PASTA E FAGILOI
This recipe was brought to our station by one of our firefighters who used to work at Olive Garden. It's a great soup and keeps well while we are on a run. this recipe serves 8.

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.



FRIED RICE
This one we got from a local oriental resturant, again this serves 8.

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

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.

A Tip: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.



POTATO SALAD
This is MY OWN Recipe, again it serves around 8 people (or 4 hungry firefighters)

2 pounds red skin potatoes
1 cup mayonnaise
4 teaspoons sweet pickle relish
4 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons minced white onion
2 teaspoons prepared mustard
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 teaspoon minced celery
1 teaspoon diced pimentos
1/2 teaspoon shredded carrot
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon pepper
dash salt

1. Cut the potatoes in 1/4's and boil in 6 cups of boiling, salted water for 7 to10 minutes. The potato chuncks should be tender, yet slightly tough in the middle when done. Drain and rinse potatoes with cold water.
2. In a medium bowl, combine remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth.
3. Poured drained potatoes into a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the potatoes and mix until well combined.
4. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours. Overnight is best. Makes 6 cups.



Engine No. 1 Chicken Parmesan
from Lt. Mark Jones, Bryan TX FD

(Feeds 10 hungry firefighters)
3 cans of spaghetti sauce
1 can of water
1 bulb of garlic, minced
10 shots of cayenne pepper sauce
1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon of dried parsley
1 tablespoon of dried basil
1/2 stick of pepperoni quartered and sliced
the whites of 1 bunch of scallions
10 boneless, skinless chicken breasts pounded flat
salt/pepper to taste
20 ounces of vegetable oil
1/2 a can of italian bread crumbs
sliced mozzarella cheese
parmesan cheese
24 ounces of spaghetti noodles

Combine first nine ingredients in a large sauce pan and simmer. Heat cooking oil in a large skillet. Wash and tenderize chicken breasts.
Coat each chicken breast in a mixture of bread crumbs, salt and pepper.
Place in skillet and cook until golden brown, drain.
Coat a large baking dish with sauce and place breaded chicken breasts on the bottom.
Top each chicken breast with two slices of mozzarella cheese and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
Spoon more sauce on top.
Conserving most of the sauce for spaghetti noodles later.
Bake chicken for 25 minutes or until bubbly.
Meanwhile prepare spaghetti noodles according to package.