The Ultimate Rice Cooker (79 page)
VINAIGRETTE
¾ cup olive oil
⅓ cup red wine vinegar (a bit less if you use cabernet vinegar)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
SALAD
2 cups room temperature cooked
Brown Jasmine Rice
3 green onions, white parts and some of the green parts, chopped, or ¼ cup minced fresh chives
½ cup finely chopped celery or seeded and finely chopped red bell pepper
⅓ cup finely chopped red onion
3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
3 tablespoons chopped golden raisins
3 tablespoons chopped walnuts
5 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
1.
Prepare the lentils:
Rinse and pick over the lentils. Place the lentils, water, salt, and thyme in the rice cooker bowl. Close the cover and set for the regular cycle and set a timer for 40 minutes. The liquid should all be absorbed. When the cycle ends or the timer sounds, unplug the machine, open the cover, and let the lentils cool to room temperature right in the cooker bowl.
2.
Make the vinaigrette:
In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
3.
Assemble the salad:
In a large bowl, combine the rice, lentils, green onions, celery, red onion, parsley, raisins, and walnuts. Toss with enough of the dressing to coat lightly; it is okay to have some vinaigrette left over. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before serving, or cover tightly and refrigerate for as long as overnight.
4. Serve the salad at room temperature, adding the goat cheese right before serving.
This is a fantastic salad Beth originally learned from food writer Louise Fiszer when she had her cooking school in Menlo Park, California. The dressing evolved to this honey-curry version, which is so good, Beth often gives it by the jar for Christmas presents (it is just as nice on romaine or butter lettuce). Even if curry is not your thing, this dressing will have you licking your lips. You can use the imported white basmati or domestic brown basmati. Be sure to serve the salad nice and cold.
MACHINE: Medium (6-cup) rice cooker ;
fuzzy logic or on/off
CYCLE: Regular
YIELD: Serves 8
RICE
2 cups basmati rice
2½ cups water
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped pecans or pistachios
DRESSING
⅔ cup mayonnaise
½ cup plain yogurt
⅓ cup sour cream
¼ cup chutney of your choice
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons honey
2½ teaspoons curry powder dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot raspberry vinegar
SALAD
4 green onions, white parts and some of the green parts, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 large tart apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
1 cup chopped dried apricots
One 12-ounce package frozen petite peas, thawed
1.
Prepare the rice:
Place the rice in the rice cooker bowl and fill with cold water. Swish it around with your fingers. Carefully pour off the water, wash, and drain well a few times until the water runs clear. Add the 2½ cups water and salt; swirl to combine. Close the cover and set for the regular cycle. When the machine switches to the Keep Warm cycle, let the rice steam for 10 minutes. Fluff the rice with a wooden or plastic rice paddle or wooden spoon. Unplug the machine, keep the cover open, and let the rice cool to room temperature right in the cooker bowl.
2. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
3. Place the nuts on a baking sheet and toast just until they begin to color, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool to room temperature, and set aside.
4.
Make the dressing:
Place all the dressing ingredients in a food processor and pulse a few times to combine and chop the chutney. Scrape into a bowl, cover, and refrigerate.
5.
Assemble the salad:
In a medium-size salad bowl, combine the rice, green onions, celery, apple, apricots, peas, and nuts. With a large spatula, combine the salad ingredients with enough of the dressing to lightly coat, reserving any extra dressing in the refrigerator. Store the salad, covered, in the refrigerator and serve it chilled. It is best served the day it is made, or cover tightly and refrigerate no longer than overnight.
autumn rice and wheat berry salad
This recipe using wheat berries, wild rice, and two rices comes from friend and prolific food writer Peggy Fallon, who has impeccable taste buds. You will need to make the three different rices in shifts, even the day before, so plan accordingly. This is such a good salad.
MACHINE: Medium (6-cup) rice cooker ;
fuzzy logic or on/of f
CYCLE: Regular
YIELD: Serves 6 to 8
WHEAT BERRIES AND CONVERTED RICE
½ cup wheat berries
Boiling water for soaking
½ cup converted rice
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons water
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped walnuts
DRESSING
½ cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 shallots, minced
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup walnut oil
1 cup light olive oil
SALAD
1½ cups room temperature cooked Brown
Jasmine Rice
1½ cups room temperature cooked
Basic Wild Rice
1 cup seeded and chopped red bell pepper
1 cup seeded and chopped yellow bell pepper
½ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
½ pound fresh sugar snap peas or snow peas, strings removed, blanched for 1 minute in boiling water, and drained
1.
