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When 20-year-old Rocky Aoki came to the New York City
from Japan with his wrestling team in 1959 he was
convinced it was the land of opportunity. Just five
years later he took $10,000 he had saved plus another
$20,000 that he borrowed to open a Benihana steakhouse
on the West side of Manhattan. His concept of bringing
the chefs out from the back kitchen to prepare the food
in front of customers on a specially designed hibachi
grill was groundbreaking. The restaurant was such a smashing
success that it paid for itself within six months.
Here’s a clone recipe for the fried rice at Banihana
that is prepared by chefs with pre-cooked rice on those
open hibachi grills.

4 cups cooked converted or parboiled rice (1 cup uncooked)
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
2 tablespoons finely grated carrot
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup diced onion (1/2 small onion)
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce
salt
pepper

1. Cook rice following instructions on package (Bring 2 cups
water to a boil, add rice and a dash of salt, reduce heat
and simmer in covered saucepan for 20 minutes). Pour rice into
a large bowl to let it cool in the refrigerator.

2. Scramble the eggs in a small pan over medium heat. Separate
the scrambled chunks of egg into small pea-size bits while
cooking.

3. When rice has cooled to near room temperature, add peas,
grated carrot, scrambled egg and diced onion to the bowl.
Carefully toss all of the ingredients together.

4. Melt 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter in a large frying pan over
medium/high heat.

5. When butter has completely melted, dump the bowl of rice and
other ingredients into the pan and add soy sauce plus a dash of
salt and pepper. Cook rice for 6-8 minutes over heat, stirring
often

Serves 4.

Tidbits

This fried rice can be prepared ahead of time by cooking the rice,
then adding the peas, carrots and egg plus half of the soy sauce.
Keep this refrigerated until you are ready to fry it in the butter.
That’s when you add the salt, pepper and remaining soy sauce.

The thick-and-creamy texture and rich taste of Tony Roma’s
best-selling soup can be easily cloned with basic ingredients.
This TSR version is thickened 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 you
will have a home kitchen Tony Roma’s recreation that will
surely impress.

2 medium potatoes (about 2 cups chopped)
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup diced white onion
2 tablespoons flour
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 cups instant mashed potatoes
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/8 teaspoon thyme
1 cup half and half

Garnish
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup crumbled cooked bacon
2 green onions, chopped (green part only)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake the potatoes or 1
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 sauté onion until light brown. Add the flour to
the onions and stir to make a roux.

3. Add stock, water, cornstarch, mashed potatoes, 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 1/2-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 1/2 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.

Recipe By : El Torito Restaurant, California
Serving Size : 12 Preparation Time :0:30

Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method
——– ———— ——————————–
1/4 cup butter or margarine
2 tablespoons shortening
1/2 cup masa harina
3 tablespoons cold water
10 ounces corn kernels
3 tablespoons cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

My favorite, and well worth the effort. Masa harina comes in a bag like
flour and can be found with the flour in most supermarkets. It’s the flour
to use for corn tortillas. The recipe doubles easily and turns out well with
either of the two methods provided. — Ann Weeks, Corona Method two is the
moist scoop we usually get at the restaurant. — patH

Whip out the food processor and fire up the grill
because you’ll need these essential tools to clone
one of the best restaurant salsas in the business.
The key to recreating the flavor of the real deal
is to fire roast the tomatoes and the jalapenos,
and to add a little mesquite-flavored liquid smoke.
The restaurant chain uses a mesquite grill, so these
steps are crucial to getting the same smoky flavor
as the addictive restaurant version. Chevys uses chipotle
peppers, or smoked red jalapeno peppers. But unless you
grow your own jalapenos, it may be difficult to find the
riper red variety in your local supermarket. For this recipe,
the green jalapeno peppers will work fine.

