Rice Pilaf

My mom taught me how to make this rice dish when I was a young girl. I always think of it in my mind as "homemade rice-a-roni". But, unlike the boxed stuff, this version is not salty and is just as easy to prepare!

The recipe is best made with angel hair or spaghetti, but I was out of both and substituted the linguine you will see in the photos. It turned out fine, but I would still recommend a thinner pasta.

Rice Pilaf

1 Tbsp Butter
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1-2 oz Spaghetti or Angel Hair Pasta, Broken into 2-inch Pieces
1 Cup White Rice
1 3/4 Cup Stock (Veggie, Chicken, or Beef)
3/4 Cup Water

Melt the butter in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil, then stir in the broken up pasta. Cook, stirring often, until the pasta is browned, 5-7 minutes. Add the rice, and stir to coat with the fat. Slowly pour in the stock and the water and stir everything around. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook until the liquid has been absorbed, about 25 minutes, checking every 10 minutes or so. If it is cooking too fast, add more liquid and reduce the heat. Let stand, covered, at least 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork and serving.
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Vegetable Fried Rice Recipe

Today I made pancakes for my family for breakfast. But, as you can plainly see, this is not a post for a pancake recipe. You see, I don't care for sweet breakfasts, so after they were finished eating I went rummaging in the fridge to see what I could find for myself to eat. Leftover rice and a smattering of veggies. Sounds like fried rice to me!

I will give approximate amounts here to serve one as a main course, or probably two as a side. Also, you can use any vegetables you like. Really, just about anything goes, but you definitely want to use onions (or green onions), garlic and ginger. You can also add herbs as well. I have used both basil and cilantro in the past, but today I didn't use any.

Vegetable Fried Rice Recipe

1 Tsp Canola or Peanut Oil
2 Tbsp Diced Onion
1 Sliced Scallion
1 Garlic Clove, Crushed or Minced
1 Tsp Minced Ginger (I use the minced ginger in a jar)
3/4 Cup Cold Cooked Rice
1 Medium Carrot, Sliced Lengthwise and Cut into Half Moon Shapes
1 Cup Broccoli Florets, Broken up Pretty Small
1 Cup or So Shredded Cabbage
1 Egg
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce

Heat the oil in a nonstick frying pan or a wok. If you use a frying pan like I did today, it will take a little longer to cook because it can't get as hot as the wok would. Add the onions and cook until starting to soften, about 3 minutes. Add in the garlic and ginger and stir for about 30 seconds. Next add in the rice, breaking up with your hands if necessary. Stir to coat the rice with the oil and aromatics.

Next add in the carrots and broccoli and stir often nearly cooked, about 4 minutes in the frying pan, less in a wok. Then add in the cabbage and cook until wilted, about another 3 or 4 minutes. When the vegetable are cooked, crack in the egg and scramble it and coat the rice and vegetables and stir until cooked. This only takes a few minutes. Pour on the soy sauce and stir to combine.

An oddly satisfying, if unconventional breakfast. But you should feel free to serve this for lunch or dinner as you see fit. ; )

Arugula Risotto Stuffed Kabocha Squash Recipe

I went snooping around the internet looking at stuffed squash recipes and noticed that most of them involve rice. I have never made nor eaten a squash stuffed with rice, so this was news to me! Shows how much I know. Anyhow, this is what I came up with when I decided to try a rice stuffed winter squash.





Arugula Risotto Stuffed Kabocha Squash

2 Small Kabocha Squash
Olive Oil
1/2 Onion
2 Cloves Garlic
1 Cup Arborio Rice
Chicken or Veggie Broth, up to 5 cups (I used about 4 this time)
1/2 Cup White Wine
One Bunch Arugula (About 2 Cups Coarsely Chopped)
1/2 Cup (Or more) Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 Cup Grated Mozzarella Cheese

Preheat oven to 375

Cut the squash in half and remove the seeds. Rub the cut sides with olive oil and place cut side down in a baking dish. Bake until it can be easily pierced with a fork or wooden skewer.

Dice and saute the onions in olive oil until very soft. Add the crushed or minced garlic, then the rice. Cook until the rice is beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Add the wine and stir, once the wine has evaporated, add about 1/2 cup of broth. Let simmer until the broth has nearly evaporated, and keep adding broth in this fashion until the rice is tender. This can take anywhere from 25-35 minutes. When the rice is cooked, stir in the arugula, then the parmesan cheese.

Remove the squash from the oven and turn cut side up. Stuff the squash halves with the rice, you might not need all of the rice. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the top and return to the oven until heated through and browned on top. I ended up putting them under the broiler for a few minutes to get the tops browned.

Butternut Risotto Recipe

Yeah, yeah, I know. Everybody is making butternut risotto right now. But why not? It's so delicious. And there is no flavor combination like butternut, sage and garlic! So here is my take on everyone's favorite fall risotto.

Butternut Squash Risotto

One Butternut Squash - I forgot to weigh mine, it was pretty small: yielded about 2 1/2 cups cooked squash
5-6 Fresh Sage Leaves
1 Garlic Clove
1Tbsp (more or less) Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

1/2 Onion
2 Cloves Garlic
1 Cup Arborio Rice
Chicken or Veggie Broth, up to 5 cups (I used about 4 this time)
1/2 Cup White Wine
1/2 Cup (Or more) Grated Parmesan Cheese
Fresh Ground Pepper


Preheat oven to 375

Cut the squash in half and remove the seeds. Chop the sage leaves and garlic. Mix the sage, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Rub over all cut sides of the sqash. Put the squah in a baking pan with a lid or cover with foil and cook until nearly done, about 35 minutes. Remove from oven and when cool enough to handle scoop out of the shell. Cut into about 1/2 inch dice. Some may be to soft to dice, just add this to the rice with the cubes.

Meantime, dice and saute the onions in olive oil until very soft. Add the crushed or minced garlic, then the rice. Cook until the rice is beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Add the wine and stir, once the wine has evaporated, add about 1/2 cup of broth. Let simmer until the broth has nearly evaporated, and keep adding broth in this fashion until the rice is tender. This can take anywhere from 25-35 minutes. When the rice is cooked, stir in the cheese to melt, then add in the butternut sqash. Add black pepper to taste, and pass more cheese at the table if desired.