OPTIONAL

1 small carrot, scraped and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons peas
1 whole sprig parsley
Campbell's tomato soup (see note)

Note:  This recipe can be refrigerated and reheated the next day in the same manner, or wrapped in foil and frozen, to be reheated later by baking (350' for ~45 minutes).

Campbell's tomato soup is an excellent (and mild) substitute for the fresh tomatoes in this recipe. Reconstitute 1.5 cups with water and proceed as usual.

For this quantity you will need a heavy-bottomed, flameproof pan about 4 inches deep and 9 inches across. Pour hot water to cover the rice and let it stand for about 5 minutes. Drain the rice and rinse well in cold water, then shake the colander well and leave the rice to drain for a few minutes.

Heat the oil. Give the rice a final shake and stir it into the oil until the grains are well covered, then fry until just turning color, stirring and turning the rice over so it will cook evenly and not stick to the pan. this process should take about 10 minutes, depending on the size of the pan - but it should be done over high heat or the rice will become mushy in its final stage. The rice will have a very dry appearance and slightly popcorn-like smell. Drain or strain off any excess oil.

Puree the tomatoes, onion and garlic until smooth - there should be about 1 cup. Add the mixture to the fried rice, continuing to cook over med. high heat. Stir and scrape the bottom of the pan until the mixture is dry, being careful not to burn the mixture lest you impart a smoky flavor to the rice.

Taste the chicken broth and add more salt if necessary. Add the broth, carrot, peas and parsley. Cook over medium heat, covered, until the liquid has been absorbed and small air holes (from the boiling process) are left in the rice. This will take about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and cover the rice with a piece of terry cloth. Cover with a tightly fitting lid so that no steam can escape, and set aside in a warm place for about 20 minutes so the rice can continue cooking and the grains will expand.

Before serving, loosen the rice with a fork from the bottom.

SHREDDED BEEF

1 lb. skirt or flank steak, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 small onion, roughly chopped
1 garlic clove
Sea salt to taste

TO SERVE

12 Tortillas (flour or corn)
Corn oil for frying
Salsa
Sour Cream
Queso Fresco or similar white, salty cheese, grated
Shredded Lettuce (optional)

Note: This recipe works well even if you just fill the tacos with shredded beef straight from the refrigerator. Although flour tortillas are typical at El Torito, corn tortillas work best. For Salsa, I prefer Pace Fire-Roasted Tomato & Neumann's Own Pineapple (if you can find it.)

To make the Shredded Beef, put the beef and other ingredients into a large saucepan, cover well with water, and bring to a simmer. Continue simmering over low heat until the beef is tender - about 40 minutes. Leave the meat to cool in the broth, then drain, reserving the broth for another purpose. When the meat is cool enough to handle, shred coarsely, removing any sinew or gristle.

To Serve, spoon a thin layer of beef across diameter of tortilla, salt if desired, and gently fold in half. Fry in about 2" of oil until lightly crisp. Drain, then serve immediately topped with salsa, sour cream, lettuce (optional) and cheese.

2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
Butter

Beat eggs slightly. Add milk, flour and salt. Beat vigorously for 2 minutes.

When very hot, use mittens to remove pan from oven and fill each cup 2/3 full with batter. Don't burn your hands!

Bake 40 minutes until puffed & brown. For best results, use a heavy-duty  real popover pan with butter - don't substitute!

Note: It may be tempting to substitute hamburger or even mild sausage for the ground pork in this recipe. Don't do it. The former will be dry, and the latter will remind you of breakfast. Other items such as shredded chicken, Chinese barbeque pork, shrimp & black mushroom make excellent additions to any wonton soup. Avoid overcooking in order to ensure crispness. My favorite soy sauces are Kimlan, Chun King (slightly sweeter) and Kikkoman Low-Salt.

Set the water, chicken broth & ramen soup packet together in a large pot to boil. Mix the ground pork with 3 sliced green onions,  sherry, dash of white pepper and enough soy sauce to moisten & set aside. Meanwhile, slice the 1/2 onion into rings and brown (don't cook) over high heat in the vegetable & sesame oil. Add the onions and carrots to the boiling soup.

