A Simple Stir Fry

By Steph Farrar

I can't seem to say goodbye to summer. It's certainly having difficulty leaving us, based on the current temperature in late October. But I won't complain. Instead of zucchini, I'll have apples and persimmons. And those will do just fine by me.

I'd like to endlessly agree with my partner, Sierra, on the great anticipation of things to come. There's an urgency present as the year begins to wind down into the Holidays; there's a magic pulse pushing its impatience on me. There's the yoga I should be doing to relax, yet I tend to pour that third cup of coffee instead. And often, in lieu of sitting down to write, I look around our beautiful home and realize I will always want to update, change or buy something to improve it. I'm dying to plant a million new flowers and trees in the backyard, and elevate Sam's studio into a botanist's dreamscape. There will always being something to distract me. Always. So take it easy girl. One day at a time. Rome wasn't... yada yada yada.

Shredding.

A few weeks back, Sierra and I visited a dear friend at her newly renovated home, brought three bottles of wine and some groceries for this simple stir fry. Needless to say, three bottles wasn't enough.

I'm serious. And this was on a Monday. (cut to: the reason I no longer imbibe during the week, unless on vacation, a special occasion or a wrecked day deserves a kick back).

All the ingredients you need!

The early evening quickly took a turn for a late night hang and three girls devouring not only the stir fry, but each other's presence and conversation. This is, literally, besides my family, what I live for. Bringing friends together in a comfortable atmosphere, kicking off our shoes, sipping on something delicious and letting our mouths and minds wander free. To gather, to converse, to share, to let it all out. This is everything to me.

Which is the basis for our collective anticipation of such amazing things to come for French and Farrar. This is what we do... and what we should all do more often. Get together. Cook. Drink. Chat. Repeat.

This is the exact kind of "one grocery bag" meal that makes dinner so much more than just about the food.

Simple Stir Fry

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. chicken, sliced into either thin strips or small cubes, or you can cook the breasts and cut after

• 1 red pepper, thinly sliced

• 3 carrots, peeled and cut 1/4 inch, or shredded (my preference)

• 1/2 head of green cabbage, thinly sliced

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1/4 cup soy sauce

• 1/3 cup teriyaki sauce (optional)

• 1/4 tsp ground or dried ginger

• 1/4 cup chopped scallions

• olive oil (or canola)

Directions:

Combine soy and teriyaki sauces in a bowl, add garlic and ginger. Add the chicken to the bowl and let marinate for at least ten minutes in the fridge. The longer the better.

Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Add chicken and let cook through, about 3-4 minutes, stirring. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

Add carrots and red pepper to the pan and let soak up the juices. Cook, stirring for about 5 minutes. Add cabbage, and any remaining sauce unused from the marinade bowl.

If you want more sauce, just add soy and teriyaki in small amounts, testing it along the way. Throw the chicken in and let it all mold together, stirring often. until soft, but still painting a light crunch.

Remove from heat and serve with chopped scallions. Serve over rice if you desire or with a dash of red pepper flakes, but it certainly doesn't need it.

I can eat this five nights a week.

Pancetta Leek Rice with 5 Minute Egg

By Steph Farrar

When I first started following food blogs, I ran across a Los Angeles based blog called Cozy Kitchen, and was immediately drawn to Adrianna's light sense of humor and addiction to her kitchen. One of the first posts I salivated over was her Ginger Fried Rice. So I decided to try it. My first note: remember how difficult I said it was to bread and fry a soft boiled egg. Just saying it now.

We were visiting my in-laws for a weekend at the beach, where the light is second to none. I've since bought a new camera, but I think I could've used a disposable one and the photos would still look effortless. I cannot say the same thing for the eggs.

Leeks, onions, ginger and garlic

I'm always trying to impress Pearlie, Sam's mother. She and I are very close, and I'm very lucky to have a "Mum"-in-law who I not only get along with, but who I genuinely love. She will be reading this. I swear I'm not lying though. Sam's folks do so much for us... one of the few things I can do for them is fix a nice dinner. Pearlie is an exceptional cook, but definitely deserves a break from the kitchen every now and then. She cooks nearly every meal at home.

Clean your leeks, chop your onions

Everything's blue and white in this kitchen

I poured Pealie a heaping glass of her infamous Woodbridge Chardonnay, myself something red, made Poppy and Sam and Key Lime Martini and got to work emulating this heavenly Fried Rice. First you must fry up the diced garlic and ginger, to top the rice at the last minute. The crunch is a necessity.

Fried fried

I added the pancetta and additional onion to the original recipe. I am never sorry about pancetta. The rest I'll leave to the recipe. You could add nearly any vegetable you'd like to this rice, as long as the egg is soft boiled to perfection and oozes over the entire bowl, which as I said, is tricky. Make sure you transfer those soft boiled eggs to a bowl of cold water. Peeling will be much easier. Might want to make a few extra, in case of disaster.

Breading station

Pancetta Leek Fried Rice with Five Minute Egg

adapted from Cozy Kitchen's Ginger Fried Rice

Ingredients:

Rice: 

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

• 2 tablespoons minced garlic

• 2 tablespoons minced ginger

• 2 cups thinly sliced leeks, white and light green parts only, rinsed and dried

• 1 cup diced pancetta

• 1/2 cup diced baby onion, white and green parts only

• 4 cups day-old cooked rice, preferably jasmine, at room temperature

• 3 teaspoons soy sauce

• Salt

5-Minute Fried Egg:

• 5 large eggs, divided

• 1/4 cup buttermilk, shaken

• 1 teaspoon Sriracha

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 cup panko bread crumbs

• Salt

Directions:

In a large skillet, heat 1/4 cup oil over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp and brown. With a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels and salt lightly.

Reduce heat under skillet to medium-low and add pancetta. Let it crisp up for a few minutes.  Add onions and leeks. Cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until very tender but not browned. Season lightly with salt.

Raise heat to medium and add rice. Add soy sauce, stirring well and cooking, until heated through and lightly crispy. Season to taste with salt. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Using a spoon, gently lower 4 eggs into the water and then bring the heat down to medium, so the water reaches a simmer. Start the timer and set it to 5 minutes. When the timer goes off, transfer the eggs to cold water and gently peel. This is the hardest part. Be careful and take your time!

Add 3 inches of oil to a cast iron skillet and heat oil to 400F. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, beat together the remaining egg, buttermilk and Sriracha. Add the flour to a shallow dish. On a medium plate, toss together the panko and teaspoon of salt.

Start with rolling the egg gently in the flour, dusting off any excess. Next, transfer the egg to the egg/buttermilk mixture and then place it atop the panko mixture, sprinkling the mixture on top of the egg, being sure it’s evenly coated. Gently drop the into the hot oil and cook on each side, about 30 seconds and until lightly browned. Transfer to a paper towel to drain. Repeat process with the remaining eggs.

Divide rice among four dishes. Top each with an egg and sprinkle crisped garlic and ginger over everything and serve.