Posts tagged rice

Paella-Style Ham and Rice

December 28, 2009 · Filed under Autumn, Main Dish, Winter · Tagged , , ,

Posted by Lisa

Paella-Style Ham and Rice

Any one pot/pan dish that combines meat (or other protein), starch and vegetables in a tasty form is a winner in my book.  One that incorporates leftover (local!) Christmas ham, pantry vegetables (canned tomatoes and dried bell peppers) along with fresh, local mushrooms is the perfect solution to a post-Christmas weeknight dinner.  This dish is versatile because you can throw in any leftover meat–chicken, sausage, ground beef, shrimp–and whatever vegetables you have on hand and still end up with a nutritious and tasty meal.  The addition of stock adds lots of nutrients, if it’s homemade from bones or meat.

Paella-Style Ham and Rice

printable recipe

  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil, lard, or schmaltz
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 celery stalk, diced
  • 2 tablespoons dried bell peppers, minced
  • 1-2 cups diced ham (or other leftover meat)
  • 1 pint diced tomatoes (home canned preferably)
  • 2 cups of rice of your choice (I use jasmine or basmati)
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
  • 3 cups stock
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/8-1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 1 cup frozen peas

In a large, heavy-bottomed skillet melt fat.  Add onions and garlic and sauté for several minutes.  Add mushrooms and celery.  Continue to cook for about 10 minutes on medium heat, until vegetables begin to soften and brown.  Stir frequently during this time.  Add dried bell peppers through black pepper and stir to combine.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and cook on low heat for 25 minutes, until rice has absorbed cooking liquid.  Remove from heat.  Add frozen peas to top of rice, let sit for five minutes.  After five minutes, stir to incorporate peas and serve.

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Mexican Rice

October 14, 2009 · Filed under Side/Salad · Tagged ,

Posted by Lisa
Mexican Rice

Mexican Rice

This rice dish is something that I make frequently and have made for years.  My husband made it before and after we were married, even after I had taken over most cooking in our home.  Many times I tried to get him to give me the recipe, but he just did it from memory and feel, so I had to watch and then experiment.  Getting it right on my own took quite a few tries, with many misses.  The secret to fluffy rice is to brown the rice until it is golden brown, but not burnt.  It goes quickly from just right to too dark.  You need to stir it almost constantly after you add the rice.

Golden brown rice grains

Golden brown rice grains

I’ve never tried making this with brown rice, I usually use basmati, but plain long-grain white rice works as well.  You can scale this recipe up or down easily, but just make sure that you are always using a pan that is wider than it is tall.  If the rice gets too deep, it doesn’t cook uniformly.  The bottom will be soggy and the top will still be slightly crunchy.

Mexican Rice

printable recipe

  • several tablespoons olive oil, coconut oil or tallow
  • 1/2 -  1 medium onion, diced
  • 1 teaspoons sea salt
  • 1 1/2 cups rice
  • 1 cup tomato sauce
  • 2 cups water

Combine water and tomato sauce and set aside.  Heat your cooking fat of choice in a heavy bottomed pan on medium high heat.  Add onions and sauté until golden and tender.  Add rice.  Stir to coat rice with oil and continue to stir frequently (almost constantly) to prevent rice from burning.  Cook it for five minutes or so, or until it is golden brown.  Add salt and stir.  Add water/tomato sauce mixture.  The pan will be very hot at this point and when the cooler water/tomato sauce hits it’s going to emit a lot of steam, so stand back.  Stir just enough to combine the liquid with the rice, then don’t stir again.  Bring the mixture to a boil and then cover with a tight fitting lid and turn heat down to low.  Let rice cook for 20 minutes.  Don’t open the lid during this time, it will affect the end result if you do.  When 20 minutes has elapsed, peek inside and see if the rice has absorbed all the liquid.  If it has, turn the heat off and let it sit for a few more minutes before fluffing it and serving.  If it hasn’t absorbed all the water, let it cook a few more minutes and turn the heat off, let it sit and then fluff and serve.

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Midi Poche

August 31, 2009 · Filed under Main Dish, Side/Salad, Summer · Tagged , ,

Posted by Lisa
Midi Poche

Midi Poche

Midi poche is a casserole of layered rice, fried eggplant, a sauce made from fresh tomatoes and Parmesan cheese.  The ingredients are simple, but if fresh, high quality ingredients are used, the results are superb.  It is a light, but filling summer dish that burst with the fresh flavors of the season.  The tomatoes are sweet, but still savory; the eggplant is buttery and smooth and the Parmesan sharp and a little salty.  This is my favorite eggplant presentation.  I got this recipe several years ago from Magpie Eats and make it regularly each summer and early fall.  If I am making this for a dinner entrée, I double the recipe.

Midi Poche

printable recipe

  • 2 small eggplants, sliced into 1/2″ rounds
  • 2T lemon juice
  • 1T plus 1/2 tsp salt
  • 4T unsalted butter
  • 2T olive oil
  • 1 shallot, minced (or half an onion)
  • 3C chopped, seeded tomatoes
  • Pinch of sugar
  • 1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme, or a pinch of dried
  • 1T minced fresh basil, or 1 1/2 tsp dried
  • 1 tsp crushed allspice
  • 1/4C all-purpose flour
  • 1C cooked rice
  • 1/4C freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350F. Place the sliced eggplant in a colander. Sprinkle with the lemon juice and 1T salt. Let stand 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat 2T of the butter with 1T of the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot. Cook 2 minutes. Add tomatoes; sprinkle with sugar. Add the thyme, basil, allspice and 1/2 tsp salt. Cook, uncovered over medium low heat 20 minutes. Set aside.

