can has cookie? [sevenhelz]

Tomatoes are such a versatile flavour, you know? Mostly we've been making a squishy rice/tomato puree mix - cook the rice with a little salt and black pepper, and some herb and perhaps chilli powder or cayenne pepper - then once the water's boiled off, stick quite a lot of tomato puree in, give it a big ole stir, and depending on how wet it is, let it cook some more. If you're working on electric hobs like ours it might be a good idea to turn them off at this point, and keep stirring because this is when it will stick.

Alternatively you can cook your rice with a load of basil in as well as your normal salt and pepper. Very tasty. My sister used to put butter in her rice, and though this makes it a little sticky as though it were overcooked, it tastes good. Not an option in this house sadly!

Something special D made for me the other day was rice that I had seasoned with basil etc, with some of our usual sandwich chicken chopped in and a few salad leaves in the mix as well. Really nice :) and a reasonably balanced, light meal.

Next I'm going to try various flavourings including lemon juice... also, I once heard a rumour that you can make biscuits with rice, so expect more recipes soon :)

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Yay more recipes soon *prepares to swipe*

I can't read the word 'basil' without hearing Lloyd Grossman in my head now...

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I never thought of throwing a hunk of tomato puree in, that's really interesting.

I am a firm believer in cooking rice in chicken stock (or vegetable stock) or things like curry/cayenne/herbs/etc. I usually only add pepper at the very end, after cracking it in the mortar and pestle.

Have you tried risotto? Obviously, you would have to avoid the cheese part of the recipe, but arborio rice should still cook up creamy without that, and you already like to add things. Would the wine or the high starch content be issues?

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I don't know much about risotto - throw a recipe my way and I'll see :)
x

The secret to risotto is the rice itself. Get Arborio (it is probably easiest to get here, although you are in the UK, yes? Maybe Vialone Nano or Carnaroli is easier) rice for it. The starchy rice is what makes it so creamy.

The basics of risotto are as follows:

* Mince some onion (not too much) and whatever other herbs the recipe calls for.

* Bring stock of some kind to a not-quite simmer. It should be not really even boiling. You can get it there while going through the next steps. Just keep an eye on it. You normally want 2-3 times as much liquid as rice.
* Sauté the mixture in abundant olive oil and when it has browned remove it with a slotted spoon to a plate, leaving the drippings in the pot. (This keeps the onion from over frying.)
* Stir in the rice and sauté it too until it becomes translucent (this will take 7-10 minutes), stirring constantly to keep it from sticking. You'll notice the colour change fairly easily.
* Return the sautéed seasonings to the pot and stir in a third of a cup of dry white or red wine (I almost always use white - if you use red, be prepared for the possible purple dish you will end up with). The wine should have been previously warmed a bit in advance.
* Let the wine simmer in and slowly reduce down. Once the wine has evaporated almost completely, add a ladle of simmering broth and do the same; stir in the next before all the liquid is absorbed, because if the grains get too dry they will flake. (So just add some, boil it down slowly, add some more, etc.)
* Continue cooking, stirring and adding broth as the rice absorbs it, until the rice barely reaches the al dente stage (if you want your risotto firm, time your additions of broth so that the rice will finish absorbing the broth when it reaches this stage; if you want it softer, time the additions so there will still be some liquid left).
* At the end usually you stir in some butter and grated cheese, obviously you will have to work around this.

Now, if you are adding meat or vegetables it is usually best to cook them in a separate pot and then add them into the rice about halfway through the cooking process. You can also cook them completely outside and just stir them in at the end, to taste. I am fond of chicken and mushroom, myself.

hmm. are these rices wholegrain? I will keep an eye out for them :)

now where've you got the idea I have a problem with dairy? I avoid fats, sure, but not to the extent of having no spread/milk/cheese whatsoever. It's sugar and refined carbs I'm off.

See, I'm sure my mum uses risotto to mean a rice and fish dish, whcih is tasty, but not something I'd want often. This sounds much nicer. Thankyou!

Almost certainly not wholegrain. :(

The whole point is maximum starchiness, that's what makes it so creamy.

Hmmm... I wonder where I got dairy then? Odd.

ne'er mind. I'm pretty sure wholegrain rice would work, as the longer you cook it the poofier and gooier it gets...

:)