Posts Tagged ‘dinner’

STEAK AU POIVRE

Posted: March 7, 2025 in Uncategorized
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A classic French beef dish, Steak au Poivre is the perfect example of delicious simplicity. If you love pepper, you can make this wonderful dish with just a few ingredients. My personal twist was to use black peppercorns instead of the green peppercorns that are often used, and I also added porcini mushrooms to the sauce, because…well…why not?

The classic Steak au Poivre uses a tender, lean cut of beef like filet. But I had a couple of grass-fed sirloins in the fridge, and they worked out just fine.

2 sirloin steaks, about 6 oz. each
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
2 tablespoons butter, divided
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/3 cup Cognac, plus 1 teaspoon
1 cup heavy cream
dried porcini mushrooms (optional)

 

If you’re using the porcinis, place them in a sauce pan, and add water to cover them. Bring the water to a boil, set the pan aside, and let the porcinis rehydrate. Once they’ve rehydrated, remove them from the pan (save the liquid) and chop them up finely. Set them aside.

Rehydrating the porcinis.

 

Remove the steaks from the fridge at least 30 minutes before cooking, so they are at room temperature. Season them on all sides with the salt.

Coarsely crush the peppercorns. (I have a pepper mill that makes coarsely crushed pepper, so I used that.) Spread the peppercorns evenly on a plate, and press the sirloins, on both sides, into the pepper so that it coats the surface of the meat. Set them aside.

 

In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and the olive oil. As soon as the butter and oil start to smoke, place the steaks in the pan. Cook them for about 4 minutes on each side. Once they’re done, remove the steaks, place them on a plate, and cover them with foil to keep them warm.

 

Pour off the excess fat from the pan, but don’t wipe the pan clean!

Back to the porcinis: in a separate skillet, add 1 tablespoon of butter and the chopped porcinis, sautéing them for a few minutes over medium heat. Slowly pour in the mushroom liquid from the sauce pan, making sure any sediment at the bottom gets left behind. Cook this liquid down with the mushrooms until it has reduced almost completely.

 

 

Back to the steak pan: off the heat, add 1/3 cup of Cognac to the pan and carefully ignite the alcohol with a long match or lighter.

 

Gently shake the pan until the flames die. Return the pan to the medium heat and add the cream. Bring the mixture to a boil and whisk it until the sauce coats the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes or so. Add the teaspoon of Cognac. (If you’re using the mushrooms, add them to the sauce at this point, stirring them in.)

 

Add the steaks back to the pan, spooning the sauce over the meat.

 

 

 

 

 

A FABULOUS FISH BAKE

Posted: March 4, 2025 in Uncategorized
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Those who say that cheese and fish don’t go together, haven’t tried shrimp scampi, a tuna melt, or even a McDonald’s filet-o-fish sandwich! Hearty and satisfying, this dish is all comfort.

As I researched this recipe, I found versions that had potatoes or pasta. I wanted a lower calorie and lower carb option, so I went with just cauliflower and broccoli. But feel free to substitute as you like. Potatoes don’t need to be pre-cooked, as long as you cut them into small cubes. Pasta needs to be cooked to the almost al dente stage—very firm—and then added to the pan.

I originally came up with this recipe when I found some tuna and salmon in my freezer, and I wanted to use them up. But this recipe works even better with any white fish, like cod or halibut.

If you use gluten-free flour and breadcrumbs (easy enough to do), this dish is gluten-free.

 

6 oz. cod, fresh or thawed if frozen
8 oz. mixed broccoli and cauliflower, cut into smaller pieces (you can use fresh or frozen)
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon unsalted butter 
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
2 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated, separated
1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon breadcrumbs



Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the fish into large chunks, removing any skin, and place it in a bowl. 

Pour the broccoli and cauliflower into the bowl.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, and add the onion, sautéing it until it’s soft but not brown. Stir in the flour and cook for a minute or two. Slowly pour in the milk, stirring constantly. Season with salt, pepper, and the granulated garlic. Add all the cheddar cheese except a tablespoon, mixing well and making sure it all melts.



