Crispy Rice With Shrimp, Bacon and Corn

Crispy Rice With Shrimp, Bacon and Corn (New York Times)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp, patted very dry
•  Kosher salt and ground black pepper
• 4 strips bacon
• 3 ears corn
• 6 scallions
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, or 1 large chopped juicy tomato
• 4 cups cooked rice

PREPARATION

1. Heat oil in large cast-iron skillet or other heavy skillet over high heat. Season shrimp with salt and pepper. Add to the hot oil in a single layer and sear until browned, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
2. Turn heat down to medium-low and add the bacon in a single layer. Cook, turning to evenly brown, until crisp, about 10 minutes.
3. While the bacon browns, shuck the corn and cut off the kernels. You should end up with about 3 1/2 cups. Thinly slice the scallions and set aside some greens for garnish. Cut the tomatoes in half. (If the bacon is done cooking before you're finished slicing, remove the pan from the heat for a moment.)
4. Drain the bacon on paper towels, leaving as much liquid as possible in the skillet. Turn the heat up to medium-high and add the corn, scallions, and a pinch of salt to the skillet. Cook, stirring, until the scallions just wilt, about 1 minute.
5. Add the rice and stir until well-mixed and heated through, about 3 minutes. Press the rice evenly across the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Let cook, without stirring, as the rice and corn begin to crackle, until you smell a toasty scent and the rice browns, about 5 minutes. You can lift up a section of rice to peek and see if a golden brown crust has developed.
6. Remove from the heat and divide the rice mixture among four bowls, scattering the tomatoes, shrimp and accumulated juices on top of each. (Alternatively, serve rice directly from the pan, with tomatoes and shrimp on top.) Season to taste with salt and pepper. Crumble the bacon all over and garnish with the reserved scallions.

How To Make Oven-Fried Pickles

How To Make Oven-Fried Pickles

Serves 4

What You Need

Ingredients

• For the pickles:
• 1 (16-ounce) jar dill pickle slices
• 1 large egg white
• 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon Creole seasoning
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• For the dipping sauce:
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons ketchup
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• Equipment
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Rimmed baking sheet
• Gallon zip-top bag
• Thin, flat spatula
• Mixing bowls
• Whisk

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 425°F and preheat a baking sheet. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 425°F. Place a rimmed baking sheet on the rack to preheat while you prepare the pickles.
2. Drain the pickles well and pat dry. Drain the pickles well. Place them in a single layer on paper towels, then pat the tops of the pickles dry with more paper towels.
3. Whisk the egg white. Place the egg white in a medium bowl and whisk until foamy, white, and soft peaks form, about 5 minutes.
4. Coat the pickles in the egg white. Add the pickles to the egg white and gently stir with a spatula to coat.
5. Coat the pickles in the flour and cornmeal. Place the flour, cornmeal, and Creole seasoning in a large zip-top bag. Seal the bag and gently shake to combine. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pickles to the bag. Seal again and shake the bag to coat the pickles evenly in the cornmeal mixture.
6. Bake the pickles on the preheated pan for 10 minutes. Pour the olive oil on the preheated baking sheet. Working quickly, remove the pickles from the bag, shaking off any excess cornmeal mixture, and place on the baking sheet, making sure they are spaced evenly and not touching. Bake until golden-brown and crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. Meanwhile, make the dipping sauce.
7. Mix up the dipping sauce. Place all the dipping sauce ingredients in a small bowl and stir until smooth.
8. Serve the pickles warm with the dip. Using a thin, flat spatula, transfer the pickles to a serving platter. Serve warm with the dipping sauce.

Recipe Notes

Make ahead: The dipping sauce can be made and refrigerated up to 1 day ahead.

Campfire Banana Boat Chocolate Caramel S'mores

Campfire Banana Boat Chocolate Caramel S'mores

Serves 4

• 4 ripe bananas
• 12 marshmallows (3 to 4 per banana), or a handful of mini marshmallows
• 12 squares dark chocolate (3 to 4 squares per banana)
• 1/4 cup caramel chips
• 8 graham crackers (2 per banana), crumbled

Cut a slit in the each banana, and open the skin up slightly. Scoop out a few small chunks of banana (and eat!).

Stuff 3 to 4 marshmallows in the scooped out sections of the banana, then tuck a square of chocolate beside each marshmallow. Sprinkle a few caramel chips over top.

Close the skin of the banana as much as you can, and place the bananas directly on a campfire grill. Alternatively, wrap the bananas tightly in foil and place directly on coals. (Be extra careful when pulling them out of the coals and opening.)

The banana skins will blacken as the bananas cook. Grill until the chocolate and caramel melt, and the marshmallows begin to look squidgy, 5 to 7 minutes.

