Read The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook Online
Authors: The Editors at America's Test Kitchen
Tags: #Cooking
The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (103 page)
W
HY THIS RECIPE WORKS
For our
FOOLPROOF BAKED BROWN RICE
, we tackled how to create perfect, evenly cooked rice by baking it in the oven where the consistent, indirect heat simulates the environment of a rice cooker. But for a heartier dish, with aromatics and vegetables added to complement the flavor and texture of the rice, we found that we needed to tinker with the liquid-to-rice ratio. Increasing the amount of liquid ensured that the rice cooked through perfectly every time. Fresh herbs, citrus, and cheese, added just before serving, brightened the dish and balanced the earthiness of the rice.
SERVES 4 TO 6
Short-grain brown rice can also be used.
4 | teaspoons olive oil |
2 | onions, chopped fine |
2¹⁄ | cups water |
1 | cup low-sodium chicken broth |
1¹⁄ | cups long-grain brown rice |
1 | teaspoon salt |
³⁄ | cup chopped jarred roasted red peppers |
¹⁄ | cup minced fresh parsley |
¹⁄ | teaspoon pepper |
1 | ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (¹⁄ |
Lemon wedges |
1.
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Heat oil in ovensafe Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned, 12 to 14 minutes.
2.
Add water and broth, cover, and bring to boil. Off heat, stir in rice and salt. Cover, transfer pot to oven, and bake rice until tender, 65 to 70 minutes.
3.
Remove pot from oven and uncover. Fluff rice with fork, stir in roasted red peppers, and replace lid; let stand 5 minutes. Stir in parsley and pepper. Serve, passing Parmesan and lemon wedges separately.
Substitute 1 finely chopped green bell pepper for 1 onion. Once vegetables are well browned in step 1, stir in 3 minced garlic cloves and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Substitute one 15-ounce can black beans for roasted red peppers and ¹⁄
4
cup minced fresh cilantro for parsley. Omit Parmesan and substitute lime wedges for lemon wedges.
Reduce amount of olive oil to 1 tablespoon and omit 1 onion. Substitute 1 cup thawed frozen peas for roasted red peppers, ¹⁄
4
cup minced fresh mint for parsley, ¹⁄
2
teaspoon grated lemon zest for pepper, and 2 ounces crumbled feta (¹⁄
2
cup) for Parmesan.
If you cannot find andouille sausage, substitute chorizo, linguiça, or kielbasa.
Omit 1 onion. Reduce amount of olive oil to 1 tablespoon. Heat olive oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add 6 ounces andouille sausage, cut into ¹⁄
2
-inch pieces, to pot and cook until lightly browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage to paper towel–lined plate; set aside. Add onion and 1 finely chopped red bell pepper to fat left in pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned, 12 to 14 minutes; add 3 minced garlic cloves and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, before adding water and broth. Substitute ¹⁄
2
cup thawed frozen corn for roasted red peppers; add reserved sausage with corn. Substitute ¹⁄
4
cup chopped fresh basil for parsley and omit Parmesan.
W
HY THIS RECIPE WORKS
Sometimes wild rice turns out undercooked and difficult to chew, other times the rice is overcooked and gluey. We wanted to figure out how to turn out properly cooked wild rice every time. Through trial and error, we learned to simmer the rice slowly in plenty of liquid, checking it for doneness every couple of minutes past the 35-minute mark. For the simmering liquid, we combined water and chicken broth—the broth’s mild yet rich profile tempered the rice’s muddy flavor to a pleasant earthiness and affirmed its subdued nuttiness. To further tame the strong flavor of the wild rice, we added some white rice to the mixture, then added onions, carrots, dried cranberries, and toasted pecans for a winning pilaf.
SERVES 6 TO 8
Wild rice goes quickly from tough to pasty, so begin testing the rice at the 35-minute mark and drain the rice as soon as it is tender.
1³⁄ | cups low-sodium chicken broth |
2¹⁄ | cups water |
2 | bay leaves |
8 | sprigs fresh thyme, divided into 2 bundles, each tied together with kitchen twine |
1 | cup wild rice, picked over and rinsed |
1¹⁄ | cups long-grain white rice |
3 | tablespoons unsalted butter |
1 | onion, chopped fine |
1 | large carrot, peeled and chopped fine |
Salt and pepper | |
³⁄ | cup dried cranberries |
³⁄ | cup pecans, toasted and chopped coarse |
4¹⁄ | teaspoons minced fresh parsley |
1.