Prepare the wheat berries and converted rice:
Place the wheat berries in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Let soak at room temperature for 2 hours.
2. Place the converted rice in the rice cooker bowl. Add the water and salt; swirl to combine. Close the cover and set for the regular cycle. When the machine switches to the Keep Warm cycle, let the rice steam for 20 minutes. Fluff the rice with a wooden or plastic rice paddle or wooden spoon. Unplug the machine, keep the cover open, and let the rice cool to room temperature right in the cooker bowl.
3. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
4. Place the walnuts on a baking sheet and toast just until they begin to color, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool to room temperature, and set aside.
5.
Make the dressing:
In a small bowl or food processor, combine the vinegar, mustard, shallots, and salt and pepper to taste. Add the walnut oil and olive oil and whisk or process until thick. Set aside.
6.
Assemble the salad:
Place the three rices in a medium-size salad bowl. Drain the wheat berries well and add to the rice. Add the bell peppers and parsley and stir to combine. Toss with enough of the dressing to lightly coat, reserving any extra dressing in the refrigerator. Add the peas and walnuts right before serving the salad at room temperature. This salad is best eaten the day it is made.
barley salad with fresh dill and vegetables
This scrumptious salad is adapted from a recipe from
Jane Brody’s Good Food Book
(Norton, 1985). It is one of our favorite ways to eat barley, a grain noted for its natural cholesterol-reducing qualities.
MACHINE: Medium (6-cup) rice cooker ;
fuzzy logic or on/off
CYCLE: Regular
YIELD: Serves 4
BARLEY
1 cup pearled barley
1 cup water
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons chicken stock
Pinch of salt
VINAIGRETTE
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup cider vinegar
1 clove garlic, flattened
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
SALAD
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 large carrot, coarsely grated
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 medium-size red onion, finely chopped
1 bunch radishes, ends trimmed and thinly sliced
¼ cup chopped fresh dill
¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1.
Prepare the barley:
Place the barley in the rice cooker bowl. Add the water, stock, and salt; swirl to combine. Close the cover and set for the regular cycle. When the machine switches to the Keep Warm cycle, let the barley steam for 15 minutes. Fluff the barley with a wooden or plastic rice paddle or wooden spoon. Unplug the machine, keep the cover open, and let the barley cool to room temperature right in the cooker bowl.
2.
Make the vinaigrette:
In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Let stand at room temperature.
3.
Assemble the salad:
Place the barley in a medium-size salad bowl or a decorative refrigerator bowl with a plastic cover. Add the vegetables, dill, and parsley. Remove the garlic from the dressing. Toss the salad ingredients with the dressing to lightly coat. Store the salad, covered, in the refrigerator and serve it chilled. Though this salad tastes best the day it is made, you can refrigerate it overnight.
In conversation with a friend in France, Beth was surprised one day when she mentioned tabboulé—the Middle Eastern salad made with bulgur—and said that it was very popular in Paris for school lunches. Having made so many variations of the satisfying staple salad over the years, here is one with quinoa sub stituted for the bulgur. You can also make this recipe substituting the same amount of bulgur cracked wheat for the quinoa.
YIELD: Serves 6
SALAD
1 recipe
Basic Quinoa
, cooled to room temperature
½ pound ripe tomatoes, seeded, if desired, and diced
½ pound cucumber, peeled, seeded if the seeds are watery, and diced
½ small red onion, thinly sliced and cut into ½-inch-wide strips
½ cup minced fresh Italian parsley leaves
DRESSING
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
⅓ cup olive oil
Few drops of Tabasco sauce
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1.
Assemble the salad:
Place the quinoa in a large salad bowl. Add the tomatoes, cucumber, and onion; toss together.
2.
Make the dressing:
In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, Tabasco, and pepper. Pour the dressing over the salad, add the parsley, and stir with a large spoon to combine. Refrigerate the salad, covered, until ready to serve. Serve the tabboulé at room temperature. It is best served the day it is made.