6 medium tomatoes
10 jalapenos (red is best)
1/4 of a medium Spanish onion
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons mesquite-flavored liquid smoke

1. Preheat your barbecue grill to high temperature.

2. Remove any stems from the tomatoes, then rub some oil over
each tomato. You can leave the stems on the jalapenos.

3. Place the tomatoes on the grill when it’s hot. After about
10 minutes, place all of the jalapenos onto the grill. In about
10 minutes you can turn the tomatoes and the peppers. When almost
the entire surface of the peppers has charred black you can remove
them from the grill. The tomatoes will turn partially black, but
when the skin begins to come off they are done. Put the peppers
and tomatoes on a plate and let them cool.

4. When the tomatoes and peppers have cooled, remove most of the
skin from the tomatoes and place them into a food processor.
Pinch the stem end from each of the peppers and place them into
the food processor as well. Toss out the liquid that remains on
the plate.

5. Add the remaining ingredients to the food processor and puree
on high speed for 5-10 seconds or until the mixture has a smooth
consistency.

6. Place the salsa into a covered container and chill for several
hours or overnight while the flavors develop.

Makes approximately 2 cups.

Serving Size : 12

Categories : Rolls

INGREDIENTS:
DOUGH
1/4 cup warm water, 1 cup milk — room temperature
1 large egg — beaten, 1/4 cup butter — softened,
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt, 4 cups all purpose white flour
1/2 package instant vanilla pudding mix (3.4 oz box)
1 tablespoon bread machine yeast FILLING 1 cup brown sugar
– packed 1 tablespoon cinnamon, 1/4 cup butter — softened

CREAM CHEESE CINNAMON FROSTING, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
4 ounces cream cheese — softened, 1/4 cup butter — softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1/2 tablespoon milk, 1 1/2 cups powdered
sugar

*********

Preparation Instructions: Dough; (Add the dough ingredients,
in the order listed, to the bread machine and prepare using
the dough setting. On a lightly floured surface, roll out to an
18″ by 30″ rectangle. The dough can also be handmade. If you
use regular yeast, you may want to let the rolls proof for
15-30 minutes after assembly). Filling In a small bowl, mix
brown sugar and cinnamon. Spread the softened butter over the
dough and evenly sprinkle on the sugar and cinnamon mixture.
Starting at the long edge of the dough, roll up tightly. Mark
the roll every 2 inches. With a thread cut the roll by placing
the thread under the roll at your mark, crisscross over and
pull to cut. Place rolls into greased 8″ or 9″ baking pans 2″
apart. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft free place until
almost double, approximately 1 hour. After rising, rolls should
be touching each other and the sides of the pan. Bake at 350
degrees F. for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Cream
Cheese Cinnamon Frosting In a small bowl, mix cream cheese,
butter, vanilla and milk. Add powdered sugar and cinnamon and
mix until smooth. Spread on warm rolls and serve immediately.
This recipe has been adjusted so that the dough can be prepared
in your bread machine. These will taste most like the originals
if you use Makara Cinnamon (available at the Cinnabon Stands)
instead of conventional powdered cinnamon from the supermarket.

It’s amazing how many lousy clones for this delicious
chili-like soup from Olive Garden are floating around on the Web.
Some are shared on message boards, others are displayed on sites
in a collection of “actual restaurant recipes” (yeah, right!).
But they all leave out obvious ingredients you can see, like the
carrots, ground beef, or two kinds of beans. Others don’t get
the pasta right — it’s obviously ditali pasta (short little tubes).
Then there’s the recipe that really squeezed the seeds from my
gourd — one that’s floating around in MasterCook format that
lists “Top Secret Recipes” as the source. But, wait a minute!
I’ve never before created a clone for this dish — not here on
the site, and not in any book. So, after logging some time over
a chopping block, an open flame, and a couple tasty glasses of
Merlot, out popped this puppy. And this is the one, kitchen cloners!
If you want the taste of Pasta e Fagioli at home, this is the
only recipe that will fool in a side-by-side taste test. Accept
no other imitation imitation!

1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, diced (1 cup)
1 large carrot, julienned (1 cup)
3 stalks celery, chopped (1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 15-ounce can red kidney beans (with liquid)
1 15-ounce can great northern beans (with liquid)
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
1 12-ounce can V-8 juice
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 pound (1/2 pkg.) ditali pasta

1. Brown the ground beef in a large saucepan or pot over medium heat.
Drain off most of the fat.

2. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic and sauté for 10 minutes.

