Better Uncle Ben's Rice

Better Uncle Ben's Rice

(You make a batch of Uncle Ben's, add the soup mix to the water, all using a 4 or 6 person serving amounts?)

You use the same amount of water as you usually would. I add 1 envelope of onion soup mix per cup of raw rice.

Stockinette Avenger
(4/22/11)

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Congee

Congee
Combined prep and cooking time ~2 hours 30 minutes.

Congee is not considered a gourmet food. It falls more into the category of comfort food for invalids as the rice is cooked to the point of destruction, and is easily digestible. There are few hard and fast rules, and probably as many congee recipes as cooks in Southeast Asia. While there are a number of regional variations, basically a congee is nothing more than a rice porridge made using a meat or fish stock as a base instead of water, perfumed with appropriate aromatics and a small amount of meat or fish for protein added back in after the cooking is complete.

Traditional recipes usually start with the preparation of the stock, which also yields the protein which will later be reincorporated at the end of cooking. It don't usually follow the traditional method for several reasons. Most call for simmering the meats for several hours, and boiling tends to change the flavor of meats, particularly chicken. Boiling also alters the texture of meat, and I don't think for the better. Also, the traditional approach turns the preparation, which already requires quite a bit of attention over the last half hour to forty-five minutes, into an all day multi-pot affair.

So, here is my quick and dirty recipe:

Bring six to eight cups of chicken stock, preferably your own homemade from the freezer, to a boil. When the stock reaches a boil, add three skinless half chicken breast fillets. Immediately reduce the heat and poach the chicken breasts for fifteen to twenty minutes regulating the temperature so that the poaching bath remains between 160°F and 180°F.

At the end of the poaching time remove and reserve the chicken. To the poaching stock add 1/2 tsp. salt. 3 or more Tbsp. rice wine. (left over saki is fine) 3 slices of fresh ginger cut 1/4" thick (or 3/4 tsp ground dried ginger) 3 to 4 green onions sliced in 1/8" rings, or 1/2 well washed leek. With either the onions or the leeks you can include the soft green tops. Finally add one cup of rinsed and well drained long grain white rice. Cover the pot and bring it slowly to the gentlest possible simmer allowing it to cook for 1-1/2 to 1-3/4 hours. DO NOT allow this to boil! During the last 1/2 hour to 45 minutes you will need to stir the pot fairly constantly or the rice will burn and stick on the bottom. We are not making nice fluffy rice here. We are making an aromatic porridge that should be the
consistency of oatmeal when finished.

While the rice is cooking, take one of the half breasts and cut it into 1/4 to 1/2" die. This will be blended back into the rice mixture once cooking is complete. Refrigerate and reserve the other two half breasts for chicken salad or other poached chicken recipes.

At the end of cooking, stir the diced chicken back into the congee. Chicken congee should be served hot, and may be garnished with one of more of the following: fresh grated ginger, sliced green onions, chopped cilantro or sesame oil.

Congees can also be made using leftover cooked beef, pork or even firm fleshed fish instead of poached chicken, and can also be a way to use up leftover vegetables. The cooking stock for the rice, and the aromatics added, though, should be selected to compliment the flavor of the meat or fish as it was originally prepared, as should the garnish. Proportions are not critical except for the rice to
stock. Too little rice and you wind up with gruel, too much rice, or too much heat, and the mass in the pot can solidify. 1 cup rice to 6 to 8 cups of stock is, however, a pretty safe ratio.

Randall
(3/10/09)

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Turkey and Wild Rice Soup (great for leftover turkey!)

Turkey and Wild Rice Soup (great for leftover turkey!)
Serves around 12

I just got an order from them with a handful of imps, so I don't need any more. But here's a recipe anyway in the spirit of Thanksgiving feasting.......

