A Late Lunch

I am really not a huge fan of sandwiches, unless they are those time-consuming ones made on artisan bread, smeared with fig jam and goat cheese, and stuffed with arugula or some such. But even those can get tiresome after awhile. My real preference is a hot lunch, made with leftovers, especially when I can recreate them into something new. Today I did just that; with a few slices of bacon, a couple of eggs, some cold leftover rice, a handful of frozen peas and some sliced scallions, I made fried rice.

This is a great way to use up leftover rice, because it needs to be made using cold rice, so that the grains do not break apart and become gummy. Adding some bacon (and cooking the eggs in the bacon fat), imparts a delicious smokiness that adds depth of flavor. A drizzle of dark sesame oil and tamari (soy) sauce finishes the dish. This makes a quick and tasty lunch...or you could even eat it for breakfast (it does have bacon and eggs, after all).

Quick Fried Rice
serves 2

3 slices of bacon (chopped)
2 eggs
1 T vegetable oil
5 scallions, sliced diagonally
2 C cold, leftover rice
a handful of frozen peas
a drizzle of dark sesame oil (about 1 t)
a drizzle of tamari (about 1 T)

Add bacon to a heavy bottomed saucepan and fry, over medium high heat until fat is rendered and bacon is beginning to crisp. Remove from pan and drain out all but 1 T of fat. Crack eggs into hot pan and using spatula, break up yolks and scramble eggs until no longer shiny. Remove from pan and set aside. Add 1 T of vegetable oil to pan along with the scallions and stir fry for one minute. Add rice and stir fry for about 3 minutes, or until rice is heated through. Add peas, eggs and bacon and continue to cook for 2 minutes more. Drizzle with sesame oil and tamari. Top with some of your leftover crispy kale (optional).