3. Add remaining ingredients, except pasta, and simmer for 1 hour.

4. About 50 minutes into simmer time, cook the pasta in 1 1/2 to 2
quarts of boiling water over high heat. Cook for 10 minutes or just
until pasta is al dente, or slightly tough. Drain.

5. Add the pasta to the large pot of soup. Simmer for 5-10 minutes
and serve.

Serves 8.

There once was a time when Wendy’s offered this sandwich for a
“limited time only.” Apparently the tasty zing from this breaded
chicken sandwich won it many loyal customers and a permanent place
on the fast food chain’s menu. Now you can re-create the spicy
kick of the original with a secret blend of spices in the chicken’s
crispy coating. Follow the same stacking order as the original,
and you’ve just made 4 sandwich clones at a fraction of the cost
of the real thing.

6 to 8 cups vegetable oil
1/3 cup Frank’s Original Red Hot Pepper Sauce
2/3 cup water
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
4 chicken breast fillets
4 plain hamburger buns
8 teaspoons mayonnaise
4 lettuce leaves
4 tomato slices

1. Preheat 6 to 8 cups of oil in a deep fryer to 350 degrees.

2. Combine the pepper sauce and water in a small bowl.

3. Combine the flour, salt, cayenne pepper, black pepper, onion
powder, paprika and garlic powder in another shallow bowl.

4. Pound each of the chicken pieces with a mallet until about
3/8-inch thick. Trim each breast fillet if necessary to help it
fit on the bun.

5. Working with one fillet at a time, coat each piece with the flour,
then dredge it in the diluted pepper sauce. Coat the chicken once
again in the flour mixture and set it aside until the rest of the
chicken is coated.

6. Fry the chicken fillets for 8 to 12 minutes or until they are light
brown and crispy. Remove the chicken to a rack or to paper towels to
drain.

7. As chicken is frying, prepare each sandwich by grilling the face of
the hamburger buns on a hot skillet over medium heat. Spread about 2
teaspoons of mayonnaise on the face of each of the inverted top buns.

8. Place a tomato slice onto the mayonnaise, then stack a leaf of
lettuce on top of the tomato.

9. On each of the bottom buns, stack one piece of chicken.

10. Flip the top half of each sandwich onto the bottom half and
serve hot.

Makes 4 sandwiches.

Here’s a recipe that comes from a challenge issued by
the New York Daily News. They wanted to find out if a
West Coast boy could duplicate the taste of an authentic
New York City knish. But, mind you, not just any knish.
This knish comes from one of the oldest knisheries in the
Big Apple; a place which also takes pride in the low fat
content of its knishes, versus the popular deep-fried variety.
When I tasted the famous Yonah Schimmel knish (the first knish
I had ever sampled), I realized that not only could a simple
clone recipe be created, but that the fat gram count could
come in even lower. The Daily News even went so far as to have
a lab analyze the fat content of not only the original knish
and the clone, but also the fat grams in a street vendor knish
and a supermarket knish, just for comparison. The results are
listed below. If you’d like to check out the original article
that ran in the Daily News, click here.

6 medium russet potatoes
2 1/2 tablespoons low-fat butter
1/4 minced onion
3 tablespoons fat-free chicken (or vegetable) broth
1/2 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper, or more to taste
Seasoning blends, chives or pepper flakes to taste (optional)
6 sheets phyllo dough

1. Peel, halve and boil potatoes until tender, 15-20 minutes.
Mash in a large bowl.

2. Sauté onion in 1 1/2 tablespoons butter until translucent but
not brown. Add to mashed potatoes with broth, salt, pepper and
spices. Stir well.

3. Melt remaining tablespoon of butter. Pre-heat oven to 375
degrees.

4. Layer 3 sheets of phyllo dough and cut in half. Repeat with
remaining 3 sheets. Spoon 1 cup of potato mixture on each section
of phyllo, mold into a large ball and position off-center at one
end of strip of dough. Roll ball along the length of phyllo,
folding dough over bottom of filling and leaving some filling
poking through the top. (Trim and discard excess dough.)