4 to 5 (10.75 oz each) cans condensed chicken broth
2 cups water
1/2 cup wild rice
     (I use a package of Uncle Ben's Long Grain and Wild rice, and use their spice packet)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion (I use 2 bunches of green onions)
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup whole kernel corn ( I usually use a whole pkg of the frozen one - the smaller pkg)
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp poultry seasoning
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cups half and half (the fat free one works fine)
2 to 3 cups cubed turkey or chicken (cooked)
8 slices bacon - fried crisp and crumbled
3 tbsp. diced pimento

Add the Rice ( I use original or the herb one) to the chicken broth and water in a large pan Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 min. Add veggies and turkey.

In separate pan, melt the butter. Stir in the flour and stir till bubbly Add in poultry seasoning, salt and pepper and the half  & half. When smooth and bubbly add to the rice mixture, stirring constantly until well blended. Simmer 30 minutes.

christyhco
(11/22/07)

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Grape Leaves Stuffed with Rice and Currants

Here's the recipe I used for the meatless version (although I believe I cooked mine in a crock pot.)

Grape Leaves Stuffed with Rice and Currants

1 jar (1 lb.) grape leaves (about 72)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, minced
1 cup long-grain white rice
12 green onions, including tender green portions, thinly sliced
1/3 cup pine nuts
1/3 cup dried currants
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 tbsp chopped fresh mint
3 tbsp chopped fresh dill
3/4 tsp plus a pinch of salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 cups water
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
Lemon slices for garnish

Rinse the grape leaves under cold running water. Have ready a bowl filled with ice water. Bring a large saucepan three-fourths full of water to a boil over high heat. Add the grape leaves, a few at a time, and blanch for 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to the ice water to cool. When all of the leaves have been blanched, drain and cut off the stems. Set aside.

In a large fry pan over medium heat, warm 1/4 cup of the olive oil. Add the yellow onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 7 minutes. Add the rice, green onions and pine nuts and stir until the green onions soften, about 3 minutes. Add the currants, parsley, mint, dill, the 3/4 tsp. salt, the pepper and 1 cup of the water. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the water is absorbed and the rice is cooked, about 15 minutes.

Line the bottom of a heavy 4-quart saucepan with a few grape leaves. Sprinkle with the pinch of salt.

To shape the rolled grape leaves, place a leaf, smooth side down, on a work surface. Put a heaping teaspoonful of the rice mixture near the base of the leaf at the stem end. Fold the stem end and sides over the filling and roll up toward the point of the leaf, forming a little bundle. Place, seam side down, in the prepared saucepan.

Continue stuffing the grape leaves and adding them to the pan, packing them close together. When the bottom is completely covered, drizzle the layer with some of the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil and the lemon juice.

Continue layering the stuffed grape leaves, drizzling each layer with olive oil and lemon juice, until all the filling is used. Add the remaining 1 cup water and cover the top layer with a few leaves. Invert a small heatproof plate, smaller than the circumference of the pan, directly on top of the stuffed leaves.

Cover the saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 1-1/2 hours. Check the liquid in the bottom of the pan occasionally and add water as needed so the pan doesn't dry out.

Remove from the heat and let the stuffed leaves stand in the pan to cool for about 2 hours.

Transfer the stuffed grape leaves to a platter and garnish with lemon slices. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes about 60 stuffed grape leaves.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Lifestyles Series, *Small Plates,* by Joanne Weir (Time-Life Books, 1998).

MoP they were tasty, but never again QQQ
(12/4/06)

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Pumpkin Shrimp Risotto

Pumpkin Shrimp Risotto

6 baby pumpkins*
24 unpeeled, large fresh shrimp
1 lb. unpeeled, medium-size fresh shrimp
1-1/2 lb. shiitake mushrooms
1 (2 oz) package fish bouillon cubes
2 quarts boiling water
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
6 shallots, chopped
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 lb. Arborio rice
1 (3 oz) package refrigerated shredded Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tbsp butter or margarine

Buerre Blanc Sauce
Garnishes: fresh dill sprigs, whole shiitake mushrooms

Cook baby pumpkins in 1/2" boiling water in a Dutch oven, covered, 20 minutes or until tender; drain. Cut off and reserve tops. Peel pumpkins, and cut in half. Discard seeds. Mash pulp, and set aside 1-1/4 cups, reserving remainder for another use.

