The Ultimate Rice Cooker (57 page)
These are the very best green beans. Diners say “ho-hum” when they think about having green beans for dinner, but one taste of these savory herbed vegetables and, trust us, they will be all eaten up.
MACHINE: Large (10-cup) rice cooker ;
on/off only
CYCLE: Regular
YIELD: Serves 4
1 pound fresh green beans, ends trimmed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup minced onion
¼ cup minced celery
¼ cup minced fresh Italian parsley leaves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves or ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary leaves, crumbled
¼ teaspoon dried basil leaves, crumbled
½ to 1 medium-size red bell pepper (depending on whether you want just a touch of color or some to eat with each bite), seeded and cut into strips
Salt
1. Fill the rice cooker bowl about one-quarter full hot of water. Close the cover and set for the regular cycle.
2. Coat the steamer basket with nonstick cooking spray and place the beans in the basket. When the water comes to a boil, place the steamer basket in the cooker and close the cover. Steam until crisp-tender, 7 to 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium-size skillet, heat the butter and olive oil together over medium heat until the butter melts. Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring a few times, until just softened, about 2 minutes. Add the parsley, rosemary, basil, and pepper strips, cover, and cook for 5 minutes; don’t let the pepper strips get too soft. Add salt to taste.
4. Add the steamed beans to the skillet and toss to combine. Transfer to a shallow 1-quart casserole that is ovenproof or micro wave-safe. Serve immediately, or make a few hours ahead, cover, and reheat in the oven or microwave to serve.
pommes vapeur with tarragon butter
These are simply steamed new potatoes in their jackets with a fresh herb butter. The evocative licorice flavor of the tarragon makes for a great accompaniment to fish or chicken. This dish is adapted from a recipe from one of our favorite food writers, confirmed Francophile Faye Levy.
MACHINE: Large (10-cup) rice cooker ;
on/off only
CYCLE: Regular
YIELD: Serves 4
1¾ to 2 pounds small white or red new potatoes, scrubbed and left whole (unpeeled, partially peeled, or peeled)
6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter
1¼ tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon leaves
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1. Fill the rice cooker bowl about one-quarter full of hot water. Close the cover and set for the regular cycle.
2. Coat two steamer baskets with nonstick cooking spray and divide the potatoes between the baskets. When the water comes to a boil, place the steamer baskets in the cooker and close the cover. Steam until very tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, about 20 minutes.
3. While the potatoes are steaming, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Remove from the heat and add the tarragon; let stand at room temperature.
4. Transfer the steamed potatoes to a serving bowl, toss with the herb butter, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
spiced yams with ginger and pears
Although yams, as far as we are concerned, are great just plain with butter, here is one step beyond in case you need a special holiday dish. The pears give it a lot of sweetness, so balance with another vegetable, such as green beans or zucchini, in your menu.
MACHINE: Large (10-cup) rice cooker ;
on/off only
CYCLE: Regular
YIELD: Serves 6
2 pounds ruby yams or sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
2 teaspoons peeled and grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
Pinch of salt
3 firm ripe pears, peeled, cored, diced, and drizzled with the juice of 1 small lemon to prevent discoloration
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Fill the rice cooker bowl about one-quarter full of hot water. Close the cover and set for the regular cycle.
2. Coat the steamer basket with nonstick cooking spray and place the yams in the basket. When the water comes to a boil, place the steamer basket in the cooker and close the cover. Steam until soft enough to mash, 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Transfer the yams to a large bowl. With a fork, coarsely mash the yams with the ginger, cardamom, and salt. Fold in the pears. Spoon into a shallow 1½-quart gratindish and smooth the top. (At this point, you can cover the dish and refrigerate for up to 4 hours.) Bake until heated through, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve immediately.
Aioli is an infamous garlic mayonnaise that is an integral part of the cuisine of Provence in southern France. There exist some knock-you-out versions made with what seems the equivalent of heads of garlic, but a delicious, and not so deadly, aioli is made here with simply one clove. It is an appetizer supreme, stuffing a giant artichoke with the aioli and letting guests nibble on the leaves. Aioli is great on
all
steamed vegetables, room temperature or cold.
Because the aioli contains raw egg, make sure you use the freshest egg possible, that you keep it refrigerated until ready to serve, and that you eat this the day you make it. Also, because of the possibility of salmonella, it’s best not to serve this to small children, the elderly, or anyone with a compromised immune system.
