Comfort Foods + Classic Drinks

[Ramshackle Pantry]

Story by Susan Hozak and Ben Myhre
Photography provided by Ramshackle Pantry

Comfort foods, and history, and pictures that make you salivate, OH MY! How have I not known about this new hero of mine living right here in Fargo, N.D.? One visit to the Ramshackle Pantry website or Instagram page and you will be inspired to quit your day job and become a chef for all your friends and family. 

There is so much useful and fun information on the Ramshackle Pantry website. I highly encourage you to visit it yourself. I will take you through some highlights and some recipes I curated that I think are perfect for this winter and socially distanced Super Bowl parties...and of course, a recipe to fill that taco craze that is hitting us from everywhere!

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What You Will Find On Ramshackle Pantry

"We love sharing comfort food recipes and classic drinks. I believe there is something special in heritage recipes and exploring what made a recipe great. So, I tend to look at these beautiful recipes and try and explore their history. Sometimes, we have fun and work to make some variations of the classic recipe. With all of our recipes, we provide detailed recipe instructions with photos."
Ben Myhre

Curated Recipes

I am sharing with you highlights of four recipes - included are the weblinks to all recipes because there you will find stories to the history behind them, tips when cooking, and lots more useful information.  Some even had videos with them!

Caldo De Queso Recipe

Caldo De Queso is a delicious Mexican soup that really deserves a place right next to classics like chicken noodle soup. It has a a dose of spice and little cheese dumplings that are an oasis of flavor swimming in a delicious chicken broth.
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Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 medium onion, chopped (about 3/4 cup)
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano or one tablespoon of fresh
• 4 medium Yukon potatoes, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt, more to test
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 3 roasted poblano peppers, loosely chopped
• 1 cup whole milk, room temperature
• 10 Ounces queso fresco chopped into 1 inch cubes

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​Instructions:

1. In large pot, add oil and heat to medium
2. Add onions and cook until sweated, just a few minutes
3. Add garlic and allow to cook another minute
4. Add tomatoes and oregano. Allow to cook for about 2 minutes
5. Add potatoes, salt, pepper and cook for another 5 minutes
6. Add chicken broth and bring to a simmer
7. Cover and cook until potatoes are tender, about 15-20 minutes
8. Remove cover, add peppers and cook for 2 more minutes
9. Add Cheese and cook for 2 more minutes
10. Remove from heat and add in milk and stir.
11. Serve 

Notes:

• Remove milk from the fridge at beginning of cooking to bring to room temp and avoid curdling

ramshacklepantry.com/caldo-de-queso-recipe/

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​Classic Bloody Mary Recipe

Whether you are looking for a brunch cocktail or just a bloody mary fan, this Classic Bloody Mary Recipe is a tasty one and a meal in a glass.

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Ingredients:

• Celery Salt
• 1 lemon wedge + 1 for garnish
• 1 lime wedge + 1 for garnish
• 4 ounces tomato juice
• 2 ounces vodka
• 4 shakes of tabasco
• 4 shakes of Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons of prepared horseradish
• Splash of pickle juice
• Pinch black pepper
• Celery for garnish
• Pickle for garnish
• Olive for great garnish
• Pepperoncini for garnish (optional)
• Beef stick (optional)

Instructions:

1. Sprinkle celery salt generously onto a small plate
2. Moisten pint glass rim with one lemon or lime wedge
3. Put rim on celery salt plate to coat the rim with the salt
4. Fill the glass with ice
5. In shaker, squeeze 1 lemon wedge and lime wedge into it
6. Drop spent wedges into the shaker.
7. Add vodka, tomato juice, Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish, pepper, and a splash of pickle juice to the shaker
8. Lightly shake
9. Strain into pint glass
10. Garnish with lemon, lime, pickle, olive, and celery stalk
11. Serve

https://ramshacklepantry.com/classic-bloody-mary-recipe/

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​BBQ Jackfruit Tacos with Mango Salsa

Looking to count calories or just want some super flavorful tacos? Try these BBQ Jackfruit Tacos and don’t forget to make this mad-delicious mango salsa!

