There’s no doubt Philly's a culinary destination that's on the rise.
But beyond the slew of celebrity chefs whose names are synonymous with the city's burgeoning food scene, Philly's also home to a growing population of recipe-crafting bloggers capitalizing on what it means to be city-dwelling (ph)oodies - because Philly.
In the chance that the cold winter weather has you feeling too cozy to venture out to one of the city's top restaurants and risk giving up a coveted parking spot, we've got you covered with a few warming winter recipes from some of Philly's hottest up-and-coming food bloggers worth watching.
1. Mexican Hot Chocolate Kombucha by Phickle.com
Philly food blogger Amanda Feifer offers a solution to stay both trendy and warm this winter.
Hint: It has nothing to do with fashion and everything to do with food fermentation, which is really hot right now.
Feifer's blog, Phickle, focuses on fermented foods with a recipe repertoire ranging from kombucha to kefir, kimchi and more.
"Why Phickle? A few reasons. I live in Philly and I love Philly and it’s kind of a rule here to start ‘f’ sounds with a ‘ph.’ Furthermore, lacto-fermented (as opposed to canned or vinegar) pickles are one of the easiest and most delicious things in the world to make. Most importantly, I am actually fickle.”On the blog, she shared a recipe for one of her favorite winter ferments, Mexican Hot Chocolate Kombucha, a fermentation creation that takes hot to a whole new level and is sure to keep you warm this winter with an infusion of ring-of-fire cayenne pepper, cinnamon and cacao nibs.
2. Savory Squash Bread by UNDERCOOKED
Nothing says comfort food quite like a warm wedge of fresh-out-of-the-oven homemade bread paired with a hot bowl of homemade soup.
UNDERCOOKED blogger Adam Eshleman created this recipe for savory squash bread to make use of the locally-grown, cool-weather acorn squash that he got in his December CSA share at Kensington's Greensgrow Farms.
"At home, my girlfriend Naomi [Huober] and I cook together as much as possible using our favorite ingredient: the local, organic produce from our CSA share," Eshleman wrote. "This blog is an outlet for that. An homage to all things fresh and local. A resource to those looking to get the most from their CSA's. I do the writing, she does the photography, and together we create UNDERCOOKED."
Eshleman is also a chef at Talula's Garden, a farm-to-table restaurant in Philadelphia’s Washington Square co-owned by celebrity chefs Stephen Starr and Aimee Olexy.
3. Vegan Three-Bean Chili by It’s A Veg World After All
It wouldn’t be a winter roundup without a quintessential chili recipe.
Philly's plant-based food blogger Elizabeth McManus, of It's a Veg World After All, created this healthier spin on traditional hot and hearty chili made by swapping out the meat and adding in extra veggies and legumes.
An added bonus to her vegan three-bean chili recipe: It only takes 10 minutes to prep, less than an hour to cook and costs about $15 to make enough for eight to 10 servings.
McManus is a graduate student at Drexel University in Philadelphia studying for a master’s degree in human nutrition and is an advocate for a vegetarian and vegan diet.
"I started 'It’s a Veg World After All' as a way to share the plant-based recipes that I develop, discuss related topics, and highlight food and wellness events in my home city of Philadelphia,” she wrote. “But hopefully, all vegetable lovers, whether or not they hail from the City of Brotherly Love, will find the info I post useful and relevant.”