Tag Archives: rice

Recipe, Soup

Potage Aux Carottes with Balsamic Reduction

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Continuing with the “French Connection,” Potage Aux Carottes is merely “Carrot Soup.” Thickened with rice instead of cream or flour, this is great served hot on a cold winter day, or served chilled on a hot summer day. An excellent way to get your veggies, and the balsamic reduction adds a sweet, yet savory tang that has to be tasted to be believed!

Soup:

1 tbsp olive oil
6 scallions, white part with a most of the green, cleaned and thinly sliced
4 cups peeled carrots, thinly sliced
2 tsp dried thyme leaves, crumbled
1 tsp cracked black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
6 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup brown rice
Sea salt

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat for 30 seconds. Add scallions and carrots and cook, stirring until carrots are softened, about 7 minutes. Add thyme, peppercorns and bay leaves and cook, stirring, for an additional minute. Transfer to pot. Add hot stock and stir well. Bring to simmer.

Stir in rice. Cover and cook for 35-40 minutes or until rice is to your liking and carrots are tender. Discard bay leaves.

In food processor or blender, puree soup in batches.* Season to taste with sea salt. Ladle into serving bowls drizzled with Balsamic Reduction swirls.

Balsamic Reduction:

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp dark molasses

To make balsamic reduction, combine the vinegar and molasses in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, and stir occasionally, until the amount is reduced by about half and the mixture is of a maple syrup consistency. This should take about 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate to further thicken as it cools. When ready to serve your soup, drizzle each serving with a swirl of the balsamic reduction

* N.B. –  if you’ve never processed soup in a blender before, please for safety’s sake, cover the lid and spout with a kitchen towel before pulsing the blender on. Hot soup can be painful, and it will find a way out of the container!

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Main Course, Recipe

Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken with Rice

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2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
3/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup rice vinegar
3 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 teaspoon ginger paste (or 1 teaspoon ground, dried ginger)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup scallions, diced

Place cubed chicken in bottom of the slow cooker.

Whisk together next five ingredients (soy sauce, sugar, rice vinegar, garlic and ginger paste). Pour over chicken and stir to combine.

Cover and cook on low for four hours.

Using a slotted spoon, remove chicken. Turn slow cooker to high. In another dish (or coffee mug) mix cornstarch with water until smooth with no lumps. Pour the cornstarch slurry into sauce, stirring to combine.

Add the chicken back to the sauce and allow to come back to bubble, which thickens the sauce and coats the chicken.

Serve over white rice and dress with scallions.

Serves 4-6.

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Main Course, Recipe, Seafood/Fish

An easy Sunday dinner…

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Easy, peasy, and so delicious.

2 Albacore tuna steaks
8 ounces Basmati rice
1 medium onion, chopped
3 tbsp butter
8 ounces sliced mushrooms, sauteed

Heat oven to 425F. Place tuna steaks in a baking dish and add 2 cups of water.  Bake, covered in foil, for 25-30 minutes, or until tuna flakes and is cooked through.  Drain off cooking liquid and reserve. Using forks, flake the tuna.

In a medium sized saucepan with a tight fitting lid, melt butter, and sauté onion until just translucent. Add Basmati rice and swirl around with onion and butter to coat.

Add enough water to the reserved cooking liquid (if necessary) to make 2 cups of liquid. Add to the rice, stir to combine, and bring to a boil. Reduce to low and clamp on the lid. Allow to cook for 15-20 minutes or until all liquid is evaporated.

Turn the rice out into a serving dish and, using forks or bamboo spatulas to combine, add tuna and mushrooms. (Never use spoons because that makes the rice gummy.) A nice addition might be freshly cooked peas, asparagus cuts, or even broccoli florets. Some people might like quartered hard boiled eggs (I recommend 3 or 4 eggs be used), and you may sprinkle with dill, cilantro, or parsley for additional colour if desired.

Serves 4, generously.

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Main Course, Recipe

Chicken Picatta with Lemon and Pickled Peppercorns

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A little bit of a change from your traditional chicken picatta, using pickled peppercorns instead of capers (find them in your supermarket in the same area — normally next to the olives). They give a great flavour without adding heat. Please don’t be put off by the length of ingredients — it’s really a simple dish to create!

