Wednesday Recipes

Here are today's six recipes to help you through the day. Enjoy!

FRIED RICE

This is from Sam Sifton in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Sam wrote, “Here's a brilliant and addictive way to use up leftovers that comes together in about 20 minutes. It can accommodate practically any vegetable languishing in your refrigerator, and adding leftover cooked chicken, pork, beef or shrimp isn't a bad idea either.” Time: 20 minutes; serves 4 to 6.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons neutral oil, like canola or grapeseed

1 medium onion, peeled and roughly chopped

1 red bell pepper, stemmed, cored and roughly chopped

2 carrots, peeled and finely minced

1 tablespoon minced garlic, or to taste

1 cup peas (defrost if frozen)

1 tablespoon minced ginger, or to taste

3 to 4 cups cooked white rice, cooled

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup Shaoxing wine, or water

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/2 cup minced cilantro or scallions

Preparation

Put 1 tablespoon of the oil in a wok or a large skillet, and turn heat to high. When it begins to shimmer, add onion, pepper and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, 5 to 10 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove vegetables to a bowl.

Drain peas if necessary, and add them to skillet; cook, shaking pan, for about a minute, or until hot. Remove them to the bowl.

Put remaining oil in the skillet, followed by garlic and ginger. When the mixture is fragrant, about 15 seconds later, add the rice, breaking up clumps with a spoon as you go along and tossing it with oil. When the rice is well coated, make a well in the center and break the eggs into it. Scramble these, then stir into the rice.

Return vegetables to the skillet and stir to integrate. Add wine or water and cook, stirring, for approximately 1 minute. Add soy sauce and sesame oil, then taste and add salt and pepper if necessary. Turn off heat, stir in the cilantro and serve.

ABSURDLY EASY CHOCOLATE FUDGE

What's better than chocolate fudge? If it's also easy to make. This yummy recipe comes from Julia Moskin in The New York Times' Cooking e-newsletter. Time: 15 minutes; makes 16 two-inch squares.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, plus extra for greasing the pan

1 pound semisweet or bittersweet chocolate

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1/8 teaspoon salt (optional)

1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preparation

Butter an 8-inch-square baking pan. Line with parchment or wax paper, letting edges of paper hang over sides of pan.

In top of a double boiler or a metal bowl set over (not resting in) simmering water, combine all ingredients except nuts. Mix just until melted and well combined. (Alternatively, use a microwave on low power to melt ingredients, stopping every 10 to 20 seconds to mix well.) The mixture should be heated as little as possible. Mix in nuts, if using.

Scrape mixture into prepared pan. Refrigerate until set, about 4 hours or overnight. Lift fudge on paper out of pan and use a large knife to cut into squares.

NO-BOIL MAC AND CHEESE

This comes from the Tablespoon's e-newsletter. It begins, “Did you know you can make mac and cheese without boiling noodles? Here's how!” Prep Time: 10 min; Total Time: 45 min; Makes 8 servings.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 pound elbow macaroni

3 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup flour

4 1/2 cups milk (I use 2%)

1 1/2 cups water

1/4 teaspoon mustard powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper

1/2 cup shredded havarti cheese

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 clove garlic minced or grated

1 cup Progresso™ panko crispy bread crumbs or Progresso™ plain bread crumbs

Parsley, chopped (for garnish)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray a baking dish with nonstick spray.

Add the pasta and about 1 cup of cheddar cheese to the prepared baking dish, set aside.

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour, whisking constantly, for about 2 minutes. Whisk in milk and 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook, whisking often, until a very thin, glossy sauce forms, about 10 minutes. Stir in the mustard powder, cayenne pepper (if using), salt and pepper. Remove the sauce from the heat. Stir in the remaining 2 1/2 cups of cheddar cheese until smooth.

Pour the sauce over the pasta, stirring to coat. The pasta should be submerged in the sauce. Cover with foil and bake until pasta is almost tender, about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, wipe your same sauce pot clean, then add remaining 4 tablespoons melted butter. Add garlic and breadcrumbs, toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper. If desired you can toast the crumbs over medium heat for 4-5 minutes until fragrant.

Remove the pasta from the oven and remove the foil from dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup havarti cheese, then the breadcrumb mixture. Bake until pasta is tender, edges are bubbling, and top is golden brown, about 10-20 minutes longer. Let sit 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with parsley if desired.

