The Amazing World of Rice (18 page)

The combination of curry and tomato, although unusual, is extraordinarily good when paired in a pilaf fragrant with ginger and garlic. I prefer Madras-style curry powder, a sweeter and spicier blend, available in gold-colored tins in most supermarkets. This dish is good served with grilled lamb.

1 medium eggplant (about 1 pound), trimmed, peeled, and cut into ¼-inch slices

Kosher salt

Extra virgin olive oil

1 cup diced onions

1 teaspoon minced ginger

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1½ cups uncooked basmati rice

2 teaspoons Madras-style curry powder

1 large tomato (8 ounces), cored and cut into ½-inch chunks (about 1 cup)

2 tablespoons chopped basil

2 tablespoons chopped mint

Freshly ground black pepper

½ cup broken walnuts, toasted

• 1.
  Arrange the eggplant slices in layers in a colander, sprinkling each layer lightly with salt. Place a small plate on top of the eggplant and weight it with something heavy (a 28-ounce can of tomatoes works well). Place a soup dish under the colander and let stand for at least 2 hours.
  
• 2.
  Blot the eggplant dry with paper towels. Stack the slices and cut them in ¼-inch-wide strips.
  
• 3.
  Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large wide saucepan or deep skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onions; cook, stirring, until golden, about 10 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic; cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the rice and curry powder; cook, stirring to coat the rice, about 1 minute.
  
• 4.
  Add 1¾ cups water, the tomato, and 1 teaspoon salt; heat to a boil. Cook, covered, over low heat until the broth is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Let stand off the heat, covered, for 10 minutes before serving.
  
• 5.
  While the rice is cooking, heat ½ inch of olive oil in a large skillet until hot enough to sizzle a piece of eggplant upon contact. Fry the eggplant in two batches, stirring to keep the strips separate, until dark golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon; drain on a double thickness of paper towels.
  
• 6.
  Add the eggplant, basil, mint, and a grinding of black pepper to the pilaf. Spoon into a serving bowl; sprinkle with the walnuts, and serve at once.
  

Ground lamb, beef, or turkey can be used in this pilaf. Ground meat allows the pilaf to cook more quickly, but the meaty taste, enhanced by the addition of curry and cumin, is still distinctive. Caramelized tomatoes are spooned over the pilaf. All this dish needs to round out the menu is a big green salad.

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 pound lean ground lamb

One 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained, liquid reserved

½ cup diced (¼-inch) onion

1 medium carrot, diced (about ½ cup)

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1½ cups uncooked Baldo, Arborio, or other medium-grain white rice

¼ cup dried currants

2 teaspoons Madras-style curry powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Kosher salt

1½ pounds plum tomatoes, cored and halved lengthwise

Freshly ground black pepper

Cilantro leaves

• 1.
  Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large deep skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the meat, stirring to break it up. Add the chickpeas. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chickpeas are browned and beginning to pop, about 10 minutes.
  
• 2.
  Add the onion, carrot, and garlic; reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring, just until the onion is softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the rice, currants, curry powder, and cumin; stir to blend.
  
• 3.
  Add enough water to the reserved chickpea liquid to equal 3 cups. Stir the liquid and ¾ teaspoon salt into the rice; heat to a boil. Stir once. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 20 minutes.
  
• 4.
  Meanwhile, heat the remaining ¼ cup olive oil in a 9-inch cast-iron or heavy nonstick skillet. Arrange the tomatoes, cut side up in the pan and adjust the heat
  to maintain a steady sizzle. Sprinkle the tomatoes with salt and a grinding of black pepper. Cook, without stirring, until the tomato skins are blackened and blistered, 10 to 15 minutes. Carefully turn the tomatoes and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, without stirring, adjusting the heat if necessary to maintain a steady sizzle, until the cut sides are browned, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
  
• 5.
  Spoon the pilaf onto a deep serving platter and spoon the tomatoes around the edges. Garnish with cilantro leaves, and serve.
  

P
aella is said to have originated in Valencia,
in the southeast coastal region of Spain, where the Moors introduced and grew rice from the East more than a thousand years ago.

The word
paella
comes from
patella
, the Latin word for “pan.” Today paella is the name of the special pan used as well as the name of the dish. Originally paella was a midday meal cooked by the rice reapers over an open fire on a wide flat pan, made with ingredients on hand: frogs, eel, and snails, wild rabbit and birds, and, of course, rice.

Today paella in Valencia might be a simple mixture of rice, beans, snails, duck, and rabbit, or one extravagant with shellfish, saffron, sausage, and artichokes. Shellfish paella was only made along the coast of Spain where the Moors first planted rice and the sea offered its bounty. Experts assert that the ingredients in paella should complement, rather than overpower, each other. Sausage isn't combined with seafood in paella; seafood would never be found in paella made with poultry. This is not, however, a hard-and-fast rule, as there are exceptions everywhere. Nevertheless, paella is at its best when it contains a few distinctive ingredients, allowing the rice to remain the focal point.

Several different varieties of rice are grown in Valencia, but only a few of these are available in the United States. I can buy a quite expensive rice called Bomba. Classified as a short-grain rice, it resembles Arborio and other rices used to make risotto. Bomba becomes large and plump as it cooks, and it has the ability to absorb
almost twice as much liquid as regular rice without losing its shape or semi-firm center. The absorption is important in paella, as all the flavors of the meats, seafood, vegetables, and broth infuse the rice. Calasparra is another Spanish rice traditionally used for paella. If you can't get or afford Spanish rice, substitute Italian or domestically grown Arborio or Baldo. Both have the ability to absorb flavors yet retain their plump shape. Other medium-grain rices, like the ones grown in California, also make acceptable paella. Because the rice is cooked uncovered and never stirred, the grains cook separate, unlike risotto.

