Rice
Another risotto story – Saffron risotto with dandelions, spinach and shiitake
May 4th
Un’altra storia di risotto – Risotto allo zafferano, tarassaco, spinaci e funghi shiitake
Other names for dandelion or dente di leone, or even tarassaco, piscialetto (pee in bed) in Italian, pissenlit, dent de lion in French – that wonderful bitter green that grows into a beautiful yellow flower. As much as I love risotto, I rarely make it, probably because I never really developed a great relationship with rice. My mom would make seafood risotto or beans and rice once in a while but pasta was the most common dish. “Risotti” are Northern Italian dishes therefore not that popular in Central Italy, even though nowadays its popularity spread out beyond the Northern limits.
I am someone who eats about everything, thinking about it, I don’t think there is an ingredient I don’t eat…maybe one, yes one…sea cucumbers I ordered at a Chinese restaurant. I had no idea what it was exactly, I thought it was that long mollusk I have seen on some TV show (the guy who eats weird food) and that I thought I would eventually like. Well I was wrong, sea cucumber is something in between pork skin and jelly with a fish flavor, so I had to leave it on the table.
The world of risotto is so vast, and this is one version among others, you can explore it to the infinite, I will definitely play with it more often. I like mine colorful, creamy and velvety, one bite should slide in your palate like a caress. You can serve it on the runny side or on the thicker side (I kept mine a little thicker than usual because of the greens), but it cannot lose its creaminess which is the trickiest part for a great risotto.
The saffron adds a very nice pungent and refined flavor, and color too. The golden yellow color was so intense in the plate, contrasting beautifully with the greens…the more color, the better, but not any color…just the matching ones. I do believe in the aesthetic beauty of a dish, after all you devours it with the eyes first.
Ingredients for 2-3
- 7 oz (or 200 g) arborio rice
- 1 shallot
- 1 tbs butter (or olive oil)
- I dose saffron, infused in hot broth
- 1 cup white wine
- 2.5 cups or more vegetable broth
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1/2 bunch dandelions, washed and cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 cup baby spinach
- 8 medium size shiitake mushrooms, cut in small pieces
- 2 tbs parmigiano reggiano, freshly grated
- salt and pepper
Preparation
Heat olive oil or melt butter in a pot, add shallot and brown it. Add rice, stir a few minutes to coat it with the oil. Add wine and increase heat to make the wine evaporate faster. Reduce heat, then add broth gradually.
In the meantime, in a pan, heat 1 tsp olive oil, add garlic and saute dandelions and spinach, saute until tender, adjust with salt and pepper. Remove from pan. Using the same pan, saute shiitake mushrooms in a little olive oil and garlic, salt and pepper. Keep hot.
When the rice is cooked, add parmesan cheese, and fold in the vegetables. Serve hot.
A far away cousin of vegetable paella – Saffron brown rice with mixed vegetables
Mar 19th
Un cousin éloigné de la paella végétarienne – Riz brun au saffran et méli mélo de petits légumes
It’s time for some rice…rice and potatoes are two ingredients I rarely use, French people eat a LOT of potatoes, at my parents my mom rarely made them, Italians are more pasta eaters than potato eaters. A while ago, I started buying all the different kinds of rices I ran into, from black rice, to bamboo rice, any shape and color rice I saw. It seems like the excitement faded away, but I don’t want to leave rice aside, because I love it. It’s nutritious, healthy and can make wonderful side dishes.
The world of food has so many items to explore than sometimes, you get caught trying out new ingredients, and leaving aside the ones you know too well.
This rice has a rich and deep yellow color you get with combining saffron and paprika or pimenton as they say in Spain but I found Spanish pimenton to have a more smokey flavor.
Basically the rice is steamed in a vegetable broth with saffron and paprika, so it comes out almost orange. Such a vibrant color to have in ones plate.
