I never thought I’d say it, but lately, I’ve really been craving some of my favorite Syracuse delicacies. Being hundreds of miles away from Pastabilities has only made me realize how much we take our go-to quick bites in the 315 for granted, and I figured we should not be deprived of hot tomato oil and Varsity pizza just because we’re not at school. Instead of being heartbroken and staring at food pics I took pre-quarantine, I decided to attempt to recreate some of these snacks and dishes at home, and here's how it went:
“The Skinny” from Waterstreet Bagel
- Grab any bagel and toast it to your liking
- Take 2 eggs, and separate out the yolks, leaving just the whites in the bowl
- Throw your egg white mixture on a pan and make a scrambled egg white as you normally would
- Grab some spinach leaves if you have, and add them to the egg white mixture
- Once your bagel is ~toasty~, take it out and spread goat cheese on your bagel as if it were cream cheese (any soft cheese works!)
o Tip: if your goat cheese isn’t spreading, microwave it for ~20 seconds to make it softer and easier to spread!
- Slice some avo and add that on top
- Add your egg whites
- Sandwich together and enjoy!
This was so yummy and tasted *almost* like the real thing. It only took me about 10 minutes to make, so it’s honestly less than the waiting time on the Waterstreet line on a Sunday morning!
Nacho Supremo from XO Taco: ~microwave edition~
(honestly, I prefer ~Domechos~ but these felt a little more upscale)
- Take your preferred type of tortilla chip and put your desired amount on a plate
- Sprinkle on your desired amount of ~queso~; I use Trader Joe’s Lite Mexican Blend, but any melty shredded cheese will work
- Try to sprinkle the cheese in layers throughout the chips so no chip is left without cheese, of course
- Microwave for ~2-3 minutes so the cheese melts
- In the meantime, prepare your toppings:
o 1 Jalapeño
o A sprinkling of cilantro
o 1/2 freshly squeezed lime
o About ¼ of an onion, finely chopped
o Optional: guac or sour cream; they don’t use this at XO but it will spice up your at-home recipe for sure
Microwave nachos are honestly an underrated snack. They’re quick, cheap, tasty, and fun to share with the whole fam!
"Junction" Mozzarella Sticks
The Junction takes us back to freshman year, and mozz sticks are, of course, a fan favorite. Luckily, there’s a simple way to make them at home without having to use frozen knock-offs.
- First, take either a block of mozzarella cheese or any desired number of string cheese sticks; if you have a block of cheese, cut it into ½ inch sticks
- Create two bowls: one with a mixture of egg, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of pepper, and one with breadcrumbs, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of pepper
- Dip each stick in the egg mixture, then in the breadcrumb mixture. Make sure to coat the entire stick evenly
- Repeat this twice so you have a solid shell!
- Freeze sticks until the shell hardens (took me about an hour)
- Fry on a pan until golden brown
Pull apart and enjoy!
Pastabilities Hot Tomato Oil
And apparently, Guy Fieri likes it too so you know it’s good.
- Pour 250mL (1 cup) of olive oil in a pan on medium heat
- Add ~3 cloves of peeled, sliced garlic and cook until the garlic turns golden
- Remove and separate the garlic from the pan
- Add 400g of canned tomatoes (San Marzano is recommended, but any canned tomatoes work)
- Add 2 teaspoons of honey, ½ teaspoon of salt, and 1/3 teaspoons of chili flakes
- Mix ingredients together and cook for 20 minutes
- Add the garlic back in and whisk all together—stir well!
Pour into a bowl, get your favorite bread (or even mozzarella sticks), and serve! This recipe was incredible; it almost felt like I was back in Armory Square.
While this by no means replicates the thrill of ordering Calio’s (R.I.P.) at 3 am, hopefully, these recipes brought you a little closer to school while you're stuck at home!