Chef Kent Rathbun displays his cedar plank salmon, which he sells at his curbside pickup at Lovers Seafood, but which you can also make at home. (Photo by Arnold Wayne Jones)

Some of Dallas’ most acclaimed professional chefs offer simple kitchen hacks to spice up your quarantine cuisine

ARNOLD WAYNE JONES | Executive Editor
jones@dallasvoice.com

When Kent Rathbun arrived in Dallas in 1990 to start working at the famed Mansion restaurant, he already knew a lot about cooking. But what he quickly realized was how much he still had to learn.

“I thought I was a very good cook, until I got into a kitchen like the Mansion and worked with Dean Fearing,” Rathbun says. As the morning sous chef, he was expected to come up with creative breakfast and lunch items based upon ingredients left over from the dinner menu.

“I would have mise-en-place left over from the Friday/Saturday/Sunday menu — a box with all this beautiful prep: vinaigrettes, pastas, sauces… an average of a dozen to 20 items I had to figure out how to use. The brilliance of this was, my goal was always to turn those ingredients into big money. So I became the Leftover King. I developed [recipes] that even today I am proud of,” he says.

A storied career later, Rathbun still finds the process of looking into someone’s pantry or refrigerator and figuring out how to turn odds and ends into something special as his sweet spot.

Many chefs are like that; it’s what makes them great chefs. So during a time when many of us are cooking more at home — and probably running out of inventive ways to spruce up the same go-to meals — having experienced chefs share some of their kitchen hacks can be a godsend. And North Texas is teeming with great chefs.

“Cooking can be great therapy, especially during these times,” says Avner Samuel, who retired earlier this year from Nosh Bistro and has opened more than a dozen restaurants over his career. “It will make your quarantine a bit more fun. I suggest thinking outside the box and getting really creative.”

Here, then, are suggestions from more than a half-dozen of the area’s most respected culinary masters for how to perk up your recipes with some flavorful and easy ingredients and techniques.

Asian Mint’s Nikki Phinyawatana turns breakfast into a show with a Thai-style omelet.

Breakfast
“The easiest [way to perk up breakfast] is the Thai omelette,” also called kai jeow, says Nikki Phinyawatana, chef-owner of Asian Mint: “Just crack three eggs, add some light soy or fish sauce (preferred), and beat with a fork until frothy. Heat a pan to high heat with a lot of oil — like, 1/4 cup. Once hot, pour in the egg in one swoop. It will puff up! Give it 30 seconds and flip. (It doesn’t have to be perfectly round.) Serve over your leftover rice from your take out and top with sriracha.” (Adds Samuel: “When making scrambled eggs, use heavy cream instead of milk to enhance the flavor.”)

Veggies
Monica Greene has spent much of her culinary career tweaking Tex-Mex dishes, adding in more of the Mex from her native country to the familiar gringo variations. But she also celebrates vegan cooking in many restaurants, including Monica’s Mex-Tex Cantina in The Cedars.

“I’ve been making healthy Mexican food since Monica’s Aca y Alla” in Deep Ellum, she says. And her recipe for a tostada is simple, good for you … and perfect for ushering in Cinco de Mayo later this week.

“It’s a stir fry: Just chop up onions and put in a pan [with oil], and when it’s translucent, add celery and garlic. Then add the pico de gallo ingredients — poblanos and other peppers. Then get tofu, but press it down to get out the water; when that’s done, crumble it in like a scramble.” When it starts to get nice and crispy add curry powder (she prefers the Indian yellow curry for this recipe).

While that’s cooking, prepare a tostada (buy them at the store or just deep fry a tortilla) and spread warmed up fat-free black beans on it. Then lather on the scramble. “Top it with cubed avocado and almonds. It is literally so light and wonderful,” Greene says. “It’s all vegetarian at this point, but you can add queso fresco and a little bit of crema as well.”

“I’ve got two home hacks that I love for veggies that are almost too old to use,” counsels Julian Rodarte, the “son” of Trinity Groves’ Beto & Son. “The first is turning those old veggies into a fiery salsa. Some of the most common vegetables to have are tomatoes, onions, garlic and peppers all of which are the essential items for making a delicious salsa. Just throw them in a food processor with a pinch of salt, and you are done. Just make sure your predominant ingredient is tomato so that the onion, garlic and spicy peppers don’t steal the spotlight, which they are known to do.”

Another suggestion for leftover vegetables: A quick bolognese with the same ingredients, plus shallots. “Shallots are my absolute favorite! Simply dice all the ingredients into a small dice, and saute with tomatoes to help with a saucy texture. Season with Italian seasoning. You can always add meat if desired,” Rodarte says.