Brush eggplant with paper towels to remove salt. Pat dry. Heat more olive oil in a heavy skillet; dredge eggplant in flour and saute in batches until golden. Drain on paper towels. Layer rice, sauce and eggplant in a 8″ x 8″ casserole dish, sprinkling cheese between layers. Bake, covered, for 35 minutes or so.

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Pea and Rice Salad

July 15, 2009 · Filed under Side/Salad, Spring, Summer · Tagged , , ,

Posted by Lisa

Pea and Rice Salad

Pea and Rice Salad

This salad is a delightful and easy side dish that could easily be made into a light main dish by adding some ham or chicken.  I adapted this recipe into my version of Pea and Rice Salad.  If you’ve got fresh fava beans on hand instead of peas, feel free to substitute; I’ve done it and favas are wonderful in this dish, too.  In the late spring when favas and peas first hit the market and CSA shares, basil isn’t usually ready yet, so fresh thyme works nicely in its place.  You can serve warm, room temperature, or cold.  I find that I like room temperature the best.

Pea and Rice Salad

printable recipe

  • 1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
  • 1-1 1/2 cups shelled peas or shelled and skinned fava beans
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • sea salt
  • freshly ground pepper
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
  • 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add rice and simmer, stirring frequently for 10 minutes.  Add peas or favas and cook for another 5 minutes, until rice is just barely tender.  Drain the rice and peas in a colander and rinse with cold water for 15-30 seconds.  Place rice and peas in a large bowl.

Mix lemon juice, olive oil, basil, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, and several grinds of pepper.  Pour this mixture over rice and peas.  Add Parmesan and mix well.

Serve warm, cold or at room temperature.

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Morel and Ramps Risotto with Ramps Pesto

May 27, 2009 · Filed under Side/Salad, Spring · Tagged , ,

Posted by Lisa
Morels and Wild Ramps

Morels and Wild Ramps

Our local dairy and chicken farm had some morels and wild ramps for sale last week when I picked up our real milk.  I haven’t cooked with either of these before, but have read a lot about them, so I had to buy a bunch of ramps and a small basket of morels to give them a try.  When I Googled recipes, I found quite a few for pasta dishes, but wasn’t in the mood for pasta so I decided to try Morel and Ramps Risotto with Ramps Pesto.

The risotto was so creamy and rich but also earthy from the morels; it was delicious.  The ramps flavor wasn’t very apparent in the risotto, but was very apparent in the pesto.  Maybe a little too apparent.  I found the flavor of the pesto overpowering as an accompaniment to the risotto.  It was so sharp and vibrant with an onion-y kick.  I think it would be excellent with pasta and a good grate of Parmesan, but I personally wouldn’t serve it with the risotto again.  I also made the pesto a bit too thick, so instead of drizzling it over the risotto, I kind of had to smear it, which doesn’t do much for presentation.  (With this observation, I should probably apologize for the fuzzy and poorly presented photo accompanying this post.  Please trust that my cooking skills are far more developed than my photography skills.)

Morel and Ramps Risotto with Ramps Pesto

1/2 lb morels, quartered and cleaned (instructions)
2 bunch of ramps, white parts only, mince
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup good white wine
2 cups risotto rice
6 cups quality chicken stock
2 tablespoons butter
sea salt
cracked black pepper

Heat the olive oil and add ramps (white parts), saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the morels. Cook over low heat for about 15 minutes. Add the wine and cook until reduced about another 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Heat stock to boiling, reduce to a simmer. Add the risotto to the pan which you saute the ramps in. Warm the rice for about 3 minutes. Add a cup of the stock and cook until reduced. Add another cup and continue until you have a creamy rice mixture, slightly al dente. Add the butter and stir until creamy, about 3 minutes. Stir in the ramp and morel mixture.

Ramps Pesto:

2 bunch of leafy greens from Ramps
1/4 cup olive oil

Add ramps to a food processor. Blend until chopped. Slowly add olive oil and blend until smooth.

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Greek Greens & Rice

March 17, 2009 · Filed under Autumn, Side/Salad, Spring, Winter · Tagged , ,

Posted by Lisa

We love Greek food in this house.  A friend brought me some fresh lemons (and other citrus fruits) several weeks ago from  Arizona and never having decided on a truly special dish to make with it, I’ve just been using them as I need them.  Since we had greens in our CSA share, I decided to make a simple Greek lemon and oregano (dried from my garden in the fall) roasted chicken and a Greek greens and rice side dish.  The dish is traditionally made with spinach and named Spanakorizo.  I have made it with a variety of greens, from collard greens to turnip rapini, and have had delicious results each time.  My middle daughter raved about how lemony and fresh it tasted last night and to this I can only attribute having used a supremely fresh and fragrant lemon, much more beautiful than any I’ve ever found at the store.  In this particular version,  I used turnip rapini and salsify greens, but use whatever you can get your hands on; it will be a little different, but still delightful.  Leftovers are also delicious warmed up and sprinkled with a bit of feta for a light lunch.

Greek Greens & Rice

Greek Greens & Rice

Greek Greens & Rice

  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • at least one share’s worth of greens, if not more (at least one pound), washed, drained and chopped (you can use tender stalks too)
  • 1 1/3 cups of filtered water
  • 1 1/3 cups of long-grain rice
  • 5 1/4 cups of filtered water
  • sea salt
  • freshly ground pepper
  • juice of one lemon

Heat olive oil in a large skillet.  Sauté the onion for 8 to 10 minutes until soft.  Add greens and 1 1/3 cups of water and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes.  Add rice, 5 1/4 cups of water, 1 1/2 teaspoons of sea salt and several fresh grinds of pepper.  Bring to a boil and cook for about 15 minutes, until most of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is nearly tender.  Stir occasionally during this time.  Add lemon juice and cook for another five minutes.  Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.  Remove from heat, cover and let sit for 10-20 minutes to allow flavors to marry.

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