Pour the sauce into the bowl with the veggies and the fish, and mix everything gently, trying not to break the fish pieces up too much.



Pour the contents of the bowl into a baking dish just big enough to hold it all. You don’t want it spread out…you want it to have some depth so it doesn’t dry out.

Sprinkle the top with the remaining cheese and the breadcrumbs.



Bake for about 30 minutes, until it’s golden and bubbly.

 

This recipe could serve 2, but I devoured it on my own!

CURING AND SMOKING BACON

Posted: January 1, 2025 in bacon, breakfast, Carnivore!, Food, frying, pork, smoking
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Happy new year! The last two days have been busy, and I somehow missed out on National Bacon Day, December 30th!

Let’s face it: there are few foods as magical as bacon. Add bacon to just about any dish you’re preparing, and it elevates it to incredible new heights of flavor. The BLT is possibly the greatest food combination ever invented: just a few simple, fresh ingredients, when placed together, transforming into one of the greatest sandwiches on planet Earth.

BLT wraps: home-cured and smoked bacon, local farmstead romaine, home garden tomatoes, always Hellman’s mayo.

If I’m buying bacon, I go on-line to Burger’s Smokehouse, a family run business in Missouri that has made great bacon for decades. The prices are good, and they include shipping. (www.smokehouse.com) I buy in quantity and freeze what I don’t need right away. My favorite is the thick-sliced country bacon “steaks.”

But nothings beats making your own.

Bacon comes from the pork belly, and they’re easy to find in any good butcher shop. But to get something a notch above, I’ll buy a heritage breed, like Berkshire pork, from Heritage Pork International. (www.heritagepork.com)  I follow the simple curing techniques outlined in “Charcuterie,” a great book written by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn.

To cure bacon, all you really need is salt and sugar, and what they in the curing biz call “pink salt,” which is not to be confused with salt that happens to be pink, like Himalayan salt you would find in a gourmet store. Pink salt is bright pink to let you know that it’s a special salt that should only be used in small quantities for curing. The reason is: nitrites. Nitrites delay the spoilage of the meat, and help keep the flavors of spices and smoke. They also keep the meat nice and pink instead of an unappetizing gray. That’s good. However, nitrites can break down into nitrosamines, which have been known to cause cancer in lab animals. But let’s face it: you would need to eat a ton of cured meat to really worry about this. (I buy uncured deli meats and hot dogs at the supermarket, because processed meats are a different story. But since I know exactly what goes into my own bacon, I’m not worried about the level of nitrites.)

To make the basic dry cure:

1/2 lb. kosher salt (I use Diamond Crystal Kosher salt)
1/2 cup light brown sugar or turbinado sugar
1 oz. pink curing salt

Mix the ingredients well. An important note: all salts do not all weigh the same, so go by the weight and not a cup measurement. (Morton’s Kosher salt, for example, is heavier than Diamond Crystal.) I keep this basic dry cure stored in my pantry, ready to use when I need it.

When it’s time to be makin’ the bacon, I combine this dry cure with other ingredients to make my bacon rub.

My bacon rub:

1/2 cup basic dry cure
1/2 cup brown sugar or turbinado sugar
1 tablespoon fresh cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
1 tablespoon granulated onion

Mix these ingredients well (yes, there’s quite a bit of sugar there, but I like my bacon a little sweet!) Rub it generously all over the pork belly.

I have a large plastic container with a lid that fits one slab of pork belly perfectly. I place the belly inside it, put the lid on, and place the container in the fridge. The pork belly stays there for at least a couple of weeks, maybe three. I flip the belly every few days. You’ll see that the salt will draw moisture out of the meat and form a gooey brine. This brine will continue to cure your pork belly, so leave it in there. Just flip it, put the lid back on the container, and back in the fridge.

