Friday Favorite: Rice
I love rice, really, really LOVE it. Since I grew up in South America, rice was a staple. As a result it’s kind of like a comfort food for me, rice and beans. I could eat a big bowl of plain rice for dinner. Delicious fragrant rice cooked with sweet browned onions and coconut oil. Cilantro lime rice is another one of my favorites.
I find my enameled cast iron pan to be the perfect pot to cook rice in. Many years ago I had a rice cooker and it worked well, but it quit working and I started using this pot. It cooks rice to perfection every time.
What are some of your comfort foods?
Filed under Friday Favorites | Comments (8)
I have often thought that if I could only have one food for the rest of my life, it would be baked Irish potatoes with butter and salt. I also have a recipe for homemade tomato soup that I LOVE. I love rice, also, but since I didn’t grow up eating it, it’s not in my heart like potatoes. Here is the tomato soup recipe:
1/2 cup grass fed butter (I used salted)
1/4 pound cleaned and chopped Green onions (if you don’t have green onions, use regular onions)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 quart home canned tomatoes
1 pint rich homemade chicken stock (or bone broth)
1 can Carnation evaporated milk
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 Tablespoons preserved basil (or 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Recipe Instructions:
First, mince the garlic and set aside.
Melt the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed pan. I like to use my cast iron Dutch oven.
Saute the onions on medium/low heat, stirring constantly, until soft. Add the garlic toward the end.
Add tomatoes, chicken stock, pepper, basil and salt. Simmer for 1/2 hour.
Add the milk and either using a stick blender or a stand blender, blend until smooth.
Serve. Makes about 1/2 gallon of soup.
Like so many dishes, this is best the next day. It freezes well also.
The basil I use is what I grow in our garden. I pick a lot of it and chop it up in a food processor and then pack it into a jar and cover it with raw apple cider vinegar, put on a lid and keep it in the fridge. I make enough to last until the next basil harvest. It’s like having fresh basil – flavor wise.
to Yolanda's comment
p.s. I meant to take out the “grass-fed” thing on the butter. Of course, that would be lovely, but not always affordable or possible!
to Yolanda's comment
Susy, my very best comfort food would have to be a country breakfast. I don’t eat it too often because it’s not the healthiest breakfast but it does taste good. It would start with two eggs over medium. Blah, don’t like runny egg whites in my fried eggs. Then it would include either bacon or sausage. My best preference would be sausage patty style with a hint of spicy heat. Don’t like extremely spicy hot any thing. A good portion of hash browns would be the next thing on the list. The finishing touch would be biscuits and sausage gravy or pancakes. My personal choice would be the biscuits and gravy. Finish it off with a steaming cup of farmer strong coffee and boy am I comforted. After a comfort meal like that, a day of heavy duty gardening better follow to work it off. :-)
Have a great rice comfort food day.
to Nebraska Dave's comment
A country breakfast is definitely a good comfort food!
If I could bring my grandmother back, it would be her fried chicken, cheese potatoes and the rest of what she cooked for Sunday lunches when I was growing up. I can replicate her cheese potatoes, but her fried chicken is harder.
to Misti's comment
Mm-mmm. A country breakfast sounds wonderful. And with grassfed meat not so unhealthy. I’d personally substitute a homemade coffee cake for the biscuits and gravy.
to Kathy's comment
Hi Susy, any chance you have a recipe for a tasty yellow rice?
We were at a Cuban restaurant in Florida and loved their rice but have been unable to come up with anything even close at home or in any local resturants.
I don’t like using the pre-made spice packets that all seem to be full of MSG. Any suggestions on what to try?
to Amy Patterson's comment
I don’t usually make yellow rice, but a local restaurant does and I have their cookbook. They suggest using 2 cups of jasmine rice with 1/2 t salt, 1/4 t freshly ground black pepper, 1 bay leaf, 1/2 t turmeric, 3 T oil with 2 1/2 cup of water. Put spices and water in pot, bring to boil. Sauté rice in oil, no browning but you want the rice to be opaque (about 5 min). Add water, stir once. Cover tightly, put in 325 degree oven for 30 min. Remove from oven, fluff with fork.
to Susy's comment
We love rice too but our fave comfort food would have to be pasta dishes.
Growing up in a big Italian family sort of sealed that deal for me! :)
to Chris's comment