At this point, fill & wrap the wonton skins with the marinated pork mixture. Follow the folding directions on the package, being sure to give the ends a 1/2 twist after folding. Keep a bowl of water handy for moistening you fingers as you work. Toss any leftover bits & pieces of meat into the soup.

Mix the Bamboo Shoots & Water Chestnuts together, and rinse thoroughly in a bowl of cold water. Scoop out a large handful and add it to the soup, followed by the wontons. Add a dash of soy sauce for color.

Let the soup boil for 10 min. or so, stirring occasionally. Rinse the bean sprouts and peas, & cut the ends off the pea pods. Add the ramen noodles & remaining sliced green onion, reduce heat & gently stir. Once the noodles are cooked (< 2 min) add the bean sprouts & pea pods. Cook 2 min more, stir & serve.

1 roll refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough (1 lb. 2 oz)
1 14-oz. bag of Milk-Maid Caramels (about 45 pcs)
3 tsp. milk
1 1/2 cups roasted peanuts
40 large marshmallows
3 tablespoons butter
6 cups Rice Krispies
12 oz. bag of chocolate chips
Optional topping, such as Heath Bits or chopped nuts (4 oz. or so)

Cooking Spray
Wax Paper
10” x 7” pan
Double Boiler, for melting caramels
Microwave Oven, for melting chocolate

Pre-heat oven to 350’. Line pan with wax paper and cooking spray. Press cookie dough into pan. Meanwhile, get the double boiler going and start melting the caramels & milk as this can take awhile.

When the caramels are about half melted, start baking the cookie dough. The bag says 9-11 minutes, but this is a solid pie base so give it about 13 minutes. Do not overcook. 

Start making the marshmallow treat layer. Melt the marshmallows over medium heat in a large pot with the butter. Stir often, and once melted add the rice krispies and stir some more. Careful not to burn this – put the heat on low when finished and cover the pot so the mixture stays warm and pliable. 

By the time you take the cookie dough out of the oven, the caramels should be almost melted and the cereal topping ready. Scatter the peanuts over the cookie base, give the caramel a good stir and quickly cover the peanuts in caramel. Spread quickly and evenly, because this will solidify rapidly. 

Spread the cereal mixture on top of the caramel, peanuts and cookie dough base. Spread quickly and evenly, because this will solidify also. Press down on the topping, possibly using some more wax paper, just enough to get a good form – don’t make the bars too dense. 

Melt the chocolate in your microwave about 30 seconds at a time, stirring after each interval. After a few minutes of this the chocolate should be melted sufficiently to spread over the cereal layer. The Rice Krispies should still be quite warm, so there's no need to rush this step. Customize your Igor Bars by sprinkling on any additional toppings such as Heath Bits or crushed nuts while the chocolate is still soft. 

Let cool until the chocolate layer is firm, and remove from pan via the wax paper. Chop into fifteen cookie-sized bars. These are powerful snacks!

Clean the caramel & cereal pots afterwards by filling them with water and letting them boil on the stove. Empty, rinse and repeat until clean.

Note: For Chick Fil-A recipe, cut pepper in half and add 5 tablespoons powdered sugar to dry mixture.

1. Pour the oil into the pressure cooker and heat over medium heat to about 400'F.

2. In a small bowl, combine the egg and milk

3. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining four dry ingredients.

4. Dip each piece of chicken into the milk until fully moistened.

5. Roll the moistened chicken in the flour mixture until completely coated.

6. In groups of four, drop the covered chicken pieces into the oil and lock the lid in place.

7. Reduce heat to medium low. When steam begins shooting through the pressure release, set the timer for 10 minutes.

8. After 10 minutes, release the pressure and remove the chicken to paper towels or metal rack to drain. Repeat with the remaining chicken.

I used Ghiradelli Double Chocolate chips in this recipe, yielding a thick, delicious dark hard coating with plenty of "snap".

Melt the butter over low heat in a heavy 2-quart saucepan, coating the sides. Add sugar, water, and corn syrup. Cook over medium heat to 290' (soft-crack stage), stirring frequently. Watch carefully after 280'; the bubbling mixture will turn dark brown and creamy, smoking slightly. Remove from heat and quickly stir in half the almonds. Immediately turn mixture into a buttered 6 1/2"x10 1/4" pan.

