Rice & Grains
2019 recipes found
Blueberry Pie With a Cornmeal Crust
This recipe came to The Times from Diana Scott-Sho of the Luscious Little Dessert Company in Yonkers. A picture of this pie prompted many an email from readers asking where they could get the recipe. What sets this pie apart from the usual summer berry is twofold. First, there’s the nubby cornmeal crust, nearly as sweet as a cookie but still flaky. Second, there is the blueberry syrup drizzled on the top. This was a genius move on Ms. Scott-Sho’s part. Rather than just letting the overflowing sugary juice fossilize on the baking sheet, she spoons it while still bubbling hot over the top of the pie. Not only does this make cleanup slightly easier, it adds a completely different textural experience. You get the jammy, juicy fruit, the crisp crust and then the syrup, which thickens into something akin to soft fruit leather, and far tastier.
Cilantro-Cumin Dip
Use this bright green, earthy mix as a dip for crudités or a dressing for heartier salad greens like radicchio, spinach, arugula, thinly sliced fennel, or a combination. It’s also terrific as a dressing, drizzled on a simple roasted or grilled chicken, meats or fish.
Nem Nuong (Vietnamese Sausage)
Traditionally grilled over charcoal, these little sausages also cook up beautifully in a cast-iron pan. Serve them in a bowl over rice noodles or steamed jasmine rice with fresh mint and cilantro, cucumbers and pickled carrots. Top with green chiles and toasted peanuts, then drizzle with fish sauce and lime. Or, use to make banh mi sandwiches. Be sure to use ground pork with enough fat or you'll end up with dry, flavorless sausage. Twenty percent by weight is a good ratio, though 25 doesn’t hurt. If the ground pork available to you is too lean, ask the butcher to replace two ounces or so of the lean meat with ground pork belly or bacon.
Spicy Meatballs With Chickpeas
Meatballs are the ultimate comfort food, and these are especially nice, perfumed with cumin, coriander and cinnamon. (Feel free to use ground beef, pork or turkey if ground lamb isn’t available.) They may be prepared several hours or up to 2 days in advance — they reheat beautifully. Make the tomato gravy as piquant as you like, adding a good pinch of cayenne if you wish. The optional saffron adds a floral note. If you have the time, cook your chickpeas from scratch (it’s best to soak them for at least a few hours or overnight). They’ll cook in less than an hour. One pound dried chickpeas will yield about 6 cups cooked.
Spicy Corn Pakoras With Mango-Tamarind Chutney
Crisp and deeply seasoned, pakoras are Indian fritters that can be made from almost any vegetable. To emphasize the corn flavor here, fine cornmeal joins the more traditional chickpea flour — along with fresh corn. A ridiculously flavorful chutney, which is sweet, hot and a little sour, accompanies the dish. But a jarred version from the supermarket would certainly work in a pinch.
Nashville-Style Hot Tofu Sliders
Nashville hot chicken is seasoned with a bold dose of ground cayenne and hot sauce, deep fried then brushed with a final coat of spicy oil. In these vegetarian sliders, hot butter imparts mild tofu with an extra-spicy kick reminiscent of the chicken that inspired them. Tofu has a high water content, but a quick dredge in rice flour and a dip in batter creates a barrier that prevents excess splattering during frying. The carbonation in seltzer keeps the batter light and airy, perfect for delicate tofu. (This is also a great trick for frying vegetables and shrimp.) The result is a golden sandwich filling with a crispy exterior and soft center. For larger sandwiches, stuff standard hamburger buns with two pieces of the fried tofu and finish with the toppings.
Arroz Rojo (Red Rice)
Also known as arroz Mexicano, these tomato-slicked grains of rice taste amazing alongside beans, tacos, enchiladas and just about any spread of meat, seafood and vegetables. Esteban Castillo, the author of the “Chicano Eats” cookbook and blog, toasts the rice in garlicky oil first to give the final dish an even richer flavor. A simple spice blend does, too.
Cocoa-Cornmeal Biscotti
Everything about these biscotti tends toward crunch – their signature double bake, of course, but also the addition of almonds and some cornmeal, which doesn’t lose its appealing roughness under heat. (Don’t think, as I mistakenly once did, that using a polenta-type cornmeal will improve these cookies — it will only make them gritty; choose a fine-grain meal.) The chocolate chips are there to reinforce the deep chocolate flavor the cookies get from being made with cocoa. I like these very crunchy, but if you prefer them less set, give them a shorter second bake. And after the first bake, when the logs have cooled for about 20 minutes, use a long serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion to slice them into cookies about 1/2-inch thick. Hold on to the inevitable crumbs and any little bits that might break off — you’ll be happy to have them over ice cream.