Peel large shrimp, leaving tails on; de-vein, if desired, and set aside. Peel medium shrimp, and devein, if desired; set aside.

Discard mushroom stems; thinly slice caps.

Stir together fish bouillon cubes and 2 quarts boiling water until bouillon dissolves.

Melt 1/2 cup butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat; add shallots, garlic, and rice, and sauté until shallots are tender.

Add 1 cup hot fish broth; cook, stirring constantly, until liquid is absorbed. Repeat procedure with remaining hot broth, 1 cup at a time. (Cooking time is 35 to 40 minutes.) Add 1 cup mashed pumpkin (reserve remaining 1/4 cup pumpkin for Beurre Blanc Sauce), medium shrimp, sliced mushrooms, Parmesan cheese, and thyme; cook, stirring constantly, 8 to 10 minutes or just until shrimp turn pink.

Melt 1 tbsp. butter in a large skillet; add large shrimp, and sauté 2 to 4 minutes or just until shrimp turn pink.

Spoon pumpkin risotto onto serving plates, and drizzle evenly with Beurre Blanc Sauce. Arrange large shrimp around risotto, and top with reserved pumpkin tops. Garnish, if desired.

*1-1/4 cups canned pumpkin maybe substituted for pulp from 6 baby pumpkins.

Yield: 6 servings

Maggie
(11/26/06)

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Joan's Rice Pudding

Joan's Rice Pudding

Is this an approximation of kheer, the Indian rice pudding?

1/2 gallon 2% milk
heaping cup basmati rice
1/2 cup sugar - more or less to taste
1 tsp ground cardamom - more or less to taste
sliced almonds, raisins, cinnamon (all optional)
...bet it would be good with unsalted pistachios also

Bring the milk and rice to a boil, stirring frequently, and then simmer slowly, still stirring frequently, until mixture is thick and creamy (this took me about 1-1/4 hours).

Stir in the sugar and cardamom (more or less to taste). I also added a small handful of sliced almonds. I decorated the top with toasted sliced almonds, yellow raisins, and a light sprinkle of cinnamon sugar.

Joan
(12/4/03)

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Dave in Oz's Sauteed Chicken in a Mustardy Cream Sauce

Dave in Oz's Sauteed Chicken in a Mustardy Cream Sauce

It's a fairly basic honey mustard sauce and goes like this:
You'll need:

• 2 carrots
• 2 stalks of celery
• 1 large brown onion
• some butter (real salted butter, nothing else will suffice)
• a couple of cloves of garlic
• 2 chicken breast fillets (no skin)
• your favourite seeded mustard
• salt and pepper
• sherry or white wine
• cream, about 300ml
• rice

What you need to do:
Cook the rice (2 cups of rice to 3 cups of water in the microwave for 14 minutes on 70% usually does it - or use the rice setting if you've got it)

Dice the carrots, celery and onion into cubes of about equal size (about 3/16ths of an inch).

Chop the garlic as finely as possible (I tend to slice it lengthwise in slivers, then rotate it 90 degrees along the axis of the cut, repeat the slivering process, then rotate it 90 degrees around the axis of the cuts and repeat again, thus ending up with really really really small cubes).

Add a generous chunk of butter to an electric frypan set at about 300° F. Add the diced vegetables. Stir around and reduce heat to simmer until the vegetables are softened (sometimes helps to put the lid on). Splash some sherry in every now and then to keep it all moist.

Dice the chicken into 1/2 inch cubes.

Set the vegetables aside in a bowl, increase the heat to 350°-400° F, put a little butter in to grease the pan, add the chicken (do not stir for 30 secs or so). Stir around and brown each side. Add about a tablespoon of mustard, and a splash of sherry. Reduce heat a little to avoid burning. Add cracked pepper to taste.