Pasta
You can ladle that bolognese over ziti or penne on your way to another good hack. “Pastas are a great place to use up products in your fridge,” says Rathbun. “I find it really satisfying. The other day, we had some leftover grilled chicken. I took some fresh herbs from my herb garden and [prepared] some orecchiette. On the counter was a bag of salted vinegar potato chips — like, just the crumbs and broken bits at the bottom. I smashed it up then poured the chips over the pasta and braised it under the broiler. My daughter loved it.”

Meatballs
“Let me start with a few suggestions on meatballs,” says Samuel. “You can elevate this family favorite by adding exciting things like heavy cream and European butter — it will soften them and add incredible flavor. Instead of just seasoning with salt and pepper, add some sriracha and soft herbs like tarragon, basil or oregano instead of just parsley. Home cooks can really elevate a simple dish like meatballs with these [tweaks].”

Fish
“Fish is something everyone is afraid of, because almost everyone overcooks it,” Rathbun says. “Most fish are 6–7 minutes from the heat to the plate. It’s all about how fast you can get it on and off the grill.”

Rather than flipping it and risking overcooking, Rathbun suggests using the oven to your advantage. “First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Then [on the stovetop], preheat the pan you’re going to saute the fish in — at least 90 seconds. Have the fish seasoned up and ready. When choosing an oil, select between canola, peanut or grapeseed — all have a neutral flavor and burn high. Add the oil, then immediately put your fish in the pan,” probably for about three minutes, depending what kind of fish it is and how thick. Then put the pan in the oven for another three minutes.

Grilling
Marinades can quickly and simply alter the flavor profile of a chicken breast or a steak; different ingredients can make the same protein taste entirely different. “Add soy to any of your meat marinades, a pinch of sugar for caramelization and sesame oil,” says Phinyawatana. “This will hit the spot!”

Donny Sirisavath, whose Khao Noodle Shop became a national sensation last year, recommends beer as a marinade to tenderize beef. He also suggests substituting fish sauce for salt to enliven recipes, as well as using miso in broths.

“In Texas, a lot of people grill out and inevitably you’ll have a chunk of steak left over, and that’s when my mind goes to tortillas,” says Rathbun. “Take some onions and peppers, throw them on the grill; then put on the meat and reheat it. Add cheese — it makes a great filling for taco or quesadilla, or can be a topping for a warm fajita salad.”

Techniques
Recipes aren’t the only way to tweak the cooking experience (though you can check out a cookbook, see sidebar); you can also find ways to make the cooking process go smoothly.

“Now that I’m home and cooking multiple meals a day, [I like] thinking ahead and taking time to prep like I would at the restaurant,” says Jeana Johnson, chef at the Canvas hotel. “Rather than taking an hour to cook dinner every night, I have found I am better served by setting aside a couple hours the day I grocery shop and breaking down everything into kits. So I peel and chop all my garlic, set up a blanching pot and blanch everything at once. This cuts down on dishes. And more importantly it keeps my daily cooking time quick, which really helps me enjoy it. And having an Echo in the kitchen has really changed the mood, too.”

Chef Julian Rodarte recommends repurposing leftover vegetables into a spicy salsa,

“I would encourage people to cook sous vide at home if they can,” adds Samuel. “That way, they can store food longer.”

My own suggestion to the chefs? How about black lava salt on vanilla ice cream? Or a healthy homemade salad dressing of brown mustard, lime juice, olive oil and salt-and-pepper? Or even a shot of bourbon in your oatmeal?

“That’s a good fit!” Rathbun exclaims. “Can you imagine a little bit of reduced cream with bourbon in your oatmeal, or for pancakes and waffles? I love mixing cream with whiskey. That’s the thing with cooking: If it sounds like it will go good together, it probably will.”

Avner Samuel prepares a different menu every day for delivery. Follow him on Facebook for his daily menu.

Nikki Phinyawatana’s Asian Mint offers kits for home cooks as well as online classes and food for curbside pickup. AsianMint.com.

Kent Rathbun prepares large-scale cooked meats and fishes every weekend for pickup at Lovers Seafood. Pre-orders required at ChefKentRathbun.com. Check out some of the items there in the gallery below.

Julian Rodarte’s Beto & Son offers curbside pickup at Trinity Groves. BetoAndSon.com.

Monica Greene has opened many restaurants, including her current Monica’s Mex-Tex Cantina.

Donny Sirisavath’s Khao Noodle Shop opened in Old East Dallas in December 2018 and was named Dallas Voice’s best new restaurant of the year.

Jeana Johnson opened the kitchen at the Canvas Hotel kitchen last year.