Brown- and Wild-rice Pilaf
Brown- and Wild-Rice Pilaf
In a medium saucepan cook 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms and ¼ cup sliced green onions in 1 tablespoon hot butter until tender. Carefully add one 14 ½-ounce can chicken broth; bring to boiling. Stir in ½ cup uncooked brown rice, 1/3 cup uncooked, rinsed and drained wild rice, ¼ cup shredded carrot; ½ teaspoon dried basil, crushed; and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, about 40 minutes or till the rices are tender and most of the broth is absorbed. Stir in ½ cup frozen peas. Simmer for 3-5 minutes more or till heated through, stirring occasionally. Makes about 3 ½ cups (4 side-dish servings).
Nutrition facts per serving: 196 cal., 4 g. total fat (1 g. saturated), 0 mg cholesterol, 379 mg sodium, 32 g. carbohydrates, 3 g fiber, 7 g protein
Daily values: 25% vitamin A, 6% vitamin C, 1% calcium, 10% iron
Labels: Side dish
Portobello Mushroom Polenta
I don't have the actually measurements on this, since I made the recipe up, but it is yummy!
4 Portobello mushrooms
Garlic
Rosemary
Thyme
Sea Salt
Water
Olive Oil
Polenta
Parmesan Cheese
Feta Cheese
Monterey Jack Cheese
Cook the mushrooms in water and olive oil until brown. Add some garlic, rosemary, thyme, and sea salt to the mixture (add more water if no liquid remains) and simmer about 30 minutes (add more water as needed). Put down a layer of polenta in a 9x13 pan. Then a layer of the mushroom sauce and a small amount of each kind of cheese. Repeat. Then bake at 350 for about 30 minutes and serve. Very Yummy. I came up with this recipe because our local deli had something like it, but I could not find a recipe I liked, so I made one up. It turned out amazing.
Delmonico Potatoes
According to the all-knowing internet, Delmonico refers to a famous restaurant in NYC in the 1800's. This is unlikely to be the true famed recipe, of course, as famous things develop knock-offs everywhere. Still, it came out of the tried and true Fannie Farmer cookbook. To make it more of a meal, I added diced ham with the potatoes.
It seems kind of labor-intensive, but it really didn't take me long. I cheated a lot. I didn't peel the potatoes--and I only used 2 medium baking size, even though I used a whole sauce recipe--and I sliced them before cooking them in water in the microwave while I made the sauce. I heated the milk in the microwave, just enough to keep it from clumping when added to the flour-butter paste, and toasted buttered bread so it was crisp and easy to crumb. It's probably not the healthiest thing in the whole world, but we both liked it.
6 potatoes, peeled and boiled
1 1/2 c White Sauce (see below)
pinch of cayenne pepper
salt to taste
2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1/2 c grated mild Cheddar
1 c buttered bread crumbs
Preheat oven to 375. Butter a 2-qt. casserole. Slice the potatoes 1/4 inch thick. Make the white sauce, then stir in the cayenne pepper, salt, egg yolks, and cheese. Stir over medium heat until the cheese melts. Spoon a film of sauce over the bottom of the casserole. Alternately layer potatoes (and ham) and sauce, finishing with sauce. Sprinkle bread crumbs on top and bake 20-25 minutes, or until bubbling.
White Sauce
2 T butter
2 T flour
1 1/4 c milk, heated
salt
pepper
Melt butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the paste cooks and bubbles a bit, but don't let it brown--about 2 minutes. Add hot milk, stirring as it thickens. Bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper to taste, lower the heat, and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes more. Remove from heat.
Labels: Main dish, Side dish
