March Cookbook Club: Chrissy Teigen’s Cravings

You may know Chrissy Teigen from her splashy Sports Illustrated covers, her commentary on the TV show FABLife or her off-the-cuff musings on social media. But she’s also a food blogger, a self-proclaimed “soup master” and a mean home cook with a penchant for her mom’s Thai food and all-day breakfast. Her first cookbook, Cravings: Recipes for All the Food You Want to Eat, is filled with recipes that reflect her voice on every page.

 

Below is a look at two of our favorite recipes from the cookbook. Into the dishes you see here? Then be sure to join us tonight at your local store for our Cookbook Club event. You’ll learn cooking techniques and enjoy a tasting of recipes from the cookbook prepared while you watch (including John Legend’s beloved breakfast sandwiches featured below!). Get in touch with your local store for more details.

John’s Breakfast Sandwiches

Makes 4 sandwiches

Prep time: 10 minutes

Total time: 25 minutes

 

For the Sausage Patties:

1⁄2 pound ground pork

1⁄4 cup finely minced onion

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 2 cloves)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus more for frying

11⁄2 teaspoons ground sage

11⁄2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

11⁄2 teaspoons kosher salt

1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

 

For the Sandwiches:

4 English muffins

2 tablespoons butter

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (optional)

8 regular or 4 thick slices

American cheese

4 eggs, cooked sunny-side up

Sriracha

 

Make the sausage patties: In a large bowl, mix the pork, onion, brown sugar, garlic, vegetable oil, sage, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper with your hands until uniform (don’t, like, mash it or overmix it—just until it’s all nicely mixed together). Form into four 4-inch round patties.

 

Coat a cast-iron skillet with oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the sausage patties and fry until browned and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side (8 minutes total). Transfer to a platter and cover to keep warm.

 

Assemble the sandwiches: Split and toast the English muffins, then butter them. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper if you’d like. Arrange 1 thick or 2 regular slices of cheese on 4 of the muffin halves. Top each with a sausage patty and an egg. Squirt some Sriracha on top of the eggs and top with the remaining muffin halves.

Stretchy Artichoke, Spinach and Buffalo Chicken Dip

Serves 6 to 8

Prep time: 20 minutes

Total time: 3 hours 30 minutes

 

For the chicken: 

1⁄2 cup Cholula hot sauce

1 stick (4 ounces) butter, melted and slightly cooled

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

 

For the dip: 

2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (see Note)

2 (14.5-ounce) cans water-packed artichoke hearts, drained, squeezed dry (see Note), and chopped

1 cup mayonnaise

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

3⁄4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano or 1½ teaspoons dried

1 teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ cup blue cheese crumbles

Spiced Pita Chips (recipe follows), for serving

 

Marinate and cook the chicken: In a medium bowl, combine the hot sauce, melted butter, salt, and pepper. Add the chicken, toss to coat, cover, and marinate for 2 hours at room temp or up to 8 hours, refrigerated.

 

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

 

Remove the chicken from the marinade, place on a baking sheet, and bake until just cooked through, 14 to 15 minutes. When cool enough to handle, shred with your hands or 2 forks into bite-size chunks. Leave the oven on for the dip.

 

Make the dip: Coat an oval ceramic 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray or butter.

 

In a large bowl, mix together the spinach, artichokes, mayo, mozzarella, Parm, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir in the shredded chicken. Spread the dip into the baking dish and dot with the blue cheese.

 

Bake until golden and bubbling, 35 to 40 minutes. Serve with the pita chips.

 

note: To really get the extra liquid out of the spinach and artichokes, pile them in the center of a big clean kitchen towel and roll up the towel. Twist the ends toward each other and keep twisting until you’ve wrung out as much liquid as humanly possible!

 

Spiced Pita Chips

Makes 32 chips/Serves 6 to 8

Prep time: 5 minutes

Total time: 20 minutes

3 tablespoons butter, melted

2 tablespoons olive oil

1⁄2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1⁄2 teaspoon ground cumin

1⁄2 teaspoon paprika

1⁄2 teaspoon garlic powder

1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt

1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 pitas, cut into 8 wedges each

 

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

 

In a large bowl, combine the melted butter, olive oil, cayenne, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Add the pita wedges and toss gently to coat. Spread in a single layer on 2 baking sheets and bake, tossing once, until the wedges are browned and crisp at the edges, but still very slightly soft in the center (the chips will harden as they cool), 10 to 15 minutes (depending on thickness of pita). Note: If you like a crunchier chip, bake for a few more minutes, until there is no softness in the center.

 

Cool completely before serving.

 

Reprinted with permission from CRAVINGS: Recipes for All the Food You Want to Eat. Copyright © 2016 by Chrissy Teigen. Photographs copyright © 2016 by Aubrie Pick. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers,  an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.