Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 (10 page)

SPICY PEANUT SAUCE

½ cup crunchy peanut butter
6
tablespoons hoisin sauce
2
tablespoons soy sauce
2
tablespoons rice vinegar
2
tablespoons light brown sugar
1
tablespoon chili sauce
(or chili-garlic sauce)
1
teaspoon sesame oil
½
teaspoon minced ginger
½ cup water

 

2 to 3 cups vegetable oil or
vegetable shortening
8 wonton wrappers
I handful bean threads
4 small skinless chicken breast
fillets
I cup cooked edamame
1 cup unsalted peanuts
12 cups chopped napa cabbage,
chopped (I large head)
2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
2 cups shredded or julienned
carrot
I cup julienned cucumber
4 green onions, chopped
(green part only)

1. Make lime-cilantro dressing by combining all ingredients in a blender on high speed for 20 seconds, or until cilantro is chopped fine but not entirely pureed. Cover and chill.

2. Make spicy peanut sauce by combining all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium/low heat. Heat until sauce is hot, but not boiling, and sugar is dissolved. Pour mixture into a blender and blend for about 20 seconds. Cover and chill.

3. Flatten chicken breasts by covering them with plastic wrap and pounding them thin with a kitchen mallet. Rub oil on each breast, sprinkle each with a little salt and pepper, and grill for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until done. Wrap and chill the cooked chicken.

4. Make crispy wontons by heating 2 cups of vegetable shortening or oil in a medium saucepan to 375 degrees. Slice a stack of 8 wonton wrappers into ¼-inch wide strips. Slice those strips in half. Fry them in hot oil for about 30 seconds or until light brown. Drain on paper towels.

5. Fry a big handful of beans threads in hot oil for about 10 seconds or until they float to the top of the oil. Drain on paper towels.

6. Cook edamame following the directions on the package. If the soybeans are in the pods, remove them and chill the beans after they have cooked.

7. Toast the peanuts by heating them up in a skillet over medium/ low heat for 3 to 4 minutes or just until they start to brown. Immediately remove them from the heat so that they don’t burn.

8. Now you’re ready to build the salads. For each serving, combine 3 cups napa cabbage, ½ cup red cabbage, ½ cup carrot, ¼ cup cucumber, ¼ cup edamame, ¼ cup toasted peanuts, ¼ cup crispy wontons, and a couple tablespoons of chopped green onion in a large bowl. Thinly slice a cold chicken breast into bite-size pieces and add it to the salad. Pour 4 to 5 tablespoons of cilantro-lime dressing over the salad and toss well.

9. Carefully pour tossed salad onto a serving plate. Sprinkle about ½ cup crispy bean threads on top of the salad.

10. Spoon spicy peanut sauce into a squirt bottle and squirt the sauce in a sweeping motion over the top of the salad. Repeat for remaining servings.

PIZZA DOUGH

¾
cup worm water
(105 to 115 degrees)
1½ teaspoons yeast
2
teaspoons granulated sugar
I ¾ cups bread flour
I
teaspoon salt

 

2 chicken breasts, pounded thin
olive oil cooking spray
2 cups shredded mozzarella
cheese
½
cup cooked thick bacon,
crumbled (about 6 slices)
2
tablespoons olive oil

 

3
cups chopped iceberg lettuce
1
cup chopped romaine lettuce
4
tablespoons mayonnaise
2
large roma tomatoes, sliced into
8 slices each
1
avocado, sliced into 16 slices

1. Make the pizza dough by dissolving yeast and granulated sugar in ¾ cup warm water in a small bowl or glass measuring cup. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes or until it gets foamy on top.

2. Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a depression in the flour and pour the yeast mixture and oil into it. Stir the liquid gradually drawing more flour into it, until you can form the dough into a ball. Use your hands to knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 10 minutes, or until the texture of the dough is smooth. Coat dough with oil, cover it and let it sit in a warm spot for 1 to 2 hours or until it doubles in size. Punch down the dough, cover it again and let it sit for 24 to 48 hours in your fridge.

3. Cover chicken breasts and pound them to about ½-inch thick with a kitchen mallet. Spray chicken liberally with olive oil cooking spray (or rub with olive oil), then sprinkle on some salt and pepper. Grill the chicken on a preheated grill for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until it’s done. You can also saute chicken in a skillet on your stove for 4 to 5 minutes per side or until done. Cool and chop chicken into ½-inch cubes.

4. When it gets close to pizza time, remove the dough from the refrigerator. It needs to warm up for about 2 hours before you use it. Also, place a pizza stone in your oven and crank the temperature up to 500 degrees.

5. Assemble each pizza by dividing the dough in half and rolling one half into a 10-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Place the dough onto a pizza pan or a pizza peel that will be used to slide the dough onto the hot pizza stone. Be sure to flour the pan or pizza peel liberally with flour so that the assembled pizza will slide off easily

6. Spray the pizza dough with a generous amount of olive oil spray. Spread I cup of shredded mozzarella cheese on the dough. Sprinkle half of the bacon on next, followed by half of the chicken. Slide the pizza onto the pizza stone and bake for 9 to 10 minutes or until the cheese and crust begins to brown.

7. While pizza bakes, combine 1½ cups chopped iceberg lettuce with ½ cup of chopped romaine in a bowl. Stir in 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise and mix well until all of the lettuce is coated with mayo.

8. When the pizza comes out of the oven, slice it into 8 pieces. Spoon the lettuce mixture over the top, then place a roma tomato slice on each slice of pizza. Finish off your pie by placing an avocado slice on each slice of pizza. Repeat the process for the remaining pizza.

PIZZA DOUGH

¾ cup warm water
(105 to 115 degrees)
1½ teaspoons yeast
2
teaspoons granulated sugar
1¾ cups bread flour
I teaspoon salt
2
tablespoons olive oil

CARIBBEAN SAUCE

½
cup light brown sugar
¼
cup water
¼
cup ketchup
¼ cup light corn syrup
¼
cup minced white onion
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
I teaspoon minced garlic
I
teaspoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
flakes
¼
teaspoon ground black pepper
⅛
teaspoon dried thyme
⅛ teaspoon ground allspice

JERK SEASONING

2
tablespoons light brown sugar
1½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
½
teaspoon ground paprika
½
teaspoon ground allspice

 

2
chicken breasts, pounded thin
olive oil cooking spray
I red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
2 cups plus 4 tablespoons
shredded mozzarella cheese
¼
teaspoon garlic powder
¼
teaspoon onion powder
⅛
teaspoon ground cayenne
pepper
pinch ground cinnamon

 

½ cup cooked thick bacon,
crumbled (about 6 slices)
½ cup thinly sliced white onion
2 tablespoons chopped green
onion (green part only)