Plain white rice is great with spicy dishes, it enables to decrease the powerful and strong flavors of the spices and balances everything perfectly. Sometimes I enjoy some more intricate rice dishes like this one, you can just eat it as a main dish and as is, because it’s a whole meal in itself and full of fragrant flavors. I certainly don’t want to call this vegetarian paella, which would be so wrong, but it has some similarities in some of the spices and cooking method, even though I did not use a paella tray, nor used Spanish rice.
Ingredients for 2-3
- 5.29 0z (or 150 g) brown rice
- one dose saffron
- 1/4 tsp Spanish pimenton
- vegetable broth (rice x 2)
- 1 shallot
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 tbs mixed oregano, very finely chopped
- 1/2 red bell pepper, cut in very small cubes (1/4 inch)
- 1 cup fresh peas (or frozen)
- 1/2 bunch asparagus, cut in small chunks (1/2 inch)
- 1 tbs olive oil
- salt and pepper
Preparation
In a rice cooker or regular pot, mix broth, rice, saffron, pimenton and salt. Let it sit for a few minutes until the saffron has dissolved. For broth quantities, I use about twice the amount of rice, in this case, since it’s brown rice, which takes harder to cook, I use about 3 times its quantity. If using rice cooker, broth needs to be at 2 cm above the level of the rice.
Heat olive oil in a pan, add shallots and let them soften. Add all the mixed vegetables and stir well. Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked but still firm, add garlic and oregano and cook for a few additional minutes to get the flavors out.
Mix in the rice, stir well until all the vegetables are well incorporated into the rice.
Always so special – Green risotto
Feb 10th
Sempre così speciale – Il riso verde
Riso verde is a specialty I used to eat at our family restaurant in Italy, I haven’t eaten it anywhere else. My dad’s relatives have un’albergo-ristorante (an hotel and restaurant) Al Lago in San Lazzaro that also has a restaurant where they make wonderful specialties like this one. All their pasta, tagliatelle, gnocchi, cannelloni, etc…are homemade, therefore many locals go there to celebrate special events such as weddings, baptims and have traditional “gargantuesques” meals. Last time I was there was for my cousin’s wedding but riso verde was not part of the menu to my big disappointment. You can also find some tourists during the summer in San Lazzaro, but being a small little town in Pesaro Province, and not as touristy as Rimini or some other bigger cities on the Adriatic Coast, the summers are usually not as invaded by tourists trying to indulge on local cuisine.
I have always loved this riso verde, basically it’s somehow a risotto, but they call it simply “riso” (rice). Usually as any other “primo” meaning first dish, it’s served by itself, and not as a side dish. To really appreciate it, you should really savor it on its own, and with nothing else to distract you from its wonderful taste and texture.
I was tempted to dress it up but then I resisted and I decided to leave it as it’s served at Al Lago. I added a little extra spinach, the original recipe has less spinach, and a little more cream, so has a lighter green color. You can adjust the spinach and cream quantity. I kept mine on the healthy side, but nothing prevents you from adding a little less spinach and a little cream. In Italy, they use Panna, which is a thick cream, heavy cream or crème fraîche can be substituted but it has a little more of a tangy flavor.
The trick here is to mash to spinach into a purée type of a texture so when you mix it with the risotto, you see no spinach particles. The green color of the spinach needs to be blended with the rice.
Also, I would not use a cooking wine but a nice dry white wine more like Vernaccia or some Northern Italian wines.
Ingredients for 2
- 1 cup arborio rice
- 1/2 shallot, chopped
- 2 cups fresh spinach or 1/3 lb frozen
- 1 cup (to be adjusted) dry white wine
- 1 cup (to be adjusted) vegetable broth
- 2 tbs parmigiano reggiano
- 1 tbs heavy cream
- salt and pepper
Preparation
First start preparing the spinach. If using fresh spinach, wash them well, and boil in salted water for about 5-7 minutes. Drain well squeezing extra water, and chop them finely first, then with a little cream, place in a blender and reduce into a purée type of consistency. Set aside.