Thai Rice Soup With Pork-Cilantro Meatballs
Jok, also called congee, is a rice porridge that’s like the oatmeal of Asia -- a soft, soothing, filling breakfast that can be sparked with add-ins and toppings for flavor and crunch. Before dawn in Bangkok, jok vendors begin the battle to make the juiciest meatballs, the tiniest ginger matchsticks and the liveliest pickled fresh chiles. This recipe, which also makes a great lunch on a chilly weekend morning, is adapted from two cooks: Leela Punyaratabandhu, author of Simple Thai Food, who makes a vendor-style, puddingy jok; and Chrissy Teigen, the Thai-American supermodel, who makes a simpler version, adapted from her mother Vilaluck’s home recipe.
Vegetarian Meatballs
Seasoned with Parmesan, ricotta, fennel seeds and oregano, these meat-free Italian meatballs capture all the flavors of the classic. Cremini mushrooms and chickpeas mimic the texture of ground beef, bulgur helps bind the mixture together, and ricotta keeps it tender. The balls are rolled in a light coating of bread crumbs and Parmesan that crisps as it bakes, but if you prefer a saucy meatball, skip the coating and simply bake until firm, then simmer in marinara. Any extra coating mixture can be toasted in the oven and sprinkled over roasted veggies or creamy pastas. Leftover meatballs can be frozen and reheated in a 425-degree oven until warmed through, about 15 minutes.
Sushi Rice
Back in 2002, Matt and Ted Lee reported on how home cooks had started making sushi with ever-increasing frequency. Among the recipes they brought to The Times was this one, for sushi rice, short-grained rice bolstered by the flavors of vinegar sugar and salt, adapted from “The Great Sushi and Sashimi Cookbook,” by Kazu Takahashi and Masakazu Hori. Use it as a backdrop for your own home-rolled sushi, or pair it, as the article suggests, with various kinds of sliced fish and vegetables, pickled ginger and wasabi for a chirashi sushi bowl.
Pasta With Meatballs
Carbohydrate avoidance be damned: pasta with meatballs is the perfect culinary counter to the cruel world. Just looking at a slippery, tomato-sauced tangle of spaghetti topped with juicy toothsome meatballs makes you feel better; eating it is the instant antidote to whatever ails you. The recipe here makes more sauce, perhaps, than you'd normally want to use to dress a pound of pasta, but when I sit down to eat with the children I want to make sure I'm not going to have to get up and make them anything else to eat before they go to bed. (Of course you can freeze a portion of little meatballs in sauce for easy access in meals ahead. They need not accompany a bowl of pasta. My children like them just as much with a mound of plain white rice. Who wouldn't?)
Grilled Slaw With Ginger and Sesame
Napa makes an excellent cabbage for grilling. Its elongated shape provides greater surface area to char — and thus smoke — over a hot fire than a round cabbage. Its leaves are less tightly packed than conventional cabbage, allowing for deep penetration of the smoke flavor. Also known as Chinese cabbage, napa cabbage is native to China and pairs well with Asian seasonings, such as sesame oil, rice vinegar and ginger. To notch up the heat, add a spoonful of Asian chile paste.
Sweet Spiced Mushroom and Apricot Pilaf
This pilaf scores all the points for being both gluten-free and vegan (provided you use vegetable stock), and for being robust enough for no one to notice. Star anise and cinnamon make this a warming (and winning) combination for a festive Thanksgiving spread, complementing roast turkey and just about any dish that finds its way to your table. It also serves well as a stand-alone main, with some lightly cooked greens to go alongside. Feel free to swap out the fresh mushrooms for whatever foraged finds you can get your hands on, just make sure to break them up into large chunks, keeping intact their natural “meatiness.”
