Ingredients

• 3/4 c. lentils, rinsed
• 4 tsp. olive oil, divided
• 1/3 c. diced carrot
• 1/3 c. diced celery
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
• 1 1/2 c. dry red wine
• 1 1/2 c. water
• 1 tsp. dijon mustard
• 1-2 tsp. spice blend (optional)
• 1/4-1 tsp. salt
• 1/4-1/2 tsp. pepper
• 12 red pearl onions
• 1 lg. bunch kale, washed and chopped coarsely
• 1 tbsp. walnut or almond oil
• loaf rustic bread

Preparation

Parboil the lentils for 5 minutes, drain, and rinse. Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the carrots and celery. When slightly browned, add garlic and tomato paste and mash into the vegetables. Pour in the wine, water, and mustard. Add the drained lentils, herbs, and a bit of salt. Simmer, covered, until lentils are tender, 30-40 minutes.

While the lentils are cooking, blanch the onions in boiling water for 1 minute, drain, and peel. Put them in a heavy frying pan with the other tbsp. of olive oil and cook over medium heat until tender and beginning to color, about 5 minutes. Add a splash of water or wine near the end to deglaze the pan. Season with salt and pepper and remove from skillet.

Wilt the kale in the skillet, season with salt and pepper. Stir into the lentils. Serve with a swirl of walnut oil, a garnish of pearl onions, and with a thick, toasted slice of rustic bread.

Penzey’s Spices

##Brine

• 4 cups of water
• 1 tbsp white Vinegar
• 1 tbsp table salt, non iodized
• 1 tbsp Sugar, white
• 1 tbsp MSG

After 4 hours, remove the chicken from brine and rinse in fresh water. Add the brined chicken to egg wash.

Egg Wash

• 1 cup milk (The Col. used skim or reconstituted)
• 1 large egg

Combine well, dip chicken in egg wash dredge in 1- 2 cups seasoned flour depending on the size of your bird.

Seasoned Flour

• 4 cups cake flour (low protein flour is very important here)
• 4 tsp freshly ground white pepper
• 3 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tsp freshly ground sage
• 1 1/2 tsp freshly ground coriander
• 1 1/4 tsp high quality ground ginger
• 1 tsp freshly ground Ancho chile
• 3/4 tsp freshly ground whole vanilla bean
• 3/4 tsp freshly ground bay leaf
• 3/4 tsp freshly ground savory
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground green cardamom seeds
• 1 tsp MSG

The salt is added after the chicken has been cooked, for each 4lb chicken use about 4ts popcorn salt. Some people find that too salty so you might want to reduce it some. I use finely ground sea salt.

You need about 2 to 2 1/2 cups of this breading for a 3 1/2 to 4 lb bird plus extra for gravy. The original chicken was cut into 9 pcs and cooked in corn oil. The Colonel would use the flour mix left over after breading the chicken to make his famous milk gravy.

This method is for people who don’t want to pressure cook the chicken. It produces a tasty result but it is no where as moist as the pressure fried chicken, it is much less complicated though. If you want crunchier chicken mix a little milk with the breading, about an ounce or so, enough to make the flour shaggy. Press the flour firmly on the egg/milk dipped chicken.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Heat corn or vegetable oil in 11-inch straight-sided sauté pan over medium-high heat to 375 degrees. Carefully place chicken pieces in pan, skin side down, and cook until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Carefully flip and continue to cook until golden brown on second side, 2 to 4 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet. Bake chicken until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of chicken registers 160 degrees for breasts and 175 for legs and thighs, 15 to 20 minutes. (Smaller pieces may cook faster than larger pieces. Remove pieces from oven as they reach correct temperature.) Let chicken rest 5 minutes before serving.