Using metal tongs, carefully transfer bananas on plates. The bananas might release some water, if they do, use a paper towel to wipe off.

Sprinkle the crushed graham crackers over top, and serve with a spoon for scooping.

Recipe Notes

Bananas cooked directly over the grill will have a slightly smokey flavor. When wrapped in foil, they have less smokey flavor and will take a few more minutes to cook.

Easy Jalapeño Grilled Chicken

Easy Jalapeño Grilled Chicken

Serves 4

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds total)
• 4 peeled garlic cloves
• 2 limes, quartered
• 2 medium jalapeños, cut into thirds (seeded, if desired)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

• For serving:
• Lettuce
• Cilantro
• Lime wedges
• Diced jalapeños

Working with 2 chicken breasts at a time, place inside a gallon zip-top bag. Use the flat side of a meat mallet or a rolling pin and pound them until they are 1/2-inch thick. Transfer the flattened chicken breasts to a plate and repeat with the remaining breasts. Transfer the second batch of breasts to the plate, and then make sure your zip-top bag does not have any holes in it from pounding the chicken breasts. If it does, replace with a new bag; otherwise build the marinade in the same bag.

Place the garlic, limes, and jalapeños in the zip-top bag. Seal the bag, removing as much air as possible, then pound until the garlic, limes, and jalapeños are smashed but not pulverized. Open the bag and add the olive oil, salt, cumin, and pounded chicken breasts. Close the bag and massage to coat the chicken. Place the bag on a baking sheet so that the chicken lays in a single layer in the bag. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.

When ready to cook, remove the chicken from the refrigerator while the preheating the grill. If using a gas grill, heat the grill to high. For a charcoal grill, prepare the grill for both direct and indirect heat. Once the grill grates are hot, scrape any debris from the grates and oil well.

Remove the chicken breasts from the marinade with tongs. Place the breasts over direct heat, cover, and cook undisturbed until grill marks appear, about 4 minutes. If the meat sticks to the grill, continue to cook for another minute until it releases easily. Flip and cook the second side until grill marks appear, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium on a gas grill (or transfer to indirect heat on a charcoal grill) and grill until the chicken is cooked through and registers 165°F on an instant-read thermometer.

Transfer the chicken to a clean cutting board. Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving over a bed of lettuce with more lime, diced jalapeños, and cilantro.

Recipe Notes

Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Stovetop variation: Pound chicken and marinate as directed above. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large cast iron pan over medium-high heat until it shimmers, about 3 minutes. Swirl the pan to evenly distribute the oil, then add two of the chicken breasts to the pan. Cook undisturbed until they're golden-brown and no longer stick to the pan, 6 to 8 minutes. If you try to flip the chicken and it clings to the pan, it isn’t ready to flip. Flip the breasts and add 1 tablespoon of butter between the breasts. Swirl the pan to distribute the melting butter, and cook until the breasts reach an internal temperature of 165°F, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the cooked chicken to a plate and repeat cooking with the remaining chicken breasts. Squeeze lime over the top of the chicken breasts, and rest for 3 minutes before slicing.

Sheet Pan Chicken Tikka

Sheet Pan Chicken Tikka
Chicken marinade adapted from Made In India

Notes:

• In the recipe in the book, Sodha has you mash the ginger, garlic, chiles and spice in a mortar and pestle to a paste. I suppose you could also process them in a food processor or blender. I went for the method that required the least extra objects and just minced everything and mixed it, which is how I’ve written it below. If you’d prefer not to mince, definitely use one of these other methods.
• I show this (perhaps confusingly) in a 10×15-inch pan, which is the biggest that fits in my tiny oven. I scaled the recipe for a proper sheet (technically a half-sheet) pan most of us use, a 13×18-inch. You could also divide this over 2 quarter-sheet (9×13-inch) pans. The 10×15-inch version you see here yielded an awkward three servings, fine for us, not for most people.
• Cooking times will of course vary by the size of your chicken pieces. When roasting chicken breasts (always large) and drumsticks and thighs together, I halve the breasts right through the bone to even up the cooking time.
• Don’t have garam masala? Sadly, neither do I after purging some dusty spices all of five days ago. (D’oh!) To roughly approximate 1 1/3 teaspoons (yes, slightly more than you’ll need because I’m presuming everyone will be missing a spice or two below) garam masala you can use: 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric, 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander, 1/8 teaspoon each ground cumin, cardamom and mustard, 1/16 teaspoon each ground black pepper and ground fennel, plus a pinch of ground cloves and ground cayenne. “Deb, you’ve got to be kidding me…” I know, I know. You could also just add a few extra pinches of several of those and have a delightfully spiced outcome.
• Worried about spiciness? Because I think this is a good thing to know about whoever is writing your recipes, I consider myself a moderate heat appreciator, but I cook fairly mild because my 6.5 year old is not. Even with a full jalapeno in there (which can run quite mild or hot, so not necessarily a perfect measure) and a 1/4 teaspoon spicy chili powder, this was just lightly hot. The yogurt really dulls the heat. Hope that offers a guidance so you can adjust it to your preference.

