Fried Rice

From The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman

4 servings

3 Tb neutral oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 lb small peeled shrimp
1/2 lb Barbecued Pork, Chinese sausage, or other meat, chopped into bits
1/2 c chopped scallion
4 c leftover cooked long-grain rice, chilled
1 T soy sauce
3 tea dark sesame oil or toasted sesame seeds
salt and pepper to taste

Heat 1 Tb of the oil in a wok or large skillet over med heat, swirling the oil to coat the wok. Add eggs and scramble, breaking the egg into small pieces, just until set. Remove and set aside.

Raise the heat to high and add the remaining oil. When hot, add the shrimp and cook until they turn pink, just a minute or so. Add the pork and brown lightly, then stir in the scallion. When fragrant, stir in the rice, eggs, and soy sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice is heated through, 3-5 minutes. Sprinkle the sesame oil over the rice, season with salt and pepper, and serve.

(optional: add 2 cups frozen peas when adding rice and eggs)

Autumn Succotash

From Bon Appetite November 2006

8 servings

2 slices thick-cut bacon (about 2 oz), chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 c thawed frozen edamame
1 lb thawed frozen corn
1/4 c water
1/4 c chopped fresh Italian parsley

Heat heavy large skillet over med-high heat. Add bacon and saute until fat begins to render, about 1 minute. Add shallot and saute until bacon and shallot begin to brown, about 3 minutes. Add edamame, corn, and 1/4 c water and cook until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and sprinkle with parsley.

Basic Cranberry Sauce

1 12-oz bag fresh cranberries
1 c sugar
1 c water
2 1/4 tea freshly grated orange peel
1/2 tea coarse salt

Bring all ingredients to a boil in heavy med saucepan, stirring often. Reduce heat to med-low and simmer until most of the cranberries burst, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Transfer sauce to medium bowl. Cool, cover, and refrigerate.

Roasted Trout with Thyme

From The Naked Chef by Jamie Oliver
serves 4

four 1 lb trout, scaled and gutted
2 good handfuls of fresh thyme
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 Tb olive oil
2 lemons
4 bay leaves, fresh if possible

Preheat your oven to 475. Wash the trout inside and out and pat dry with paper towels. Using a mortar and pestle, smash up the thyme with 1 tea of salt, some pepper and the olive oil (or very finely chop). Rub this mixture into the trout; covering the belly cavity and the skin.

Cut the lemons in half and remove the ends so they have a flat edge. With the point of a knife, make an incision into the flesh of each lemon half and stick a bay leaf into it. Place the trout and lemons on a roasting tray and bake, allowing roughly 10 minutes. To check that the trout is cooked properly, just go to the thickest part of the trout and try to pull the meat away from the bone. If it pulls away easily it is cooked, and if it doesn't put it back into the oven for a couple more minutes. By the time the trout has finished cooking the skin should be crispy. The roasted lemons should be beautifully sweet and slightly jammy in flavor - this is such a nice way to cook the lemons as teh bay also infuses them with flavor.

Serve the trout with the lemon, which you can squeeze on to the fish. I like to serve this with some pan-friend potatoes and a crisp green salad.

Bibimbop

From Hungry Monkey by Matthew Amster-Burton (altered slightly)

Serves 4

Marinade
1/4 c soy sauce
1 1/2 Tb sugar
2 Tb finely grated Asian pear or Granny Smith Apple
1 scallion, thinly sliced
1 med clove garlic, minced
2 Tb toasted sesame seeds
2 Tb sesame oil
1/2 Tb ground black pepper

1 lb beef flank steak, halved lengthwise, then cut crosswise into very thin slices (or pick up beef for sukiyaki/hotpot from an Asian grocery
8 oz bean sprouts
3 carrots, thinly sliced
4 eggs
peanut oil
10 cups hot cooked medium-grain (Calrose) rice, from about 3 1/2 cups uncooked rice
8 oz napa cabbage kimchi
gochunjang or sriracha

1. Combine soy sauce, sugar, pear/apple, scallion, garlic, sesame seeds, oil, and pepper in a bowl. Add the meat and refridgerate for at least 2 hours, up to 24 hours.
2. Put the carrots in a skillet with a bit of oil over medium-high heat and cook until a little soft.
3. Push the carrots to the edges of the skillet and add meat in batches cooking until no pink remains on the meat. Set aside meat and carrots.
4. Add bean sprouts to the pan and cook until just soft. Set aside.
5. Add peanut oil to skillet and cook eggs, runny yolk is best.
6. Place 2 1/2 cups of rice in each bowl. Top each with 1/4 of the beef, sprouts, carrots and kimchi. Place a fried egg in the middle of each.
7. Individuals can add gochujang to taste and stir everything together including the egg.

Classic Minestrone

From Everyday Food October 2008
Serves 6
2 Tb olive oil
1 med red onion, chopped
2 med carrots, peeled and diced
1 large celery stalk, diced
¼ tea red-pepper flakes
1 tea minced fresh rosemary, or ¼ tea dried
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 can (14.5 oz) whole peeled tomatoes, drained and finely chopped
1 large potato, peeled and diced
¼ head Savoy or green cabbage (1/2 lb), cored and thinly sliced
1 can (15 oz) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
½ lb green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths
¾ c grated Parmesan, for serving

In a large pot, heat oil over medium. Add onion, carrots, celery, red-pepper flakes, rosemary, 1 ½ teaspoons salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to turn golden, 5-8 minutes.
Add tomatoes; cook until some of the liquid evaporates, 1 minutes. Add potato, cabbage, cannellini beans, and 7 cups water; bring to a boil. Stir in green beans.
Reduce to a simmer, and cook until all the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve sprinkled with Parmesan.