Colonel Sanders’ Original “Cracklin’ Gravy” (1952-1964)

• 1 TBSP butter
• 1/4 cup Original Recipe breading flour
• 1/2 cup cracklings strained from the pressure cooker or frying pan
• 1 cup whole milk, cold
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/4 cup whole cream, cold

Put the butter, flour and cracklings into a frying pan over low to medium heat. Stir continuously until the ingredients are fully blended and the raw flour is lightly browned. This takes a few minutes. The roux should not be darker than peanut butter brown. If you burn it, dump it, clean the pan start again. (If you are a novice gravy maker you might want to save your cracklins until the end so you won’t waste them on a burned batch.)

Gently pour the milk, hot water, and cream, continue stirring until it begins to thicken. Taste the gravy and add extra salt or pepper if needed. Allow the mixture to come to a light boil, when it is the thickness you want turn off the heat and serve.

A bunch of crazy people on an entire forum dedicated to KFC recipes, via Reddit

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons neutral oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 1 pound firm tofu, drained
• 1/3 cup sliced scallions
• Soy sauce

Preparation

Put the oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the tomatoes, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until their juices release and they begin to dry out slightly, 5 to 10 minutes.

Crumble the tofu with your fingers and add it to the pan along with the scallions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tofu is heated through and dried out a bit, 5 to 10 minutes. Serve, drizzling with soy sauce at the table. Note: To make Scrambled Tofu With Corn, Tomatoes and Basil, use olive oil instead of neutral oil and reduce the amount of tomatoes to 1 cup. Substitute 3/4-cup corn kernels for the scallions and stir in some chopped fresh basil before serving. Skip the soy sauce and drizzle with a little more olive oil at the table if you like.

Mark Bittman, New York Times

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 2 blocks firm tofu
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
• Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish
• Chopped scallions for garnish

Preparation

Put oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften, 3 to 5 minutes.

With your hands, crumble tofu into the pan. Cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the skillet occasionally and adjusting heat as necessary, until tofu browns and crisps as much or as little as you like, anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes.

Sprinkle with the chili powder, cumin and cinnamon; stir and cook, continuing to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan until the mixture is fragrant, a minute or two. Stir in vinegar and adjust the seasoning taste. Garnish with cilantro and scallions and serve with warm corn tortillas or over rice.

Mark Bittman, New York Times

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa
• Salt
• 1/4 cup chopped almonds
• 2 tablespoons minced shallots
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Lemon wedges for serving

Preparation

Put the quinoa, a large pinch of salt and 2 1/4 cups water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, and then adjust the heat so that the mixture bubbles gently. Cover, and cook, stirring once, until the grains are very tender and begin to burst, 25 to 30 minutes. When they are starchy and thick, transfer them to a large bowl to cool for a few minutes.

Heat the oven to 200. Fold the almonds, shallots, rosemary and mustard into the quinoa, and add a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper. With your hands, form the mixture into 8 patties.

Put 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is warm, cook 4 cakes at a time until the bottoms are nicely browned and crisp, about 4 minutes. Flip, and brown on the other side, another 4 minutes. Transfer the cakes to the oven to keep warm while you cook the second batch with another tablespoon of oil. Serve with lemon wedges.

Alternatives: Instead of the almonds, shallots, rosemary and Dijon – 1/4 cup pine nuts, 1/4 cup raisins, 1/4 cup chopped parsley, and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, or – 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, 1/4 cup chopped scallions, and 1 tbsp Sriracha.

The New York Times

Ingredients

• 2 slices sourdough bread
• 1 tablespoon butter, divided
• ½ large yellow onion, thinly sliced
• ½ tablespoon chopped rosemary
• a ripe pear, thinly sliced
• 4 large slices of brie
• 2 slices bacon, cooked until crispy

Preparation

Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Melt butter and add onions and rosemary. Cook, stirring only a few times until caramelized, about 20 minutes. Butter one side of each piece of bread. Lay half the cheese on the non-buttered side of one slide of bread. Add half the caramelized onions on top of the cheese. Add the pear slices on top of the onions. Add the remaining cheese slices and then the bacon and remaining onions. Top with remaining slice of bread leaving the buttered side up. Place the sandwich in a large skillet over medium-high heat, press down firmly with a spatula or heavy object to help brown the bread and melt the cheese. Cook on one side for about 3 minutes, flip and do the same on the other side. Cut in half and serve warm.