5. Brush melted butter over edges of knish to seal the seams and
press down onto an ungreased baking sheet. Repeat with other
knishes. Bake 30-40 minutes, until golden brown.

Makes four knishes.

This grilled chicken sandwich was introduced by
America’s number-two burger chain in 1990, and
soon after the launch the BK Broiler was selling
at a rate of over a million a day. Not good news
for chickens.
This one’s easy to duplicate at home. To clone
the shape of the chicken served at the burger giant,
you’ll simply slice the chicken breasts in half,
and pound each piece flat with a mallet. Pounding
things is fun. Let the chicken marinate and then
fire up the grill. The recipe makes four sandwiches
and can be easily doubled if necessary for a king-size
munch fest.

Marinade
3/4 cup water
2 teaspoons ketchup
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon oregano
dash onion powder
dash parsley

2 chicken breast fillets
4 sesame seed hamburger buns
1 1/3 cups chopped lettuce
1/4 cup mayonnaise
8 tomato slices

1. Make the marinade by combining the ingredients in a medium
bowl.

2. Prepare the chicken by cutting each breast in half. Fold a
piece of plastic wrap around each piece of chicken and pound
the meat with a tenderizing mallet until it is about 1/4 - inch
thick and about the same diameter as the hamburger buns. Place
the chicken into the marinade, cover it, and chill for at least
four hours. Overnight is even better.

3. Preheat your barbecue or indoor grill to high heat. Grill the
chicken for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until done.

4. Toast the faces of the hamburger buns in a pan or griddle, in
a toaster oven, or facedown on the grill. Watch the buns closely
to be certain that the faces turn only light brown and do not burn.

5. Build each sandwich from the top down by first spreading about
a tablespoon of the mayonnaise on the toasted face of a top bun.

6. Spread about 1/3 cup of chopped lettuce over the mayonnaise.

7. Arrange two tomato slices on the lettuce.

8. Place a chicken breast on the toasted face of the bottom bun.

9. Flip the top part of the sandwich over onto the bottom and scarf
out.

Serves 4.

Tidbits
Liquid smoke is a flavoring found near the barbecue sauces and
marinades. Use hickory-flavored liquid smoke if you have a choice.

Brothers Jacob and Joseph Loose had a dream of creating
products in a bakery filled with sunshine. In 1912 they
got their wish by opening the famous “Thousand Window Bakery”
in Long Island City, New York. It was the largest bakery in
the work until 1955. Today Sunshine Biscuits has moved to
another location in Sayerville, New Jersey, where ovens the
size of football fields bake like crazy. Sunshine is now
owned by Keebler and continues to produce many baked treats
you’re likely familiar with, such as Hydrox Cookies, Saltine
Crackers, Vienna Fingers, Cheez-it Crackers, and these sweet
Lemon Coolers. All we have to do is make a few simple
adjustments to the Nilla Wafer clone recipe, and we can create
a cool copy of these awesome little tangy wafer cookies.
You know the ones - those little round cookies dusted
with lemon-flavored powdered sugar. To make that coating,
we’ll just use a little unsweeteneed Kool-Aid lemonade
drink mix combined with powdered sugar. Shake the cookies
in a bag with this mixture (I call is bake ‘n shake) and
you’ve got yourself another tasty knock-off.

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup shortening
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon water

Lemon Powdered Sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
rounded 1/2 teaspoon unsweetened Kool-Aid lemonade drink mix

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. Cream together sugars, shortening, egg, vanilla, and salt in
a large bowl.

3. Add the flour and baking powder. Add 1 tablespoon of water and
continue mixing until dough forms a ball.

4. Roll dough into 3/4-inch balls and flatten slightly onto a
lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until
cookies are light brown.

5. As cookies bake, combine 1 cup powdered sugar with the lemonade
drink mix in a large plastic bag and shake thoroughly to mix.

6. When the cookies are removed from the oven and while they are
hot, add 4 or 5 at a time to the bag and shake it until the cookies
are well coated. Repeat with the remaining cookies.

Makes 50 to 56 cookies.