Vegetables and rice can get boring pretty quickly. Add a new sauce and liven things up. If you chop the lime up finely, everyone will have a good time trying to guess the “secret ingredient” …always a favorite game at our table!

Boil up some basmati rice, and start your sauce. A few minutes before the rice is ready, bring the sauce back up to simmer and add your veggies. We used broccoli, and it was delicious.

Ceylonese Sauce

2 T vegetable oil
Medium onion, chopped
Large clove of garlic, chopped
1 t mustard seeds
2 t curry paste or favorite curry spice mix
15 oz can of coconut milk
1/2 lime, chopped fine
Chili powder for those who like it hot

Saute the onions and garlic in oil in a large skillet. Crush the mustard seeds with mortar and pestle, and add with the curry paste to the pan. Heat well. Add the coconut milk and bring to a boil. Add the lime. Reduce to simmer and allow to thicken. Add vegetables to soften shortly before serving over rice. Add chili powder if desired.

Image: Cyndi Lavin

Post from: Blisstree

Vegetables and rice with Ceylonese sauce

After putting the first few ingredients into a pan, you’ll just stick it in the oven and walk away for about 45 minutes. Time to read a chapter of your novel, do a load of laundry (yuck), talk with a friend on the phone, supervise homework…

When you return to your kitchen, you’ll just saute up the veggies quickly, smother the rice and chicken with them, and eat!  You can also substitute turkey if there are still leftovers hanging around 

Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole with Artichokes

1 c uncooked wild rice
4-1/2 c stock
Skinned chicken breasts
Paprika

Olive oil
3 carrots, sliced
2 c mushrooms, sliced
1/4 c flour
1 t rosemary
1/2 c sherry (cooking sherry is fine)
2 cans artichoke hearts, quartered

Mix rice, 2-1/2 c stock, chicken pieces, in a large baking pan and sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 450, covered in foil, for 45 minutes.

Saute the carrots and mushrooms in olive oil in a heavy skillet. Add the flour and rosemary and mix them in well. Add the rest of the stock and the sherry and cook for a few minutes until thickened. Add the artichoke quarters and stir till slightly heated. Arrange the vegetable mixture over and around the chicken on rice.

Post from: Blisstree

Chicken and wild rice casserole with artichokes

I posted awhile ago about how to make basic risotto. Don’t let the multiple steps throw you off…it’s not hard, and it’s really worth it. No other cooking method yields the creamy goodness of risotto! Since it’s one of my favorite comfort foods, I thought I’d share this variation with you during our Comfort Food blitz

This particular recipe mixes wonderful corn with the arborio rice. Fresh grated parmesan tops it off. It goes wonderfully with chicken – grilled, oven-roasted, crock potted, whatever! Make sure you add basil and olive oil to your chicken, and it’ll make your taste buds dance. The risotto could also be the centerpiece of a vegetarian meal, no meat required
Corn and Parmesan Risotto

3 T butter (you can substitute olive oil)
1/2 c onion, chopped
1-1/2 c Arborio rice (short-grained)
1/2 c white wine
1/2 t salt
5 c (40 oz) chicken broth
1-1/2 c corn, fresh or canned
1/4 c freshly grated parmesan

Follow the directions for Basic Risotto. Add the corn when the broth is almost all absorbed. Sprinkle the cheese over the top and serve.

Image: Cyndi Lavin

Post from: Blisstree

Corn and parmesan risotto

Making risotto is not the basis of a thirty minute meal. Nonetheless, it is delicious and comforting in a way that just can’t be achieved by boiling up some instant rice. Yuck!  It is actually the perfect dish to introduce during, November, our month of Comfort Food 

Here are the basic directions for risotto, and I’d suggest just reading through them if this is your first time so that you understand how the process works. The directions below are a bit abbreviated, so check the link above if anything doesn’t make sense.

Red Pepper Risotto with Italian Sausage

5 c (40 oz) chicken broth
1/2 lb sausage
Olive oil
1/2 c onion, chopped
2 red bell peppers, chopped
1-1/2 c arborio rice
1/3 c white wine (non-alcoholic cooking wine is fine)
1/2 t salt
Parmesan cheese, fresh

Bring the broth to a simmer and keep it warm. Brown the sausage in a large skillet or stock pot. Remove sausage and brown the veggies. Remove veggies and drain fat. Set both the sauage and veggies aside. Add some olive oil and heat. Add the dry rice, stirring and heating for a minute or so. Add the wine and salt; cook one minute stirring constantly. Add the broth, 1/2 c at a time, stirring constantly until each portion is absorbed. This usually takes at least 20 minutes. Add sausage and veggies back in and heat through. Top with grated or thin sliced cheese to serve.

