Rice Pudding

This recipe I copied from Mom's collection before I left for college the first time ten or so years ago. Who knows if it is accurate or not. I have only made it twice in that time. The first time I remember it being satisfactory, but this time something was left wanting. Perhaps because I left out the "optional" sugar...

Still, in theory, in memory, I like this rice pudding better than any other rice pudding I have ever encountered. I love the firm yet creamy texture and the skin that grows on top of the pudding from the spices. It is one of my favorite things to eat for breakfast, ever.

Ingredients:

3/4 - 1 C. raw rice, cooked

1 C. sugar (optional)
4 C. milk
1 T. butter
1-2 tsp. vanilla
2-4 eggs, beaten well
cinnamon & nutmeg to taste

Directions:

1. Mix everything together in a big bowl and transfer to a big lightly buttered casserole dish.

2. Put your casserole dish in a water bath in the oven at 325F and bake it for 1.5-2 hours, stirring every half hour. Cool in the fridge.

Notes: I think next time I will cook it only 1.5 hours and add the 2/3-full sugar and also a little bit of salt.

Chicken Pilau

From Baljekar et. al, the Indian cookbook I am borrowing from Rebekka. We made this recipe together. We used brown basmati rice and subsequently had to adjust the timing of the cooking and things didn't turn out 100% correctly. The rice was too wet and the potatoes not quite done enough, but the dish was still good. I expected it to be more interesting, and wished it had a higher chicken:everything else ratio, but it is nice to have dishes that provide everything all in one place. Meat, vegetables, carbs. These pack well for lunch and are keeping me alive in medical school. So I suppose I will be making this again because it is fairly easy and is nutritiousy.

Ingredients:

2 cups basmati rice
6 T ghee or unsalted butter
1 onion, sliced
1/4 tsp. mixed onion and mustard seeds
3 curry leaves
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger root
1 tsp. crushed garlic
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. chili powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tomatoes, sliced
1 potato, cubed
1/2 C. frozen peas, thawed
6 oz. chicken breast fillets, skinned and cubed
4 T chopped fresh cilantro
2 fresh green chiles, chopped
3 cups water

Directions:

1) Wash the rice thoroughly under running water, then let soak for 30 minutes. Drain in a strainer or colander and set aside.

2) In a pan, melt the ghee or butter and fry the sliced onion until golden.

3) Add the onion and mustard seeds, the curry leaves, ginger, garlic, ground coriander, chili powder, and salt. Stir-fry for about 2 minutes over low heat.

4) All the sliced tomatoes, cubed potato, peas, and chicken cubes and mix everything together well.

5) Add the rice and stir gently to combine with the other ingredients.

6) Add the cilantro and chiles. Mix and stir-fry for 1 minute. Pous in the water, bring to a boil and then lower the heat. Cover tightly and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, leaving the lid in place, and let the pilau stand for 6-8 minutes. Serve.

Serves 4.

Nutrition Notes per serving

Energy 603 cal
Fat 16.8 g
Saturated Fat 10 g
Carbohydrate 91.9 g
Fiber 2.1 g

Rebekka's Jambalaya

This jambalaya recipe is adapted by Rebekka from Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen and can be found on her blog: rebeatworld.blogspot.com. This makes a very spicy dish, but that is part of what makes it so grand.

Ingredients:

2 whole bay leaves
1 1/2 t cayenne pepper
1 1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t white pepper
1 t dried thyme leaves
1/2 t black pepper
1/4 t rubbed sage

2 T butter
1/2 pound chopped andouille sausage, about 2 cups
3/4 lb boneless chicken, cut into bite-size pieces, about 2 cups
1 T minced garlic
1 c chopped onions
1 c chopped celery
1 c chopped green bell peppers
1/2 c canned tomato sauce (I just use a whole little can of tomato sauce)
1 c chopped tomatoes
2 1/2 c low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 c uncooked converted rice

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a large skillet over high heat. Add sausage and cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently. Add chicken and continue cooking until chicken is brown, 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, and scraping pan bottom well if it's not nonstick.

