Along the lines of what we were discussing in the previous post, I received a message from a reader when this cartoon first appeared 10 years ago, a message to the effect, Arlo is not the kind of man who would use instant rice. That reader might have had a point, but again I plead “artistic license.” Besides, I can’t say Arlo has never used instant rice. There was a time he occasionally might’ve used it for its sole benefit: expediency. However, he wouldn’t use it today, for he is pretty serious about getting away from processed food. I know, I know: white rice is processed food, but he’s not a fanatic, either. He enjoys cooking a lot of dishes that call for rice, and he’s willing to take that chance. Wait a minute—we are talking about a cartoon character here, aren’t we?
45 responses to “Rice A Wrongi”
GR6: Thanks. Our posts crossed in cyberspace. When I cc’d. yours and went to file it, I found the recipe wife based her soup on. A Senegalese soup. This is lightly spiced with curry and cayenne but balanced by the sweetness of apple and the creaminess of nonfat yogurt. Less cayenne will yield a milder soup. Additional garnishes might include chopped apple, raisins, or peanuts. Wife probably modified it from an original source.
Stuff:
1 tbs canola oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 bok choy stalks, chopped [celery = acceptable sub.]
2 tsp curry powder
2 tart apples, peeled, cored, chopped
2 cups vegie broth or other stock
1 cup apple juice
1/2 cup non-fat yogurt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbs minced parsley
Directions: Heat oil in a large saucepan over med. heat. Add the onion and bok choy, cover, and cook until softened, stirring occasionally, about 5 min. Stir in the curry and apple and cook 2 min. Add the broth and apple juice and simmer for 10 min. Remove from the heat to cool slightly. Transfer the mixture into a blender or food processor. Add the yogurt, pepper, and salt, and process until smooth. Pour the soup into a large bowl and refrigerate for 2 hours or until cold. Serve chilled, garnished with the minced parsley. Serves 4.
I’d forgotten we ate it cold, and expect we sometimes ate it warm. That would be better now, for instance. Today’s April showers are light snow.
For rice growing up we always used Uncle Ben’s converted(never cared for the sticky stuff) it was Symply done and I do it the same way to this day except I do not have the schmaltz(rendered chicken fat)in the back of the fridge the way Mamar and Mom did…We fry chopped onions up in fat(I use butter and olive oil) add some minced mushrooms(I prefer shitake) and minced garlic then add the rice to the fried concoction stir until rice is coated then add water and bring to boil….I always make enough for Fargone four so I can freeze half for next time I need rice.
Symply think I just got moderated over Fargone schmaltz!
Speaking of cold soups, I can’t wait until fresh tomatoes are available, so I can make gazpacho.
Both jambalaya and paella have been mentioned here recently. I just read an article about the origins of jambalaya. According to Kelly Hamilton, the founder of New Orleans Culinary History Tours, not long after the Spaniards arrived on the scene in Louisiana, jambalaya made its first appearance as an attempt to recreate Spain’s saffron-scented paella using New World ingredients.
“The earliest [jambalaya] called for a type of sausage called chaurice, and that is a take on the Spanish chorizo,” Hamilton said. (Chorizo is often present in paella.) Like chorizo, chaurice is a coarsely ground, spiced pork sausage.
Early recipes also called for ham, Hamilton noted, for which the Spanish word is “jamón.” Hamilton suggests that an echo of that word survives in the first letter of “jambalaya.” Furthermore, “if you look at the word ’paella,’ the sound at the end, the ‘ya,’ it’s similar to the ‘ya’ in ‘jambalaya,’” she said.
Whatever. They are both delicious.
emb, this looks like a variation of the TIP blogspot painting, and the candle is behind the letter from the viewer’s perspective.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Joseph_Wright_of_Derby._Girl_Reading_a_Letter_by_Candlelight,_With_a_Young_Man_Peering_over_Her_Shoulder._c.1760-62.jpg
And here is an enlarged version of the one used in the That is Priceless:
http://pictify.com/420744/joseph-wright-of-derby-a-young-girl-reading-a-letter-with-an-old-man-reading-over-her-shoulder-olgas-gallery
And if you look closely at the table below the letter, you can see the base of the candlestick. One mystery solved, but I still can’t tell what the old man has on his head.
Jean, I thought you might appreciate this…
http://f.kulfoto.com/pic/0001/0048/Uue5347417.jpg
The old man’s cap looks like some kind of sleeping cap to me, but what do I know? The British keep their houses quite cold, that I do know.
Mark: Thanks.
GR6: ‘Somewhere there’s a nerd with only two wishes left.’ Lovely.
Mark: I meant to add, our Fire Marshall would be unhappy about that arrangement. Reminds me of the supposed origin of Chinese roast pork. Charles Lamb?
Here’s a recipe for my favorite dish: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/gyoza/
Here at home we usually use ground beef or pork. Some braver people use shrimp.
Lilyblack, your comment reminds me of one I heard from an expatriate Englishman. He said the British don’t believe their weather is bad, you just have inadequate clothing. He was running a butterfly farm in St. Martin.
Make that on St. Martin. The island, that is.
Heh, I believe your friend. I was in Yorkshire in August and I just about froze my tokus off. But I got to see Hadrian’s Wall, and I can report that beer in England is not warm, or anything else, either, Kidding! :p
Sorry, October, not August, Mea culpa
I use brown rice if rice is called-for. And some times when it isn’t. (I like it as a hot cereal with butter on a bowl-full.
Goood Morning Villagers……..
…..and a food morning too……then there is rice pudding, which I love.
and I dedicate this to the Dark Side: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWQ-6IAS1cc
Busy day, Ian has broke his glasses, needs a tooth pulled, and we have appointments to get both pulled and glasses orders..$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Ya’ll have a blessed day….
GR 😉
I don’t think my mom knew anything other than Minute Rice existed. I use regular, rinse-and-cook rice, and I have a handy rice cooker Husband ordered when he saw one on the original Iron Chef program. I do have a box of Minute Rice in the cabinet for emergencies though. I also have brown rice and Jasmine rice, not to mention two types of couscous.
Ghost, that picture might have been made at Dragon*Con some ten years or so ago, and no, I am not one of the Leias. 😉 I do have friends who cosplayed her, though.
And speaking of cats and can openers, long ago I had a cat who not only came running when he heard the can opener, but stuck his head in the dish in anticipation. He frequently ended up with cat food on his head.
Not a big fan of cooking with soup. About the only thing I make with it is chicken turnovers.
Chicken and Rice
2 chicken breasts, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 stick butter or margarine
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
2 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1/2 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1/4 tsp. hot red pepper flakes
1 small can mushrooms with liquid
1 can chicken broth
1 cup white rice
Salt and pepper to taste
Melt the butter in a Dutch oven. Add onions, green pepper, and celery. Cook over medium heat until the onions start to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the seasonings. Add the chicken meat, rice, mushrooms, garlic and can of chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer (I have an electric range and set the burner on 3) for 30 minutes. Lift lid halfway through to stir. Serve with crusty French bread and salad.
Thanks for that, Sharon