NINE : STEAMED RICE WITH HERBS

PLENTY

JULY 22 2012

NINE : STEAMED RICE WITH HERBS (OR, ACTUALLY, HERBS WITH RICE)

Have you ever wondered how to make perfectly nice rice into a huge pain in the behind? Hint: it involves triple the time, quadruple the steps, quintuple the dishes to wash and a potato.

dinner tonight : lovely & simply salmon with pain-in-the-behind rice

According to Mr. O, this "very particular" method is all worth it for the "incredibly light and fluffy steamed rice" that will amaze and delight us. But, after going through the whole process, I'm not really convinced it's all worth the hassle. Don't get me wrong, that rice was niiiiice. But dang!

TWO : MIXED BEANS WITH MANY SPICES

PLENTY

JUNE 12 2012

Husband ~ "What's for dinner tonight, dear?"
Wife ~ "Just whipping up some mixed beans with many spices."
Husband (perplexed) ~ "Huh?"
Wife (pointing to recipe) ~ "See... Mixed Beans with Many Spices!"
Husband (more perplexed) ~ "Like curry?"
Wife (uncertain) ~ "Um... I think so... Here! Have a margarita!"

Turns out it is like curry... very much like curry. I mean how could it not be with cumin, coriander, cardamom, turmeric, clove and black pepper? Not sure why Mr. O insists on calling it "mixed spices". Guess he didn't want to incite anger in the segment of the population that takes curry accuracy very seriously. Anyway, whatever you call it, it is tasty.

flowering pea plants

THIRTY-FIVE : MOROCCAN BAKED CHICKEN

Delia Smith's Winter Collection

APRIL 19 2012

THIRTY-FIVE : MOROCCAN BAKED CHICKEN WITH CHICKPEAS AND RICE
 
This dish incorporates some of my absolute favorite flavors. Chickpeas, olives, big chunks of lemon all in a rich, saffron-laced broth. I am so ready for this one! Plus, it's a one-pot meal which makes clean-up a snap-and-a-half.

Of course it starts with browning the meat (le, sigh). The chicken skin needs to be nice and crispy before bathing in the fabulous broth so I get to work. I am loving my splatter screen more and more with each Delia's recipe. While the chicken sizzles, I toast and grind the spices and give the pre-soaked chickpeas their final 20 minute simmer.

oh saffron, how I love thee!

TWENTY-THREE : TRIPLE TOMATO "RISOTTO"

Delia Smith's Winter Collection

MARCH 14 2012

TWENTY-TWO : ROASTED AND SUN-DRIED TOMATO RISOTTO
 
Risotto is hard, right? It shackles you to the stove for 25 - 30 minutes of continual stirring and brothing and stirring and brothing, right? Wrong! Turns out, after just a few minutes of sauteing, I can stick everything in the oven and ignore it for 35 minutes and suddenly have risotto! Well... kind of risotto. More like baked rice. Which is good, but lacks that all important sauciness and texture contrast of risotto. The rice was flavorful, ooey-gooey and I ate it up, but calling it risotto is a bit of a stretch. Maybe I'm splitting hairs here, but I can so I will.