Paella Pan

A paella pan is shallow and round. In Spain they are gauged according to the number of portions, and portions are quite generous. My pan is supposed to serve four but it feeds six to eight easily. Paella is traditionally cooked on an open fire so that the aroma can permeate the rice, which is why the pan is shallow, just 1½ to 2½ inches deep. My pan (13½ inches from rim to rim) sits on two burners on top of my stove; I occasionally turn the pan so that the rice will cook evenly. Allow the rice on the bottom of the pan to cook to a rich golden crust. Called the
socorrat
, it is considered a delicacy.

Paella Ingredients

Saffron

Although not essential, saffron is a traditional paella ingredient. Called
zafaran
for its yellow color, it is made from the stigmas of the purple crocus. Each flower produces just three stigmas, and the work of harvesting them is painstaking, making it the most expensive spice in the world. Added to dishes, the crushed threads release a haunting, almost medicinal flavor and aroma. They turn the rice in paella a pale golden color.

Always buy threads, not powdered saffron. Crush the threads in a mortar and pestle and heat briefly in a small dry skillet over low heat, or steep in boiling water or broth. The measurement in my recipes is for ¼ teaspoon crushed threads, equivalent to a generous pinch of whole threads.

Paprika

Another traditional paella ingredient is Spanish paprika, made from dried pulverized Spanish red peppers called
pimentón
. Although they are like no other peppers, you can substitute good-quality Hungarian paprika.

Broth

Use a full-flavored chicken or beef broth, either store-bought or homemade. While homemade is best, there are many good packaged broths now in the market. The ones packed in asceptic boxes seem to have a fresher taste than canned broths.

 

How much broth?
I plan on 3 to 4 cups broth per cup of rice, depending on the type of rice. High-quality Spanish rices require more broth than domestic medium-grain rices. Because the broth is added in two installments, you can judge by how dry the rice is after the first 15 minutes. If you run out of broth, use boiling water.

Simple because it uses fewer ingredients than the recipes that follow, but all the essential flavors are here.

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, fat trimmed and halved

1 pork tenderloin (about 12 ounces), cut into ½-inch slices

12 large shrimp, shelled (reserve the shells) and deveined

5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons fresh rosemary leaves, chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary

2 garlic cloves, bruised with the side of a knife, plus 2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 strips orange zest, cut into thin slivers

One 14½-ounce can diced tomatoes, well drained, juices reserved

4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

½ cup dry white wine

¼ teaspoon crushed saffron threads

2 chorizo sausages (about 6 ounces), casings removed and diced (¼-inch)

1 cup chopped onions

½ cup chopped red bell pepper

1 teaspoon sweet Spanish paprika

2 cups uncooked Bomba, Arborio, or other medium-grain white rice

4 ounces Italian romano beans or regular green beans, trimmed and cut into ½-inch lengths (about 1 cup)

1 cup frozen petite green peas, thawed

Rosemary sprigs

• 1.
  For the marinade:
  Salt and pepper the chicken and pork on both sides. Place in a large bowl. Add the shrimp, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the rosemary, bruised garlic, and orange zest. Stir to blend. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or as long as overnight.
  
• 2.
  Place the reserved tomato juices in a large measuring cup and add enough water to measure 2 cups. Combine with the chicken broth in a saucepan and heat to a boil.
  
• 3.
  Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium skillet. Add the shrimp shells; cook, stirring, over medium heat, until dark red, about 2 minutes. Add 1 tea
  spoon of the minced garlic; cook for 1 minute. Add the wine; heat to a boil. Boil for 1 minute. Add to the simmering chicken broth. Cook, covered, for 15 minutes. Strain into another saucepan; discard the shells. Keep the broth warm over low heat.
  
• 4.
  Crumble the saffron into a small skillet or saucepan and heat gently over low heat for about 20 seconds. Add about ½ cup hot broth to the skillet; let stand, covered, off the heat, until ready to use.
  
• 5.
  Remove the chicken and pork from the marinade. Return the shrimp, still in the marinade, to the refrigerator. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a paella pan or a large skillet with an ovenproof handle over medium-high heat. When hot enough to sizzle a piece of meat, gradually add the chicken and pork and quickly sear in batches just long enough to lightly brown; about 2 minutes per side; do not cook through. Transfer to a side dish. (If preferred, the meats can be seared on a hot grill.)
  
• 6.
  Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan; heat over medium heat. Add the chorizo and cook, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in the onions and red bell pepper; cook, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon minced garlic; cook, stirring, until softened, about 1 minute. Add the paprika; stir to blend. Stir in the tomatoes until blended. (Paella can be prepared one or two hours ahead up to this point.)
  
• 7.
  Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450°F.
  
• 8.
  Add the rice to the tomato mixture; cook, stirring, until heated through, about 3 minutes. Pour the saffron mixture over the rice. Taste the broth and add salt if needed. Add 3 cups of the hot broth and stir just to blend. Use the back of a spoon to spread the rice in an even layer. Add more broth, if needed, to cover the rice. Cook, uncovered, until most of the broth has been absorbed and the rice is almost tender, about 15 minutes. Pour the remaining hot broth over the rice. Tuck the chicken into the simmering broth around the edges of the pan. Add the pork and shrimp to the center. Top with the beans and peas. Press the ingredients into the rice, making sure they are all covered with broth; do not stir. Add boiling water to cover the ingredients if necessary.
  
• 9.
  Place the pan in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cover with a large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Let stand for 10 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.
  
• 10.
  To serve, spoon onto a large platter or serve from the paella pan. Garnish the paella with rosemary sprigs.