Image: Cyndi Lavin

Post from: Blisstree

Red pepper risotto with Italian sausage

Lots of onions! This is one of the tastiest polenta dishes I’ve ever had. The recipe below serves 4 as a side dish; if you’d prefer to make it the main dish, the recipe can easily be doubled or even tripled.

Polenta with Prosciutto and Onions

Olive oil
3 – 4 thin slices of prosciutto
2 onions, chopped
1 c water
3/4 c chicken broth
1 t dried sage
1/2 c coarse cornmeal
1 T butter
1/2 c parmesan, fresh grated

Heat some olive oil in a large saucepan, and lightly crisp the prosciutto. Remove and set aside. Add the onions and more oil if needed, and cook till tender. Remove onions and set aside.

Add the water, broth, and sage to the saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Slowly add the cornmeal, a little at a time, stirring constantly. I like to start this process with a whisk and end with a wooden spoon. Cook over low heat until the mixture is thick and pulls away from the pan.

Stir in the butter, a couple tablespoons of the cheese, and half the onions. Spread into a small (3 c) oven-proof serving dish. Top with the rest of the onions and the prosciutto, and sprinkle on the cheese. Bake for just a few minutes in a 400 degree oven to melt the cheese. This can be made ahead of time and popped into the oven for 10 – 15 minutes to heat before serving.

Refer to my post on basic polenta technique for more information on making polenta.

Images: Cyndi Lavin

Post from: Blisstree

Polenta with prosciutto and onions

Ok, the first time I made this dish, I scorched the milk in the bottom of the pan! I forgot what a mess milk can make in a very short time. A little baking soda paste and heating later…I was ready to try it again.

I would recommend that if you’ve got a double-boiler you use it. I also experimented with using my crock pot for times when I wasn’t in a hurry. I’ve included both instructions below. But even if you have to suffer through scraping the pot, this Indian dessert is worth it!  Traditional Diwali rice pudding is considerably sweeter than I’ve reported below…double the sugar if you want it authentic!

Diwali Rice Pudding

4 c milk
1/2 c long-grain rice
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c raisins
1/2 c almonds, chopped
1 t cardamom

Bring the milk to a boil and add the rice. Lower the heat and cook it very slowly until the rice is creamy. This will take at least an hour. Stir frequently. When the rice is done, stir in the sugar through cardamom. Serve warm or cold.

Crock pot directions: Put warmed milk and the rice into the crock. Cook on low, covered, for about 4 hours. No stirring necessary. Follow the rest of the directions above.

Image: Cyndi Lavin

Post from: Blisstree

Diwali rice pudding

Not that polenta isn’t served in other parts of the country, but it is as common as pasta in the north. And it is amazingly versatile as well. Basic polenta is a snap to make and can be dressed up or dressed down in an infinite number of ways. It can be served with a rich tomato sauce, with or without veggies, sprinkled with parmesan, loaded with meats and onions, topped with tapenade, on and on and on! It makes a great basis for a vegetarian meal, a main dish, or a side dish.

In larger grocery stores, you can buy pre-made polenta in “bricks” that can be sliced. OK, fine, but hardly necessary. It couldn’t be easier to make this basic dish. All you need is cornmeal, water, and salt. Really! The only trick is that you’ve got to stir it constantly while it’s cooking, but it’s done inside of 20 minutes. There’s actually a method for doing it on low in a slow cooker or crock pot and not stirring it at all past the initial mix, but that takes several hours. You might want to try it, though, if you think you’ll be too busy at the end of the day.

Anyway, here’s how I make it. Later, I’ll be sharing recipes that vary this a bit, along with some nice combos of ingredients and sauces to dress it up for dinner. This recipe serves 4 as a side dish: keep the 3 to 1 ratio if you vary the amounts.