In two or three weeks, you’ll be able to tell the pork belly has cured because it feels firm. Wash the brine off the meat well with cold water, and pat it dry with paper towels. Place the belly in the fridge for an hour or so and it will develop a tackiness to the touch. This is a thin layer of proteins known as a pelicle, and it helps the smoke stick to the meat.

Now it’s time to cook. You can simply cook the pork belly (without smoking it) at 200° for about 2 hours, until the internal temperature reaches 160°. This isn’t bacon…it’s pancetta. Or you can simply slice it and fry it up in a pan. (Also delicious.) But it’s the smoke that makes it bacon.

Smoking foods can be a challenge to many, so a great alternative to the traditional charcoal smoker is an electric one. It allows you to control the exact temperature inside the smoker without checking on it constantly (a real luxury when you’re slow smoking brisket or pork shoulder for many hours), and it offers a tray where you place your wood chips or pellets to give your food that authentic smoky flavor.

My electric smoker has a digital readout, which allows me to set an exact temperature. I smoke my pork belly at 250° for 2 hours, using hickory chips. (I’m not a fan of applewood, the other commonly used smoking wood for bacon.)

Bellies in the smoker

Bellies in the smoker. A water bath underneath to catch any grease drippage.

Smoked bacon

A couple of hours later: beautiful bacon!

The reward is so worth the effort. Just remember that you still need to cook the bacon before you can eat it. Don’t eat it straight out of the smoker. That first slice you cut off your bacon and toss in a pan to lightly fry for a few moments will be the best bite you’ve ever had in your life!
And if you’re making one slab of bacon, why not make it three or four? It freezes well. And…you will eat it. You know you will!

MARINATED LAMB LOIN AND CHOPS

Posted: October 27, 2024 in Uncategorized
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Lamb is such an underrated meat. It was one of the things my Mom cooked really well, so I grew up loving it, and was never bothered by the gaminess of it.

If the gaminess does bother you, look for American lamb. If gamier meat doesn’t bother you, go for the gusto and get grass-fed New Zealand or Australian lamb.

The balsamic vinegar in this recipe is not the crazy expensive stuff. It’s the bottle you can get for about 9 bucks in the supermarket.

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Here’s the marinade I used…

1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dry)
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dry)
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon granulated onion
1 teaspoon granulated garlic

Mix the marinade ingredients together in a bowl. 

Place the lamb in a plastic bag and pour the marinade in, squishing it around to make sure it makes contact with the meat. Place it in a pan or a bowl to prevent accidental leaking.

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Let the lamb marinate for several hours at room temperature, or in the fridge overnight.

Before cooking, bring the lamb back to room temperature.

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Use some oil in a hot pan, and then sear the lamb on both sides. Place a lid on the pan, and reduce the heat to medium-low.

I cook lamb until I get the lamb to a perfect medium. That means cooking to 130-135 degrees. But cook it the way you like it!

Update:

Last night, I used this recipe to marinate some baby lamb chops. I love these, because they look like mini porterhouse steaks, and meat off the bone is always juicier and tastier.

I placed the lamb in a freezer bag with the marinade, and let it marinate a solid three hours at room temperature. Any longer than that, and it would go to the fridge.

I always remove meat from the fridge and let it come back to room temperature before I cook it…and this time, I decided to try my air fryer, set at 400. Not only did it cook the lamb perfectly, it gave it that nice slight char on the outside, as if I grilled it. Delicious!

PIZZA MONTANARA

Posted: October 23, 2024 in Food, frying, Italian, New York City, pizza, restaurants, Rhode Island, Uncategorized
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Despite the large Italian community we have here in southern New England, there’s no exceptional pizza to speak of. I suppose you could say “them’s fightin’ words!” but if it’s here, I haven’t found it yet. (Fellini Pizza is about the best in Providence.)