Once the chicken is fairly cooked through, add the vegetables and a little more sherry. When the sherry reduces off, add the cream and simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently. The sauce should be a rich yellow colour (add more sherry if it looks to be reducing too much). Taste, if needed add some salt.

Voila! You're done, serve over a bed of rice.
Dave
(11/17/03)

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Veggie Cashew Chili

Veggie Cashew Chili

I could swear that I put this on the sheepthrillsmansion website a while ago, but I can't get on that site right now, so here it is again. It may differ slightly from that recipe, as I don't write recipes down, unless someone asks. . This makes a lot of chili, and can be frozen etc.

2 medium sized eggplants, peeled and diced into 1" pieces
   (NOTE: there are "boy" eggplants and "girl" eggplants. Really.
  Use the boys, as they have fewer seeds. These have a narrow tapered bottom)

4 good sized onions, chopped
a lot of garlic -- at least half a head, peeled and chopped
4-5 carrots, cut into small rounds
3 green or red bell peppers, diced
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
3 cans dark red kidney beans, or black beans, drained and rinsed well, or
   one lb dried beans, soaked and cooked until tender but not mushy
2 large cans crushed tomatoes, or alternatively, 4-5 smaller cans diced
tomatoes with green chiles (this latter option is better)
one can beer
4 tbsp chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
3 tbsp ground ancho chile
1 tbsp freshly ground cumin
2 tsp oregano
1 cup UNSALTED roasted cashews
handful chopped cilantro
1/4 cup vinegar -- pref. red wine or balsamic
salt and pepper to taste

Sauté eggplant and garlic together in olive oil. Eggplant will absorb all of the olive oil at first (use a nonstick pan so you don't have to keep adding oil), but eventually it will start to release it again. Add onions, peppers, carrots, saute for about 10 minutes more. Add all spices, and continue to stir and saute a few minutes more until fragrant.

Dump sautéed vegetables, cans of tomatoes, beans into a large slow cooker or stock pot on the stove. Add beer. Turn crock onto high for one - two hours, then put it on low for a few more hours or until guests arrive and vegetables are tender. Alternatively, if on the stove, bring to a boil, then lower and simmer for 1.5 - 2 hours.

About a half hour before serving, throw in the cashews, balsamic vinegar, and cilantro.

Serve with brown rice, shredded cheese. Whole milk yoghurt or sour cream on top is also good.

Carolyn
(9/16/02)

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Wild Rice Salad

Wild Rice Salad

Here's the recipe (more of a formula actually) for the wild rice salad I took to the E.Mass Thriller gathering yesterday. This makes LOTS. I'm probably going to be eating the leftovers for lunch and dinner all week.

Cook 1 cup of brown rice and 1 cup of wild rice in 2 cup water and 2 cup vegetable stock.
Dice whatever vegetables you have on hand.

Yesterday I used:
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1/2 orange pepper
a little zucchini, sliced thin and cut in half
some carrot
all the sugar snap peas I could harvest

I would guess that the total amount of veggies was 3-4 cups.

Toss the vegetables with the warm rice.
Add chopped fresh parsley and basil to taste (I used about 1/4 cup parsley and 1 cup basil)

For the vinaigrette:
Dissolve about 1 tsp. sea salt in 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar ((I never measure such things)
Add pepper to taste
Whisk with 2/3 cup olive oil and Amore garlic paste to taste.

Pour vinaigrette over rice and vegetables, toss, and enjoy.

I like it served at room temperature over greens and garnished with basil leaves and nasturtium flowers.