Wait for 2 to 3 minutes for toffee surface to firm, then sprinkle with chocolate chips. When chocolate is softened, spread evenly with the back of a spoon like cake frosting.

Pound the remaining almonds to a fine consistency and sprinkle on top. Chill until chocolate is firm. Remove bar from pan and drop onto hard surface, shattering into large chunks. Break up remaining pieces by hand.

1 whole chicken breast, split, boned, cut into 12 pieces

MARINADE

1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon dry sherry
1/2 teaspoon minced green onion (white part)
1 tablespoon Hoisin sauce
1 thumb-size slice fresh ginger, minced
Chinese five-spice, pinch

12 sprigs cilantro, cut in pieces
12 pieces aluminum foil or parchment paper, cut into 6-inch squares

Sesame oil
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying

To assemble, brush each square of parchment with sesame oil. Wrap 1 piece of chicken and 1 piece of parsley inside. Fold in half to form a triangle; then fold over edges a few tunes to seal completely and twist corners.

To deep-fry, heat 4 cups oil in a wok (or electric deep fryer) to 350'. Drop in wrapped chicken, push down to submerge in oil using a strainer, and cook for about 2 minutes. Remove and drain well on paper towels. Allow to cool a few seconds before opening carefully. Eat out of hand.

Note: Arepa flour is a special flour milled from cooked, dried, ground corn kernels. It's finer than cornmeal, but coarser than all-purpose flour - the closest in flavor is quick-cook grits. White arepa flour supposedly makes lighter pastries, but I've never seen a white arepa. This flour can be found at Hispanic markets and select supermarkets under the Goya, Iberia and Pan brand names, sometimes labeled as masarepa or areparena. 

Variation: Adding cooked sweet corn kernels or puree to the mix for that "ultra corn" flavor.

Combine the arepa flour, salt and cheese in a large mixing bowl. Stir in 2 tablespoons melted butter and most of the water. Knead the mixture with your hands to obtain a moist, pliable dough. Add more water as necessary: the dough should be the consistency of mashed potatoes. You may not need all the water, or you may need a little more.

Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces. Wet your hands and roll each piece into a ball, then flatten it to make a patty about 3 inches across and 1/3 inch thikc. Continue wetting your hands to prevent the dough from sticking. Alternatively, roll out the dough between two sheets of plastic wrap or waxed paper and cut our 3-inch circles, using a cookie cutter.

Heat some of the remaining melted butter in a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Fry the arepas until crusty and golden brown, turning once, about 3 minutes per side on medium low in pre-heated nonstick pan. Work in batches, as necessary, to avoid crowding the pan. Add more butter or oil if needed. Serve at once.

Bring the milk to a boil in a small pan. Add the five tablespoons of butter. Let stand. Grind one cup frozen yellow corn kernels in a food processor. 

In a large bowl, mix the arepa flour, salt, sugar, ground corn, and mozzarella. Make a well in the center and gradually add the hot milk. Stir until there are no lumps. Work the dough until it is smooth and sticky. Add water as necessary if the dough is too thick.

1 pound medium-size prawns (26 to 30 count)

MARINADE

Pinch salt
Pinch white pepper
1 egg white
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons oil

Vegetable oil, for blanching

SPICES

1/2 small white onion, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 teaspoon chili paste

SEASONINGS

1/2 cup catsup
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce

1 green onion, chopped
1 teaspoon sesame oil

To oil-blanch, set wok over high heat for about 1 minute. Add 3 cups oil and heat to 300'. Add prawns, stirring gently to separate. Blanch until pink, remove and drain.

To braise, remove all but 3 tablespoons oil from wok. Add onion and brown slightly; stir in remaining SPICES and cook until fragrant. Add SEASONINGS and prawns and braise over high heat until sauce is reduced. Stir in green onion and sesame oil. Transfer to platter to serve.

Notes: it doesn't hurt to double the SEASONINGS sauce mixture to avoid being scanty.

You can adjust the chili paste according to your own taste.

Substitute the meat from 2 lobster tails to make dry-braised lobster!