Cheesy Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
This one-dish dinner takes inspiration from chicken Parmesan, but eliminates the fuss of breading and frying chicken cutlets. Instead, chicken meatballs are the star, delivering an equally comforting and satisfying meal. The unexpected secret to these tender meatballs is tofu, which keeps them juicy. Simply press pieces of tofu between your fingertips to create small crumbles that resemble ground meat. The addition of ricotta creates a creamy texture, as well as great flavor. The meatballs are simmered in marinara sauce with red bell peppers, which infuse the sauce with fresh flavor and natural sweetness. Sharp and tangy provolone completes the dish, although mozzarella could be used for milder flavor. Enjoy over buttered egg noodles, or with crusty bread to sop up the sauce.
Wild Rice and Berries With Popped Rice
As delicious simmered until tender as it is popped until puffy and crisp, real hand-harvested wild rice, available from a few vendors online, is unlike any commercial paddy rice. Nutty and woodsy, it cooks in half the time of commercial wild rice and tastes of the piney forests and clear northern lakes. In the Anishinaabe language, wild rice is “manoomin,” or “good berry,” and is served at many ceremonies in the Great Lakes region, from holiday celebrations to weddings and funerals. I often garnish this dish with fresh or dried ramp leaves, depending on the time of year, but chive stems or sliced scallions are a simple substitute. Top with roasted turnips and winter squash or serve with sautéed vegetables, roast meat or pan-seared fish.
Brussels Sprouts With Pancetta
This recipe came to The Times in 2003 from Suzanne Goin, the Los Angeles restaurateur whose braised vegetables are a hallmark of her cuisine. It is a marvelously flavorful dish, rich with garlic and salty pancetta. It is one to keep.
Creamy Chard With Ricotta, Parmesan and Bread Crumbs
A substantial vegetable casserole, this recipe can be a green vegetable side dish or a vegetarian main course. Though a bit of a job to put together, it is a crowd-pleaser.
Shrimp Risotto
Risotto can often be an intimidating dish, but this recipe, adapted from Rick Moonen and Roy Finamore’s “Fish Without a Doubt,” doesn’t have to be. It came to The Times in 2009, part of Emily Weinstein’s column on learning to cook. It worked for her, even though she didn’t prepare any of the ingredients ahead of time — or stir constantly as so many risotto recipes demand. Feel free to adapt the recipe as she did, substituting packaged seafood stock for the homemade shrimp stock, and chopped basil for the basil-infused oil.
Fry Bread With Cornmeal and Coconut Oil
Ingenuity is behind Indigenous fry bread. When the United States government forcibly relocated Navajos (Diné) from ancestral lands in the 19th century, Native American women invented fry bread from government-issued commodities: flour, salt, yeast and water. Today, Native Americans have reclaimed this survival food as a tasty symbol of resilience. Cooks improvise on the basic formula using ingredients based on preference and geography: Styles, sizes and shapes differ by region, tribe and family. Fry bread is comfort food, and variations are shaped by memory and connection, leading to playful jests about the “right” kind. This particular recipe has Afro-Indigenous origins with its use of sugar and cornmeal, which add sweetness and density. But raw sugar replaces white sugar, and coconut oil steps in for lard. When used for frying, the oil’s aroma announces the arrival of something special.
Rice Pilaf With Pumpkin, Currants and Pine Nuts
A well-made rice pilaf may be prepared in advance and reheated, covered, in a medium-hot oven. In Turkey, short-grain Bomba rice is preferred, but you may substitute Arborio, or long-grained white rice if you wish. Be sure to rinse the rice well, which will help the grains to remain separate, not clumped together.
Warm Rice Salad With Smoked Duck
Gandules con Bolitas de Plátano (Pigeon Peas With Plantain Dumplings)
Good cooks need good eaters, and preparing food for people I care about brings me tremendous joy. This dish is among those I’ve shared with others, and one that I share here in honor of my dear friend Liyna Anwar, who died a year ago. We were colleagues, and, because she was Muslim and ate strictly halal, I often brought her vegetarian dishes to sample. This was among her favorites: a deeply earthy dish that is sumptuous and nourishing. Green plantains are finely grated, mixed with simple spices, formed into balls with a spoon, and then dunked directly into simmering pigeon peas; the natural starch of the plantains sets up without added flour. Liyna once prepared this dish alongside me, delighting in the experience of forming the buoyant dumplings. The memory of her happiness blends now with my own memories of eating it.
Flank Steak With Zucchini
Marinate the meat at leisure, allow enough time to salt the zucchini to extract excess moisture and you are ready for speed-dial cooking. Once cooked, the dish can also bide its time, to anchor a summer buffet at room temperature.