2. Stir in seasonings (bay leaf through sage), garlic, and 1/2 c each of the onions, celery, and bell peppers. Cook until vegetables start to get tender, 5 to 8 minutes, stirring.

3. Stir in tomato sauce and cook about 1 minute, stirring often. Stir in the remaining 1/2 c each of the onions, celery, and bell peppers and the tomatoes. Remove from heat.

4. Stir in the broth and rice, mixing well. Transfer mixture to an ungreased 9x13-inch baking pan (I found that the recommended 8x8 was much too small). Bake uncoverd in a 350 F oven until rice is tender but still a bit crunchy, about 1 hour. Remove from oven. Stir well and cool a bit before eating.


Note: The seasonings really are quite flexible. I haven't yet used the bay or the white pepper and it has turned out plenty spicy!

Yellow Turkey Casserole

I haven't made this, but I'm archiving it so I never have to ask Mom for the recipe again. My favorite post-Thanksgiving meal.

Ingredients and Directions:

1) Butter a 9X13 glass dish.

2) Cover the bottom of the dish evenly with 2 c. raw rice.

3) Sprinkle evenly across the rice 1 t. salt and 1 t. curry powder. You may use more curry powder if you like.

4) Chop or dice 3 c. of leftover turkey or chicken meat. Spread the turkey evenly across the rice.

5) Mince 1/2 to 1 onion, 2 stalks celery and saute in butter until soft. Spread the vegetables evenly across the turkey.

6) Make according to package directions one packet of the dry chicken noodle soup which wants 4 c. of water, with this change: use 5 c. water. You may substitute part or all of the water with chicken broth.

7) Ladle the hot soup over the stuff in the dish. Be careful so that you disturb things as little as possible. Save the noodles until last so that you can distribute them evenly over the surface of the dish.

8) Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for one hour. Uncover and serve.

Cauliflower Marranca

From the Moosewood. I made this recipe for a Sunday linner with friends. We ate it with sauteed zucchini and fresh bread and cubed watermelon. Delicious for the humid, slightly cool Rochester day.

Ingredients:

1 lbs. mushrooms, sliced
1 large onion, chopped

1 large head cauliflower in flower pieces

3 cups cooked brown rice or millet

2 1/2 cups grated cheese of your choice (I used 1/2 sharp cheddar and 1/2 pepper jack)

Directions:

1) Cook the rice.

2) Saute onion and mushroom in butter with juice of one lemon

3) Saute cauliflower with 3 cloves crushed with garlic, basil, salt and pepper

4) Combine everything. Bake, covered, 1/2 hour at 350F.

Serves 5-6.

Personal note: I want this dish to have sliced red bell pepper and paprika. I also would use the pepper jack cheese again, and did as S. (who helped me make this dish did) and leave out some of the mushrooms and cauliflower and put them on the top of the stirred mixture in the dish to create a more vegetably layer.

I think this dish would also work well for a winter evening.

Suzanne's Chicken Enchiladas

This recipe from a rockstar woman I love, and who makes the best enchiladas around. Terrified of the enchilada, but willing to mount an attack, I emailed her for the recipe. I give her directions and then a few modifications/comments of my own in italics following each step. I doubled the recipe and made two pans of enchiladas, hence the larger proportions, but they fed an army and turned out wonderfully. What a coup.

Suzanne's Directions:

1. Start by cooking some rice (you'll need about 1.5 cups, but anything between .75 to 2 cups is probably fine. You can also skip the rice.

I used 2 cups cooked brown rice. I think the brown rice gives a deeper/healthier impression.

2. Cut up chicken breast in to bite size pieces and cook in a pan on the stove (you can also get 1-2 precooked whole cooked chickens and tear the meat up into pieces).