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves pounded to 1/4″ thickness
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 tbsp dried Italian seasoning
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 egg
1 tbsp water
1 tsp olive oil
3 tbsp butter (separated)
2 lemons (one juiced, one cut into slices)
1 cup dry white wine (if you choose not to use alcohol in your cooking, you may substitute chicken stock)
4 tbsp pickled peppercorns (drained from brine)
cooked brown rice

In a shallow dish, beat egg and water until combined; set aside. In another shallow dish, add flour, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder. Stir to combine.
Heat a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat and add olive oil and 2 tbsp of the butter. Once that has melted and begins to sizzle, dredge chicken first in the beaten egg (allow excess to drain off), then in flour mixture. Place in pan. Cook 4-5 minutes per side, or until brown and slightly springy to the touch. Once chicken has been cooked, remove pieces to a warmed serving platter and cover to keep warm. Take pan off the heat and add the wine. Place back over heat and allow to come to a slight bubble. Add juice of one lemon and the peppercorns. Allow to reduce slightly then remove from heat and stir in remaining 1 tbsp of butter. Swirl until melted.

Serve by placing brown rice on your plate, then a chicken breast cutlet, a slice of lemon, and pour some of the peppercorn pan sauce over top. Add a green salad for a complete meal.

Serves: 4.

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Main Course, Recipe

Savory Mushroom Risotto with Sautéed Chicken Breasts

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Savory Mushroom Risotto

6 cps low sodium, fat free chicken broth (may be made vegetarian by using vegetable stock)
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound white mushrooms, sliced
1 tbsp rosemary, finely minced (or 1/2 tsp powdered rosemary)
2 medium shallots, diced
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
1/3 cup freshly grated Pecorino-Romano cheese

In a medium saucepan, bring the broth just to a simmer; turn heat back slightly and keep it warm.

Place a large soup pot over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Place a tablespoon of olive oil in, then add in mushrooms, stirring gently to coat completely with the oil. Continue to cook until they take on a medium brown colour, about 3-4 minutes. Turn out into a bowl and cover mushrooms and any liquid they exude.

In the same pot, add remaining tablespoon of olive oil, and sauté the shallows. Cook for 1 minute, then add uncooked rice, stirring to ensure every grain is coated with oil. When rice smells nutty and has started to take on a toasted colour (about 2 minutes), remove from heat, pour in wine and add rosemary. Return to heat. Stir rice until wine is absorbed. Add broth in 1/2 cup increments, stirring after each addition, making sure all liquids have been absorbed prior to next addition.

This will take about 15-20 minutes in all. Remove pot from heat, add Pecorino-Romano cheese, and return mushrooms with any liquid they exuded, stirring gently so as not to break up the mushrooms.

Serves: 6.

Sautéed Chicken Breasts

In a large fry pan, place 3 tbsp olive oil that has been infused with fresh rosemary and garlic (recipe below). Place pan over medium-high heat and after 45-60 seconds, add four boneless skinless chicken breasts. Reduce heat to medium-low and allow to cook, covered for 5 minutes. Turn the breasts over and allow to cook 5 minutes more. Remove lid, turn the chicken one final time, and allow to cook for an additional 5 minutes, or until juices run clear.

Serves: 4.

Infused Olive Oil

2 cps Extra Virgin Olive Oil
6 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
fresh rosemary (the leaves of 4 fresh stems)

In a small saucepan, add all ingredients. Heat until the oil just begins to bubble. Turn off heat, allow to cool completely. Pour into a jar with a tight fitting lid (yes, garlic and all), and place in a cool, dark place for at least a week so the flavours have a chance to infuse properly.

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Recipe, Seafood/Fish

Shrimp Sofrito

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Shrimp Sofrito

4 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb 26-30 shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 medium red onion, cut into wedges, about 1/4 inch wide
1/2 red bell pepper, green bell pepper, orange bell pepper (each), seeded and cut into 1/2″ wide strips
14 ounces tomatoes (chopped, seeded and juiced) (one large beefsteak tomato, or two smaller tomatoes, as long as not hothouse)
Pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, freshly grated
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
Cooked brown rice

Heat the oil and butter in frying pan until foamy. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add shrimp and sauté over a medium-high heat for about 2 to 3 minutes, just until they turn pink. Remove and keep warm in a covered bowl. Next, add onion and peppers to the pan and cook on low heat for 10-15 minutes, until just softened but not mushy.

Stir in the tomatoes, cayenne, and paprika and cook for about 5 minutes (tomatoes will begin to break down and blend into a sauce). Add the shrimp back to the pan and stir to combine, adding Pecorino Romano and cook for one additional minute. Add salt, pepper, and cilantro, stir to incorporate, and serve with a side of brown rice.

Serves: 4.

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