Rice Pudding

Continuing on the pudding trend, I made two batches of rice pudding this weekend by special request from my charming associate. For the first (for a dinner party), I essentially followed this recipe, which calls for whole milk and two eggs for a double batch. Just too rich -- not how either of us thinks of rice pudding. So today I made another batch, using skim milk, one egg, and less sugar -- just right. It worked out even though I accidentally used only 1/2 cup of rice instead of 2/3, so I'm leaving it as 1/2 below -- but I'm sure 2/3 would be just fine. (And it's a perfectly acceptable breakfast -- it's just milk, rice, some egg, and a little sugar.)

Rice Pudding

1/2 cup white rice
5 cups skim milk
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1/3 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 green cardamom pod
1/3 cup raisins

Bring the rice, milk, cardamom pod and salt to a boil in a sturdy saucepan, stirring frequently so that it does not stick to the bottom and burn. As soon as it boils, turn the heat to low and simmer until the rice is cooked, about 15 to 20 minutes. Stir frequently. When the rice is cooked, beat the egg together with the sugar until smooth. Add several large spoonfuls of the hot rice mixture to the egg; beat after each addition. Then add the egg mixture to the rice mixture and stir well. Add the raisins. Cook about 20-30 minutes more, stirring occasionally, over very low heat, until thickened. Remove from heat. Add vanilla and stir well. Eat hot, at room temperature, or chilled; it will continue to thicken as it cools.

Serves about 4 in medium portions or 6 in small portions.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

These make a very pretty individual-serving vegetarian dinner. The taste of the squash mixes very well with the taste of the stuffing, if you scoop the soft squash into the stuffing with your spoon as you eat. If you wanted to add some sausage to the stuffing, I don't think anyone would mind. It's not the world's fastest meal -- they need to bake for an hour -- but if you have leftover cooked rice the prep time is very fast, and then you can forget about them while they cook

Stuffed Acorn Squash

4 small acorn squash
1 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 cup almonds, chopped roughly (measure before chopping)
1/2 large onion, diced
3 tbsp butter
2 tbsp soy sauce
6-10 leaves fresh sage (depending on how much you like it)
pinch of dried thyme (fresh would be good too, obviously)
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium-low heat. (It seems like a lot of butter. It's for 4 people, so I don't think it's extreme, but 2 tbsp would probably be ok.) When it has bubbled for a while and is just starting to turn color, add the onions and almonds and cook until the onions are soft, about 4 or 5 minutes. Add the herbs after about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, cut (and reserve) little "hats" out of the top of the squashes, and scoop out the seeds. When the onions are soft, add the rice, turn the heat to low, and stir thoroughly. Add the soy sauce. Taste, and add salt as necessary. Add more pepper than you think it needs (should be a bit spicy). Cook, stirring constantly, two or three more minutes.

Using a teaspoon, stuff the squashes full of rice stuffing. You'll probably have some left over, depending on the size of your squashes. Replace their hats, place in a baking dish or roasting pan, and bake for an hour to an hour and a half -- they should be easily-pierced with a fork. (For me, they were done enough to eat, but not soft enough to be ideal, at 75 minutes). Let cool a few minutes, and serve.

Serves 4.

Asparagus Risotto

This is a lovely, vegetarian light-purple risotto that contrasts very prettily with the asparagus. Not enough light to take a good picture, so you'll have to imagine it. You could also make it with white wine for a non-purple risotto, of course.

Asparagus Risotto

2 cups arborio rice
2/3 cup red wine
1 cup skim milk
lots of hot water -- approximately 6 cups
1/2 onion, chopped finely
1 large garlic clove, chopped finely
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
grated rind of 1 medium lemon
1 tsp butter
1 large bunch asparagus, cut into 1.5-inch sections
a small amount of olive oil

Asparagus: you can either do this before the rice, which takes a lot of attention, or start it before and continue simultaneously. Wash asparagus, and do not dry thoroughly. Heat a very small amount of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add asparagus and cook, stirring frequently, until just tender and beginning to be brown and wrinkled in spots. Set aside when done.

Rice: Melt the butter in the bottom of a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes, until translucent. Add the rice, and cook one or two minutes; lower the heat to medium-low. Then add half the wine, and stir until it has been absorbed. Add the other half, and do the same. Then add a cup or so of water and the soy sauce; stir occasionally until absorbed. (You don't actually have to stir the whole time to get a good texture, but it helps keep anything from sticking to the pan.) Add another cup of water, and do the same. Add half the milk, stir till absorbed, and add the other half of the milk. Continue adding water a half cup or cup at a time until the rice is cooked and has an al dente texture, about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat, and add the cheese, lemon zest, salt and pepper; stir until incorporated.

To serve, stir in 2/3 of the asparagus. Spoon into bowls and top with remaining asparagus.

Serves 4 as a main course.