In a pot, heat olive oil, then add shallots. Let them brown then add rice. Stir rice to coat rice with the olive oil. Add gradually wine and broth and keep stirring. Add spinach 10 minutes before rice has finished cooking. Add cream and continue stirring. At the end add parmigiano. Stir well all ingredients so that risotto has absorbed flavors. Serve hot.
A different kind of basmati – Coral red basmati with mustard greens, peas and shrimps
Dec 12th
Un basmati pas comme les autres – Basmati rouge corail aux crevettes, fanes de moutarde et pois
I think by now I must have tried almost all the different kinds of rice on the market, going from basic to fancy. The funny thing is that I am not a big rice eater but when I see a kind I never tasted, I buy it.
For me, rice is that ingredient I enjoy but that I rarely cook. Then when I eat it, I am thinking I should make it more often. Time goes by, and rice is still left in the pantry.
This time, I found this beautiful coral red basmati at Whole Foods and was curious about its taste and texture, and after one month of staring at it, I decided to make something out of it. I liked its “marketing” name “coral red” is quite a pretty name for a red rice and thinking about it I bought it mainly because I was seduced by its name which I found quite sexy. Americans are certainly great at marketing!
I love rice bowls, they’re nutritious and you can make a “one-meal” bowl, besides whole rices are perfect for that. Coral red basmati rice does not taste exactly like regular basmati, It has a pretty color but is less aromatic.
French people are not big rice eaters, they eat a lot more potatoes as primary carbohydrate and of course bread. I remember a commercial on TV when I was a child for Uncle Ben’s rice “Le riz qui ne colle jamais“, “the rice that never sticks”, in his little plastic bag, and that was the only rice I would eat. My mom creamy risotto was so unappealing comparing to Uncle Bens! I was fascinated by its TV commercial of this old and big Southern American guy with a thick American accent and his “Uncle Bens! le riz qui ne colle jamais!”.
Ingredients for 4
- 280 g coral red rice (about 70 g per person)
- 1 large bunch mustard greens, chopped
- 24 large uncooked shrimps
- 1/2 cup frozen or fresh peas
- 2 shallots, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 small piece ginger, grated
- 1 tbs mustard seeds
- 1 tbs soy sauce
- 1 tbs olive oil
Preparation
Heat olive oil in a pan, brown shallots, 1 garlic clove, ginger and mustard seeds. Stir well and let all ingredients brown.
Steam rice in a rice cooker or regular pot.
Cook mustard greens in boiling water for about 5-7 minutes, until cooked. Drain, squeeze extra water and chop finely.
Add shrimps to onion, garlic, ginger mixture and cook for about 5 minutes until shrimps are cooked, add peas and mustard greens, salt and pepper and cook for another 10 minutes. (If using fresh peas, they need to cook longer)
Add rice and stir well. Add 1 garlic clove crushed and 1 tbs soy sauce, stir well, let it cook for another 5 minutes and serve as a side dish or as a full meal.
A wild side – Wild rice "à la forestière" with mushrooms, carrots and walnuts
Nov 15th
Un côté sauvage – Riz sauvage à la forestière aux champignons, carottes et noix
I haven’t realized Thanksgiving is coming soon, then I am leaving to visit my family in France shortly after, not sure I will have time to make it to Italy but we’ll see. It’s been one year I did not go home, and I am starting to have the one year “itch”. I remember I made this rice for Christmas for my parents guests, many years ago as a side dish to stuffed quails with ris de veau (sweatbreads) and everyone loved the whole thing. It was the time I still could eat a bird.
My mom would always invite this longtime Italian girlfriend (from the same town in Italy) with her French husband and son for Christmas and I was not looking forward to it. Those guys were the snobbiest, uptight and annoying people I have ever seen, always criticizing and making fun of others. But every year, my mom would feel so guilty to let them spend Christmas by themselves, so she invited them at home, and we would spend January 1st in their home. That was like a punishment to me! So the first time I made this rice was for them as a side dish. At least something came out of those Christmases. My mom always had this sense of “duty” or “obligation” to take care of people and sometimes it can be overwhelming. I bet everyone has those memories of some family dinners and having to deal with some unpleasant parents’ friends.