Serves 4

For the chicken
1 3/4-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced (see Note up top)
4 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
1 fresh green chili (I used a jalapeno), seeded and minced
1/2 cup whole-milk yogurt
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon chili powder or cayenne, or adjusted to taste (I used 1/4 teaspoon)
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garam masala
2 pounds chicken thighs, drumsticks or halved chicken breasts (all skin-on, bone-in)

For the vegetables
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/4 pounds (about 4 medium) Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled if desired, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
1 3/4 pounds (1 small or half a very large head) cauliflower, cut into 3/4-inch-wide florets
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

To finish, if desired
A few thin slices of red onion
Lemon wedges
Salt
Dollops of yogurt
A few tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro, parsley or mint, or a mix therof

Combine ginger, garlic, fresh chili, yogurt, salt, spices and sugar in a freezer bag, bowl or container. Add chicken pieces and toss to coat evenly. Let marinate for 15 minutes or up to a day in the fridge.

When you’re ready to cook the dish, heat your oven to 425°F. Line a half-sheet (13×18-inch) with foil and coat it with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add potatoes, cauliflower, salt, cumin and remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and toss together with you hands until evenly coated.

Remove chicken from marinade and leave excess behind. Make spaces in the vegetables for chicken parts throughout the pan. Roast in oven for 20 minutes, then toss the potato and cauliflower to ensure they’re cooking evenly, and return the pan to the oven for 10 to 20 minutes more (i.e. 30 to 40 minutes total roasting time), until chicken and vegetables are cooked through.

While it roasts, if you’d like to use the lightly pickled onion rings that we did on top, which added a nice tangy fresh zip to the dish, separate the rings and toss them in a small bowl with a squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Set aside until needed.

When chicken and vegetables are cooked, top with garnishes of your choice — we used dollops of yogurt, herbs and scattered the above onion rings all over. Serve right in the pan.

Ham and Cheddar Lunch Box Muffins

Ham and Cheddar Lunch Box Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled, divided
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
8 ounces thick-cut deli ham (1/2-inch thick), diced
3 tablespoons finely chopped chives, divided
Freshly ground black pepper

Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 375°F. Line a standard 12-well muffin pan with papers liners or coat the wells with cooking spray.

Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, garlic powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk the buttermilk, eggs, and 5 tablespoons of the butter in a medium bowl until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and mix with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until just combined. Some lumps are fine. Fold in the cheese, all but 1/2 cup of the ham, and 2 tablespoons of the chives.

Spoon the batter into the muffin wells, filling each about 3/4 full. Top the muffins with the reserved ham, sprinkle with the remaining chives, and sprinkle with pepper. Top each muffin with 1/2 teaspoon of the remaining melted butter.

Bake until the tops just begin to brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool the muffins in the pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Recipe Notes

• Storage: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for 3 months. Eat cold or reheat in the toaster oven for a few minutes before serving.

How To Cook a Whole Chicken in Coconut Milk in the Slow Cooker

How To Cook a Whole Chicken in Coconut Milk in the Slow Cooker

Serves 4 to 6

What You Need

Ingredients
1 (3- to 4-pound) whole chicken
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 (15-ounce) cans coconut milk
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups tightly packed fresh basil leaves, plus more for serving
6 cloves garlic
1 (2-inch) knob fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 fresh Thai red chile
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

Equipment
Rimmed baking sheet
6-quart or larger slow cooker
Tongs
Immersion blender

Instructions

1. Brown the chicken under the broiler. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the broiler to high. Place the chicken on a rimmed baking sheet and season on all sides and inside the cavity with the salt. Broil, breast-side up, until the skin has browned and crisped slightly, about 8 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven, carefully flip it, and broil until the underside is also golden-brown, about 6 minutes more.
2. Make a fragrant coconut broth. Set your slow cooker to low, add the coconut milk and chicken broth, and whisk until smooth. Add the basil, garlic, ginger, and chile, and stir to combine.
3. Add the chicken to the slow cooker and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours. Place the chicken in the slow cooker breast-side down. Cover and cook until the chicken is tender and fragrant, on the LOW setting for 4 to 6 hours.
4. Remove the chicken and blend the sauce (optional). Transfer the chicken to a serving platter. Stir the lime juice into the sauce. You can serve the sauce as is, or blend with an immersion blender right in the slow cooker's crock and add a handful of fresh basil before serving.

Recipe Notes

• Storage: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.