Restaurant Dropout x Carolina Gelen
our first-ever (!!) collaborative menu
Welcome back to another installment of Restaurant Dropout, except this week is one million times more exciting than our standard run-of-the-mill weekly schtick because…
this is our first-ever (!!!) collaborative menu!!!
This week, I teamed up with Carolina Gelen—a friend, inspiration, and incredibly talented cook/recipe developer—to create a menu for you to enjoy.
Not only will we be making one of Carolina’s recipes from her debut cookbook, Pass the Plate, but we’ll also be utilizing elements from said recipe in our dishes throughout the week (in true Restaurant Dropout fashion).
If there’s one cookbook I recommend this year, let it be Pass the Plate (available for pre-order here).
In her debut cookbook,
shares 100 simple and comforting recipes that emphasise big flavour with minimal effort. No matter the mood or your skill level, you’ll find crowd-pleasing recipes for creative dishes using approachable, everyday ingredients.Including influences from Carolina's Romanian upbringing, Pass the Plate will bring comfort to your kitchen and have everyone asking for seconds.
Last Week’s Rollover Ingredients
As I mentioned last week, we’ll be reusing some ingredients that you might not have finished, like hamburger buns (for our Sloppy Joes) and Parmigiano Reggiano.
You’ll also likely end up with a few leftover ingredients this week, like scallions, but don’t fret—we’ll utilize them next week. Place them in a cup filled with an inch of water and pop them into the fridge.
Grocery List
Printable Menu
Anchovy Paste
You’ll notice that our Greek Yogurt Caesar Dressing has the slightest amount of Anchovy Paste. If all-things anchovies are a tough sell in your household, feel free to eliminate it altogether. We’re only using a smidgen amount for the “suspicion” of the salty/briny taste anchovies provide.
If you’ve never shopped for anchovy ‘paste’ before, you can find it in the canned fish aisle of your grocery store.
Italian Sausage
Similar to a few weeks ago, we’re using 1 pound of Italian sausage this week.
As I mentioned last time, you’ll likely find Italian sausage in true sausage form (wrapped in casings), but if you’re lucky, you might find it sold as ground “Italian seasoned” meat.
If it’s sold as a sausage link, just use a sharp knife to cut open the casing and use the meat from within.
You’ll also find several varieties of Italian sausage: turkey, chicken, pork, and even plant-based—use whichever one you prefer most.
Prep List
Prep Demo
Carolina’s Caramelized Lemon Gremolata
As I mentioned previously, we’ll be using one of the elements featured in Carolina’s Chicken Schnitzel recipe: Caramelized Lemon Gremolata.
If you plan on halving her chicken recipe (which I recommend doing if cooking for a 2-person household), make sure to prepare the full amount of gremolata. We’ll use it as a main component in our Crispy Potato Salad on day 3.
Also, while it’s not included in the recipe, feel free to add a few spoonfuls of Carolina’s gremolata to our Caesar & Frites on day 1 (it’s pretty spectacular).
You can store the gremolata in an air-tight container and keep it in the refrigerator.
All Things Potatoes
Shoestring French Fries
For our Shoestring French Fries, I highly recommend making them right before preparing day 1’s dinner, Caesar & Frites—this’ll lead to the highest-quality result.
Also, I’m not including a recipe since it’s pretty straightforward. However, I have a few notes and a demo (below) to help you achieve the utmost success:
After cutting up the potatoes into small batons (or “shoestrings”), place them in a bowl filled with cold water. This will help remove excess starch.
Strain your potatoes & pat them dry before frying.
Fill a heavy-bottomed pan with 1 inch of neutral oil and preheat to 375ºF. While your oil is preheating, line a large sheet tray with paper towels.
Gently place your potatoes in the hot oil and fry until golden brown and crispy—transfer them to the paper towel-lined sheet tray and season them with a pinch of salt.
If they get soggy or cold at any point, you can place them in a preheated oven (375ºF) for 3-4 minutes.
Once cooled, strain the fry oil and use it later in the week for this week’s Schnitzels and Potato Wedges.
To store: place cooled-down fries in a plastic baggie or on a covered parchment-lined sheet tray. Store in the freezer for later use (follow reheating instructions on recipes).
Demo
Potato Wedges
For this week’s potato wedges, make sure to freeze them after cooking (follow the instructions on our Prep List). We’ll keep them frozen until we use them on day 3—this will result in easier cooking and zilch risk of spoilage.
Caramelized Onions
This week, we’re making a batch of caramelized onions and using them in a few of our recipes. I’ve gone over how to caramelize shallots, but never yellow onions—it’s basically the same, however…
If you need a refresh, here’s what I typically do:
Use a stainless steel pan. Sauté your sliced onions in a bit of neutral oil over medium/medium-high heat. Generously season with a pinch of salt and stir. Let your onions brown. Once they look like they’re starting to get slightly golden and the pan is developing more caramelized bits, add 1 Tbsp of water (deglazing the pan) and stir. Continue this process as many times as you need to until the onions develop a dark caramel color.
Protein Substitutions
Day 1: Caesar & Frites
Protein Substitution: Halloumi, Grilled NY Strip Steak
Day 2: Chicken Schnitzel with Caramelized Lemon Gremolata
Protein Substitution: Tofu, Halloumi
Day 3: Caesar-Marinated Chicken Skewers with Crispy Potato Salad
Protein Substitution: Tofu, Halloumi, Grilled NY Strip Steak
Day 4: Caramelized Onion Tortellini with Sautéed Kale & Italian Sausage
Protein Substitution: Plant-Based Hot Italian Sausage
Day 5: Italian Sausage & Pepper Sloppy Joes
Protein Substitution: Plant-Based Hot Italian Sausage
Additional Substitutions
Russet Potatoes 🔄 Sweet Potatoes
Cheese Tortellini 🔄 Ravioli, Un-stuffed Pasta
Dino Kale 🔄 Romaine, Green Kale
Baby Gem Lettuce 🔄 Romaine
Sloppy Joes 🔄 Sausage & Peppers ‘Hot Dog’ Style
Elements
Greek Yogurt Caesar Dressing
Dishes
Caesar & Frites with Grilled Chicken
Chicken Schnitzel with Caramelized Lemon Gremolata
Note:
For a ‘complete’ meal, I recommend adding a base salad. I tossed together a handful each of kale and baby gem lettuce with a simple tahini-lemon vinaigrette, as seen in the demo (2 tsp each of tahini, cold water, olive oil, lemon juice + a pinch of salt and 1 tsp honey).
Caesar-Marinated Chicken Skewers with Crispy Potato Salad
Caramelized Onion Tortellini with Sautéed Kale & Italian Sausage
Italian Sausage & Pepper Sloppy Joes with Shoestring French Fries
Consolidated Lists
Consolidated Recipes
excluding Chicken Schnitzel with Caramelized Lemon Gremolata (attached below)
I hope you all have a fabulous week of cooking—developing & cooking this week was so much fun for me. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!!!
As always, thank you so much for being here. Ciao for now! 💖
Xo,
Zoe
P.S. If you’ve made it this far and you’re not a paid subscriber, you’ll notice that this is our first non-paywalled newsletter. If you like what you see & want to join this fabulous community, your support would mean the world to me! Otherwise, I plan on sharing 4 free newsletters (1 per quarter) yearly!