Creative and family friendly: Hot dog fried rice

Jessica Battilana recalls watching her mother paw through the pages of herSilver Palate Cookbook. During her mother’s era, this was the cookbook that home cooks relied on for classic recipes like Chicken Marbella or raspberry vinaigrette carrots. When she was drafting her cookbook, “Repertoire: All the Recipes You Need,” Battilana wanted to write recipes that people would return to again and again. The book compiles roughly 75 trustworthy and versatile recipes that can stand alone or be mixed and matched for an exceptional spread.

Battilana has been writing recipes for nearly two decades. For new or nervous cooks, Battilana’s San Francisco Chronicle column “Repertoire,” helps ease any kitchen anxiety with fun, approachable recipes. She wants to help home cooks branch out and use cooking as a creative outlet.

For her hot dog fried rice, she says the recipe is a great opportunity to clear out any scraps that might be hiding in the fridge in a kid-approved, tasty way. “I’ve tested this with many ingredients, stirring in cubed ham, leftover shredded pork, rotisserie chicken, grilled shrimp, and a panoply of vegetables ranging from broccoli and spinach to zucchini and fennel,” says Battilana. Somehow, it always works; fried rice is the great equalizer.” But she warns, “The eggs and green onions are non-negotiable, however, and that duo, along with soy sauce, is what I think really gives fried rice its signature flavor.”

Hot dog fried rice

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

4 cups cooked cooled white rice

Kosher salt

Sugar

1 cup (about 4 ounces) small broccoli florets

2 medium carrots

1/4 cup canola oil

4 green onions, thinly sliced

2 hot dogs, diced

2 eggs, beaten with a pinch of salt

1 1/2 tablespoons Golden Mountain Seasoning Sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed

1 cup spinach leaves or thinly sliced Swiss chard leaves

1/3 cup chopped cabbage kimchi (optional)

Directions

Prepare the rice: Season the rice with a generous pinch of salt and sugar.

Prepare the broccoli: Steam the broccoli and carrots just until tender; cut the broccoli florets into very small pieces and dice the carrots.

Combine hot dogs and onions: In a large frying pan over high heat, heat the oil. When the oil is hot, stir in the green onions and hot dogs and cook, stirring, until the green onions sizzle and soften and the pieces of hot dog begin to brown, about 2 minutes.

Add in more ingredients: Pour in the beaten eggs and cook, stirring with a rubber spatula, until they begin to scramble. Stir in the rice and add the seasoning sauce and soy sauce and mix to combine, then cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in the broccoli, carrots, and peas and stir to combine. Stir in the spinach and kimchi, if using, and cook, stirring, until the spinach wilts and the kimchi is heated through, 2 to 3 minutes more.

Finishing touches: Season to taste with additional salt, seasoning sauce, or soy sauce.

Excerpted from REPERTOIRE Copyright © 2018 by Jessica Battilana.

Used with permission of Little, Brown and Company, New York. All rights reserved.