Bring broth, ¹⁄
4
cup water, bay leaves, and 1 bundle thyme to boil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add wild rice, cover, and reduce heat to low; simmer until rice is plump and tender and has absorbed most of liquid, 35 to 45 minutes. Drain rice in fine-mesh strainer to remove excess liquid. Remove bay leaves and thyme. Return rice to now-empty saucepan, cover, and set aside.
2.
While wild rice is cooking, place white rice in medium bowl and add enough water to cover by 2 inches; using hands, gently swish grains to release excess starch. Carefully pour off water, leaving rice in bowl. Repeat 4 to 5 times, until water runs almost clear. Drain rice in fine-mesh strainer.
3.
Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are softened but not browned, about 4 minutes. Add rinsed white rice and stir to coat grains with butter; cook, stirring frequently, until grains begin to turn translucent, about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, bring remaining 2¹⁄
4
cups water to boil in small saucepan or in microwave. Add boiling water and second thyme bundle to rice and return to boil. Reduce heat to low, sprinkle cranberries evenly over rice, and cover. Simmer until all liquid is absorbed, 16 to 18 minutes. Off heat, remove thyme, fluff rice with fork.
4.
Combine wild rice, white rice mixture, pecans, and parsley in large bowl and toss with rubber spatula. Season with salt and pepper to taste; serve immediately.
TRUE VERSUS CULTIVATED WILD RICE
The name “wild rice” has become something of a misnomer as cultivated wild rice—grown under regulated conditions in man-made paddies—is the standard offering in most supermarkets. True to its name, real wild rice is grown in the wild. Hand-harvested from lakes and rivers in Minnesota and Canada, true wild rice isn’t widely available; you’ll likely need to special order it.
So should you seek out “wild” wild rice when combining it with white rice to make our pilaf recipe? To find out, we simmered each type of rice in chicken broth (per our recipe) and tasted them side by side. The hand-harvested wild rice had a pale appearance, a smoky flavor, and a light, tender texture. So that’s the rice for our pilaf, right?
As it turned out, we preferred the cultivated rice for its deep, ebony color and resilient texture, especially when contrasted with the tender white rice used in the pilaf. Although the flavor of cultivated wild rice is slightly less robust than that of the real thing, when it comes to pilaf, we’ll use what we can find at our local market—the cultivated rice.
W
HY THIS RECIPE WORKS
Classic risotto can demand half an hour of stovetop tedium for the best creamy results. Our goal was 5 minutes of stirring, tops. First, we swapped out the saucepan for a Dutch oven, which has a thick, heavy bottom, deep sides, and tight-fitting lid—perfect for trapping and distributing heat as evenly as possible. Typical recipes dictate adding the broth in small increments after the wine has been absorbed (and stirring constantly after each addition), but we added most of the broth at once and covered the pan, allowing the rice to simmer until almost all the broth had been absorbed (stirring just twice). After adding the second and final addition of broth, we stirred the pot to ensure the bottom didn’t cook more quickly than the top and turned off the heat. Without sitting over a direct flame, the sauce turned out perfectly creamy and the rice was thickened, velvety, and just barely chewy. To finish, we simply stirred in butter, herbs, and a squeeze of lemon juice to brighten the flavors.
SERVES 6
This more hands-off method requires precise timing, so we strongly recommend using a timer.
5 | cups low-sodium chicken broth |
1¹⁄ | cups water |
4 | tablespoons unsalted butter |
1 | large onion, chopped fine |
Salt and pepper | |
1 | garlic clove, minced |
2 | cups Arborio rice |
1 | cup dry white wine |
2 | ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (1 cup) |
2 | tablespoons chopped fresh parsley |
2 | tablespoons chopped fresh chives |
1 | teaspoon lemon juice |
1.
Bring broth and water to boil in large saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low to maintain gentle simmer.
2.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and ³⁄
4
teaspoon salt and cook, stirring frequently, until onion is softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add rice and cook, stirring frequently, until grains are translucent around edges, about 3 minutes.
3.
Add wine and cook, stirring constantly, until fully absorbed, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir 5 cups hot broth mixture into rice; reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until almost all liquid has been absorbed and rice is just al dente, 16 to 19 minutes, stirring twice during cooking.
4.
Add ³⁄
4
cup hot broth mixture and stir gently and constantly until risotto becomes creamy, about 3 minutes. Stir in Parmesan. Remove pot from heat, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons butter, parsley, chives, and lemon juice. To loosen texture of risotto, add remaining broth mixture to taste. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.