So where is the excellent pizza? New York City, of course. OK…maybe I’m prejudiced because I’m a Brooklyn boy, and worked in a variety of pizzerias in my younger days, but there’s no doubt in my mind that if you want the best pizza–or bagel, for that matter–you’ve got to go to the Big Apple. (Even “Frank Pepe’s” in New Haven, CT is a mere stop on the way to the real deal.)

Pizza in the Big Apple can be confusing, as there are many different varieties to choose from. Brick oven pizzas abound, but there are pizza lovers who won’t settle for anything less than an old-fashioned pizza baked in a coal-fired oven. The extremely high heat of a coal-fired oven cooks the pizza in just a minute, and imparts a crusty, charred flavor you can’t get any other way. There are only about a dozen coal-fired pizzerias left in New York City, and many of them have been around for a hundred years or more, so it’s definitely a matter of making a special trip to enjoy this style of pizza. (Providence now has its own coal-fired pizza, but it just can’t compare.)

There’s plenty of good, basic pizza in New York City, too: the traditional thin, round Neopolitan pie, and the thicker, square Sicilian pie, baked in that Blodgett pizza oven we all knew in our early pizza-making days.

Many years ago, when I heard through the pizza lovers’ grapevine that a “new” pizza was out there, one that was gaining a cult following, I needed to know about it. And more importantly, I needed to taste it!

It’s called Pizza Montanara, and there’s still only a few pizzerias in New York City that serve it. The one I go to without fail is PizzArte, on West 55th, and I have to say it’s the ultimate pizza.

 

Pizza Montanara, sitting next to me in the car, just waiting to be devoured.

 

What makes Pizza Montanara so spectacular, quite simply, is that the dough is fried in oil for 30 seconds, flipped and fried another 30 seconds, before they put the sauce and cheese on it, and then they cook it in a wood burning oven. It is not greasy. The frying process puffs the dough up and creates a beautiful pillow-like softness that I’ve never experienced in a pizza before. Imagine a pizza cloud and you’ve got Pizza Montanara.

Where to get Pizza Montanara.

 

I’ve made Pizza Montanara at home, with limited success. I poured a few inches of olive oil in a large cast iron skillet, stretched my dough into a small pie, and gently floated it into the pan. Using a spatula and tongs, I was able to flip the fried dough over after about 30 seconds, then removed it from the pan after another 30 seconds. It was golden and puffy. I quickly sauced and cheesed it and in the oven it went. But it’s a messy process that doesn’t always come out just right. I need more practice!

 

Frying the pizza dough. I use olive oil for better flavor, but I have to watch the temperature, because the smoking point is low (about 375 for extra virgin olive oil) and burnt oil is not what anybody wants!

 

 

A homemade Pizza Montanara, with buffalo mozzarella and pepperoni.

 

A four-cheese Montanara, with mozzarella, sharp Provolone, Parmiggiano Reggiano, and ricotta…and lots of garlic!

 

Every time I post a photo of Pizza Montanara on Facebook or Instagram, my friends don’t believe that this could possibly be a life-changing pizza experience. It is. After a trip to Manhattan, we’ll devour 3 pizzas on the ride home. Nothing makes New York traffic easier to bear than a Pizza Montanara in the seat next to you!

Pizza Arte also makes one helluva gluten-free pizza.

 

 

ASIAN STYLE GRILLED CHICKEN THIGHS

Posted: May 26, 2024 in Uncategorized
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Chicken thighs are the best: their fat content makes them perfect for the grill because they don’t dry out like chicken breasts do. And I always leave the skin on for extra crispy flavor. I bought a package of chicken thighs the other day and decided to go Asian with my flavors, baking them in the oven so that they cook evenly, and then finishing them off on the grill to get that delicious smokey flavor and char.

I marinated the chicken thighs in the sauce for several hours before cooking. If you have the opportunity to marinate them overnight in the fridge, that’s even better. Just remember that if you want to use the marinade as a dipping sauce later on, divide it in half from the very beginning. Use half to marinate the chicken, and save the other half for later. If any of the marinade touches raw chicken, you can’t use it as a dipping sauce. (Salmonella!) So keep them separated.

