by Wilbur, Todd
2. Heat I tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the red and green bell peppers, and onion. Stir in the cumin, ¾ teaspoon salt, ¾ teaspoon ground black pepper, Italian seasoning, and cayenne pepper. Saute the vegetables for 8 minutes, stirring often.
3. When peppers and onion have sautéed for 8 minutes, add the can of diced tomatoes, including the liquid to the skillet. Add the shrimp, garlic and lime juice. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring often.
4. Use a thick hot pad to carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven. Pour the entire contents of the dish into the hot skillet, then arrange the potato wedges around the edge of the dish. Quickly sprinkle crumbled ranchero or cotija cheese over the center of the dish, followed by about a tablespoon of minced fresh parsley. Serve it up immediately—while it’s still sizzling.
• Serves 2,
TONY ROMA’S BLUE RIDGE SMOKIES SAUCE
Of the four famous barbecue sauces served on those delicious, tender ribs at Tony Roma’s, this is the only one that wasn’t cloned in the first restaurant book, Top Secret Restaurant Recipes. This sweet, smoky sauce is great on pork spareribs cooked with the Tony Roma’s clone recipe in that book, or you can use either of the techniques found in this book: for Chili’s Baby Backs on page 123, and for Roadhouse Grill Baby Backs on page 359. Or you can use the sauce on a recipe of your own for pork or beef ribs, even chicken. Now Tony Roma’s sells each of its four sauces at the restaurant chain, separately, or in gift sets. But if you don’t have a Tony Roma’s close by, or you just like to dabble, this is a good way to get that one-of-a-kind barbecue taste at home.
1 cup ketchup
1 cup red wine vinegar
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup molasses
1½ teaspoons liquid hickory
smoke
½ teaspoon salt
rounded ¼ teaspoon ground black
pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder
1. Combine all of the ingredients in a medium saucepan over high heat, and whisk until smooth.
2. Bring sauce to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes or until sauce has thickened.
• MAKES 1½ CUPS.
TONY ROMA’S BAKED POTATO SOUP
MENU DESCRIPTION: “A house specialty full of baked potatoes and topped with cheddar cheese, bacon and green onions.”
The thick-and-creamy texture and rich taste of Tony Roma’s best-selling soup is duplicated with a little flour, some half-and-half, and most notably, instant mashed potatoes. Give yourself an hour to bake the potatoes and around 30 minutes to prepare the soup. Garnish each serving with shredded cheese, crumbled bacon and green onions, and then humbly await your due praise.
2 medium russet potatoes
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup diced white onion
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
¼ cup cornstarch
1 ½ cups instant mashed
potatoes, dry
1 teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon dried basil
⅛ teaspoon dried thyme
I cup half-and-half
GARNISH
½ cup shredded Cheddar cheese
¼ cup crumbled cooked bacon
2 green onions, chopped
(green part only)
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake the potatoes for I hour or until done. When potatoes have cooked remove them from the oven to cool.
2. As potatoes cool, prepare soup by melting butter in a large saucepan, and saute onion until light brown. Add the flour to the onion and stir to make a roux.
3. Add broth, water, cornstarch, mashed potato flakes, and spices to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out contents with a large spoon. Discard skin. Chop baked potato with a large knife to make chunks that are about ½-inch in size.
5. Add chopped baked potato and half-and-half to the saucepan, bring soup back to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer the soup for another 15 minutes or until it is thick.
6. Spoon about 1 ½ cups of soup into a bowl and top with about a tablespoon of shredded Cheddar cheese, a half tablespoon of crumbled bacon and a teaspoon or so of chopped green onion. Repeat for remaining servings.
• SERVES 6 TO 8.
TONY ROMA’S MAPLE SWEET POTATOES
Here’s a clone for a new menu item at Tony Roma’s that’s served alongside the Carolina Honeys BBQ Salmon (cloned in the following recipe on page 387). With maple syrup, cinnamon and pecans in there, this is a great new way for you to easily prepare sweet potatoes that everyone at the table will surely scarf down with unbridled glee.
1 large sweet potato
1 tablespoon butter
¼ of a white onion, chopped
(about ½ cup)
3 tablespoons finely chopped
pecans
3 tablespoons maple syrup
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1. Bake sweet potato for 40 to 45 minutes at 400 degrees. This will bake the potato nearly all the way through, while still leaving it firm enough to slice when cool. Remove the sweet potato from the oven and let it cool so that you can handle it. When the sweet potato has cooled, remove the skin and slice it into 1 -inch bite-size cubes.