I cooked five chicken breasts by boiling them in water and apple cider vinegar with a bit of salt in a large skillet on the stove. After cooking I chopped/shredded the chicken into large bite size pieces.

3. Add about 2 cans of tomato sauce (or one really big can) and nearly a whole can of red enchilada sauce, saving 1/3 cup or so to put on the top (I usually use Rosarita, but anything would work.)

I used 2 cans of Ortega medium red enchilada sauce, one larger can of tomato sauce, and maybe another can's worth of tomato puree that I had in the fridge. These enchiladas were a little drier than most, but I like them better that way. Leaving some for the top is definitely wise.

4. Add the rice to the mix (meaning chicken/sauce mix)

5. Add a lot of shredded cheese (uh...maybe 3/4 cup each of cheddar and mozzerella?)

I used sharp cheddar and white monterrey jack, grating an entire small block of each. The net amount of shredded cheese was probably around 3 cups. I saved a little cheese out to put on top of the enchiladas.

5. Now add more sauce until it's a bit runny (if it's thick, the enchiladas will be more like burritos!)

6. Stir up the mix of sauces with chicken, rice, and cheese.

7. Coat a pyrex dish (size 13 x 9 is good, but anything would probably work) with cooking spray.

8. Put a dollup (2/3 cup?) of mix on a flour (wheat!) tortilla, roll the tortilla up, put it in the dish. Repeat until the dish is full of enchiladas. (My dish fit eight enchiladas.) Leave space between each enchilada so some sauce can get in there and so they will separate more easily.

9. On the top of the enchiladas, add: left over mix, left over enchilada sauce, and extra cheese.

Janie and I also cut up a bunch of fresh cilantro and put it on top with the sauce and cheese and chicken and it was delicious! I would put some cilantro inside even, also we added chopped onion to the chicken/rice/sauce mix.

10. Cook at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly hot and browning on top. You can also refrigerate before cooking, and just cook a bit longer (40 minutes?) Serve hot with sour cream or guacamole on top.

So good. MMMMMMMMM.

Asparagus Risotto

From Sokolov-- whose food I enjoy but who I really can't stand in person (I suspect).

Ingredients:

1 pound asparagus, prepared in the manner of Madame Saint-Ange
8 Tbsp. (1 stick) butter
2 cups Arborio or other medium grain rice (I used brown)
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Remove asparagus from the cooking water (but reserve the water) and cut into inch-long pieces. Discard the woody ends, but peel any sections whose interior flesh is edible. Remove the spears.

2. Measure the cooking water. Top up to 5 cups with additional water if necessary are return to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer slowly.

3. In a heavy 10-cup pot, melt 6 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat. When the foaming subsides, add the asparagus pieces and any pith you have salvaged (but not the spears). Stir-fry for 2 minutes. Then pour in all the rice and stir vigorously to coat each grain. Continue stirring briefly. The grains will turn opaque. Then pour in a cup of the asparagus cooking water. Stir until the liquid almost disappears. Then add another cup of water. Continue in this manner until the rice softens to the al dente point. If you run out of water, bring another cup or two to the boil.

4. As the water absorption process comes to a close, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a small skillet. Toss the asparagus spears in the butter to warm them up. Set them aside on a warm plate. Pour the butter into the rice. Add the cheese and salt and pepper to taste and stir vigorously while the cheese melts. Transfer to a serving bowl. Arrange the asparagus spears over the rice and serve immediately.

Serves 6.

This was more laborious than I thought it should be, but the parmesan cheese brings everything together in a surprisingly satisfying manner. Overall this dish is easy--but not particularly quick-- to make and makes a simple but elegant side.

Red Fried Rice

I quote from "Spirituality in Patient Care" by Harold Koenig, M.D., Second Edition under the Information on Specific Religions section:

"Mormons eat meat sparingly, but encourage vegetarian foods."

?! Good thing I'm already all over this! Whew. In that spirit, I present another edition of Vegetable Tuesdays, brought to you by your local vegetable-cooking Mormon...

