Making a herb and vegetable paste is a quick and simple way of producing vibrantly coloured, flavoursome rice. Toasting the rice in just a little oil and butter, then cooking with the paste before adding stock and simmering, develops and enriches the flavour of the dish. This makes a great accompaniment to grilled or roast chicken.
Recipe provided by:
Reader's Digest
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Rice, Beans & Grains
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1 large green pepper, quartered and seeded
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1 onion, quartered
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1 garlic clove, crushed
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15 g (½ oz) fresh coriander
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10 g (scant 1/2 oz) fresh flat-leaf parsley
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10 g (scant 1/2 oz) butter
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2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
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225 g (8 oz) long-grain white rice
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600 ml (1 pint) boiling chicken stock
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salt and pepper
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sprigs of fresh coriander to garnish
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Preparation method
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1.
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Put the green pepper, onion, garlic, coriander and parsley in a food processor and blend to a very finely chopped paste. Alternatively, very finely chop them all together with a knife.
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2.
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Heat the butter and olive oil in a large saucepan, add the rice and fry gently for 2–3 minutes or until the grains are translucent.
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3.
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Remove from the heat and stir in the herb paste. Return to the heat and cook for 2 minutes, stirring all the time. Pour in the boiling stock, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and cook very gently for 10–15 minutes or until the rice is tender and the stock has been absorbed.
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4.
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Remove from the heat and leave to stand, with the pan still covered, for 3–4 minutes. Then fork through to separate the grains. Serve hot, garnished with coriander sprigs.
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Copyright
Copyright by The Readers Digest Association, Inc. 2004
Some more ideas
Use long-grain brown rice instead of white rice. It will take 30–40 minutes to cook and will need about 100 ml (3½ fl oz) more stock. * For a spinach and red rice pilaf, cook 225 g (8 oz) Camargue red rice in the butter and oil for 2 minutes, then add 300 ml (10 fl oz) boiling stock. Cook, covered, for 30–35 minutes or until tender. About 10 minutes before the rice is ready, gently cook 1 bunch sliced spring onions and 1 crushed garlic clove in 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil for 3 minutes or until tender. Add 170 g (6 oz) baby spinach leaves, cover and cook for 1 minute, then remove the lid and cook over a low heat for a further minute or until some of the spinach juices have evaporated. Stir in the cooked rice, 3 tbsp chopped parsley, a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg and pepper to taste. Cover and heat through for 2 minutes. Squeeze over the juice of 1/2 lime, fork through to mix and serve hot. * To make this a vegetarian dish, use vegetable stock in place of the chicken stock.
Plus points
Green peppers are an excellent source of vitamin C, important for maintaining the body's immune system. Even though some of the vitamin C is destroyed during cooking, useful amounts still remain. * Coriander has over the centuries had many uses other than as a herb in cooking – as an ingredient in liqueur and cologne, as a herbal tonic for the stomach and, with its seeds, for relief of urinary tract problems.
Each serving provides
C * A, B6, folate, copper, selenium, zinc