2. Melt I tablespoon of butter in a large skillet. Add onion and pecans and saute for a couple minutes or until onion begins to brown.
3. Add cubed sweet potato, maple syrup and cinnamon and saute for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often, or until the sweet potato pieces are hot and tender.
• SERVES 2 TO 4.
TONY ROMA’S CAROLINA HONEYS BBQ SALMON
Take one of Tony Roma’s famous sauces, brush it over some grilled salmon and you’ve got a bravo moment. But it’s not just about saucing up the fish. The salmon is first rubbed with a secret seasoning blend before it’s grilled. The sauce doesn’t appear in the show until the end. For your encore, serve this dish along with the preceding recipe for Maple Sweet Potatoes (page 386) on the side just like in the restaurant, and absorb the applause.
SAUCE
1 cup ketchup
1 cup white vinegar
½ cup molasses
½ cup honey
1 teaspoon liquid hickory smoke
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon Tabasco pepper
sauce
SEASONING
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 6-ounce salmon fillets (without
skin)
canola or olive oil nonstick spray
1. Combine all ingredients for the sauce in a saucepan over medium/high heat. Blend the ingredients with a whisk until smooth. When the mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes or until mixture thickens. Remove from heat.
2. Combine all ingredients for seasoning in a small bowl. Preheat barbecue or indoor grill to high heat.
3. Sprinkle seasoning lightly over both sides of the salmon, spray each fillet lightly with olive or canola oil nonstick spray. Grill the salmon for about 3 minutes then rotate it 90 degrees to make criss-crossing grill marks. Grill for another 3 minutes then turn the salmon over for 3 minutes and rotate it again to make criss-crossing grill marks on that side. Grill until done. Remove salmon fillets from the grill, brush with the sauce and serve.
• SERVES 4.
WAFFLE HOUSE WAFFLES
It was two friendly Atlanta, Georgia, neighbors who got together in 1955 to build the first Waffle House in their eventual 1,479-restaurant chain. With the dimpled breakfast hotcake as
a signature item (and this is 3 years before IHOP was founded!), the privately held chain grew into 20 Southern U.S. states. Today tasty food at rock-bottom prices, plus 24-hour-a-day service, makes Waffle House a regular stop for devoted customers any time of the day or night. And don’t even think about referring to your server as a waitress; they’re called “associates.”
For the best clone of the 50-year-old secret formula for these waffles you really should chill this batter overnight in the fridge as they do in each of the restaurants. But hey, sometimes you just can’t wait. If you need instant gratification, the recipe still works fine if you cook up the waffles the same day. At least wait for 15 to 20 minutes after you make the batter so that it can rest and thicken a bit. That’ll give you time to dust off the waffle iron and heat it up.
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 egg
½ cup plus I tablespoon
granulated sugar
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons vegetable
shortening
½ cup half-and-half
½ cup milk
¼ cup buttermilk
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Combine flour, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl. Stir to combine.
2. Lightly beat the egg in another medium bowl. Add the sugar, butter, and shortening and mix well with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the half-and-half, milk, buttermilk and vanilla. Mix well.
3. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture while beating. Mix only briefly. It’s okay if there are small lumps in the batter since over beating could produce waffles that are too tough.
4. Cover and chill overnight. (You can use batter right away if you like, but a good 12-hour chill makes a better batter.)
5. Rub a light coating of vegetable oil on your waffle iron or use a non-stick oil spray. Preheat the waffle iron. Leave the batter out of the refrigerator to warm up a bit as your waffle iron is preheating.
6. Spoon ⅓ to ½ cup of batter into the waffle iron and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until the waffles are brown.
• MAKES 6 WAFFLES.
TRADEMARKS
Applebee’s is a registered trademark of Applebee’s International, Inc.
Benihana is a registered trademark of Benihana, Inc.
Bennigan’s is a registered trademark of S&A Restaurant Corp.
Best Foods and Hellman’s are registered trademarks of Unilever.
Buffalo Wild Wings is a registered trademark of Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar
California Pizza Kitchen is a registered trademark of California Pizza Kitchen, Inc.
Carrabba’s is a registered trademark of Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Inc.
The Cheesecake Factory, Sweet Corn Tamale Cakes, Bang-Bang Chicken & Shrimp, and White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle are registered trademarks of The Cheesecake Factory, Inc.
Chevys is a registered trademark of Chevys, Inc.
Chili’s, Romano’s Macaroni Grill, and Penne Rustica are registered trademarks of Brinker International.
Claim Jumper is a registered trademark of Claim Jumper Restaurants LLC.
Denny’s is a registered trademark of DFO, Inc.