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Ingredients:

for salsa:

• 1 mango, cleaned and diced
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1/4 cup diced onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon diced jalapeno
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Juice from one lime
• 1/4 Cup chopped cilantro

for taco meat:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 can young jackfruit
• 1/2 cup sweet BBQ sauce
• 4 flour tortillas

Instructions:
for salsa:

1. Add all salsa ingredients to bowl and mix.
2. Put in refrigerator until tacos are ready.

for jackfruit tacos:

1. Add oil to medium-sized pan and place on medium-high heat
2. Open jackfruit can, strain, and rinse
3. (optional) Chop jackfruit
4. Once the pan is heated add jackfruit and use a spatula to separate jackfruit until it becomes stringy like pulled pork
5. Once everything is thoroughly heated, add BBQ sauce and mix
6. Remove from heat
7. Add to tortillas and top with salsa

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ramshacklepantry.com/bbq-jackfruit-tacos-with-mango-salsa/

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​Sweet and Spicy Dry Rub Chicken Wings

This delicious wing recipe calls for spices a normally stocked pantry already has, so it is simple along with flavorful. We include a tasty chili-lime dipping sauce that complements the wing recipe perfectly.

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Ingredients:

• Vegetable Oil for Frying
• 10 Chicken Wings
• 1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
• 2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

chili lime dipping sauce:

• 1 cup sour cream
• Juice from 1/2 lime
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions:
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for chicken wings:

1. Mix all dry rub ingredients (Brown Sugar, Paprika, chili powder, ground mustard, salt, pepper, cayenne, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder) in bowl.
2. Pat chicken wings dry with paper towels
3. Heat oil to 375 Fahrenheit
4. Add wings to oil and cook for 8 minutes
5. Remove one wing and temp. If it hits the safe temp of 165 Fahrenheit, remove all wings and put on paper-towel lined plate. If below 165, readd to oil and cook for another minute and chek again.
6. Spot check a few of the wings to make sure they are at 165 Fahrenheit.
7. Allow to rest for 3 minutes and then add wings to a large coverable bowl.
8. Sprinkle all dry rub on top. Put cover on bowl and shake to cover!
9. Serve!

dipping sauce:

1. Add all ingredients to bowl and mix well.
2. Can be served immediately, but your best bet is to give it an hour in the fridge.

ramshacklepantry.com/sweet-and-spicy-dry-rub-chicken-wings/

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Mmmmmmmm...Bacon....

In 2012, Myhre's hobby for cooking culminated in his wife and him writing a fun cookbook called Fifty Shades of Bacon. This book  was co-authored with  Jenna Gisvold and has sold over 30,000 copies and went on to be featured on the Today Show, Allure Magazine, an appearance on Food Network, Seattle Kitchen Podcast, Eater.com, and many more.

"That little book was a fun parody project that I did not expect to take off, but it really reinforced to me that maybe my place was still supposed to be in the food and beverage industry."  Ben Myhre

Ben's Philosophy on Food and Drink

"Obviously, simple sustenance and taste are the most important things in a recipe, but there is more to food. Food is something we all share and it can bring people together. It can bring people together at a dinner table to share this common need we have that maybe goes beyond mere nutritional requirements. Food and flavor HAS brought the world together. Learning about classic recipes and ingredients, for me, is a way to learn about the world and the history we share. The tomato journeyed from South America to Europe and pizza was born in Italy. Pizza traveled to New York and then made the journey across America. Here I am, in Fargo, North Dakota making a sauce that really has a world story. From humble recipes to fancy dancy ones, they all tell an interesting story."

Getting Around and Reaching Ben

If you are interested in working with Ben or have any questions, please send him an email at ben@ramshacklepantry.com.

Connect with on:

• Pinterest:  www.pinterest.com/ramshacklepantr/
• Instagram:  www.instagram.com/ramshacklepantryben/
• Facebook:  www.facebook.com/ramshacklepantry/

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