Poule au Riz

 "Put enough water in a pot so fowl is almost covered. Add salt, pepper, parsley, thyme, bay leaf, 2 cloves garlic, 1 sliced onion, and one celery. Let simmer until tender - about 2 hours. Wash rice (2 cups). Cook in part of liquid. Strain the rest of the liquid and make into sauce by thickening with yolks of 2 eggs. Do not let boil. Arrange rice on platter, lacing slices of chicken over it, and serve very hot. The sauce should be served separately. "

Rice Pudding

 

 

4 Tablespoons rice

1 quart milk

1 cup sugar

salt

1 pt milk

Cook 4 hours, brown under broiler. 

Could this be any less specific???

Rice Spoon Bread

 

Ingredients

water

3 Tablespoons white cornmeal 

1 Tablespoon flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 cup cooked, drained rice

1 Tablespoon butter

2 eggs, separated

1 cup milk

 Process

"Pour one cup water over 3 Tablespoons white cornmeal and mix until smooth. Add 1 Tablespoon flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon sugar. Cook in double boiler until thick, stirring constantly. Stir in 1 cup drained cooked rice and 1 Tablespoon butter. Add neaten yolks of two eggs and 1 cup milk. Fold in 2 stiffly beaten egg whites and pout into greased baking dish. Place in a pan containing an inch of hot water and boil in moderate oven for 25 minutes. "

Green Rice

 Serves 4

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. Beat 1 egg

 

3. Add and mix well: 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley

                                        1 cup milk

                                        1 garlic clove, minced

                                        1 small onion, minced

                                        2 cups cooked rice

                                        1/2 cup grated cheese (strong)

                                        salt to taste

 

4. In baking dish, add 2 Tablespoons oil and add the above mixture. 

5. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes.

Chicken Divan from Beth

Beth made Chicken Divan last night and I loved it! I had never heard of it before even though it seems to be fairly wide spread and well acclaimed. As a lover of curry it really hit the spot, but I love that she was inspired to do it from green beans from her grandparents garden. She told me that there are many variations out there but she combines elements to taste, therefore several ingredients listed don't have specific amounts. 

Ingredients

3 Chicken cooked breasts (shredded or cubed)

A couple handfuls green beans, steamed

Cooked Rice (for serving)

For the topping:

3 TBS melted butter 

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 to 2 cups Panko bread crumbs

Parmesan cheese

For the sauce:

2 cans "Cream of" condensed soup

1 cup mayonaisse

1 cup sour cream

1 cup shredded white cheddar

1 cup white wine

3 Tbs lemon juice

3 to 4 TBS curry

salt and pepper (to taste)

Directions

1. Cook the chicken. Shred or cube it.

2. Steam the beans. 

* preheat oven to 350 degrees *

3. In a skilled melt the butter. 

4. Saute the minced garlic in the butter. 

5. Add the Panko, stir to combine, and toast until golden brown. 

6. Remove from the heat and add Parmesan cheese to taste.  Set aside. 

7. Start the rice.

8. Prepare the sauce from the ingredients above. 

9. Combine the meat and the veggies on a bowl with the sauce and mix well. 

10. Add to a baking dish and spread evenly. 

11. Top with the Panko mixture from skillet. 

12. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. 

Serve over the rice.

 

Baked Rice

For those of us who can be a bit "rice shy" after getting it stuck to a pan or two, try this simple, low maintenance and fool proof recipe for some really yummy rice!

Ingredients
2 cups rice
2 and 1/2 cups stock
1 and 1/2 Tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 and 1/2 Tablespoons finely chopped celery
1 and 1/2 Tablespoons finely chopped green pepper
1 and 1/2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
pinch of pepper

Process

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a 5 x 9 pan, combine all ingredients and mix well.
3. Seal pan with aluminium foil.
4. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Ham and Rice Croquettes

I found this yummy recipe (for using leftover ham) in this month's Gourmet. I tinkered with the proportions - actually I pretty much ignored them. I doubled up on the cheese (of course) and used both white and wild rice! We are serving them with a side of our favorite whole grain mustard and some leftover creamed onions. My favorite part, is the the kids commented on how great the house smells and these cakes will fit perfectly into their lunch boxes! Cheers to leftovers!

Ham and Rice Croquettes
Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked white rice, cooled
• 3/4 cup finely chopped cooked ham (about 1/4 pound)
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan
• 2 large eggs, divided - and lightly beaten
  
• 1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs
• About 3 cups vegetable oil
• Equipment: a deep-fat thermometer

Preparation

1. In a large bowl, stir together rice, ham, cheese, 1 egg, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
   
2. Put remaining egg (lightly beaten) and bread crumbs in separate shallow bowls.
3. Heat 1 to 1 1/2 inches oil to 350°F in a 10-inch skillet over high heat.
   
4. Meanwhile, dampen your hands and form 1/4-cup amounts of rice mixture into 2 1/2-inch cakes.
   
5. Lightly coat cake with egg, then with bread crumbs.
   
6. Fry croquettes in 2 batches, turning once or twice, until golden-brown, 2 to 3 minutes per batch.

Rice Pudding

Another recipe from Baba, my great grandmother!

Ingredients
4 Tablespoons rice
1 quart milk plus one pint
1 cup sugar

Process

1. Cook ingredients in a double boiler for four hours.
   
2. Put in casserole dish with one pint milk poured on top.
   
3. Brown under the broiler.
   
4. Serve cold with cream.
   

Candy Corn Crisped Rice Cereal Treats

This was the perfect activity for today, the day after Halloween. I cleaned up a bowl of candy decorations into a perfect snack for the kids lunch boxes. Perfect way to find a use for that extra Halloween candy!

