Recipe: Chicken Pasta, Collard Green Dip & Cuban Bread Pudding

Khalilah McDuffie
·5 min read

It's 3 courses of divine deliciousness as we make ‘Choosey Lover’ chicken in a cheesy sauce with linguini, plus a 'Collard Green Dip' and- brace your waistline- 'Cuban Bread Pudding'! These recipes are from Khalilah McDuffie, co-owner of '7th + Grove' restaurant and lounge in Ybor City.

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Collard Green Dip

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp butter

  • 2 tsp minced garlic

  • 1 x 32 oz bag chopped collard greens

  • 2 x 8 oz blocks cream cheese, softened (or 16 oz whipped cream cheese)

  • ½ - 1 cup sour cream (optional but recommended)

  • ¾ cup Gouda cheese (grated or crumbled)

  • 1-1½ cups Parmesan cheese, grated

  • 1 cup Cheddar cheese, grated

  • 1 tbsp garlic powder

  • 1 tbsp onion powder

  • 1 tbsp garlic salt

  • 1 tbsp smoked paprika

  • salt & pepper, to taste

Directions

Sauté greens: in large skillet or saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.

Add minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.

Stir in chopped collard greens and cook for 5–7 minutes, until softened slightly.

Add softened cream cheese (or whipped cream cheese) and sour cream (if using) to pan with collard greens.

Stir over low heat until cream cheese is melted and smooth, incorporating greens evenly.

Raise heat to medium-low and add Gouda, Parmesan, and Cheddar cheeses.

Stir constantly until cheeses melt and combine into creamy mixture.

Sprinkle in garlic powder, onion powder, garlic salt, and smoked paprika. Stir until well-combined and spices are fragrant.

Remove pan from heat and give dip a taste. Adjust seasonings as needed, adding salt, pepper, or any of the spices to your preference.

Toast your Cuban bread following the recipe below and dip away! If you prefer chilled dip, let cool completely in refrigerator before serving.

Toasted Cuban Bread

Ingredients

  • 1 loaf Cuban bread

  • ½ cup melted butter

  • garlic, to taste (optional)

  • rosemary, basil, oregano, to taste (optional)

Slice Cuban bread into ½ inch slices.

Using pastry brush if available, or with a light pour over, spread melted butter over slices.

Top with herbs (optional) such as garlic, rosemary, basil or oregano.

Bake in oven at 350 °F until edges are lightly browned/crisp.

Choosey Lover

Ingredients

  • 12 oz linguini pasta

  • 2 tbsp butter

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • 2 cups whole milk or heavy whipping cream

  • 6 oz cream cheese

  • ¼ tsp salt

  • black pepper, fresh ground

  • pinch red chili flakes (optional)

  • pinch lemon pepper seasoning

  • ¾ cup Parmesan cheese, grated/ shaved

  • ½ cup Gouda cheese, grated

  • ½ cup Cheddar cheese, grated

  • 4 cups collard greens

  • 1 oz white wine (lighter-style such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc)

  • ⅓ cup lemon juice

  • ⅓ cup pico de gallo

  • ¼ cup green onions, chopped

  • rosemary, basil, oregano, to taste

  • 32 oz soybean oil

  • 10 oz flour (seasoned to taste with chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, complete seasoning)

  • 2 x chicken breasts or approx. 4 x pre-cut (unbreaded) chicken tenders, brined overnight in pickle juice (optional)

Directions

Bring large pot of water to boil to cook pasta. Once boiling, add pasta and cook until al dente. Drain pasta in colander.

While pasta is cooking, prepare sauce. Add butter and minced garlic to deep skillet or pot and sauté over medium heat for 1–2 minutes, or until garlic is soft and fragrant, but not brown.

Turn heat down to medium-low. Add milk or whipping cream to skillet along with cream cheese (cut into chunks). Heat milk and cream cheese while whisking, until cream cheese has fully melted into the milk.

Season sauce with salt and generous amount of freshly cracked black pepper. Add chili flakes (optional) and lemon pepper seasoning.

Whisk in Parmesan, Gouda and Cheddar cheeses and continue to whisk as sauce comes up to gentle simmer.

Add collard greens to sauce and stir until it has wilted and become limp.

Add wine and lemon juice and bring to simmer.

Add pico de gallo and green onions and continue to let simmer and blend.

Add preferred Italian herbs (rosemary, basil, oregano) to taste.

When it reaches simmer, sauce will thicken.

Turn heat down to low to keep sauce warm.

While sauce is warm, prepare fried chicken.

Add soybean oil to dutch oven or pot big enough to hold oil (with enough room to add chicken).

While oil heats, bread chicken with seasoned flour.

Place chicken in hot oil for 7–8 minutes or until golden brown on outside, ensuring an internal temperature of 165 ºF.

Finally, add cooked and drained pasta to sauce and stir to combine. Top with chicken.

Serve immediately.

Cuban Bread Pudding

Ingredients

  • ⅓ cup brown sugar

  • ⅓ cup pure cane sugar

  • 3 large eggs, beaten

  • 1 can sweetened condensed milk

  • 1 stick salted butter, melted

  • ½ cup whole milk

  • 2 cups heavy cream

  • 2 tsp cinnamon

  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

  • pinch salt

  • 1 loaf Cuban Bread, cut into cubes

Directions

Mix sugars and eggs until creamy. Gradually add condensed milk. Beat until frothy.

Add melted butter, milk, heavy cream, cinnamon, vanilla extract and pinch of salt and beat until well blended.

Lightly butter a pan. Arrange bread cubes in pan, and slowly pour in milk mixture.

Bake in oven for about 25 minutes at 350 °F. It done when entire top puffs up and a knife inserted in middle comes out clean.

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