Ultimate Cook Book_ 900 New Recipes, Thousands of Ideas - Bruce Weinstein [321]
Traditional method:
Heat the olive oil and butter in a kettle or a large saucepan over medium heat until the butter has melted. Add the onion; cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes.
Stir in the chopped mushrooms, garlic, thyme, salt, pepper, and saffron, if using. Cook, stirring all the while, for 30 seconds.
Pour in the rice; cook, stirring often, until slightly translucent, about 2 minutes.
Pour in the mushroom soaking liquid; cook, stirring constantly, until it has completely evaporated, about 1 minute.
Pour in ½ cup warmed broth. Reduce the heat to very low and stir constantly over the heat until the broth has been absorbed into the rice.
Add more broth in ¼-cup increments until the rice is tender but with just a little tooth to the bite, about 40 minutes, stirring all the while.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cheese before serving.
Pressure cooker method:
Heat the olive oil and butter in the kettle of a large pressure cooker over medium heat until the butter has melted. Add the onion; cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes.
Stir in the chopped mushrooms, garlic, thyme, salt, pepper, and saffron, if using. Cook, stirring all the while, for 30 seconds.
Pour in the rice; cook, stirring often, until slightly translucent, about 2 minutes.
Raise the heat to high and add the mushroom soaking liquid and all the broth. Stir well, then lock the lid in place. Bring the cooker to high pressure, following the instructions given by the manufacturer.
Adjust the heat so that the pressure stays at high and cook for 7 minutes. Unlock the lid by the quick-release method, usually by running cold water over the cooker until the indicator tells you that the pressure is normal or by some other system designed by the manufacturer (check the instruction booklet).
Return the pot to medium heat and stir until creamy, about 1 minute. Stir in the cheese before serving.
Variations: Add 2 cups seeded and cubed butternut squash or pumpkin with the rice.
Stir in 4 cups chopped, stemmed, and washed chard, spinach, or beet greens with the stock.
* * *
Arborio Rice
Once this short-grained, fat-kerneled rice was grown only in the Po River region of Italy. Now it’s grown commercially in many areas of North America. Its high starch content makes it perfect for long-simmered rice dishes, giving them a creaminess prized in Italian cooking. Spanish rice dishes, especially paella, traditionally use Valencia rice, like Arborio but slightly less chewy. Unfortunately, this varietal is hard to find in the United States, but Arborio makes an excellent if not exact substitute. Never use long-grain white rice in place of Arborio.
* * *
* * *
Rice
Rice is available in two basic forms: brown and white. Brown rice is a whole grain: it’s hulled, but the bran, germ, and endosperm are intact. White rice is processed to remove the bran and germ as well as the hull, leaving only the starchy white endosperm. Red rice and some other varietals are simply types of brown rice.
To cook, bring the amount of water specified to a boil over high heat, stir in the rice, bring back to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to very low, and simmer slowly until the grains are tender.
Some types of rice should be salted before cooking; some should not (the salt toughens the bran so that the rice cannot absorb enough water to get tender). Any type, however, can have 1 tablespoon unsalted butter stirred in with the kernels.
Any of these amounts can be doubled; any white rice recipe can be tripled. Brown rice can be doubled but not tripled, as the heavy grains become glued to the bottom of the pan.
For 1 cup of raw rice…
* * *
A Year of Paella
Paella is a saffron-infused Spanish rice dish that includes fish and other meats. We’re unabashed fans—this is our favorite dinner party dish. The rice is cooked uncovered, usually in a large paella pan: a concave, two-handled, shallow baking