Pepperoni Fried Rice

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Cut the pepperoni slices in half into half-moons.
2. Smash and thinly slice 8 of the garlic cloves; grate the other 2 and set them aside.
3. Thinly slice the shallot.
4. Pick the basil leaves.
5. In a small bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, the 2 grated garlic cloves and a big pinch of salt. Add sherry vinegar to taste; it'll take a tablespoon or so before it tastes really bright.
6. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 3 glugs of olive oil over medium. Add the pepperoni and cook, stirring often, until about half of it has crispy edges, 4 to 5 minutes. Move it to a plate with a slotted spoon, leaving the oil. That orange oil is liquid pizza. It stays in the pan.
7. Add the cooled rice, season with salt and pat it into a single layer. Cook, undisturbed, until very crispy and evenly golden underneath, 6 to 8 minutes. Undisturbed. I will know.
8. With a heatproof spatula, fold the rice pancake in half like an omelet so it takes up half the skillet. If it won't fold, just scoot it over to one side.
9. Add another glug of oil to the empty side with the sliced garlic, shallot and a few pinches of red pepper flakes. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook until the shallot softens but doesn't brown, 1 to 2 minutes.
10. Add the pepperoni back and break up the rice, stirring in the pepperoni and aromatics as you go.
11. Once it's all mixed, take the pan off the heat and stir in a few glugs of sherry vinegar and the basil. Let the basil wilt; that's what we want. Taste and adjust the salt.
12. Schmear the aioli generously across the bottom of a serving bowl and pile the rice on top. Serve hot. Leftover aioli keeps in the fridge up to 7 days.