It’s a very simple dish but quite tasty and always a beautiful and refined accompaniment to a fish or meat. What is called “à la forestière” in French is mainly a dish that has mushrooms, “forestière” meaning from the forrest (forêt = forrest). Rice à la forestière is a French classic, so this one has been modified and made it into a more modern and light version with a twist. The nutty flavor of wild rice enhanced by walnuts is delightful.
Ingredients for 4
- 300 g wild rice
- 2 carrots
- 2 shallots
- 1.5 cups cremini or wild mushrooms
- 1.5 tbs walnut, chopped
- 1/5 tbs parsley, finely chopped
- 1 tbs olive oil
Preparation
Cook rice for about 40 minutes until cooked. You can either use a rice cooker or cook it in a pot the traditional way.
In a pan, heat olive oil, add shallot and carrots. Cover with a lid and let the mixture cook, then after 10 min add mushrooms, cool for an additional 10 min or until the water has evaporated. Add cooked rice, stir and adjust with salt and pepper. Add walnuts and parsley. Mix well and serve.
Miso, red rice and more – Bhutanese red rice miso soup with banana squash and kale
Apr 8th
Miso, riz rouge mais plus encore – Soupe de riz rouge au miso, courge pink banana et feuilles de chou
This vegetable soup is wonderful to have for dinner as a control-weight meal. It’s full filling, has the necessary daily vegetable for a healthy diet and is quite satisfying because of it’s great flavor and texture.
I was wondering what is the French translation of banana squash, and weirdly enough, it seems to be courge pink banana. Growing up, I only knew zucchini (courgettes) and pumpkin (potiron or citrouille), so when I came to the US and saw all those different kinds of squash, it teased my curiosity. In France pumkin is mainly used as a vegetable in soups, or side dishes but not in desserts like here.
This rice is not the traditional red rice, it comes from Bhutan and grows in the heights of the Himalayas, it has a nice round shape, nutty flavor and is full of fibers. It’s perfect for soups or stuffing vegetables because it won’t get mushy and will remain firm. Half of this soup is blended so you’ll get the creamy consistency while having chunks of vegetables in it. The red miso paste (Akamiso) which is a little stronger and darker than some other miso such as shiromiso, enhances the flavor of the soup and gives it a nice dark orange color. It does not taste like the regular miso you can find in miso soups in Japanese restaurants but is a little stronger.
Ingredients for 4
- 1lb banana squash, diced
- 2 carrots, cut in chunks
- 1 onion
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 celeri sticks
- 4 kale leaves, blanched and chopped
- 2 tbs red miso paste
- one pinch of hot chili powder
- vegetable broth
- 1 1/2 cups red rice, cooked
- 1 tbs olive oil
- salt and pepper
Preparation
Brown onions in olive oil, add chopped garlic. Add squash, carrots, celeri and cover with vegetable broth to cover the vegetables by 1 inch. Add salt and pepper. Cook for 15 minutes, then add miso.When the soup is cooked, take half the quantity and put in a blender, blend to make it a smooth consistency. Add the rest of the soup. Mix well.
Bring water to a boil in a pot, add kale. Cook until kale is tender about 10 minutes, squeeze the water out and chop roughly. Add the kale to the soup.
Steam red rice and add to the soup. Mix well and serve in bowls.
The dressed up baby zucchini – baby zucchini stuffed with sweet saffron rice, swiss chard and prosciutto
Mar 4th
La petite courge endimanchée – petites courges farcies de riz brun au saffran, blettes, parmesan et prosciutto
How can you not like those zucchini? They are the cutest little things you can have in a plate…I haven’t stuffed vegetables in a while, just because I am not a huge fan of stuffed vegetables, they’re fun to look at but I feel they’re never quite satisfying on their own…When I saw those at the Berkeley Bowl, I thought, I’ll buy them anyway, I can always slice and sautee them. Then after staring at them for a while, I thought it would be such a shame to NOT use them in their original shape, so I wanted to find a way to really make them tasty, “goûtues” like we say in French…and here they are, green and yellow, with their little hat on top to cover their heads, and deliciously savory.