Rice Patties, Take Two

Last fall, when we had extra vegetables, I made these rice patties. Today, we didn't really have vegetables, but we did have leftover rice. Here's the vegetable-free version of leftover rice patties. The proportions are a little better in this version, so I'm curious to see how this version turns out with vegetables. (And they really do need a fresh vegetable garnish or sauce of some kind.)

Photo will appear when I find my camera cord...

Rice Patties, Take Two

1 cup cooked rice (this time I used white rice)
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
large pinch rosemary
pinch of dill

Heat a lightly-greased frying pan over medium-low heat. Drop teaspoonfuls of batter onto the pan to make silver-dollar sized patties. Cook a few minutes until the patties just begin to brown on the bottom; flip, and cook about one minute longer (or a little less), until golden on the second side.

Makes 8 silver-dollar sized patties.

Cheesy Broccoli Casserole

Today's make-ahead meal for the next few days' lunches:

Cheesy Broccoli Casserole

2.5 cups cooked brown rice (from 1 cup uncooked)
1 large bunch broccoli, chopped finely
3/4 cup skim milk
1 cup grated cheese (or more if you are feeling extravagant)(I used mozzarella, but something a bit sharper would be great)
3 eggs
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 cup coarse whole-wheat breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 good shakes hot red pepper flakes
2 large pinches fennel seeds
2 dashes salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp paprika

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Combine the rice, broccoli, garlic, and all spices in an 8 by 8 square baking dish (or something similar). In a bowl, beat the eggs; add the milk and grated mozzarella cheese; pour evenly over the rice/broccoli mixture. Combine the breadcrumbs and Parmesan; sprinkle evenly over the top.
Bake about 35 minutes, until the top is browned and the middle is set.

Serves 3-4..

Vegetable Rice Patties with Tomatoes and Basil

Leftover rice + leftover vegetables + cheese + enough egg to hold it together = warm, toasty, vegetable-y patties! I used the vegetables and herbs we had on hand, but it could easily be changed to use up almost any vegetable

*My associate claims these should be called "Third Day Patties," because they have been "resurrected" from the depths of the fridge...

Vegetable Rice Patties with Tomatoes and Basil

2 cups cooked brown rice
2 eggs, beaten
2 small zucchini, or 1 large, grated and squeezed dry in a towel
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup parsley, loosely packed, chopped (or another herb if that is what you have)
grated zest of 1 lemon (optional)
salt & pepper to taste
1 tbsp olive oil

topping: 2 tomatoes, diced
small handful basil, chopped

Mix rice, zucchini, cheese, parsley, and lemon zest in a bowl. Beat the eggs and add; mix until everything is very well coated.

Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-low heat. Scoop out about a half-cup of the mixture and form into a shallow patty in the pan. Repeat with about four or however many will fit in your pan without crowding. Cook until the bottom begins to brown, about 5-7 minutes. Carefully flip with a large spatula and cook until the other side begins to brown.

Meanwhile, mix the diced tomatoes and basil together.

When the patties are browned, serve, topped with tomatoes and basil.

Makes 7-8 patties, enough for two or three people.

Summer Spicy Chicken Salad with Rice

Yum. Nice cool chicken salad. Cilantro. It's a meal-in-a-bowl.

Summer Spicy Chicken Salad with Rice

1 1/2 cups of the green sauce listed here, or a little over 1 cup of this green sauce with 1/2 cup coconut milk stirred in (if you have the second handy one in the freezer)

2 cups cooked basmati rice or other long grain rice
3 chicken breast halves, poached and diced
3 cups diced green cabbage
2 diced scallions
salt to taste

Combine all ingredients, using enough sauce that it is quite moist but not mooshy or runny. Chill. Eat.

Serves 3-4.

Chicken Soup

Very simple, filling, and warming--just right for a day like yesterday, the first real snowfall of the winter.

You know, soup just doesn't photograph that well. But you don't really need one, because it looks like... chicken soup.

Chicken Soup

10 chicken drumsticks, bone-in (or the equivalent in other chicken parts, whatever you have, so long as they are fairly meaty)
2 medium onions, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
2/3 cup brown rice
2/3 cup red lentils
3/4 tsp powdered allspice
1/2 tsp powdered cardamom
1/2 tsp powdered turmeric
salt to taste
10-12 cups water

If you have time, soak the rice in water for about 2 hours before cooking (it makes the soup creamier, but you can skip this step and it'll still turn out fine).

In the bottom of a large pot, saute the onions until translucent in the olive oil. Add the spices and cook a few minutes longer, until fragrant. Add the rice, lentils, chicken, and 10 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 2 hours--until the soup has become creamy, the rice and lentils are softened almost beyond recognition, and the meat is falling off the bones, adding more water if the soup gets thicker than you would like it to be. Skim off any foam that rises. After around 2 hours, remove the chicken from the pot; shred the meat off the bones and return the meat to the pot. Taste and add salt as necessary. Serve hot.

Serves about 5 as a main course.

Variation: for even creamier soup, you can use white rice.