Shelter At Home Cooking: Show Us Yours!

Automatic Washer - The world's coolest Washing Machines, Dryers and Dishwashers

Help Support :

My mom made rice "the Italian way" as she called it, which is similar to the method used for pasta. She'd stir rinsed white rice into a large volume of boiling, salted water, maintaining a boil and giving the rice a stir occasionally until done, then drain it through a mesh strainer.

I find Dan Souza's method produces rice with a better texture. He also goes into using the "knuckle method" to determine the amount of water to use, which I've heard of before, but I prefer the simplicity of the "add 1/2 cup water to account for evaporation" technique.

post was last edited: 8/23/2020-07:53]
 
The thing with rice is that it absorbs a lot of flavour. I have had a few times that I made a very flavourful Asian beef dish, but when I served it with rice, it's tasted as spectacular as when I tasted it. When I tried some without the rice, the full flavour came out again. I think this doesn't happen with pasta or potatoes. At least not as much. I'm trying to find a way to tackle this problem. Perhaps making pilav rice is an option?
 
Sarah Moulton saying how she had a problem cooking rice

I used to watch her and scratch my head because of a lot of the things she'd say/do. I used to say that the "secret" in "Sarah's Secrets" was that she didn't know how to cook!

2:1 here for rice as well. Bring to a boil, set the temp to the lowest setting, cover and come back 15 minutes later to test which depends on whether I want a bit of 'toothiness' for the dish it's accompanying. I use a heavy enameled cast iron pan. No mush.

Louis- maybe make the rice with broth so it already starts with good flavor and doesn't rob so much from the beef (or other) dish?

Chuck
 
Quick and Easy Rice Pilaf

with all the talk about rice I thought I’d share this easy recipe.

 

In a 10” skillet melt 2 tbs butter, add 1 finely diced carrot, 1/2 cup finely diced onion, 2 cloves garlic, minced, sauté over med heat until onions are golden and carrots tender, add pepper to taste.  

 

Meanwhile put 2 cups of water in a pyrex or plastic liquid measuring cup, add 2 tsp chicken bouillon powder or 2 chicken bouillon cubes and heat to boiling in MV oven.  Add 1 cup long grain white rice to the skillet and stir until rice becomes opaque, add the bouillon, reduce heat to simmer, cover and simmer for 15-20 mins.  You can also add parsley or thinly sliced fresh mushrooms to the vegetables while sautéing if you like.   I sometimes cut the amounts in half for fewer servings, or double for more.

 

Its very quick and easy and tastes great.

 

Eddie

[this post was last edited: 8/23/2020-14:27]
 
I started using chicken broth about 30 years ago to cook the rice in. Was great at first but now I can't taste it anymore. Definitely can tell when I don't use it though.
 
Those are beautiful Biscotti Ralph.  They are a lot of work, but sure worth the effort.

 

I use a recipe that one of my customers gave me in 1981 when I was still doing hair.  She was an Italian lady named Alpha Bertolucci.  I still have the handwritten recipe on the scrap of paper Alpha wrote it on.

 

 Years later, when I was working for the Human Services Dept. one of my workers brought in some Biscotti that she had made.  I told Carmen that they tasted just like the ones I make.  She said they were her Auntie’s recipe.  I said, is your aunt’s name Alpha by any chance?  To which she replied yes.  Her aunt was the very same Alpha that gave me her recipe. It’s a small world.

 

Eddie

ea56-2020090616344205247_1.jpg
 
Thank you.

 

<span style="font-family: helvetica;">I love that story too.  They are a lot of work but my niece turned me on to these Biscotti pans she bought and they are amazing.  You don't have to spend the time forming the loaves and all that.  You load the dough into the pans and bake.  Really speeds up the process.</span>
 
Thanks for the Tip Ralph!

Biscotti pans huh!  I’ll have to look for them. I’d make them more often if it was less work.  Also, Alpha used to make them with walnuts if she didn’t have almonds and they were good with the walnuts too.  She sprinkled sugar on the Biscotti before the second bake, and I make them this way too.  She didn’t include this detail on her handwritten recipe.

 

Eddie
 
Yep Ralph

four loaves. BTW, a “cube” of butter is old school Bay Area vernacular for a “stick” of butter.  Only us old timers still refer to butter as a “cube”.

 

 I like the old ways.  I still refuse to abbreviate California as CA, it will always be correctly abbreviated as Calif. in my book.

 

Eddie
 
Eddie- My pie crust bags finally arrived, two weeks late. I wound up purchasing both the 11" and 14" sizes of the Mrs. Anderson's brand at Bed, Bath and Beyond. Would like to find an 8" Pyrex pie plate. Will probably have to look on e-bay. Back at the house I had every size from 8"-12". Don't really miss the big ones, but should have kept the 8". Also: I enjoy seeing all your handwritten recipes. Using the Pepperplate app to keep recipes in the cloud is convenient, but they have no personality. Kept a couple of my mom's handwritten recipes. She never really learned to read/write English properly, so three-quarters of the words are in Italian, lol.

Ralph- Those biscotti look great! Haven't made them for years, but my mom made them all the time when I was growing up.
 
Ebay Eugene, Ebay

is the best place to buy the pie crust bags, much faster than Bed, Bath and Beyond.  I’ll bet you can find the 8” pie pan your looking for on ebay too.  I hope you find them as convenient as I do.  I got the 16” pie crust bag from BB and B, and it took way longer than ebay.  As it happens I prefer the 14” bag, works well with a standard 9” pyrex pie pan.  I’m continuing to experiment with pie crusts made with oil. One thing I’ve learned is that with this type of crust its better to build up less of an edge as this type of crust isn’t as tender as shortening made crust and keeping the edge smaller works better flavor wise.

 

It makes me happy to know that you enjoy the handwritten recipes I share.  There is something comforting about having these bits of my culinary history to pull out for reference. I make notations of what works and what doesn’t, they are sometimes a work in progress.

 

Eddie
 
From time to time I think of scanning all the handwritten recipes I have and use all the time. But I much prefer pulling out to binders and working from them, something about the connection to the past makes me feel a part of the history.Plus most are written in my mother's impeccable handwriting, mine is illegible at best.I do put sticky notes all over them with updates I've made.
 
Thank you Eugene

 

<span style="font-kerning: none;">I also use a cloud based recipe app.  I wish I could scan in my handwritten recipes and store them that way but it doesn't offer that option that I've seen.  I can scan them and it will convert the handwritten version to text.  I can use the scan as a picture within the recipe but not the whole recipe itself.  I think that would be a good enhancement and I may suggest it because at least they could be organized by type, etc.  They are generally pretty responsive to enhancements like these.</span>

<span style="font-kerning: none;"> </span>

<span style="font-kerning: none;">As far as using handwritten recipes I have a tip to pass along.  I know this isn't anything new.  I'm sure millions have done this but for some reason I never thought about it until last week when I was organizing.  I put a command clip on the cabinet door and clip the recipe there.  I don't have to pick it up with dirty hands and its out of the way of a lot of splatters.</span>

 

<span style="font-kerning: none;">We have been on a mission here to get the house better organized.  I have been working on a “baking station” so to speak in my kitchen and as I was putting up hooks to hold measuring cups and spoons I thought why not a clip for the recipe.</span>

chachp-2020090806062203357_1.jpg
 
Thanks Ralph

for the great tip about using a hanging clip tp secure handwritten recipes for reading them while cooking or baking!  I’m going to get a clip out for this purpose.

 

Eddie
 

Latest posts

Back
Top