MACHINE: Large (10-cup) rice cooker ;
on/off only
CYCLE: Regular
YIELD: Serves 6 to 8 ( 1 1/ 2 cups aioli)
6 to 8 medium-size artichokes, plus 1 very large artichoke
AIOLI
1 large clove garlic, peeled
1 cold large egg
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1. Set the steamer plate into the bottom of the rice cooker bowl and fill the bowl about one-quarter full of hot water. Close the cover and set for the regular cycle.
2. Cut off the stems and break the largest leaves off the artichoke bottoms. Cut off the top of the leaves with the thorns. Snip the tips of the leaves with kitchen shears.
3. Coat the steamer basket with nonstick cooking spray. When the water comes to a boil, place the largest artichoke on the steamer plate; there will be 2 to 3 inches of boiling water around it (this artichoke is slightly submerged). Place the other artichokes on their sides in the steamer basket. Place the basket on top of the cooker, over the large artichoke, and close the cover. Steam until the leaves easily pull off, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the artichokes from the cooker and cool to room temperature.
4. While the artichokes are steaming, make the aioli. In a food processor with the motor running, drop the garlic in through the feed tube to chop. Stop the machine and add the egg and capers; pulse a few times to combine. With the machine running, slowly drizzle in the oil through the feed tube; the mixture will thicken and become smooth. Transfer the aioli to a covered container and refrigerate until serving.
5. To serve, pull open the inner leaves on the large artichoke and remove them, leaving the outer leaves intact like a shell. Scrape the choke clean. Fill the artichoke with the aioli and place in the center of a serving platter. Cut the remaining artichokes in half and clean out the chokes, or pull off all the leaves and arrange them around the aioli artichoke. Clean the artichoke bottoms, cut them in half, and arrange with the leaves.
Himmel und Erde
is German for “heaven and earth.” It is a traditional holiday side dish that combines turnips, potatoes, and apples—stalwart fresh winter food that is delicious served with Thanksgiving turkey or pork roast.
MACHINE: Large (10-cup) rice cooker ;
on/off only
CYCLE: Regular
YIELD: Serves 8 to 10
1 pound turnips, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
1 pound tart cooking apples, peeled, cored, and cut into uneven chunks
3 tablespoons unsalted butter Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 slices bacon, cooked until crisp, drained on paper towels, and crumbled, for garnish
1. Fill the rice cooker bowl about one-quarter full of hot water. Close the cover and set for the regular cycle.
2. Coat the steamer basket with nonstick cooking spray and place the turnips, potatoes, and apples in the basket. When the water comes to a boil, place the steamer basket in the cooker and close the cover. Steam until tender enough for mashing, 20 to 30 minutes.
3. Transfer the vegetables to a large bowl. Mash them with the butter, using a potato masher or electric mixer, or process until smooth in a food processor. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Transfer to a serving bowl, sprinkle with the bacon, and serve immediately.
steamed kabocha squash with ginger dressing
From Elizabeth Schneider, exotic vegetable and fruit maven, we learned that steaming winter squashes is the best way to cook them. The flesh turns out like velvet, with no tough skin to peel off the cut side, wasting the precious innards. The green kabocha is one of the nicest tasting squashes; you can prepare butternut and acorn in this same manner. All winter squashes taste great with just butter and a wedge of fresh lemon, a compound butter, or butter and pure maple syrup, but here the squash is served hot, with a Japanese-style dressing.
MACHINE: Large (10-cup) rice cooker ;
on/off only
CYCLE: Regular
YIELD: Serves 4
DRESSING
⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons tamari (a thick, strong soy sauce)
1 tablespoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
3 tablespoons dry sherry or sake
1 or 2 kabocha winter squashes (2 to 2½ pounds total)
1. Make the dressing. Mix all the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. Cover and let stand at room temperature for an hour or refrigerate for a few hours.
2. Fill the rice cooker bowl about one-quarter full of hot water. Close the cover and set for the regular cycle.
3. Meanwhile, wash the squashes and halve with a cleaver or large, heavy knife. Scoop out the seeds and fibers. Peel or partially peel, as desired. Cut into quarters or eighths.
4. Coat the steamer basket with nonstick cooking spray and place the squash cut side down in the basket. When the water comes to a boil, place the steamer basket in the cooker and close the cover. Steam until tender when pierced, 12 to 16 minutes.
5. Transfer the squash to a serving plate and serve hot, drizzled with the dressing.