It has happened to all of us: you are
driving on a highway and have to get something to each. Your choices
are leaving the highway and taking goodness know how long to find a
restaurant or stop at Mickey D‘s. We were faced with that choice
recently and didn’t want to add an hour or more to our journey so we
opted for McDonalds thinking a small hamburger would tide us over. We
were surprised to find a new option on the menu: a Fresh Wrap. We
ordered it and were even more surprised to find it was quite good. Of
course, immodestly, I felt I could made a better version at home.
Freshly grilled chicken and some slices of ripe avocado make this a
lunch I would happily serve to guests.
1 thin chicken cutlet, lightly rubbed with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper
1 cup lettuce, finely shredded
1 medium tomato, chopped
¼ cup sharp cheddar, shredded
4 slices crisp bacon
8 slices avocado
2 flour tortillas
Dressing:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
Grill the chicken breast until done. Lightly grill tortillas to soften. Slice chicken into thin strips.
Mix lettuce and tomato with dressing.
Place ½ of lettuce and
tomato on each tortilla. Top with ½ each of cheese, bacon, avocado and
chicken. Roll up tightly and enjoy!
I’m often asked if I cook at home every night… NO! We enjoy eating out at restaurants and at the homes of friends. When I have a really busy day or am just out of ideas, my go to meal is Chinese takeout!
Invariably, I have leftover rice and being of the “waste not, want not” school - I use that to make fried rice. You can pretty much use any leftover protein to go into it along with some onions, peas, eggs and scallions.
Here is my favorite combination:
Ingredients:
2 cups of cold leftover rice 2 eggs, beaten ½ an onion, roughly chopped ½ cup frozen peas, defrosted ½ cup chopped ham 1 cup chopped raw shrimp 2 or 3 scallions, roughly chopped 2 or 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 or 2 tablespoons soy sauce
1-Lightly oil a large skillet and pour in the beaten eggs. Swirl to make a thin “pancake”. Cook for a minute or two just until eggs are set. Turn out onto a cutting board and cut into shreds.
2-Add about a tablespoon of oil to the skillet, add the onions and cook for a few minutes until they start to soften. Push to one side and add the shrimp. Cook just until they turn pink. Remove the shrimp to a clean bowl and reserve.
3-Add the remaining oil to the skillet and add the rice. Stir to mix well with the onions.
4-Add the remaining ingredients and toss well until heated through.
Q. Betty, my family loves good old macaroni and cheese, but it's time to spice up the recipe. Any suggestions?
A. One of the cooking magazines I subscribe to is Fine Cooking. Unlike some of the other magazines, this one is devoted entirely to cooking and frequently sends me right to the kitchen to try one of their recipes. The latest issue featured an article on Macaroni and Cheese with charts that offered a dizzying number of ways to combine ingredients to vary this usually plain dish. The one I chose to try was perked up with some Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, some diced ham, peas and a delicious crunchy topping made with fresh breadcrumbs, a little Parmigiano-Reggiano, garlic and melted butter. (Watch my video demonstration)
A key to making the sauce is to cook the flour and butter in the beginning for 3 or 4 minutes to make sure there is no “floury” taste so don’t skimp on this step.
For the topping:
1 small clove garlic, grated
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 cups coarse, fresh breadcrumbs, lightly toasted (process 4 or 5 slices good quality bread until coarse crumbs form)
2 tablespoons finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Stir the garlic into the melted butter. Drizzle the melted butter over the crumbs. Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Toss well with a spoon or your hands. Set aside.
For the cheese sauce:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup flour
3½ cups whole milk
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, finely grated
2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated
1 cup diced ham
1½ cups peas, thawed if using frozen
1 pound cooked macaroni
Put a large pot of water on to boil and preheat your oven to 350°.
Melt the butter in a heavy-duty 3-to-4 quart saucepan. Whisk in the flour and continue to whisk over low heat for 3 or 4 minutes. Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly.
Whisk until the sauce is smooth and slightly thickened. Raise the heat to medium and bring the sauce to a simmer, whisking constantly. Lower the heat to maintain a gently simmer and cook, whisking occasionally, for 10 minutes.
Elbow Pasta
In the meantime, salt the boiling water for the pasta and add the pasta. Cook for 7 minutes. Drain well, return to the cooking pot or a large bowl and toss with a tablespoon of butter to prevent sticking.
Remove from the sauce from the heat and gently whisk in the cheeses. Add the sauce to the cooked pasta and toss well. Gently fold in the ham and peas to combine.
Transfer the mixture to a 9-x-13 baking dish, top with the crumb mixture and bake for 15 minutes.
If you don’t want to cook the entire mixture at once, divide as you wish into smaller portions and freeze for future use. The video demonstration is below, please watch.
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