Basic Polenta

3 c water
1 t salt
1 c coarse cornmeal

In a large heavy saucepan, boil the water and salt. Pour the cornmeal in slowly, stirring constantly. Drop the heat to low and continue to cook for 15 to 20 minutes or so, still stirring, until the cornmeal mix pulls away from the sides. I like to add a tablespoon of butter to the mix just before it’s finished and stir it in. Scrape the polenta out into a 3 cup covered serving dish and let it sit until slightly cooled. You can put it in the fridge for later and then just heat it up for a few minutes in the oven, or leave it on the counter for a bit. Slice it up to serve it, along with whatever toppings and sauce you want to add. I like to put mine in a round glass dish (see above), and cut it into wedges.

Polenta with sundried tomatoes and blackeyed peas

Images: Cyndi Lavin

Post from: Blisstree

Polenta…the northern Italian staple

Here’s a delicious Once A Month Cooking treat for you: jambalaya that you’ll eat with a fork instead of a spoon! You can double, triple, or whatever this recipe to make multiple batches. The recipe below makes enough to feed an average family of four. I like to add something green to the meal on the day it’s served.

For a refresher on how OAMC works, visit the link above. Go here for more OAMC recipes.

Baked Jambalaya

1/2 c celery, chopped
1/2 c green pepper, chopped
Scallion, chopped
Clove of garlic, minced
1/2 lb kielbasa, cooked and sliced
1/2 lb ham, cooked and diced
1/2 t thyme
1/2 t oregano
1 t paprika
1/2 t cayenne pepper
1/2 t cumin
14 oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 c broth (your choice)
1 c long grain rice

Mix everything together in a large bowl. Put into a 9 x 13 baking dish and cook covered at 375 for about 45 minutes to freeze for later or 60 minutes to serve immediately. Rice will be slightly undercooked at 45. Freeze covered.

To serve: Allow to thaw overnight in the fridge first or place directly in the oven at 375 until heated through.

Image: MorgueFile

Post from: Blisstree

Baked jambalaya (OAMC)

Here’s another delicious Once A Month Cooking treat for you: slightly sweet chicken, warm and bubbly that goes beautifully with a simple spinach salad. This serves my family of four with the addition of the salad, and sometimes rolls if everyone’s really hungry!

For a refresher on how OAMC works, visit the link above. Go here for more OAMC recipes.

Mandarin Orange Chicken

1 T olive oil
2 c fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 T flour
1/2 c scallions, sliced
1 c chicken broth
3 oz frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 c long grain rice
1 lb boneless chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
11 oz can of mandarin oranges, drained

In a large sauce pan, saute the mushrooms for a few minutes. Sprinkle the flour over them and stir. Stir in the scallions through rice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook covered for about 30 minutes if you are planning to freeze the meal, 45 minutes to serve immediately. The rice will be slightly undercooked at 30 minutes. Stir in the cooked chicken and the oranges, and package to freeze.

To serve: Thaw overnight in the fridge or heat on low until thawed. Return to a sauce pan and heat on the stovetop until the rice is finished.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Post from: Blisstree

Mandarin Orange Chicken (OAMC)

Do you remember the Sweet Spanish Rice we made a couple weeks ago? Well, here’s an easy variation that you can do on it, creating a completely different taste sensation. I like this type of rice for shrimp. If you buy the pre-cooked shrimp, they can just be thrown in on top of the rice in the last few minutes of cooking time, just to heat through. Even if they’re raw, shrimp don’t take all that long to cook

Basically, the recipe for this rice is the same as the other, but we’ll substitute the grated peel and the juice of a lemon for the cinnamon and sage. Plus, I added a chopped red pepper, which isn’t in the list below.  So here’s the lowdown:

Tangy Saffron Rice and Shrimp

Olive oil
Vidalia onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, diced
1/2 c cilantro
Lemon, grated peel and juice
Pinch of saffron threads (optional)
1 t salt
3 c chicken stock or water
1 c Bomba rice (or Arborio)

In a large heavy skillet with a cover, cook the onion and garlic in the olive oil on medium heat; do not brown them. Add the cilantro through the stock and bring to a boil while stirring. Stir in the rice, return to a boil, and then reduce the heat. Cook uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes. If you are going to serve with pre-cooked shrimp, place them over top the rice for the last 2-3 minutes.

Image: Cyndi Lavin

Post from: Blisstree

Tangy saffron rice and shrimp