice of half a lemon or orange to the glaze
Instagram: @cheflovely
JJ Johnson: Bone-In Short Rib to Share
Prep time: 35 minutesCooking time: Approximately 4 hours Total time: 4.5 hours
Ingredients2 pounds short ribs bone-in, prepped from the butcher 1⁄4 cup olive oil plus 3 tablespoons2 cups dry red wine (Pinot Noir or Merlot)1 quart veal stock3 cinnamon sticks3 bay leaves3 oranges, quartered1 bunch thyme1 bunch parsley1 jalapeno, chopped with seeds
DirectionsPreheat your oven to 325 degrees F.
Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. Once the oil begins to shimmer add the short rib in a single layer and season with salt and pepper. Sear the meat until lightly browned on all sides, turning with long tongs, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer meat to a plate.
Deglaze the pot with the red wine, making sure to bring up the brown bits of fond from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Return the short ribs back to the pot and lower the heat to medium. Add in the veal stock, 3 cups of water, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, oranges, thyme, parsley, and jalapeno. Season generously with pepper. Cook for 2-3 hours.
Instagram: @cheffjj / @fieldtripusa
Scotty Scott: Garlic Herb Prime-Rib
Ingredients
1 (4 pound) rib roast
kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons canola oil
2 egg whites
Directions
About an hour before cooking, remove the roast from the refrigerator to allow it to come to room temperature.
Rub canola oil over the prime rib then generously season it with salt and pepper.
Heat a cast-iron skillet to medium-high.
Once hot. Place the prime rib fat side up in the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes. Repeat for all three sides except the fat cap. Depending on the size/shape of your prime rib you may need to use barbecue tongs to hold it upright as you brown the sides.
Remove from the pan and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 325º.
Keeping the meat juices in the pan, reduce heat to medium and add the olive oil and butter. Once the butter has melted add the herbs and garlic. Cook for about one minute, stirring occasionally. Spoon the contents into a bowl.
Place the prime rib on a roasting rack and pan fat side up. Brush the egg whites on all sides of the prime rib and then rub/pat the herbs and garlic all over.
Place the prime rib in the oven on the middle rack. Cook for 30 minutes then rotate so the side facing the back of the oven is now facing the front.
Cook for another 45 minutes and rotate again, checking the temperature. For medium-rare an internal temp of 120 means it’s time to remove from the oven as the roast will continue to cook while resting.
Checking every 15 minutes or so remove the roast from the oven once the internal temp reaches 120º. For medium, leave in the oven until internal temp reaches 125º-130º. Place it on a cutting board to rest, uncovered, for about 20 minutes. Slice to the desired thickness and enjoy.
Instagram: @cookdrankeat
Phil Ingram: Spiced Fig Cocktail
This is a flavorful, medium ABV cocktail designed for easy responsible *wink* drinking.
Ingredients
0.75 oz Averna
0.75 oz Domaine Canton
0.25 oz Rittenhouse Rye Whiskey
0.25 oz Angostura Bitters
0.50 oz Fig Syrup (recipe below)
Fig Syrup
1/2 cup dehydrated figs
1 cup turbinado sugar
2 cups hot water
Cinnamon, all-spice, nutmeg
Directions
Combine dehydrated figs and hot water. Let sit 24 hrs or until figs have reconstituted themselves.
In a pot bring the figs and water to a medium boil. Add sugar, spices and heat until sugar has completely dissolved. Remove from heat. Cool to room temperature and strain.
Instagram: @pwing_stl
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