Enjoy! If you want better instructions, let me know.
Rosemary
(7/8/02)

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Red Beans and Rice (crockpot)

Red Beans and Rice (crockpot)

I made Red Beans and Rice for supper tonight in the slowcooker. I didn't follow a recipe, so I don't know if its authentic, but here it is. Its enough for a crowd, or for a family with two teenaged boys:

1-1/2 lbs dried red beans (I used these small red beans that Goya sells, but you could substitute kidneys)
1 large can chicken broth (48 oz can), plus a half can of water
1 small can tomato paste
2 smoked turkey thighs
4 good sized onions, chopped
3 large carrots, or thereabouts, chopped
several ribs of celery, with some leaves, chopped
some garlic -- at least half a head
1-1/2 lbs spicy smoked sausage, such as andouille or spicy kielbasa, cut into rings
about 4 red peppers or a mix of red and green, diced
one jalapeno pepper, chopped
1-1/2 tbsp fresh thyme (the fresh thyme makes ALL the difference, between ordinary and sublime)
several glugs Worcestershire sauce, to taste
several glugs Tabasco, or Emeril's hot red pepper sauce (the latter is really good)
salt and pepper to taste.

The night before bring beans to a boil in a large pot of water. Boil for about 1/2 hour, then cover and set aside off the heat.

The next am, drain beans. Put in slow cooker with broth, water, tomato paste (stir it around), turkey thighs, onions, celery, carrot, peppers, jalapeno, and all herb/spices. Sauté garlic in a small amount of olive oil and stir in (I do not like to slow cook garlic raw, it gets a weird aftertaste). Let cook all day.

When you come home from work, sauté the spicy sausage enough to render out fat, drain on paper towels and throw in the soup. Sausage such as this takes on an odd texture if left in the crock all day.

Make a few cups of brown rice, and add extra hot sauce at the table.

This is really good.
Carolyn D.
(1/31/02)

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Butternut Risotto with Sage and Parmesan

Butternut Risotto with Sage and Parmesan

(this makes lots, you can halve it if necessary, or just enjoy leftovers)

1 butternut squash -- medium sized, peeled, seeded and cut into large chunks
1 carton chicken stock (or 1 qt homemade)
1 cup white wine, if you have it, otherwise use more water.
3 cups water
2 onions, diced, or use a mixture of onions and shallots
about 10 fresh sage leaves, chopped
1/2 stick butter
several cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups Arborio rice
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan or romano cheese.
     Do not even think about using the stuff in the green can.

Combine chicken stock, water, and wine in large pot. Salt to taste. (The amount of liquid is not exact, better to have more than less, it doesn't really matter, as you will see). Cook squash in water until very tender. (Note I do this recipe in the pressure cooker, bring to high pressure for one minute, then quick release). In a conventional pot this will take about 10 -15 minutes.

While the squash is cooking, saute onion, garlic and sage leaves in butter in a large saute pan. When squash is done, remove from pot, SAVING THE BROTH in which it has cooked. Transfer to saute pan holding the onions, and mash into a coarse puree. Salt and pepper to taste.

Add additional water/stock if it looks too low, bring back up to a boil, add rice, and cook (if using pressure cooker, return to high pressure for 4 minutes, no more, no less, then quick release).

Conventional pot will take 20 minutes on medium heat. You needn't do the constant stirring, but watch it carefully toward the end that it doesn't start sticking to the bottom of the pot. When rice is al dente (not mushy, but not too firm, either), drain off most, but not all of the broth. Add squash/onion mixture and stir in cheese. Should be a soupy consistency. Serve immediately, passing additional cheese on the side.

Carolyn
(11/12/01)

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German Rice Pudding

German Rice Pudding

Here's mine.  I love this stuff.  The recipe can be halved and it often takes longer than the recipe says to finish - go by texture not time. I got this recipe from a cousin in Chicago who makes it for everyone who is under the weather. She swears that sometimes people get sick just to encourage her to make it!

1 cup rice
2 cups boiling water
6 cups 1% low-fat milk
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Add rice to boiling water in large pot.  Bring to a boil again, reduce heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until all the water is absorbed.

Stir in milk. Simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add sugar and salt; continue cook 20 more minutes or until mixture is creamy (likely to take up to 40 more minutes). Stir in vanilla.  Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg.

