Favorite Recipes From Legendary Musicians We Lost Too Soon (2024)

John Denver: Flemish Apple Cake

John Denver's music wasof the folk variety, especially his hits "Take Me Home, Country Roads" and "Rocky Mountain High," but one of his favorite foods had a decidedly international name. Denver enjoyedFlemish Apple Cake, a dessert made out of apples, flour, spices, and a hefty amountof butter.

John Denver's Flemish Apple Cake

2 pounds Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, and cut into eighths
¼ cup butter
¼teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of salt
¼ cup maple syrup
3½ cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
1 cup honey
3 eggs, beaten
½ cup sour cream or yogurt

After sauteing the apples, season them with nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt before adding the maple syrup. Set those aside and siftthe flour, baking powder, baking soda, and ginger. Creamthe butter and honey before adding eggs and sour cream (or yogurt) to the mixture. Then, mix the wet and dry ingredients together before folding in the apples. Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan and bake at 400 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

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David Bowie: Shepherd's Pie

David Bowie was no stranger to Shepherd's Bush Empire in London,where fellow musicians honored the eclectic rocker in January 2018. The similarly named Shepherd's Pie was also a staple in Bowie's life as one of his favorite dishes. Bowie's wife, model and entrepreneur Iman, cooked Shepherd's Pie for her husband and their family often. It was featured on the menuof a David Bowie-inspired restaurant in Japan, though that version featured chili beans and cheese.Traditional Shepherd's Pie includesa hearty mixture of meat and potatoes with vegetables.

David Bowie's Shepherd's Pie

¼ cup (65 mL) olive oil
1.1 lb (500 g) ground lamb (or ground beef if making cottage pie)
1 medium onion
2 medium carrots
2 sticks celery
2 cloves garlic
14.5 oz (411 g) can of chopped tomatoes
1 cup (250 mL) vegetable stock
6 dashes Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
1 small turnip
1 Bosc pear
5 medium Russet potatoes
5 Tbsp (75 mL) butter

Cook the lamb in oil over medium-high heatuntil brown, remove it from the heat, drain excess oil, and set aside. Dice vegetables and garlic, and saute over medium heat for 10 minutes. Combine the mixture with the lamb, adding tomatoes, stock, and Worcestershire sauce, as well as salt and pepper. Let the dish simmer for 20 minutes. Peel and chop the turnip,cover with water, bring to a boil for 12 minutes, drain. Place the chopped pear into a roasting pan and bake it with the whole, scrubbed potatoes for 35 minutes at 350 degrees. Once the potatoes are cooked, cut them in half and remove the insides, mashing them and adding in the pear and turnip. Blend in the butter, and spread over the lamb and vegetable mixture that's been put into a casserole dish. Bake it for about 30minutes at 375 degrees and increase the temperature to425 degrees for the final5 minutes, making sure it's golden brown on top.Variations on Shepherd's Pie may include capers, Madeira wine, and anchovies.

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Peggy Lee: Jade Salad

Born Norma Deloris Egstrom in 1920, Peggy Lee was a pioneering female singer-songwriterduring the mid-20th century. Lee also acted and entertained, often serving a salad, whichmay have been her own creation, called Jade Salad.

Peggy Lee's Jade Salad

2 heads romaine lettuce
2 bunches green onions
1⅓ cups olive oil
⅔ cup red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons sugar
¼ cup toasted sesame seeds
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup sliced almonds

After washing and drying the lettuce, chop it into julienne strips, and put into a bowl. Mix the oil, vinegar, mustard, garlic powder, pepper, sugar, sesame seeds, and Parmasan cheese with chopped green onions and pour over the lettuce. Once tossed, sprinkle with almonds.

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Freddie Mercury: Chicken Dhansak

Arguably one of the most creative and talented musicians of all time, Freddie Mercury and his music entertained and inspired millions of people - and continues to do so. Born Farrokh Bulsara in Zanzibar, Tanzania,in 1946, Mercury neverlost sight of his family's Parsi heritagenorhis taste for traditional Indian food. Mercury's favoritewas Chicken Dhansak, a dish that combined various spices and vegetables, meat, and lentils.

Freddie Mercury's Chicken Dhansak

2 tablespoons of channa, moong, and red lentils
4 tablespoons toor lentils
½ cup oil
1½pounds of cubed boneless chicken
3 medium onions
2 cloves garlic
2 cups tinned (canned/chopped) tomatoes
1 medium aubergine (eggplant) chopped
1 large potato chopped
½cup spinach (frozen)
Fresh coriander
Fresh mint
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 brown cardamom
5 cm (2 inches) cassia bark
½teaspoon black mustard seeds
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground fenugreek seeds
½teaspoon chili powder
Salt

To begin, wash the lentils and soak them overnight. Afterward, cook the lentils while frying meat until it's brown. Once both the lentils and meat are ready, put them aside and combine the cumin, cardamom, cassia bark, and mustard with onions, garlic, and salt. After that mixture has browned, mix in tomatoes and other chopped vegetables before reincorporating the lentils. Add the meat and remaining spices, and cook for roughly 40 minutes before finishing off with mint and coriander. Chicken Dhansak is best served over plainboiled rice.

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Amy Winehouse: Jerk Chicken

English singer Amy Winehouse had a voice as powerful as her personality. In fact, she once insistedshe would not return to her native United Kingdom unless she could bring her favorite Caribbean chef with her. Winehouse lived and worked on the island of St. Lucian where, according to a source, she fed her own soul with loads of messy "good old-fashioned soul food." Winehouse's favorite foods - including jerk chicken and meatballs - were once thought to be featured in one of her songson her never-finished third album.

Amy Winehouse's Jerk Chicken

½ cup malt vinegar (or white vinegar)
2 Tbsp dark rum
2Scotch bonnetpeppers (or habaneros), with seeds, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
4 green onion tops, chopped
1 Tbsp dried thyme or 2 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
4 teaspoons ground allspice
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 teaspoons ground nutmeg
4 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons molasses
1 (5- or 6-pound) roasting chicken, cut in half, lengthwise
½ cup lime juice
Salt and pepper

To begin, mix the vinegar, rum, peppers, onions, oil, thyme, spices, and molasses in a blender and pulse until mostly smooth. Then pour the mixture over chicken that's been placed in a large plastic bag or baking dish and coated with the lime juice. Seal the bag or cover the dish and let the chicken sit overnight in the refrigerator. Remove the chicken from the marinade. Put the marinade in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. To cook the chicken, you can grill it or bake it in the oven, coating it with the marinade as you go.Once the chicken is thoroughly cooked, cut it into pieces and servewith black beans and rice.

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Johnny Cash: Pan-Fried Okra

Country singer Johnny Cash enjoyed traditional Southern food, something he and his wife, June Carter Cash, often served family and friends at their Nashville home. Chili, cornbread, and pineapple piewere some of the Carter Cash kitchen highlights alongside pan-fried okra.

Johnny Cash's Pan-Fried Okra

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