Easy Pork Fried Rice

Running out the door one night last week on a mission to get ingredients for my must-have chocolate-peanut butter mousse tart, I needed to find a quick dinner idea. I flipped the March issue of Everyday Food to the one page I had dog-eared and found a recipe for pork fried rice. I added ginger, scallions, and ground pork to my shopping list and flew out the door.

In between making the components of the tart, I threw this dinner together with ease. I put some rice in the rice cooker and then prepped all the ingredients -- cracking the eggs into one dish and lightly beating them with a little soy sauce; filling another dish with minced garlic, minced ginger, and chopped scallion whites; chopping the scallion greens and setting them aside; and making sure I had the other ingredients at the ready.

Usually when I make fried rice, I just scramble the eggs and then stir the rice in, but this recipe has you make a little omelet, which you then cut into pieces and stir into the rice. It was kind of interesting having the larger chunks of egg in there.

Pork Fried Rice (adapted from Everyday Food, March 2011)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 tablespoons plus 1/4 teaspoon soy sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon minced and peeled fresh ginger
1 bunch scallions, white and green parts separated, thinly sliced (I did not use nearly all of the green parts)
1/2 pound ground pork
2 cups cooked white rice (about 3/4 cup uncooked rice)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar

Preparation

In large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over high heat. In a small bowl, lightly beat eggs with 1/4 teaspoon soy sauce. Pour eggs into skillet and let cook undisturbed until almost set, about 1 minute.

Fold the omelet in thirds with a spatula, and then transfer it to a cutting board and cut it in 1/2-inch pieces.

Add 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet, and swirl to coat. Add ginger, garlic, and scallion whites, and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds.

Add the pork and cook, making sure to break up the pork, for about 3 minutes, or until no longer pink.

Stir in the rice, cooked egg, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, and rice vinegar. Cook and stir until rice is completely coated with sauce. Then let cook undisturbed for 1 minute. (The rice got crispy from cooking this way, which I liked but Jeff didn't. So if you don't like crispy rice, just keep stirring for this last minute.)

Top with scallion greens, and serve.

We tend to make stir fries and fried rice when we need a quick meal. What's your go-to?

Got any big plans this weekend?

Saus -- Bringing Belgian Street Food To Boston

If you heard a new restaurant was opening up and all it was serving were fries and waffles, would you go? I wouldn't have to think twice. And I shouldn't say just fries and waffles -- fries, waffles, and a crazy variety of dipping sauces! That is exactly what Saus does... and does well.

"Part classic Americana, part authentic European, Saus takes the best of both worlds by fusing traditional made-to-order pommes frites (Belgian fries) with an ecelectic menu of dipping sauces." -Saus website

On Thursday night, I met up with a group of friends at Saus to sample some of those made-to-order pommes frites and dipping sauces. I trekked over after work, hopping from the redline to the sardine-packed greenline, tumbling out of the train at Haymarket, and meandering my way to Union Street.

I knew Saus occupied a very small spot on the street and walked slowly so as not to miss it. I caught sight of the sign over the doorway, the chalkboard menu in the front window, and then Daisy, Michelle, and Meghan inside.

While we waited for everyone else to gather (Lizzy, Rachel, Bridget, Elizabeth, and Bianca), we snapped some pictures of the interior and talked with Chin, who is one of the owners and also a former Flour coworker.

Chin explained that the comics on the walls are a tribute to Belgium. Even the Smurfs originated there.

The restaurant is small, with a long bench and row of two-tops as well as a large community table for seating.

Some of these photos are of Belgium while others are of the Freedom Trail. The photos give the sense of connection -- bringing a little Brussels to Boston.

We all bought some sodas in preparation for the frites to come -- Saus offers Virgil's root beer and cream soda and Boylan's ginger ale, as well as a number of other soft drinks, coffee, and iced tea. I hadn't had cream soda in years, so I went for one of those. While they do want to serve Belgian beer eventually, it's not an option yet.

Once everyone got there, Chin brought us out two cones of fries and one of every dipping sauce Saus offered.

These ranged from Saturday night chive to presto pesto to truffle ketchup. All of the sauces are bold and flavorful, so if you're ordering a sauce with your favorite flavors, you will really taste those flavors.

The Pegasaus, a special, made with feta, was my favorite sauce of the night. The cheddar and Duvel ale, which had just the right proportions of cheddar and ale, was another of my favorites. And I, of course, loved the bacon parmesan sauce.

We went through those two cones pretty quickly, snacking and dipping and deciding which sauces we liked best, so Chin brought over two more cones. And then we started talking with him about the deep-fried egg option, so he brought us over another cone of fries with the egg on top.

After we all got pictures of this interesting combo, we nominated Bianca to break into it.

As she pulled the egg apart, the yolk immediately starting running out onto the fries below. I liked these eggy fries best with the truffle ketchup.

We took a little breather and chatted and caught up with each other for a bit, and then Renee, another of the owners, brought us some waffles to try. The waffles are Belgian liege waffles, which are prepared with a dough rather than a batter, and they have pearl sugar mixed in for added crunch. They are also served in adorable dishes. I told you in my post about Towne that I don't normally order things like waffles when I go out because I can make them at home... well, these are worth ordering out!

The first one came with the berry berry sauce.

The next one had the salted caramel sauce.

And the last one was topped with lemon cream. Renee also brought out some containers of each sauce, so I ended up dipping the waffle topped with lemon cream into the berry berry sauce. It was the perfect combination.

We all had a wonderful time catching up over fries, waffles, and soft drinks, and I can't wait to get back to Saus... especially if that Pegasaus is still on the menu! The restaurant has a very relaxed, casual vibe, and I can see it being a hot spot for the late-night bar crowd.

In my opinion, it's also a great place to grab a late-afternoon or after-work snack with friends.

Our food was complimentary, but as always, my opinions are my own.

Would you get frites or waffles? And which sauce would you most like to try?

 

Creamy Tomato Soup With Grilled Cheddar, Basil, And Bacon Sandwiches

It's such a cliche, but there's really not much that beats a cup of tomato soup and a hot grilled cheese sandwich on a cold day. Don't you agree?

This particular version comes from Will Gilson at Garden at the Cellar, who uses Muir Glen tomatoes to get fresh, vibrant tomato flavor into the soup in the midst of winter. The soup is creamy and gets an added bit of flavor from some Parmesan stirred in after the tomatoes have simmered with the onions and garlic.

I put a little of my own spin on the soup and grilled cheese by adding bacon to both, but those of you who don't eat meat can just leave that out.

I feel silly giving you a grilled cheese recipe since it's so easy to make, so just make your favorite version to accompany the soup. My grilled cheese sandwiches are made on plain-old Wonder bread with cheddar cheese, crispy bacon, and a couple basil leaves tucked inside.

Creamy Tomato Soup (recipe from Chef Will Gilson of Garden at the Cellar)

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 14.5-ounce cans Muir Glen diced tomatoes (preferably Meridian Ruby)
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Crumbled bacon (for garnish)
Chiffonade-cut basil (for garnish)

Preparation

In a medium saucepan heat olive oil, onions, and garlic over medium heat until onions are soft and translucent, 5 to 10 minutes.

Reduce heat to low, and add tomatoes with their juices. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat, and stir in whipping cream, Parmesan cheese, basil, salt, and pepper.

Pour soup into food processor, and process until smooth. Serve topped with crumbled bacon and basil.

The best way to enjoy this? Cut the sandwiches in wedges and dip them in the soup!

Are you a fan of grilled cheese and tomato soup?