Joy the Baker » rice

Arroz con Pollo

joythebaker — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 04:41:23 +0000

One a scale of 1 to romantic… where do you fall?

I fall at the medium-low level… let’s call if a 4.6. Go easy on the candle light, long stem roses, and limo rides (unless there’s a hot tub in back). I don’t need jewelry, but diamonds are always nice (it’s a paradox, I dunno…). Carriage rides? Meh. Horse rides? Cooler. Horse ride followed by margaritas? Now you’re on to something.

I’m not the heart locket and stuffed animal type. I’m more the Le Creuset and expensive chocolate type.

I also think large pots of warm rice and chicken are an 8.7 on the romantic scale.

This is a really lovely, one-pot dish, that starts with wine and saffron.

Many good things come from wine and saffron.

Olives, rice, and chicken. That’s all we’re getting ourselves into.

In a pot together, magic romantic things happen.

Bubble and simmer. Bubble and simmer.

Everything in the pot, and the rice soaks it all up.

There’s no way to dry the chicken, or otherwise futz up this dish. If the rice gets burned and crunchy on the bottom… that’s totally the best part.

There are a few tricks… if you’re using a large pot, make sure that you move it around on the burner so that the simmer hits every part of the pan. Fifteen minutes in the center of the pot. Ten minutes on one side of the pot. Ten minutes on the other side of the pot. Sometimes pockets of rice can remain uncooked if the pan is too large. Also.. don’t be afraid to add a touch more broth if your rice isn’t cooking up. No worries. Keep it easy.

This Arroz con Pollo is a super classic, ultra-comforting dish. Listen… if you’d like to claim that your mother makes a better Arroz con Pollo that I do… guess what? You’re probably right. This dish is good… really really good. I just don’t want to do battle with your mother… that’s all I’m saying.

I’d love for you to make this dish for a special someone on, or near Valentine’s Day. It’s comfort food that should be shared with love. After dinner you can both stand around the pot with spoons and scrape the bottom of the pot for crunchy rice bits while you finish the bottle of wine. That’s romance. That’s friendship. That’s just love.

Arroz con Pollo

Dinner for Two, Leftovers for Two

adapted from Martha Stewart

makes 4 pieces of chicken

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3/4 cup dry white wine

pinch of saffron threads (just a few strands is plenty)

4 chicken thighs (skin on)

salt and pepper for seasoning chicken

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1- 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes (mostly drained)

1 bay leaf

about 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (or to taste) and 1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

2 1/4 cups chicken broth (you may need a bit more)

1 1/2 cups white rice

scant 1 cup large green pimento olives

Combine wine and saffron in a small bowl. The saffron will begin to breed yellow. Great! Set aside.

In a large, heavy-bottom saucepan or dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Season both sides of the chicken generously with salt and pepper.

Place chicken pieces, skin side down, in the hot oil. Allow to crispy and fry for 4 to 5 minutes. Flip over and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove the chicken pieces from the hot pan and place on a clean plate.

Add onions and garlic to the pan. Cook, stirring, until soft and tender, about 10 minutes. Add the partially drained can of tomatoes, bay leaf, salt and pepper, and saffron wine. Allow to simmer, uncovered, until the mixture has reduced by half, about 10-15 minutes.

Add the rice to the pot. Add the chicken broth and chicken pieces. Top with olives. Reduce the heat to low, place the lid on the pot, and allow to simmer until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 30-40 minutes.*

* There are a few tricks… if you’re using a large pot, make sure that you move it around on the burner so that the simmer hits every part of the pan. Fifteen minutes in the center of the pot. Ten minutes on one side of the pot. Ten minutes on the other side of the pot. Sometimes pockets of rice can remain uncooked if the pan is too large. Also.. don’t be afraid to add a touch more broth if your rice isn’t cooking up. No worries. Keep it easy.

Check the rice after 30 minutes to make sure that it is cooking evenly. Add more broth, a cup at a time, if necessary.

Once cooked, allow to rest for 10 minutes with the lid on.

Serve warm.

Dish will last, in a container in the fridge, for up to 3 or 4 days.

Evelyn’s Chicken and Rice Casserole

joythebaker — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 08:32:58 +0000

Here’s some things to avoid doing on Christmas morning.

Don’t haphazardly put the casserole your aunt made in a bag.

Don’t drive that casserole across town.

Don’t carry that casserole into a home with tile floors.

Don’t accidentally drop the stupid bag with the broken handle on the tile floor.

If you do that… everything will break.

If you drop the casserole and break the dish you’ll surely have to throw everything away… no one wants to eat glass.

If you throw every broken thing away, you’ll make your aunt cry.

Don’t make your aunt cry on Christmas. That would be totally stupid. Do Not Do That.

And if you do… make your aunt a new casserole. Duh.

Sigh.

This is my Aunt Judy’s Mom’s old school casserole recipe.

Old school casseroles have like… four ingredients in them…. with potato chips on top. They’re delicious. It’s weird.

Rotisserie chicken and rice with creamy soup and a few veggies. It tastes like dinner. Dinner tastes delicious.