 

3/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup Chinese chili garlic sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, mixing well. Use half of it to marinate the chicken, and save the other half for dipping sauce or brushing on to the chicken later.

The Bell & Evans chicken thighs that I bought came in a package that works perfectly for marinating. One less thing to clean up!

If you’re cooking the same day, let the chicken marinate at room temperature for three hours. If you’re marinating overnight in the fridge, let the chicken come to room temperature before cooking.

 

Preheat the oven to 325°.

 

Place the chicken thighs on a sheet pan and bake until they are cooked through.…but not overcooked. If you’re not using the grill, place them under the broiler and watch them carefully, as the sugars in the marinade could burn. Give them some nice char.

If you’re using the grill, light a fire and spread the coals so that you have a medium-hot flame. Grill the chicken thighs until they have a beautiful char on them, being careful not to burn them. Brush more of the marinade on them as they cook, if you like.

Serve the chicken thighs with the dipping sauce on the side.

SHEPHERDS PIE: ULTIMATE COMFORT FOOD

Posted: February 25, 2024 in Uncategorized
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This cold weather always has me craving comfort food…and nothing says comfort more than Shepherds Pie!

 

To make this recipe, I used organic vegetables, organic grass-fed dairy products, grass-fed beef, pastured eggs, and homemade chicken stock. These extra efforts made a big difference to me, but use what you are most comfortable with and have easiest access to.

And although the basic recipe calls for beef, I’ve had great success using lamb and even venison.

If you’re on a gluten-free diet, the only gluten in this recipe is in the all-purpose flour. Using a GF flour, like Cup4Cup or Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour, does a great job of thickening without the gluten.

Potatoes are the classic ingredient in Shepherds pie, but I found that sweet potatoes are a fantastic substitute. (See the photos at the bottom of the blog.) Give either one a shot yourself, or be really bold and try a combination of the two! The procedure is the same either way…

2 oz. cheddar cheese

1 1/2 lbs. Russets (or sweet potatoes), peeled and cubed
1/4 cup half-and-half
2 oz. unsalted butter
3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 egg yolk 

Grate the cheddar cheese. Set it aside for later.

Peel and cube the potatoes and place them in a pot of cold water. Bring it to a boil and cook the potatoes until they are fork-tender.
While they are boiling, place the half-and-half and butter in a microwave safe bowl and zap them for 35 seconds to warm them up.
Once the potatoes are done, drain them and place them back in the pot. Add the half-and-half and butter and mash really well. Add the salt and pepper and continue mashing. Finally, add the egg yolk, mixing quickly and thoroughly. Then set the potatoes aside.

 

 

The meat filling…

2 tablespoons bacon fat (or your favorite oil)
1 cup chopped onion
2 carrots, peeled and diced small
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 lbs. beef, cut into 1/2″ cubes
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 cup chicken broth, preferably homemade
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons freshly chopped rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon freshly chopped thyme leaves
1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn
1/2 cup of fresh or frozen peas

Preheat the oven to 400°.

While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the meat filling.

Place the bacon fat or oil in a pan and set it on medium high heat. Add the onions and the carrots and cook until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and stir.
Add the beef and the salt and pepper and cook until the meat has browned nicely.
Sprinkle the meat with the flour, and mix to combine, cooking for another minute.
Add the tomato paste, chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary and thyme, and stir to combine.
Bring this to a boil, reduce it to a simmer, and cook it for about 10 minutes, until the sauce has thickened nicely.

Add the corn and the peas to the meat mixture, and then pour it all into a baking pan. ( I used a 9-inch round metal baking pan that was about 3 inches deep.)

Spread the mashed potatoes on top of the meat mixture. If you use the mashed potatoes all around the edges, it seals the meat mixture in, and prevents bubbling over and messing up your oven. A rubber spatula makes this job easy.

