5 posts tagged “rice”

This year, this was my contribution to Thanksgiving Dinner at the in-laws'. I was sent home with a mere bite left.

Ingredients

7 Tbs. unsalted butter
2 Tbs. minced fresh sage
6 cups vegetable or chicken stock
2 cups butternut squash puree
2 Tbs. olive oil
2/3 cup caramelized onions
2 cups Arborio rice
1 tsp. minced fresh rosemary
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 4 Tbs. of the butter. Add 1 Tbs. of the sage and heat until the butter browns. Strain the butter into a small bowl and discard the sage. Cover the bowl to keep the butter warm.

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, whisk together the stock and squash puree. Bring just to a simmer, 8 to 10 minutes; maintain over low heat.

In a large saucepan or risotto pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the caramelized onions and rice and stir until the grains are well coated with the oil and are nearly translucent with a white dot in the center, about 3 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1 Tbs. sage and the rosemary. Add the wine and stir until it is absorbed.

Add the simmering stock mixture a ladleful at a time, stirring frequently after each addition. Wait until the stock is almost completely absorbed before adding more.

When the rice is tender to the bite but slightly firm in the center and looks creamy, after about 30 minutes, stir in the remaining 3 Tbs. butter, the cheese, salt and pepper. Add more stock if needed so the rice is thick and creamy. Let stand for 2 minutes. Drizzle with the reserved sage butter and serve immediately. Serves 6.

Dinner tonight...

1 cup long grain rice, uncooked
1 cup frozen peas
2 cups water
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter
1 1/2 cups diced chicken, cooked
2 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp pepper
1/3 cup milk
 1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 tsp dijon mustard
4 slices swiss cheese
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

In a medium saucepan, combine rice, water, pease, and 1 tsp salt. Bring to a boil, covered, and allow to cook for 2 minutes. Then, turn down to simmer until the rice is completely cooked.

In a saucepan, melt your butter.. Stir in flour (roux time!), pepper, and remaining 1 tsp salt. Continue cooking until bubble. Stir in milk, water, and dijon mustard. Keep cooking and stir until sauce thickens. Add chicken and the rice and peas and mix well. Place in a baking dish, cover with the slices of swiss, and sprinkle the panko bread crumbs on top.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

This recipe was built on one given to my dad by my mom's former boss... a man who just happened to be Cajun. This is easily one of my favorite dishes that my dad makes. Now that I'm in California, if I want it I have to make it myself. So, I did.

So, first things first, we need stuff chopped. Jason is my onion chopper (since for some reason my eyes are extra-sensitive to onions):

After he was done, I cut up 1 stalk of celery...

...1/2 lb of andouille...

...and 4 chicken breasts. Then, I came to the realization my small skillet would cut it, so it was time to bring out the weapons of mass frystruction: my 15 1/4" diameter iron skillet.

I threw the stuff in there along with 1 tsp of minced garlic, some black pepper, some salt, some sage, and some cayenne pepper.

I sauteed that well...

Then, I put it in my 8 qt saucier along with 5 cans of chicken broth (and 1 can of water) and allowed it to boil some.

Now, we have the fun part... the roux! I used the smaller iron skillet for that. 1/3 cup of canola oil and add flour until it's at the right consistency.

Not quite dark enough...

This is more like it...

Once the roux was done, we add it to the pot and let it simmer until it's thickened.

And, there it is. Serve over steamed rice.

4 lamb shanks
flour
2 cups red wine (I used the remants of a bottle of blackberry wine I had)
4 cups vegetable stock
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
coarse ground black pepper (to taste)
kosher salt (to taste)
rosemary (to taste)
thyme (to taste)

In the bottom of my 5 1/2 quart saucier, I heated some olive oil. I dredged the lamb shanks in flour until lightly coated and browned them along with the garlic and shallots. Then, I added the liquid ingredients and the seasoning. Cooked them covered on medium low heat for about 3 hours.

Risotto

2 1/2 oz butter
2 1/2 cups Arborio rice
6 cups chicken stock, brought to a boil
3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan
1 shallot, minced

For the risotto, I melted 1 1/2 oz of butter in my saucepan at medium low heat. I sauteed the shallots until transluscent. Then, I added the rice and stirred until all the butter was absorbed. Then, I added the boiling stock one ladle at a time, stirring to aid absorption. Once all stock has been added, allow the rice to cook about 15 minutes or until al dente and all the liquid is absorbed. Then, add the remainder of the butter and the cheese.