Rachael Ray's Big Orange Book (25 page)

I love a farmers' omelet with peppers, onions, ham, potatoes, and cheese. Here's a twist that's supper-worthy.

SERVES 4

Spread the split muffins with half the softened butter and brown the muffin halves, cut side down, in a hot skillet over medium heat, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the muffins and reserve; wipe the crumbs from the pan.

Add the EVOO to the skillet and raise the heat a little. Add the sausage bits and cook just until crisp at the edges, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the onions, peppers, celery, and garlic to the pan and season with salt and bell pepper. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes to tenderize the vegetables, then crumble in the muffins. Moisten the stuffing with the stock and heat through, 1 to 2 minutes. Cover the stuffing with the cheese and tent the pan with aluminum foil. Turn off the heat.

Heat the remaining butter in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Beat the eggs with the hot sauce and season with salt and pepper. Scramble the eggs to your preferred degree of doneness.

Serve piles of the stuffing topped with some scrambled spicy eggs and garnish with the scallions.

Savory Sour Cream-Chive Waffles and Paprika Sausages

Because I do not bake, I always have to borrow baking powder and baking soda from my neighbors. I measure everything with my morning coffee cup and the teaspoon that I stir my first cup with. Even if you bake and have legit measuring devices on hand, you might want to refrain from using them because these waffles rule, but only if you make them my way. Serve with lingonberry syrup.

SERVES 4

Preheat a waffle iron, and preheat the oven to 200°F.

Warm the preserves in a saucepan with the cloves, cinnamon, lemon juice, and
1
⁄
3
cup water over low heat. Remove the cloves and cinnamon stick and discard. Set the syrup aside.

Mix the dry ingredients and chives in a mixing bowl and make a well in the middle. Mix the milk, sour cream, eggs, and half the melted butter together in a bowl, then pour into the well. Beat the wet ingredients into the dry with a few swift turns, but do not overmix the batter.

In a medium bowl mix the ground meat with the fennel, paprika, parsley, and grill seasoning.

Brush the waffle iron with a little of the remaining butter and cook the waffles, keeping the finished waffles warm and crisp in the oven. The batter should fill a 4-section iron 3 times, making 12 waffles.

While the waffles cook, form eight 2- to 3-inch sausage patties. Heat the EVOO in a large skillet. Add the patties to the hot skillet and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

Serve 3 waffles and 2 sausage patties per person, with lingonberry syrup drizzled over the top.

SERVES 4

Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until softened. Whisk the eggs with the salt and pepper and add to the skillet with the shallots. Stir in the crumbled Boursin and peas, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the eggs are firming up but not yet dry. Serve immediately.

Burgers have become a true passion of mine. Over the years I have become fascinated with what a burger is and what it can be. Here are my latest recipes for what I call entrée burgers. These are simple meals that often boast surprisingly sophisticated flavors. I love to entertain with my entrée burgers, and I make many of them in miniature versions as cocktail party offerings—who doesn't love a slider? Come on, think outside the bun and try a patty of something completely different!

South by Southwest 7-Layer Sliders

Based on the classic 7-layer Tex-Mex party dip, these spicy beef sliders are only 2½ inches wide but when stacked up with 6 other layers they stand tall! Inside the bun are refried beans, a spicy burger, cheese, lime guacamole, yellow mustard and yellow tomato salsa, olives, and tangy sour cream. Look for mini brioche or potato rolls if your market's bakery section does not make mini burger buns. Split packaged dinner rolls work in a pinch as well.

Each recipe yields 12 mini sliders, or 6 supper-size burgers.

MAKES 12

Heat the beans in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Thin them out with a splash of water so they can heat through without becoming pastelike.

Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Use your hands to combine the meat and chili powder, smoked paprika, grated onion, 2 cloves of garlic, grill seasoning, and beer. Score the meat into 4 portions with the side of your hand and form three 3-inch patties from each section, yielding 12 mini sliders. Drizzle EVOO over the burgers and place them in the hot skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the burgers for 6 minutes, turning once, for medium doneness. (To make a double batch, roast the burgers on a rimmed baking sheet at 375°F for 7 to 8 minutes.)