Ideas for entries to a work recipe contest
November 8, 2011 10:47 AM Subscribe
My workplace is having a recipe contest for our workplace cafeteria. I'm trying to come up with a good submission.
The rules say "All recipes will be judged on ease of preparation, mass appeal and cost-effectiveness of the entree." The food service folks will take the top 5, scale them up and try them as actual lunch entrees one week, which will be voted on by employees for a grand winner.
Most of my go-to entree recipes don't really scale well. Any suggestions?
The rules say "All recipes will be judged on ease of preparation, mass appeal and cost-effectiveness of the entree." The food service folks will take the top 5, scale them up and try them as actual lunch entrees one week, which will be voted on by employees for a grand winner.
Most of my go-to entree recipes don't really scale well. Any suggestions?
We had some Korean tacos at the MN State Fair this year and they were awesome! We decided to try and make them ourselves at home. I found this recipe but only used the sauce.
I put it over diced (or shredded), cooked chicken and served on small flour tortillas topped with shredded cabbage. We made an Asian dressing to mix up with the cabbage but you could probably skip that and just use straight shredded cabbage instead.
The Korean fermented hot pepper paste (gochujang) is probably the only ingredient that might be hard to find in large enough quantities. The stand at the fair that was selling them was really popular and it is the largest state fair in average daily attendance in the country so, assuming they are using the same stuff, they didn't have any issues scaling it up.
Other than that, I think it would be easy enough to source, prepare, and serve the rest.
posted by VTX at 11:07 AM on November 8, 2011
I put it over diced (or shredded), cooked chicken and served on small flour tortillas topped with shredded cabbage. We made an Asian dressing to mix up with the cabbage but you could probably skip that and just use straight shredded cabbage instead.
The Korean fermented hot pepper paste (gochujang) is probably the only ingredient that might be hard to find in large enough quantities. The stand at the fair that was selling them was really popular and it is the largest state fair in average daily attendance in the country so, assuming they are using the same stuff, they didn't have any issues scaling it up.
Other than that, I think it would be easy enough to source, prepare, and serve the rest.
posted by VTX at 11:07 AM on November 8, 2011
Martha Stewart's meatloaf recipe is extremely scaleable, and fairly tasty. The trick is to process your carrots, celery and onion into a near paste before mixing with the meat. That keeps the meatloaf light and moist. Add you panade, some eggs, and make it free-form on a sheet pan. Glaze is just ketchup (or tomato paste) and brown sugar. Look it up, and you can get exact proportions.
posted by Gilbert at 11:13 AM on November 8, 2011
posted by Gilbert at 11:13 AM on November 8, 2011
Enchiladas? I've used this enchilada sauce recipe before, but you can google up whatever recipe sounds good to you.
Easy, inexpensive, easy to scale, and I think most people like them. Plus they can always switch it up - chicken, cheese, beef, veggies, whatever, and they could probably take their leftovers from another meal and use them for enchilada filling the next day.
posted by mrs. taters at 11:44 AM on November 8, 2011
Easy, inexpensive, easy to scale, and I think most people like them. Plus they can always switch it up - chicken, cheese, beef, veggies, whatever, and they could probably take their leftovers from another meal and use them for enchilada filling the next day.
posted by mrs. taters at 11:44 AM on November 8, 2011
I think something like chili or soups would be easy to scale. This may not work depending on how the stations are set up, but a chili bar with fresh toppings (cheese, minced red onion, cilantro, lime wedges, sour cream, tortilla strips, etc) would be awesome.