Place the pan on a parchment-lined baking sheet (to prevent spills), and in the oven to bake for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, remove the pan and sprinkle the grated cheddar cheese on top of the potatoes. Then return the pan to the oven for 10 more minutes, until the cheese has melted and created a beautiful golden crust on top.

Remove the pan from the oven, placed it on a wire rack, and let it cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

 

 

As I said earlier, sweet potatoes make a great substitute for regular potatoes. Give them a try!

 

CHICKEN FRIED RICE…MY WAY

Posted: February 7, 2024 in Uncategorized
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I’ve gotten a few requests for my chicken fried rice recipe. Not sure if it’s authentic Asian, but I use a lot of the flavors and veggies that I find in chicken fried rice when I get takeout. It’s really not a difficult thing to do, but it does take some work, chopping everything up and getting it ready.

I don’t have a wok, and I don’t think it’s necessary. As long as you have a pan that’s big enough to hold everything at the end, you’re good to go.

All the Asian ingredients can be found in any supermarket. And if you want this dish to be gluten-free, use GF soy sauce and hoisin sauce. La Choy and Kikkoman make them.



I like to start by sautéing all the veggies, then removing them from the pan, putting them in a separate bowl, and then continuing with the chicken. It seems like the best order of business for me.

They say that you should use day-old rice, so, if you plan on making this recipe, boil up some rice the day before, and put it in the fridge. I like to use jasmine rice, but use whatever rice you like.

All measurements for this recipe are approximate. Again, add more of what you like, and take away what you don’t.

Don’t be afraid to explore the international aisle in your supermarket as well as the produce section for interesting veggies that you can add to this dish. I’m not a fan of water chestnuts, but that’s one option. And if you don’t like the little corn cobs, add some frozen corn. Bok choy, mushrooms, and scallions are all great choices.


1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce 
2 teaspoons rice vinegar 
1 teaspoon (or more) Chinese garlic sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 small onion, finely chopped
1cup of finely chopped cabbage
1/2 can of small Asian corn cobs, chopped
1 cup or more chopped broccoli
1 cup mung bean sprouts or pea shoots
1 cup frozen peas (optional)


3 cups of cooked rice
1 1/2 pounds of chicken breast, cut into small cubes
2 eggs



To make the marinade, combine the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, Chinese garlic sauce, and sesame oil in a bowl.

Cut the chicken breasts into small 1/2-inch cubes and place them in a bowl. Add the marinade to the chicken, and make sure the meat is coated well. Let it marinate for a couple of hours at room temperature, or in the fridge if you need more time.

Get a large pan that will hold everything and put it on high heat. Add an oil with a high smoke point, like peanut oil, avocado oil or grapeseed oil.

Add the onions to the pan and sauté until they’re translucent. Add the cabbage, and let it wither. Add the corn cobs and sauté for a few minutes. Add the chopped broccoli, and continue to sauté. You can add the bean sprouts now, or save them for later if you want them to be very crunchy. Save the peas for later.

When the veggies have softened, pour them into a bowl and return the pan to the stove top. Add a little more oil and let it heat up.

Add the chicken pieces to the pan, pouring in all the marinade with it. Make sure the chicken is thoroughly cooked, and just starts to caramelize.

Scramble the two eggs in a small bowl and add them to the pan, constantly moving the chicken and eggs around to fully cook the eggs.

Add the rice to the pan and mix everything thoroughly. Then return the veggies and mix thoroughly again.

This is where you taste everything. Add what you think it needs. Maybe it’s some soy sauce…maybe a little hoisin…maybe salt and pepper…maybe a little sesame oil. Maybe more of everything! It’s up to your individual taste.

Toss the fried rice with the added seasonings, then add the bean sprouts and the peas, giving it one more good mix.

This chicken fried rice is great as meal in itself, and leftovers are always welcome.

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