Running to the Kitchen

Ingredients

• 2 poblano peppers
• 1 head garlic
• 1 large onion olive oil
• 1 c. pistachios
• 1 lb. ground lamb
• 1 lb. ground pork
• 2 cans diced tomatoes
• 2 cans white beans
• oregano
• feta cheese

Preparation

Roast the poblanos, garlic, and onion in the oven (with some olive oil) until soft and a bit charred. Skin the poblanos. Roughly chop them up, add more olive oil, and the pistachios, and toss everything into a blender or food processor. Turn it into a paste.

Brown the ground lamb and pork in a dutch oven, and add the paste. Cook for a while. Add two cans of tomatoes, two cans of white beans, and some oregano. Simmer everything together for a while. Add feta and serve.

Friends from church

Ingredients

• 1 head of cauliflower
• 1 egg
• A dollop of goat cheese
• 1/2 cup grated parm (or more)
• Salt, pepper, and any other seasoning or herb you want in the dough
• Garlic or garlic powder
• Fresh mozzarella
• Sliced tomatoes (or tomato sauce)
• Basil
• More parm, to sprinkle on top (or whatever toppings instead of these last four)

Preparation

First, grind up the cauliflower in your food processor. Don’t have a food processor? That’s fine, you can use a box grater, though it will take more time.

Next, cook the cauliflower—you can heat it up in your microwave for 5 minutes, or cook it (for that same amount of time) with a little bit of water in a pot or pan. After it cools (you can put it in the fridge to speed along this process) place it into a piece of cheesecloth and wring every last drop of water out of it. This is important!

Now you have a nice ball of dry cauliflower “flour,” which you will mix with one egg, a dollop of goat cheese, a half a cup or so of grated parm, and any seasoning you want. Honestly, once you have the egg and cauliflower in there, you don’t have to be exact in what type or how much cheese to add.

Once that’s done, form it into a pizza crust and bake at 425ºF for about 10 minutes (until it starts to get golden). Do this on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, and WITHOUT any toppings.

Remove your dough from the oven and add your toppings (we recommend putting a little garlic powder on the dough before you start topping it—cauliflower has a pretty bland taste, so don’t be afraid to season). Then return it to the oven to cook for another 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted.

Gothamist

Ingredients

• 4 scallions, whites and greens separated, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
• 2 teaspoons Sichuan peppercorns, ground
• 12 ounces thin ramen noodles or spaghettini
• Kosher salt
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
• 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Preparation

Cook scallion whites, vegetable oil, red pepper flakes, sesame seeds, and pepper in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally, until oil is sizzling and scallions are golden brown, 12-15 minutes; let chili oil cool in saucepan.

Meanwhile, cook noodles in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente; drain. Rinse under cold water and drain well.

Whisk tahini, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and 2-3 tablespoons chili oil (depending on desired heat) in a large bowl; season with salt. Add noodles and toss to coat. Top with scallion greens and drizzle with more chili oil.

Bon Appetit, June 2013

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 4 chicken quarters
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 2 tbsp. cilantro
• 3/4 c. chicken stock
• 1 preserved lemon
• salt pepper

Preparation

Heat the oil in a tagine on medium. Fry the onion and garlic for 3-4 minutes without coloring. Cut the chicken quarters into two pieces each. Add to the tagine and brown, turning frequently. Lower heat if necessary. Add turmeric, 1 tbsp. cilantro, stock, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer. Rinse the preserved lemon, discard the pulp, and cut the peel into thin strips. Stir into the chicken. Cover the tagine and simmer for 2-2 1/2 hours. Remove the lid and, if needed, boil rapidly for a few minutes to thicken. Garnish with remaining cilantro.

Le Creuset tagine booklet