This week's dish was inspired by the Red Fried Rice recipe from The Everyday Chinese Cookbook edited by Linda Doesser. "Inspired" is a loose word here. First I give the recipe as described in the cookbook, and then my own version, using what I had on hand.

Ms. Doesser says of this dish, "This vibrant rice dish owes its appeal as much to the bright colours of the red onion, red pepper and cherry tomatoes as it does to their distinctive flavors."

Ingredients:

115 g/4 oz basmati rice
30 mL/2 Tbsp groundnut oil
1 small red onion, chopped
1 red pepper, seeded and chopped
225 g/8 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
2 eggs, beaten
salt and ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Wash the rice several times under cold running water. Drain well. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, add the rice and cook for 10-12 minutes until tender.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a wok until very hot. Add the onion and red pepper and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the cherry tomatoes and stir-fry for a further 2 minutes.

3. Pour in the beaten eggs all at once. Cook for 30 seconds without stirring, then stir to break up the egg as it sets.

4. Drain the cooked rice thoroughly, add to the wok and toss it over the heat with the vegetable ad egg mixture for 3 minutes. Season the fried rice with salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 2.

My version

Ingredients:

1 C uncooked white rice
4 Tbsp olive oil
3/4 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large hothouse tomatoes, diced
4 eggs, beaten
salt and ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Add 2 cups of water to a medium saucepan with some salt. Bring to a boil, add the rice, put on a lid and turn down the heat. Cook for 10-15 minutes until done.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and stir-fry 2-3 minutes. Add the tomato and stir-fry for a further 2 minutes.

3. Pour in the beaten eggs all at once. Cook for 1 minute without stirring, then stir to break up the egg as it sets for 4-5 additional minutes.

4. Add the cooked rice directly to the frying pan and toss it over the heat with the vegetable and egg mixture for 3 minutes. Season the fried rice with salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4?


I liked this dish, although I can definitely see why having a tastier tomato/oil/onion combination would result in something with a little more pizazz. Still, it was simple, warm, and tasty and remarkably I didn't find myself minding the egg (although I did mind the pepper). I think it's a good way to use the bland tomatoes that are available in the winter in Rochester. I also found it a little too oil-ly tasting, so I think if I made it again I would reduce the oil somewhat, maybe only 3 or 3.5 tablespoons.

Imagine if I made these with tomatoes from my own garden. Then what a Mormon I would be!

Creamy Rice Pudding

This is another recipe from Moosewood-- turns out the Moosewood is giving me serious inspiration to do some cooking! I made this on a lonely Saturday night when I needed some comfort food.

Original recipe:

Ingredients:

2 C. cooked rice (1 C. raw, cooked slowly in 2 C. water until well-done)

2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/3 cup honey
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salk
handful of raisins or chopped dates

1/2 tsp. cinnamon
dash or two of nutmeg
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 C. of yogurt, sour cream, or whipped cream

optional: 1 C. grated apple, 1 C. fresh peach slices, 1/2 C. chopped nuts

Directions:

Beat eggs, milk and honey together in a blender. Combine with cooked rice and remaining ingredients, except yogurt, sour cream, or heavy cream. Spread into a buttered 8" square pan (or its equivalent) and bake at 350 F. Stir well every 8-10 minutes during baking. Remove from oven after 25 min. It'll still be loose, but will solidify as it cools. After it has cooled 10 minutes, stir in the yogurt, sour or heavy cream. Eat it hot, warm, or cold.

My comments:

I omitted the raisins and pureed a large honeycrisp apple in the blender with the eggs and milk. I also used 1/2 C. yogurt and 1/2 C. unwhipped heavy whipping cream. This was so easy to put together and absolutely delicious. It hit the spot just right. In the future if I use an apple maybe I will omit the lemon. I think the best thing about this recipe is that it can be varied easily to produce many different kinds of rice puddings using the basic formula and just adding different optional ingredients.