This recipe makes two casseroles. I think ti’s classy to make one for yourself and take one to a friend. I dunno…. maybe I’m weird.

Incidentally, if you’re upset with me for all of the savory recipes… well… make yourself some Fruity Banana Bread.

I’m in charge here.

Evelyn’s Chicken and Rice Casserole

makes 2 8-inch casseroles

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2 cups cooked white rice

2 cups diced celery

1/4 cup diced onions

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 rotisserie chicken

1 15-ounce can cream of mushroom soup

1 1/2 cup mayonnaise

salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

3/4 cup slivered almonds

3/4 cup crushed potato chips

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Cook rice and place in a large bowl.

Saute celery and onions with 1 tablespoon of olive oil until onions are cooked and browned. Place mixture in a large bowl with the rice.

Stip meat from rotisserie chicken and place in the bowl. Add cream of mushroom soup, mayonnaise, a few pinches of salt and a few turns of fresh ground pepper. Stir well to incorporate all of the ingredients. Spoon mixture into two 8-inch baking dishes and top with slivered almonds and crushed potato chips. Bake at 300 degrees F for 1 hour.

If you’d like, you can freeze an unbaked casserole in the casserole dish. When ready to bake, let it thaw in the fridge overnight, top with almonds and crushed potato chips and bake.

Wild Rice Salad with yogurt vinaigrette

joythebaker — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 20:31:08 +0000

Right now, all I can think about is raw Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.

But… that’s not why we’re here today. Today we have to talk about rice and beans and vegetables. I just want you to know that what I’m really thinking about it… cookie dough. Oooh cookie dough.

Ok.. let’s focus. I’ve been making some version of this Wild Rice Salad for the last month. For this particular recipe I used a really lovely mixture of black and brown rice from Goose Valley. LOVE. It’s hearty and healthy and holds up to these salad concoctions. I’m a fan.

To my cooked wild rice I add just about anything and just about everything. Aaaand, I made my own vinaigrette with fresh herbs and Greek yogurt. Holy heckballs…. am I healthy, or what!?

Let’s do this so we can talk about cookie dough this week. On the real.

First let’s make a yogurt vinaigrette. This isn’t like baking. We don’t need precise measurements… just a spoonful of this, a giant dollop of that… it’ll be good. Trust me.

Whisk together a heaping spoonful of Dijon or whole grain mustard with a heaping spoonful of honey and about 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar.

It’ll look something like this.

Grind in some pepper and whisk in a few pinches of salt. Then! Add about a cup of Greek yogurt. Whisk away.

Fresh herbs. I’ve got parsley, chives, a young garlic up from there (with garlic chives attached) and a few mint leaves. I minced these bad boys up and…

…added them to my dressing. Give it a whisk. Give it a taste. Add more salt and pepper as needed. This dressing will be tangy and super fresh tasting and will keep in the fridge for about 5 days. Super.

What do we have here? About 5 cups of wild and brown rice, a can of garbanzo beans and a can of roughly chopped artichoke hearts. Superb.

I steamed some tiny potatoes, skin and all, and chopped then in half.

I also threw in some fresh baby spinach, a big handful of blueberries (yes… blueberries… yes… delicious) and tossed it all together.

With a big spoonful of the tangy yogurt vinaigrette… dang… we just got fancy and healthy all in one bite. Let’s pat ourselves on the back… and go make something with cookie dough. Win… win.

Oh. You want to print out this recipe? Sure…

Print this Recipe!

Vanilla Bean Rice Pudding

joythebaker — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 21:06:09 +0000

Something happened last night-

It involved me, my space heater, a few comforters, season one of Pushing Daisies, a spoon, and an entire container of chilled rice pudding.

I realized two things last night. One: while Pushing Daisies is beautiful and charming, it’s almost too sweet. It is still, however, an effective way to wish away three hours of a Sunday evening. Two: Yes, my stomach does have the capacity to hold about 8 cups of rice pudding. How awesome is that!?

I ate the whole thing. Fact. Every last creamy, soft, raisin studded, vanilla bite. And the truth? I’d do it all again tonight if I could… and I can… but I won’t. Does that make sense?

This Rice Pudding might be best shared with your family. It’s Super Comfort. If comfort became a super hero and came to save the day, it would come in the form of this rice pudding.

If you do have to eat the entire thing by yourself, under your covers on a cold night, well…that’s not such a hard cross to bear, is it?

The Best Rice Pudding

The Gourmet Cookbook

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serves 4 to 6

2 cups water

1cup long grain rice

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

4 cups whole milk

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 vanilla bean, split open

1 cup golden raisins

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Stir in lemon zest, salt and long grain rice and return to a boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer the rice, covered, until all of the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.

Once rice is cooked, place it in a bowl and rise out pan. Add 4 cups of milk, sugar and vanilla bean to the pan. Bring to a low boil, stirring often so the milk doesn’t burn. Add the cooked rice and raisins to the hot milk. Stir often, until the milk cooks down and the rice is creamy, about 20 minutes. Place in a large bowl or serving dishes to cool. Serve cold or at room temperature.