for 3 people as a side dish
- 6 small round baby zucchini
- 2/3 cup sweet brown rice
- 3 slices of prosciutto di parma
- 100 g swiss chards
- 1 shallot
- 1 garlic clove crushed
- 1/2 dose of saffran
- 3 tbs fresh grated parmigiano reggiano
- 1 tbs olive oil
- salt pepper
Preparation
Cut the top of the zucchini, scoop the inside with a teaspoon, chop the flesh in small pieces and sautee in olive oil, then add chopped prosciutto. Cook until the water evaporates. In the meantime, add salt to the zucchini shells, and place in a prehated oven at 370F for about 10 min.
Cook the rice, either in a rice cooker, adding saffran to the water, or in a regular pot, steaming it for about 30 min. Sweet brown rice takes a while to cook and remains a little crunchy.
In the meantime, cook swiss chard in boiling water for about 10 min. When cooked drain and remove excess water. Chop in small pieces. Heat up in olive oil in a pan, add shallot, cook until translucent, then add the swiss chards, saute for another 5 minutes.
In a mixing bowl, add cooked rice, zucchini flesh, swiss chards, parmesan, garlic, salt and pepper and one tsp olive oil, mix well and stuff zucchini with the rice mixture, place cover on top. Cook in a prehated oven at 380F for about 25 min.
My yellow baby – Saffron baby basmati rice with tofu, red peppers and peas
Dec 20th
Mon bébé tout jaune – Riz basmati nain au saffran avec tofu, poivrons et petits pois
The first time I saw baby basmati rice, was at the wonderful San Francisco grocery store, the Rainbow. It is one of my favorite stores in the city, not because of all the imported and organic products, or spices, or vegetables but because of the variety of what they carry. You can get at least 20 different types of rice, flours, cereals, tons of imported cheeses, etc…The store has everything from fresh sauerkraut, foreign cheeses and coffees, fresh yeast, pans, containers, kitchen utensils, herbal remedies, everything you can think of…the only think they don ‘t sell is fish and meat, since the store is mainly vegetarian, but everything is organic. If you live in the city, and never been to the Rainbow, you have to stop there at least once.
So going back to Baby basmati rice, it’s called Kaljira, it’s a basmati rice that has not fully grown. It is grown in Bangladesh and is used in any dish like a regular basmati. Its flavor is subtler and more delicate than regular basmati and its size is smaller too so it cooks quicker.
This dish is perfect for vegans, and is a quite complete, due to tofu and vegetables. It’s a whole meal by itself. Thanks to the saffron you get a deep beautiful yellow color and delicate fragrance. You can also serve it as a side dish to any meat, vegetable or fish.
Ingredients for 4 people:
- 1 1/3 cup baby basmati rice
- Vegetable broth
- 2 tbs olive oil
- ½ cup Frozen peas
- ½ red bell pepper
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 ½ tbs cilantro
- Saffron
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
I used my Cuisinart Rice cooker, when I bought it; I thought another piece of equipment that I will never use. I was wrong; I use it all the time. Before my rice cooker, I cooked rice the old fashioned way, steaming it in a pot, soaking it first especially when using Basmati or Jasmine, then cooking it at very low heat for about 20-30 minutes. I saw my mom cook the rice in boiling water except when she was making risotto, and I will never do that to such a noble grain.
Soak the saffron strands in vegetable broth for about 15 minutes. Place the rice in a rice cooker, if you don’t have a rice cooker, use a regular pot. Add broth and start the cooking process.
In the meantime, heat oil in a pan and add the chopped onion, brown them well, then add the crushed garlic, stir for about 30 seconds. Add the tofu and brown on all the sides, then the vegetables, cover and cook at low heat until the peppers are tender.
When the rice is cooked, add to the pan and stir so that all flavors get mixed. Add cilantro and serve hot.
