Ingredients

• 1 c. dry black beans
• 2 c. black bean stock
• 3 strips bacon (or, for vegetarian, 1/4 c. vegetable oil)
• 1 lg. onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 sweet red or green bell peppers, cut into thin strips
• 2 c. long-grain white rice
• 1/2-1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp. oregano
• 1 lg. bay leaf

Preparation

Soak the beans overnight in a pot of water and drain well (or fast-soak). Place on the stove with plenty of fresh water. Simmer for about 1 1/2 hours, until nice and tender but not mushy. Reserve 2 c. of the stock and then drain the beans. Sautee the bacon (or heat the oil) in a pot with the onion, garlic, and peppers until the onion is golden. Add rice, salt, cumin, oregano, and bay leaf, then bean stock and beans. Cover and place on medium heat until it comes to a boil. Stir to prevent from sticking to the bottom of the pot, reduce heat to low and cook until the rice looks completely dry. Should take 10-15min. Stir and serve.

Penzey’s Spices

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 c. cooked brown rice
• 1/4 c. walnuts, roasted and chopped
• 2 tbsp. sunflower seeds, lightly roasted
• 1/4 c. minced onion
• 1/4 c. minced celery
• 6 eggs, beaten
• 1 tbsp. dijon mustard
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 tsp. sage
• 1 c. grated cheddar cheese
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 3 lg. onions, diced
• 3/4 c. cashew butter
• 1/2 c. tamari
• 2 1/2 c. water
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1/4 tsp. sage

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350. Combine the first 11 ingredients (until and including the cheese) and mix well. Put in a greased 8 1/2x4 1/2" loaf pan. Bake until lightly browned and pulling away from the sides a bit, 60-90 minutes.

Meanwhile. heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook until caramelized. Add cashew butter, tamari, water, and spices, and cook until heated through. Place in blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

Penzey’s Spices

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons plus 1 cup olive oil
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 1 cup arborio rice
• Pinch of saffron
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup vegetable broth or water
• Kosher salt
• 3 large eggplants (about 3 pounds), cut crosswise into 1/4-inch rounds
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cups store-bought tomato sauce (such as marinara), divided
• 1 pound fresh mozzarella, cut into 3/4-inch cubes (about 2 cups), divided
• 1 cup coarsely grated Parmesan (4 ounces), divided

Preparation

Arrange racks in top and bottom thirds of oven; preheat to 425°. Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; cook, stirring often, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add rice; cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes. Stir in saffron, then wine. Cook until wine reduces slightly, about 1 minute. Add broth; season with salt. Cover and cook over medium heat until rice is very al dente and still crunchy, about 6 minutes; remove pan from heat.

Meanwhile, divide eggplant between two rimmed baking sheets, overlapping slightly to fit. Drizzle 1 cup oil over; season with salt and pepper. Bake, turning eggplant and rotating sheets halfway through, until tender and golden brown, 20–25 minutes.

Cover the bottom of a 13x9x2-inch baking dish with 1 cup tomato sauce. Sprinkle 1/3 of mozzarella over, then 1/3 of Parmesan.

Cover with a layer of eggplant rounds, overlapping so no sauce is visible beneath them. Add saffron rice, spreading out in an even layer. Sprinkle over another 1/3 each of mozzarella and Parmesan, then 1/2 of the remaining tomato sauce and another layer of eggplant. Top with remaining tomato sauce and remaining mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover dish with foil; transfer to a foil-lined baking sheet.

Bake until sauce is bubbling and cheese is melted, about 15 minutes. Uncover dish and bake until golden on top, about 20 minutes longer. Let stand for at least 10 minutes to set before serving.

Serves 8.

Bon Appetit, September 2012

Ingredients

• 6 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cups sliced celery
• ½ cup chopped parsley
• 1 can whole chestnuts, drained and chopped (or something over a pound of raw chestnuts, boiled and then peeled)
• 4 cups cooked wild rice (about 1.5 cups dry wild rice, plus water or beef or chicken broth according to directions)
• 1 tsp crumbled dried sage
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried marjoram

Preparation

If you’re doing the chestnuts fresh, do them first–give yourself between 30 minutes and an hour to get them ready. Probably an hour. Boil the chestnuts for 5-10 minutes, then let them drain and cool, and peel (making sure to remove the skins). [CP: Doing the chestnuts yourself fresh makes for a much better flavor – the chestnuts are firmer and tastier. But it takes forever, and is really annoying work.]

