Farro and Wild Rice

 

I believe I have become an expert at using up leftover wild rice, when I see small amounts left in the package. It can add flavor and texture to soups and now it can work well at improving eye appeal when mixed with farro as a whole grain side dish. Since they both take the same amount of time to cook, they make great partners.

Ingredients:

1C farro

1/2C wild rice

2 1/2C water

2 porcini bouillon cubes

1oz dried porcini

 

 

Boil the water over a high flame and add the bouillon cubes to flavor this side dish. Rinse the grains, drain and add to the boiling broth.

Bring the broth to a rolling boil, then add the dried porcini mushrooms and stir thoroughly. Cover the pot with a lid and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes, check to see if all the liquid has been absorbed. Continue simmering until the grain has fully absorbed all the broth and when it does remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes. Add a pat of butter if you’d like and fluff up the grain before serving.

Porcini Flavored Polenta with Wild Boar Sausage

I admit to buying the sausage, because making them would mean more freezer space and I'm out of that at the moment. Besides I really like going to Gourmet Corner to see what's new in French imports. This polenta recipe grew out of a need to serve something simple with the sausage.

Ingredients:
1C coarse polenta
5C water
3 Porcini bouillon cubes
1/4 cube butter
1 1/2C freshly grated Parmigiano

Directions:

In a large pot, bring the water to a boil and add the bouillon cubes. Stir until the cubes dissolve. Then measure out the coarse ground polenta and grate the cheese.

Slowly pour the corn meal into the broth, and whisk it the entire time so you do not form lumps in the polenta. Keep whisking as the polenta cooks.

You will have to whisk the polenta until it thickens considerably. It is still very thin in this photo as is evidenced by the bubbling porcini broth. You want it thick and stiff.

 In this photo it is only beginning to thicken, so when it looks like this, stir it for at least 10 minutes longer over high heat, then lower the heat and keep whisking.

When it is finally thick, stir in the butter which makes it considerably creamy in taste. You may sub Mascarpone cheese for a little less fat.

 Add the grated cheese and whisk or stir it into the polenta to complete the dish. Plate and top with sausages. For a vegetarian option top with roasted vegetables.

Cheddar Polenta

Not much thought went into this recipe. Although I have never eaten cheese grits I'm sure they are similar, and since I had leftover chili, it seemed the perfect accompaniment.

Ingredients:
1C coarse corn meal or polenta
4C water
1/2 cube butter
1C grated cheddar cheese

Directions:

Bring water to a rolling boil in a large pan, then gradually whisk in the polenta until it is thoroughly mixed in. Keep stirring, but if necessary, turn down the heat until the polenta is fully cooked. Take off the stove and mix in the grated cheese and butter. Add salt if you desire and serve.

This was served with all meat chili, but could easily be served with eggs or bacon and eggs or a sauteed vegetable such as spinach or zucchini. I grilled the leftovers and served them with boudin noir and a fried egg for breakfast the next morning.

Porcini Arancini

Walk into any authentic Southern Italian restaurant and you'll find arancini on the menu. It's the Italian equivalent of fried rice, directly developed by the cucina povera culture out of necessity. Nothing is allowed to go to waste and this is an excellent use for leftover risotto that is best served when first made and not as a reheated item. Since porcini risotto is a staple in our home, I was bound to eventually make arancini, but with an American twist. I have incorporated Japanese panko (very crispy bread crumbs). As is customary in the classic cucina povera style, I use what is available to me and already stocked in my pantry.


Ingredients:
leftover porcini risotto
flour
2 extra large eggs
panko
Romano cheese
extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Using a small ice cream scoop, take small amounts of the risotto and form a 1" rice ball by rolling the rice between your hands. I use the small ice cream scoop to make this an easier process because it helps to compress the rice. Roll each rice ball into the flour to coat. Heat about 1" of the olive oil in a frying pan and place the pan over a medium low heat.

Next you'll need to place the eggs in a bowl and whisk them together for an egg wash. Depending on the amount of rice, you will need to determine the amount of panko that you will need. Let's say you think half a cup will cover what you have. Place the panko and half as much (1/4 cup) freshly grated Romano cheese into a shallow bowl and mix thoroughly. Now take the flour covered rice balls and coat them with the egg, then roll them in the panko/cheese mixture until they are completely covered and place them into the frying pan after the oil has heated .

After each side fries to a golden brown color, turn the arancini to brown more of the surface until they have been completely browned. Since the rice is already fully cooked, the object is to crisp up and heat the arancini. Drain on a paper towel or paper napkin, in this case, and serve. Room temperature is fine for these appetizers, so they do not need to be piping hot, just warm.

Portuguese Porridge

This soup has nothing to do with Portuguese tradition. It's more like "extradition" from my freezer and pantry into the pot based on a mutual agreement to empty the prior and fill the latter. It's cold, it's wet outside, I don't want to go to the store, but need a warm, nourishing dinner, so I decided it was time to start my purge of stored groceries. Combining lentils with rice also makes this recipe provide more protein than other soups.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 linguica sausages

2C dal lentils

1 1/2C wild rice

1 1/2 yellow onions

2T olive oil

8 garlic cloves

salt & pepper to taste

2t dried thyme (did I mention it was wet outside?)

12C water

Directions:

Slice the linguica, then cut into matchsticks to saute in the olive oil. Once the sausage is starting to render its fat, add the diced onions, some salt, and saute until translucent. You can now add the thyme, salt and pepper, if you haven't already done so. Add the rice and mix.

Then add the lentils and mix together. Next comes the water. While you're bringing the water to a boil, peel and chop the garlic and add to the soup. Cover the pot when the soup reaches the boiling point and bring the burner down to a simmer for 25 minutes. Stir, check rice and if it is not fully cooked add more water if necessary and adjust salt.

Tomato Basil Polenta

Ingredients:
1 1/2C polenta
6C water
1t salt
2T sun dried tomatoes
1C freshly grated Romano cheese
1T basil flavored olive oil

Directions:

Boil the water in a 6-8 quart stock pot, then add the salt and slowly whisk in the polenta stirring constantly over a medium heat. After the polenta starts to thicken, mince the sun dried tomatoes and add to the pot. Keep stirring and if the polenta sticks to the bottom of the pot, lower the heat.

Keep whisking the polenta until it thickens to your desired texture. I admit here that for years I have been under cooking polenta. It's been cooked through, but I failed to continue cooking until more water had been eliminated, making it much thicker and less likely to pool on the plate (see Chicken Cacciatore photos). Keep stirring and then add butter until it melts completely. Take off the heat.

After the polenta is off the heat, add in the grated Romano and continue stirring until the cheese has fully melted into the polenta. Next drizzle in the basil oil, fully incorporate and serve. If you don't have basil oil, add fresh basil that has been pulsed with extra virgin olive oil in a food processor. Basil oil with keep the polenta from turning green.

Creamy Polenta

For years I have tried to reconstruct a polenta that I ate at a restaurant that has been closed for many years. This is as close at it comes.


Ingredients:

2C coarse ground polenta or grits
8C water
1t kosher salt
4 oz Mascarpone cheese
1/2 cube butter
1.5C freshly grated Parmigiano cheese

Directions:

Bring water to a rolling boil, add salt and slowly add the corn meal into the pot, whisking the entire time. In 15 - 20 minutes it should thicken considerably and you can then add the other ingredients and serve. Top with a meat sauce, braised sausages, crumbled Gorgonzola or pesto. You can also pour thin layers of polenta into a casserole dish and alternately layer with sauteed spinach or chard and a good melting cheese like Fontina or truffled cheese from Piemonte.