Classic Crocker recipe gets makeover
Back in 1969, the celebrated culinary adviser Betty Crocker included this easy stir fry in the latest cookbook to appear under her name. She was a made-up person, the titular adviser to consumers who sought help from the U.S. flour company General Mills.
Beginning in 1950, Betty’s cookbooks were big sellers. The recent publication of Betty Crocker Lost Recipes: Beloved Vintage Recipes for Today’s Kitchens (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/Raincoast, $35) contains more than 120 of the most popular dishes, modernized with more fresh ingredients than the originals.
Fresh ginger, mushrooms and a mango are used along with cooked, canned and frozen ingredients. It’s a handy recipe to use when you have cooked pork and rice on hand. It takes 25 minutes to make, from start to serving time. Texas hash, pigs in blankets, Manhattan clam chowder and chicken chop suey are equally fast and easy suggestions, thanks to combinations of fresh, cooked and commercially prepared foods. Homey anecdotes accompany each recipe.
MANGO PORK FRIED RICE
Serves: 8 1 tbsp (15 mL) vegetable oil
1 cup (250 mL) sliced, fresh mushrooms
(3 oz/85 g)
1 tbsp (15 mL) finely chopped fresh ginger root 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
3/4 cup (175 mL) diced cooked pork
1 can (8 oz/227 g) sliced water chestnuts, drained 6 green onions, about 1/3 cup (80 mL) sliced 3 cups (750 mL) cold cooked rice
1 cup (250 mL) frozen green peas, thawed
2 tsp (10 mL) reducedsodium soy sauce Freshly ground pepper 1 large mango, peeled, diced (1-1/2 cups/
375 mL)
1. In a wok or large frying pan, heat 1 1/2 tsp (7.5 mL) of the oil over mediumhigh heat until hot. Cook mushrooms, ginger and garlic, stirring until mushrooms are tender, two to three minutes.
2. Add pork, water chestnuts and green onions and continue cooking just until heated through. Transfer mixture to a plate, cover and keep warm.
3. Add remaining 1 1/2 tsp (7.5 mL) of the oil to the wok or pan and, when hot, add rice and peas. Cook, stirring, for three minutes.
4. Stir in soy sauce and pepper to taste. Add pork mixture and mango and cook, stirring, for two minutes, or until heated through.