Hard Rock Cafe is a registered trademark of Hard Rock Cafe International, Inc.
Houston’s is a registered trademark of Hillstone Restaurant Group.
IHOP Country Griddle Cakes, and Harvest Grain ’N Nut are registered trademarks of IHOP Corp.
Islands is a registered trademark of Islands Restaurants.
Joe’s Crab Shack is a registered trademark of Landry’s Restaurants, Inc.
Lone Star Steakhouse is a registered trademark of Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon, Inc.
Margaritaville is a registered trademark of Margantaville Restaurants.
Marie Callender’s is a registered trademark of Marie Callender Pie Shops, Inc.
Mimi’s Cafe is a registered trademark of SWH Corporation.
Olive Garden and Red Lobster are registered trademarks of Darden Concepts, Inc.
Original Pancake House is a registered trademark of Original Pancake House Franchising, Inc,
Outback Steakhouse, Kookaburra Wings, Cinnamon Apple Oblivion, and Sydney’s Sinful Sundae are registered trademarks of Outback Steakhouse, Inc.
P F Chang’s is a registered trademark of P F. Chang’s China Bistro, Inc.
Red Robin and Banzai Burger are registered trademarks of Red Robin International, Inc.
Roadhouse Grill is a registered trademark of Roadhouse Grill, Inc.
Ruby Tuesday is a registered trademark of Ruby Tuesday, Inc.
T.G.I. Friday’s is a registered trademark of T.G.I. Friday’s, Inc.
Tony Roma’s, Blue Ridge Smokies, and Carolina Honeys are registered trademarks of NPC International, Inc.
Waffle House is a registered trademark of Waffle House, Inc.
INDEX
Applebee’s Almond Rice P laf
Applebee’s Baked French Onion Soup
Applebee’s Bourbon Street Steak
Applebee’s Chicken Fajita Rollup
Applebee’s Crispy Orange Chicken Bowl
Applebee’s Honey Grilled Salmon
Applebee s Mud Slide.
Applebees Onion Peels
Applebee’s Perfect Apple Margarita
Applebee’s Perfect Sunrise
Applebee’s Santa Fe Chicken Salad.
Applebee’s Tequila Lme Chicken
Applebee’s White Chocolate & Walnut Blondie
Benihana G nger Salad Dressing.
Benihana Japanese Ontor Soup
Benihana Mandann Orange Cheesecake
Bennigan’s The Monte Cristo.
Buffalo Wild Wings Buffalo Wings and Sauces.
California Pizza Kitchen California Club Pizza
California Pizza Kitchen California Cosmo.
California Pizza Kitchen Jama can Jerk Chicken Pizza
Cal fornia Pizza Kitchen Thai Crunch Salad
Carrabba’s Bread Dipping Blend
Carrabba’s Chicken Marsala
Carraboa’s House Sa’ad Dressing (Creamy Parmesan).
Cheesecake Factory, Barg-Bang Chicken & Shr mp
Cheesecake Factory Chicken Madeica
Cheesecake Factory, Mini Crabcakes
Cheesecake Factory Original Cheesecake
Cheesecake Factory, Sweet Corn Tama e Cakes
Cheesecake Factory. White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cheesecake
Chevys Chile Con Queso
Chevys Flan.
Chevys Fresh Salsa
Chevys Garlic Masned Potatoes
Chevys Mango Salsa
Chevys Sweet Corn Tomalito
Chili’s Boneless Buffalo Wings.
Chris Boneless Shanghai Wings.
Chili’s Chicken Crispers
Chili’s Chicken Erch lada Soup
Chili’s Chili Queso
Chili’s Chocolate Chip Paradise P.e.
Chil’s Grilled Baby Back Ros
Chili’s Honey Mustard Dressing
Chili’s Lettuce Wraps.
Chli’s Molter Chocolate Cake
Chili s Salsa
Chili’s Southwestern Eggiolls
Chili’s Southwestern Vegetable Soup
Claim Jumper Cheese Potatocakes.
Claim Jumper Fire-Roasted Artichoke
Claim Jumper Garlic Cheese Bread.
Claim Jumper Meatloaf
Claim Jumper Spicy Thai Slaw
Denny’s BBQ Chicken Sandwich
Denny’s Club Sandwich
Denny’s Fabulous French Toast
Hard Rock Cafe Bar-B-Que Beans
Hard Rock Cafe Coleslaw
Hard Rock Cafe Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Hard Rock Cafe Pig Sandwich
Houston’s Chicago-Style Spinach Dip
Houston’s Coleslaw