I bring lunch from home, so I don't know if they still do this, but my work cafeteria used to have a chicken Caesar salad that people went nuts for. IIRC, it was just romaine lettuce, grilled chicken, croutons, parmesan cheese and dressing, but from the amount of people lined up, you would think it had crack in it. It was served from a bar, but someone on the other side doled out the ingredients, and I think they might have been cooking the chicken on the line, too.
posted by amarynth at 11:45 AM on November 8, 2011
I bring lunch from home, so I don't know if they still do this, but my work cafeteria used to have a chicken Caesar salad that people went nuts for. IIRC, it was just romaine lettuce, grilled chicken, croutons, parmesan cheese and dressing, but from the amount of people lined up, you would think it had crack in it. It was served from a bar, but someone on the other side doled out the ingredients, and I think they might have been cooking the chicken on the line, too.
posted by amarynth at 11:45 AM on November 8, 2011
I've made beef and potato tacos for a large crowd and everyone enjoyed them. When making them for myself, I normally increase the amount of potato (even amounts of potato to ground beef) and do not fry the tortilla but make a burrito instead.
posted by bCat at 1:06 PM on November 8, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by bCat at 1:06 PM on November 8, 2011 [1 favorite]
Mexican lasagne. You basically take all the ingredients you'd put in a burrito - meat (a ground beef chilli, whilst not strictly burrito food, works best), refried beans, peppers (bell, not hot), salsa, rice, flour tortillas, and layer everything in a large dish - one of those big square catering pans. Cover with shredded Pepper Jack cheese and bake until the cheese is bubbling. Serve like lasagne and top off each serving with a spoonful of sour cream, lettuce, a spoonful of salsa and optional jalapeños.
posted by essexjan at 2:46 PM on November 8, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by essexjan at 2:46 PM on November 8, 2011 [1 favorite]
I've made this meat pie recipe from the Usenet cookbook and it strikes me as something that would be easy to translate to cafeteria cooking.
posted by Runes at 3:46 PM on November 8, 2011
posted by Runes at 3:46 PM on November 8, 2011
I've got a great recipe for butter chicken - where the sauce can be made separately and stored for use. You then cook through chicken breast in the sauce (which is strictly not authentic - you are supposed to use grilled chicken) - add piles of chopped cliantro at the end and you are done. Delicous, easily scaled, and easy to make.
posted by helmutdog at 1:55 AM on November 10, 2011
posted by helmutdog at 1:55 AM on November 10, 2011
Response by poster: For those who are curious, here's the recipe that won (not mine, but still good):
Enchilada Pie
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 lb cooked ground beef
1 14oz can diced tomatoes
4oz diced green chiles
1 small raw onion, chopped
2 flour tortillas
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Salsa
Sour Cream
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine all seasonings (first 9 ingredients) in a bowl and set aside.
3. In a skillet, combine cooked ground beef, diced tomatoes, diced green chiles, and onion.
4. Add spice mix to skillet and stir to combine.
5. In a pie plate or baking dish, layer one tortilla, half of the meat mixture and 1/2 cup of cheese.
6. Repeat step 4 with the rest of the ingredients,
7. Bake in oven for 30 min.
8. Slice and serve with salsa and sour cream on the side.
posted by Karmakaze at 6:02 AM on November 28, 2011
Enchilada Pie
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 lb cooked ground beef
1 14oz can diced tomatoes
4oz diced green chiles
1 small raw onion, chopped
2 flour tortillas
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Salsa
Sour Cream
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine all seasonings (first 9 ingredients) in a bowl and set aside.
3. In a skillet, combine cooked ground beef, diced tomatoes, diced green chiles, and onion.
4. Add spice mix to skillet and stir to combine.
5. In a pie plate or baking dish, layer one tortilla, half of the meat mixture and 1/2 cup of cheese.
6. Repeat step 4 with the rest of the ingredients,
7. Bake in oven for 30 min.
8. Slice and serve with salsa and sour cream on the side.
posted by Karmakaze at 6:02 AM on November 28, 2011
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If you were thinking of something made to order, I think the best suggestions will utilize equipment that the cafeteria already has, so you may want to keep that in mind. (A pizza oven, a panini press, a burrito/taco shell warmer slash quesadilla press, an industrial toaster.) Quesadillas are always popular, and you could make a fun variety like spinach & mushroom.
Another thing to think about - what do you like to eat for lunch that your cafeteria doesn't already serve?
posted by slmorri at 10:58 AM on November 8, 2011 [1 favorite]