Joy
In San Francisco
(11/5/01)

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Fruit and Zuke

Fruit and Zuke

• Diced zucchini
• Peeled, chopped oranges, with juice
• Peeled, diced jicama
• Fresh lime juice
• Good olive oil
• Dash cayenne

Serve with rice and black beans.

Ann
(5/16/01)

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Rice Salad

Rice Salad

• Any combo of white, brown, or wild rices.
• Mix with dried fruits and nuts, such as cranberries, chopped dried apricots, walnuts.
• Or add fresh fruits --I like Granny Smith apples.
• Use your favorite vinaigrette dressing with some orange juice or lemon juice added -- or maybe some finely grated orange peel.
• Let the rice and dried fruits absorb the dressing for a few hours.
• Add nuts last.

Dr. Lori
(5/16/01)

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Lani's Jambalaya

Lessee if I can remember the jambalaya recipe... this is the version I made last time; a red one (it's different every time).

Lani's Jambalaya

12 oz andouille*, cut up,
1 lb chicken cut up,
1 cup diced green pepper,
1 cup chopped celery
2 cups diced onions
1 tbsp minced garlic
3 tbsp cajun seasoning
2 cups long grain white rice (brown rice will require more liquid)
2-1/2 cups liquid (this time it was ham stock and spicy bloody mary mix)
diced tomatoes
chopped scallions (forgot to add them)
oil

* Andouille is a pork sausage used in Louisiana Creole cooking.

Season chicken and brown the chicken in oil or fat, and once brown, add the andouille. Saute for a couple of minutes and remove from pot.

Add chopped vegetables to pot and saute 'til desired tenderness.

Return meats to pot. Add liquids and bring to boil. Stir in remaining cajun seasoning.

Add rice and simmer covered for 25 minutes; after 10 minutes stir, making sure to turn over ingredients from top to bottom of pot.

After rice is done, stir in tomatoes and scallions.

I think that's it - best I can do without my notes at home.

QQQ
(4/23/01)

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Arancini

Arancini

This is a Sicilian recipe. (Arancini means little oranges in Italian, and that is about the size you are aiming for). It is not for anyone on a low carb, or low fat diet, or anyone concerned about fried food. It is, however, sinfully delicious, and I do it maybe once a year.

Boston people, you can buy delicious arancini in the North End, so don't even bother with this.

My recipe is from Carlo Middione's Foods of Southern Italy, one of my favorite cookbooks.

1 quart water or chicken stock (pref. the latter)
1 tsp salt
several grinds of black pepper
pinch of saffron threads, finely ground
2 cups Arborio rice
2 1/2 cups marinara sauce, pref. homemade,
1/2 cup pecorino romano cheese
1/2 lb fresh mozzerella, cut into small cubes
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup frozen baby peas (optional)
4 large eggs
1 1/2 plain fine bread crumbs
olive oil/vegetable oil for frying

Place water/broth salt, pepper and saffron into a saucepan, and bring to a boil, lower heat. Add rice all at once, stir, simmer covered for about 15 minutes, until al dente and liquid is absorbed. When
rice is done, remove from heat, stir in tomato sauce, peas if using, and romano cheese. Set aside to cool, or put in the fridge.

When rice mixture is cool, first, correct seasonings, then mix in 2 of the eggs. Take a small ball of the rice mixture, the size of a golf ball. Flatten it slightly, then put a few small cubes of mozzerella in the center, and close it back up. Repeat with the remaining rice mixture. Make sure that the cheese is well-hidden in the rice ball, or it will come leaching out when fried. Chill the rice balls a bit more, just to firm them up again.

Heat approx 3 cups oil (I use a mixture of vegetable and non-virgin olive oil) to 350°F. Beat remaining two eggs. Dip each rice ball in egg, then roll in bread crumbs and fry until deeply golden brown.

Remove with a slotted spoon, hold in warm oven. Alternatively, they can be made ahead and frozen. Reheat in a 350°F oven.

Pass additional marinara sauce on the side.

These are very, very, very good, though I hardly ever get the sinful pleasure of eating them.

Carolyn D.
(6/15/00)

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