Cook wild rice according to the package directions.

Fry bacon in a skillet until browned.

Pour off some of the grease if you wish, and add the onion, celery, and parsley, cooking for about 5 minutes, or until the onion and celery is soft.

Stir in chestnuts, rice, and herbs, and season to taste with salt and/or pepper.

Yankee Magazine, via RoastGoose.com, via The Taste Place

Ingredients

• Iceberg, red or romaine lettuce leaves, washed and chilled
• Fried rice [Mom: I’ve been making Yangzhou Fried Rice (Epicurious, 7/08)]
• Bamboo shoots
• Snow peas
• One large pork chop
• 1 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tbsp. mirin, rice wine, sherry, etc.
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 6 oz. mushrooms, sliced thinly

Preparation

Julienne bamboo shoots and snow peas. Thinly slice pork and marinate in soy, wine, and sugar. Stirfry all together with bamboo shoots and mushrooms. Serve in wraps with fried rice.

Cook needed amount of rice (white or brown) for the folks you are feeding. Cool. Toss with sour cream or yogurt to coat (you don’t want it to be gummy or soupy) and a healthy quantity of chopped cilantro. Put in a well-greased casserole and top with grated parmesan. Cover with foil and bake 20-30 minutes. Remove foil and cook until golden on top.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms, soaking in hot water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup short-grain brown rice
• 1 onion, very finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 can (12 ounces) chopped tomatoes, with their liquid
• 8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 can (15 ounces) cannellini beans, drained, rinsed
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil or parsley
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, optional

Preparation

Heat oil in a stockpot over medium heat. Add rice; cook while stirring, until translucent, about 1 minute. Add onion, salt and pepper; continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 1 minute. Add enough water to cover by 1/2 inch, about 3 1/2 cups. Heat to a boil; then simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes.

Remove porcini from water, reserving liquid; coarsely chop. Pour liquid (without sediment) into rice. Stir in porcini, tomatoes and button mushrooms. Heat to a boil; then simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes break down, about 30 minutes, adding water if needed.

When rice is tender, add beans. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is no longer soupy but not yet dry, about 2 minutes. Add basil and cheese; serve.

Chicago Tribune

Ingredients

• 3 cups chicken broth
• 3 cups water
• 1/2 pound dried flageolets or Great Northern beans, picked over
• 3/4 cup wild rice (about 4 ounces)
• 2 large leeks, white and pale green parts only
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced thin
• 1/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted and skinned and chopped coarse
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries

Preparation

In a large saucepan simmer broth, water, and beans, covered, 45 minutes. Stir in wild rice and simmer, covered, 45 minutes, or until beans and rice are tender. Drain rice mixture and return to pan.

Cut leeks crosswise into 1/2-inch slices and in a bowl soak in water, agitating occasionally to dislodge any sand, 5 minutes. Lift leeks out of water and drain in a colander. In a non-stick skillet sauté leeks in butter over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until almost tender, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms with salt to taste and cook, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Stir leek mixture into rice mixture. Rice mixture may be made up to this point 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Reheat mixture, adding water to prevent it from sticking to skillet, before proceeding.

Stir hazelnuts and cranberries into rice mixture and serve warm.

Gourmet, November 1994

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 3 cloves garlic, halved
• 3/4 c chopped onion
• 1 1/2 c white rice
• 3 c water
• 2 sprigs parsley
• 2 whole serrano chiles
• 1 1/4 tsp salt

Preparation

Saute the garlic until deep brown, then discard. Add the onion and saute until tender. Add rice and stir 5 min. Add hot water, parsley, serrano chilis, and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to med-low, cover and simmer until all almost all liquid is absorbed (15 min). Stir, cover, and simmer 5 more minutes until all liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, let stand 10 min. Discard parsley and serranos.

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups water
• 1 cup long-grain brown rice (such as Texmati)
• 2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 2 tablespoons Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves, finely chopped

Preparation

Bring 2 1/4 cups water to boil in heavy medium saucepan. Mix in rice and salt. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer until rice is tender and water is absorbed, about 40 minutes. Transfer rice to large bowl; fluff with fork and cool.

Whisk vinegar and sugar in small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Pour over rice. Add tomatoes and basil and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover; chill. Bring to room temperature before serving.)

Bon Appetit, August 2000