I know I'm supposed to continue with the "how-to" recipes for Dan, but I also have to include this delicious stew I made a couple weeks ago. You could serve it over rice (to make the how-to make rice title of this post actually work), but I made it with couscous since it was more Moroccan-based and begged for something lighter than rice.
So, here are directions for making white rice, brown rice and rice pilaf. I am Armenian and every Armenian is basically born knowing how to make pilaf, so I bring you my mom's way of making it. We use orzo pasta, other people break up angel hair, but I like the shape of orzo better.
How to Make Rice
Step one (for pilaf):
Place one tablespoon of oil in a pan and warm
it for a few seconds. Put 1/4 cup orzo pasta in the pan with the oil and brown
it slightly, mixing it and watching it constantly. When it’s light brown, add the
rice and water and follow the directions below.
Step one for rice only:
Put 1 cup
of white, long grain rice and 1.5 cups of water in a small (one-quart) saucepan with a
tight-fitting lid (or in the rice cooker)
IF you’re using
basmati rice, use 1 cup of rice to 1.5 cups of water, If you're using brown rice, use 1 cup of rice to 2 cups of water.
IF you’re using the rice
cooker, place the rice, water and maybe a little bit of butter in the cooker,
turn it on and set the timer for about 20 minutes, just like in step three.
Step two:
Bring the
water to a boil over high heat. Steam should be coming out from under the lid;
keep the pot covered and don't peek under the lid. (Use the glass lid so you
can see in)
Step three:
Reduce the
heat to very low. The rice grains swell as they absorb the water. If the
temperature is too high, the bottom of the pan of rice can scorch while the top
rice is still undercooked. Set a timer for 20 minutes.
Step four:
When the
timer rings, turn off the burner and remove the pan from the heat. Let the rice
sit, covered, for an additional 5 minutes (and no peeking under the lid - the
steam will escape…I always peak and stir the rice way more than you’re supposed
to, and it still turns out fine).
Step five:
Remove the
lid and fluff the rice with a fork to separate the grains.
Moroccan Stew with Couscous
Serves 4
Ingredients
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
2 lbs lamb or beef (I used beef "stew meat" already cut into chunks from Whole Foods)
2 yellow onions, chopped
2-3 carrots, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (15 oz) can chopped tomatoes
2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon red pepper
1 (15 oz) can chickpeas/garbanzo beans
1/2 cup raisins
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup of couscous prepared to package directions
Preparation
Rinse the meat and dry it well on paper towels. You want to make sure the meat is super super dry or else you won't get a good sear when it's in the pan.
Place olive oil in a heavy, large pot with a flat bottom and heat it until it shimmers. Place beef or lamb in the oil and sear it on all sides until it looks a little charred all over.
Removed the meat and cook the onions and carrots in the meaty oil until the onions are a little translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook for 30-60 seconds. Add the spices (cumin, turmeric, red pepper flakes) and some salt and pepper to the veggies and cook until you smell the spices (about 30 seconds).
Add the meat back to the pot with the tomatoes and their juice, and the broth. When the liquid begins to boil, turn the heat down and simmer this for as long as you can stand it (the longer the better because it will soften the meat...you could also dump everything into the crock pot at this stage).
After simmering for 20-30 minutes, add the raisins and chickpeas and cook for another 5 minutes.
Place a lump of couscous in a bowl and pour stew over the top. The couscous will continue to expand in the bowl, which thickens the stew. YUM!
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