Fried Rice

Serves 4
Adapted from foodnetwork.com

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups long-grain converted white rice, rinsed
• Salt
• 1/4 cup oyster sauce
• 2 tablespoons light Japanese soy sauce
• 3 large eggs, beaten until just blended
• 2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
• 1 cup frozen baby peas, thawed
• 2 cups frozen broccoli
• 1 red pepper, seeded and sliced into 2-inch strips
• 2 or 3 scallions, thinly sliced, including some of the green tops, 1/2 cup
• 2 cups diced store bought roast pork, optional
• Sesame oil, as needed

Preparation

At least 1 day before you plan to make the fried rice, place the rinsed rice in a heavy, medium-sized saucepan. Add 2 cups of cold water and salt to taste. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, and cook at a gentle boil until the water has cooked down to the level of the rice. With a spoon (not a fork), stir the rice well. Cover, and reduce the heat to low. Continue to cook for about 15 minutes, or until the rice is tender. Fluff with a fork. Cool to room temperature before covering and refrigerating for 24 hours.

Break up any clumps of the cold rice with your fingers and set aside. In a small bowl, stir together the oyster sauce and soy sauce and set aside.

Coat a large, nonstick skillet with nonstick vegetable spray and set over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the eggs, swirling them around to make sure they coat the whole bottom of the pan. Cook, without stirring, and adjusting the heat as necessary, until the eggs are firm and cooked through but not yet starting to brown, lifting the skillet and tilting it so that the eggs cook evenly. Slide the eggs onto a plate and when they have cooled, cut into small pieces and set aside.

Return the skillet to the burner and heat the oil over high heat. When it is hot, add the peas, broccoli, bell pepper, and scallions, and cook, stirring constantly, until the scallions are limp. Stir in the rice, sauce mixture, eggs and roast pork until well mixed. Continue to cook, stirring, until the rice is heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Plate and drizzle with sesame oil, to taste.

Simple Spanish Gazpacho

Serves 4-6
From food.com

Ingredients

• 2 lbs ripe juicy tomatoes, rinsed and cut into pieces
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 1/2 white onion, cut into 4 pieces
• 1 green bell pepper, rinsed, seeded, and diced
• 1 cucumber, about 6-7 inches long, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/2 tablespoon salt
• 1 cup virgin olive oil
• 1 piece French bread (3-4 inches long piece)

Preparation
Place the piece of bread in a bowl with water in order to soak it. Once soaked, put all water away, squeeze the soaked bread with your bare hands as much as you can and set aside.

In a good blender or food processor, put the tomatoes, the garlic, onion, pepper, cucumber, squeezed bread. Add remaining ingredients and blend on a high speed until there are no bits and pieces left. It should be creamy with a bit of texture, not watery. Pour it in a jar or bowl and let it chill in your fridge. Do not heat or freeze. Serve it in bowls as a first course for any meal.

Asian Chicken Cabbage Salad

Serves 4
Adapted from Katherine Martinelli

Ingredients

• ¼ cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup mirin (sub white wine vinegar)
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/4 lb. boneless, skinless chicken
• ½ large white cabbage, shredded
• 1 large carrot, julienned
• 1 package snow peas, cut in half
• 1 bell pepper, julienned
• 1 cup sliced scallions
• ¼ cup almond slivers, toasted
• 1 package ramen noodles, broken up
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted

Directions

1. Put the soy sauce, mirin, water, sesame oil, and brown sugar in a small pot over low heat. Heat, stirring, just until the sugar has fully dissolved. Whisk in the olive oil and set aside to cool.
2. Roast the chicken in the oven set at 350 for 25 minutes, or until no longer pink in the middle. Cut into bite-size pieces.
3. Put the cabbage, carrot, snow peas, pepper, scallions, almond slivers, and uncooked noodles in a salad bowl. Pour half of the dressing over and toss vigorously until every piece of vegetable is coated. Add the chicken and more dressing until the salad is well dressed. The remaining dressing will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for at least 1 week.
4. Garnish with the sesame seeds and serve (salad can be made up to a few hours ahead and refrigerated; simply omit the noodles and toss in just before serving.)

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Based on a recipe by Central Market
Serves 6

Ingredients

• vegetable oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• 8oz can green chiles
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 28 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 1/2 - 2 lbs chicken, cooked and shredded
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• Juice from 1 lime

Toppings

• Monterrey jack cheese, shredded
• 1 avocado, diced
• tortilla chip pieces

Preparation

Heat the oil in a soup pot. Add onion and garlic and cook until soft. Add the remaining ingredients except lime juice and toppings. Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes to an hour. Off the heat. Stir in the lime juice, ladle soup into bowls, and add the toppings.

Chai Tea from Scratch

Ingredients

• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 2 pieces crystallized ginger
• 6 green cardamom pods
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 whole star anise
• 1/2 tsp whole cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon whole tellicherry peppercorns

Preparation
Wrap the spices in cheesecloth. Bring 7 cups of water to boil. Reduce heat to simmer and place bag of spices in the water for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow spices to steep for 15 minutes. Turn the heat on low and add 2 tsp black tea (Assam if available), stir in 1 cup milk (any kind), and 1 tsp honey (or to taste). Heat until almost boiling. Turn off the heat and discard bag of spices and tea.

Serve hot or cold over ice.

Chicken and Kale Hand Pies with Cheddar Crust

From Everyday Food Magazine
Makes 6

Ingredients

• Flaky Pie Dough, recipe doubled and 1 cup shredded cheddar added with flour, or store-bought
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 leek (white and light-green parts only), halved lengthwise, cut crosswise 1/4 inch thick, and rinsed well
• 1 small bunch black (Tuscan) kale, tough stems removed, coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, leaves
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup cooked chicken, torn into bite-size pieces (about 5 ounces)
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Divide dough in half. On a floured sheet of parchment paper, roll out one half to a 14-inch round. With a knife or biscuit cutter, cut out six 4 1/4-inch circles (rerolling dough once if necessary) and transfer, on parchment, to a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, cutting out six (larger) 4 1/2-inch rounds. Chill rounds on sheet until ready to use.
   
2. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high. Add leek and cook, stirring, until soft, 3 minutes. Add kale and thyme, season with salt and pepper, and cook until kale wilts, 3 minutes. Sprinkle flour over mixture and stir to combine. Add broth and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring often, until mixture thickens, 2 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl, season with salt and pepper, and stir in chicken. Let cool slightly.
   
3. Place a heaping 1/4 cup chicken mixture on each of the smaller dough rounds, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Brush edges with egg and top with larger dough rounds; using fingers, press edges firmly to seal. Cut a small vent in each pie. Bake until browned and crisp, 30 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through. Let cool slightly on sheets on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
   

Cook's Note

If using store-bought rolled pie dough, add 1 tablespoon cheddar inside each hand pie.

Sausage Gumbo

From Eating Well Magazine
Serves 8

Ingredients

• 12 ounces hot Italian turkey sausage links, removed from casings
• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 cups chopped tomatoes
• 4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 1/2 cups frozen chopped okra
• 3/4 cup instant brown rice
• 1 bunch scallions, trimmed and sliced (optional)

Preparation

1. Cook sausage in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, breaking it up into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl lined with paper towels.
2. Return the pan to medium-high heat and add oil. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and Cajun seasoning and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add flour and cook, stirring to coat the vegetables, until the flour browns, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to release their juices, about 2 minutes. Stir in broth, cover, increase heat to high and bring to a boil.
3. Return the sausage to the pan, along with okra and rice; reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the okra is heated through and the rice is tender, about 10 minutes. Serve sprinkled with sliced scallions, if using.