STRAWBERRY RHUBARB CRUMBLE

This comes from Guy Fieri, star of The Food Network show Guy’s Bit Bite. Total Time: 45 min; Prep: 20 min; Inactive: 5 min; Cook: 20 min; Yield: 4 servings; Level: Easy

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/guy-fieri/strawberry-rhubarb-crumble-recipe.html?oc=linkback

Ingredients

Almond Crumble Topping:

3/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 stick butter

Crumble:

6 cups rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 cup roughly chopped strawberries

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon

Topping:

1 cup mascarpone cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

For the almond crumble topping: In a food processor, pulse the almonds until finely ground. Add the flour, sugar and salt. Pulse to incorporate. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is dispersed in walnut-size pieces throughout. Set aside at room temperature.

For the crumble: Mix the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest and lemon juice in a large mixing bowl. Fill four 4-inch ramekins almost to the top. Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of the almond crumble on the top and place in the oven. Bake until the filling bubbles and the topping is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes.

For the topping: Using a whisk or whisk attachment and stand mixer, whip the mascarpone on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes, to increase the volume. Reserve and refrigerate until ready for use.

To serve: Once rested, top each ramekin with 2 tablespoons of whipped mascarpone.

JAMBALAYA

This comes from the Taste of Home e-newsletter. The recipe begins, “Enjoy some Creole comfort the quick and easy way with this Johnsonville creation. Using your favorite Jambalaya rice and Creole seasoning, add in some succulent shrimp, olive oil, tomatoes and hot pepper sauce to get the celebration started. Add Johnsonville’ss Andouille Dinner Sausage to bring everything together for a truly authentic taste experience. Taking a trip to the Big Easy has never been so simple! Provided by The Kitchen at Johnsonville Sausage.” Prep Time: 5 minutes; Cook Time: 25 minutes; makes 6 servings.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 package (13-1/2 ounce) Johnsonville® Andouille Dinner Sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices

8 ounces raw shrimp, peeled and deveined or 8 ounces boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 teaspoons Cajun Creole seasoning

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 box (8 ounces) Jambalaya rice mix

1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained and divided

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions

In a bowl, combine sausage, shrimp or chicken with Cajun Creole seasoning; toss to coat.

In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add sausage, shrimp or chicken, cooking and stirring until shrimp turn pink or chicken is no longer pink, about 3-5 minutes.

In a saucepan, prepare rice mix according to package directions. In addition, add one-half of the tomatoes into the rice preparation.

After 12 minutes of cooking, add remaining tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce and parsley.

Continue to cook on low, covered, until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Add sausage, shrimp or chicken to rice; stir until heated through.

5-INGREDIENT LEMON-ROSEMARY GRILLED CHICKEN BREASTS

This is from Grace Parisi in the Today Show cooking e-newsletter. According to the newsletter, “Grace Parisi is a New York City-based food writer, cookbook author and food stylist. Her book, Get Saucy, was nominated for a James Beard award. Her latest book, Quick Pickles comes out in Fall 2016.”

For this recipe, Grace wrote, “Crispy chicken skin is so delicious, but it's not easy to find boneless breasts with skin in the supermarket. You're more likely to find boneless, skinless chicken breasts or bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts. Most butchers will debone a breast for you, but it's easy enough to do yourself and you get to keep the bones for making stock in the future.”

She added this Note: “If you decide to use boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead, using a meat pounder, gently pound the chicken breasts so they are about 1/2-inch thick all around.” Active Time: 15 minutes; Total Time: 2.25 hours or overnight.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

4 chicken breast halves on the bone with skin, 10 to 12 ounces each, or 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to about 1/2-inch thick

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon chopped rosemary, plus 2 sprigs

1 lemon, zested and cut in half

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Preparation

Prepare the chicken breasts:

Debone the skin-on chicken breasts: Using a sharp knife, make a small incision near the wing joint. Leaving the skin intact, slip your finger into the incision, close to the bone. Working your finger back and forth, separate the meat from the bone as best you can. Use the knife to fully separate the meat. (Reserve the bones in the freezer for stock.) Using a meat pounder, gently pound the chicken breasts so they are about 1/2-inch thick all around.

For boneless chicken breasts: Using a meat pounder, gently pound the chicken breasts so they are about 1/2-inch thick all around.

In a small bowl, combine the oil, garlic, rosemary, lemon zest and 1/2 teaspoon each of the salt and pepper. Rub the mixture all over the chickens, add the rosemary sprigs and refrigerate for 2 hours or up to 8 hours.

Light a grill and oil the grates. Grill the chicken, lemon halves, and rosemary sprigs over high heat, turning occasionally, until lightly charred and firm to the touch, about 10 to 12 minutes. Squeeze the grilled lemon halves over the chicken and serve.