Ingredients

1 stick butter, plus more to grease the pan
10 cups crisped rice cereal.
9 cups marshmallows
2 cups candy corn
1 cup chocolate bits (chop some candy bars or else use chips)

Process

1. Grease a large lipped cookie pan


2. In a big saucepan, melt 1 stick butter with the marshmallows. Stir frequently to prevent sticking and ensure smoothness.


3. In a large bowl, mix cereal, chocolate and candy corns.


4. Add melted marshmallow to cereal mixture and stir thoroughly to combine.


5. Spread mixture onto cookie sheet and press together and into corners of pan.


6. Refrigerate until well chilled and then cut into small pieces. Enjoy!
   

Sauteed Grouse on Wild Rice with Brandy Cream Sauce

SP has always made me gourmet meals out of the birds he kills. More often than not these birds die upon impact with his truck. Tonight we ate roadkill and it was scrumptious. I remember, when miserably sick when first pregnant with our daughter, SP made pheasant with sour cherry and blueberry sauce. Last night one male grouse made the perfect dinner for two - no marketing necessary!

Ingredients

1 Grouse breast

2 tbsp butter

1/4 cup Cream Sherry
1/4 cup minced shallots

1/4 cup brandy

1 cup chicken stock

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 cup wild rice

handful sliced mushrooms (optional)

Process

• Bone breast and separate tenders.

• One at a time place pieces between two sheets of waxed paper and gently pound into 1/4 inch thick paillard (I don't have a fancy paillard which I think is a French word for 'meat hammer', so I use an empty beer bottle- funny, I always seem to have plenty of those)

• Make rice. Wild rice is fickle and tough to pin down regarding proportions and time. I add 1 cup uncooked rice to 3 cups water. Bring water to a boil, stir once and cover.

• Simmer over low heat until all the water is absorbed by which time the rice kernels should crack open revealing their tender white innards. It will take between 30 minutes and one hour. If all the water is absorbed before the kernels break open, add more water 1/4 cup at a time until the rice is fluffy, cracked open and tender.

• While rice cooks, melt butter in a 12" skillet over med heat.

• Saute paillard in butter- about a minute per side.

• Add Cream Sherry and saute until meat is glazed and sherry is mostly gone. Probably unnecessary but I happened to have Cream Sherry on hand (leftover from last weekend's soup) and I love the flavor.

• Remove meat from pan and cover to keep warm.

• Add minced shallots and saute for about a minute. My wife, your blog mistress, simply abhors mushrooms, but if you, like me, love them- add a handful of sliced mushrooms. I recommend shitakes, but use what ya got and we just happened to have some leftover int he fridge from last weekend's pizza making!

• Remove pan from heat and add brandy. If brandy flames don't panic, just wait for it to burn out. Return pan to heat, bring to boil and cook until brandy is nearly gone- about 5 minutes.

• Add stock, bring to boil and cook until reduced by half- about 5 minutes.

• Add cream, return to boil and cook until reduced by half.

• Finis

• To serve: Place a bed of rice on plate, top with one breast piece and one tender and smother with sauce. What I did was make a plate for the mushroom hater ... ... then add mushrooms to the remaining sauce in the pan, hit it with a splash each of brandy and cream, cook until the mushrooms were tender then plate up mine (see photo at top).

Ratatouille Nicoise

This recipe is credited to a B. Velman.

Ratatouille Nicoise

Ingredients:
Olive oil
3 large onions
2 zucchini
1/2 eggplant
1 pound tomatoes - seedless with skins left on.
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 hot pepper (on a string so you can pull it back out)
lots of garlic
salt and pepper
thyme
rosemary
parsley
Rice

Process

1. Cover bottom of frying pan with olive oil.
2. Cup up all veggies.
3. Add chopped veggies to oil and cook.
   
4. Season with herbs, salt, and pepper.
5. Cook over hot fire for 1 to 2 hours.
   
6. Serve hot or cold with cooked rice.
   

Delicious!

Rice Spoon Bread

This recipe is accredited to my maternal great grandmother Baba. I guess writing maternal is redundant, since the bulk of these recipes were passed on to me by my mother. In fact, if rumor is correct, my father's mother wasn't much of a cook, so I am guessing the name KK will never be mentioned although I do have a memory of her, in our Bush Avenue house, making hard sauce, probably to accompany mince meat pie for one of our winter celebrations. I hope that recipe shows up sometime. Well, without further ado.

Rice Spoon Bread (Baba)
Ingredients:
1 cup water
3 tablespoons white corn meal
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup cooked and drained rice
1 tablespoon butter
2 eggs separated
1 cup milk

Process:

• Preheat oven to 350
• Pour one cup water over 3 Tablespoons white corn meal and mix until smooth.
  
• Add 1 tablespoon flour, I teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon sugar.
  
• Cook in double boiler until thick, stirring constantly.
• Stir in one cup drained cooked rice and 1 tablespoon butter.
  
• Add beaten yolks of 1 eggs and one cup milk.
• Fold in two stiffly beaten egg whites
• Pour into greased baking dish
• Place in pan containing an inch of hot water and back in moderate oven at 35 minutes

* Note: this method of cooking in a hot water container is called a hot water bath and is used to prevent scorching.

*For more information on double boilers, please see first double boiler recipe.