Chicken and Wild Rice Salad

 

Here's another no-recipe recipe for another day when it's simply too hot to cook.

Early in the morning, I cooked one package of Lundberg Wild Rice blend according to the package directions, but I used chicken broth instead of water.

At the same time, I poached a chicken breast, but you could use sliced chicken from the deli or leftover rotisserie chicken. 

Ingredients

• Cooked wild rice blend
• minced red onion
• sliced or shredded cooked chicken breast
• diced cooked bacon (I used turkey bacon)
• sliced avocado
• sliced nectarine
• chopped smoked almonds (optional)

I tucked a bit of chopped napa cabbage in there (just because) and drizzled the salad with a mango balsamic vinaigrette. 

Balsamic Vinaigrette

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons mango balsamic (any flavor of balsamic will do)
• 2 teaspoons honey
• salt and pepper

A New Italian Dish - Arancini

I've always strived to be a frugal shopper and a frugal cook in the kitchen. My parents were young adults during the Great Depression, and they instilled in me and my siblings a "use it up, make it do, wear it out, or do without" mentality. 

However, if one good thing has come of the Covid-19 pandemic, it's that I've stepped up my game to a whole new level. Absolutely nothing goes to waste in my kitchen. In fact, when I cook I often make "extra" of something because I already have plans on how to repurpose the leftovers. An example of that philosophy is this recipe for arancini (pronounced eh-ruhn-see-nee).

A few of my non-Italian friends might be puzzling over "what the heck is arancini?" It's rice stuffed with cheese, breaded, fried (or baked), and served with a marinara (red sauce).

Arancini

Ingredients

• 2 cups leftover risotto (see recipe below)
• 8 small cubes of cheese (I used mozzarella)
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
• marinara sauce
• grated Parmesan cheese (for garnish)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Divide your leftover (cold) risotto into 8 equal-sized portions (they should be about the size of a golf ball. Shape each portion into a ball, insert a cube of cheese into the ball, and reshape the ball to completely cover the cheese. This step is important. If any of the cheese is exposed it will leak out.
4. Set up a breading station (pretend that you are breading chicken). There will be a shallow bowl of the flour, a shallow bowl with the beaten eggs, and a shallow bowl containing the bread crumbs and Panko.
5. One at a time roll the rice balls in flour, then cover completely with the beaten egg, and then roll in the crumbs to completely cover. Place each one on the prepared baking sheet. Make sure that they are evenly spaced, not touching.
6. Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with warm marinara sauce.

Makes 4 servings

About that rice. Any old rice won't do. You must use cooked risotto, which is a sticky rice. Here's my favorite recipe. 

Mushroom Risotto

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 tsp. olive oil
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3-4 cups chicken, vegetable, or mushroom broth, heated to a simmer
• 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
• 1/4 cup mascarpone cheese

Instructions

1. In a large frying pan melt 1 tablespoon of butter with olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until onion is soft about 2 minutes. Stir in mushrooms and cook until lightly browned (3 to 4 minutes). Stir in thyme.
2. Add 1/4 cup of the wine and cook until the wine is absorbed. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.
3. Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add rice, pepper, and remaining 1/2 cup white wine. Stir to ensure that rice does not clump together and cook until wine is absorbed. Add 1 cup broth, reduce heat to low, and stir until broth is almost absorbed. Continue to add broth, 1/2 cup at a time, and stir until rice is creamy and tender but still firm in the center. This should take about 15 to 18 minutes.
4. Stir in mushrooms. Remove from heat and stir in Parmigiano-Reggiano and mascarpone cheese.

New Recipe - Barley RIsotto

A Different Type of Risotto

Risotto is an Italian dish—rice slowly cooked in broth to a creamy consistency. Yes, it takes a bit of time (about 30 minutes) but is really quite easy.

I found barley on sale today at my local grocery store and so we're taking a slight detour from tradition. In fact, I'm not sure we can even accurately call this "risotto" because it's made with barley instead of rice. However, both rice and barley are grasses and the techniques used to cook them are very similar.

What are the Health Benefits of Barley?

Barley is truly a super-food. Not only does it taste great (nutty and chewy); but it's also high in fiber. That fiber makes it an excellent choice for lowering blood cholesterol levels, protecting against atherosclerosis, ischemic stroke, diabetes, insulin resistance, and obesity, and lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Cook Time

Prep time: 15 min

Cook time: 45 min

Ready in: 1 hour

Yields: 4 servings

Barley Risotto

Ingredients

• 6 slices bacon or turkey bacon
• 3 tsp. olive oil, divided
• 2 cups chicken, beef, or vegetable broth
• 1 cup water
• 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup onion, minced
• 1 cup barley
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Instructions

1. Place chopped bacon and 1 tsp. olive oil in a sauté pan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until crisp. Remove from pan and set aside.
2. Bring broth and water to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat to low and keep warm.
3. Place the remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil, sliced mushrooms, and minced onion in a large saucepan. Cook over medium heat until mushrooms begin to give off their liquid and brown, and onion begins to soften, about 5 minutes.
4. Add barley and stir so that all grains are coated with olive oil.
5. Add 1/2 cup wine to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, until the wine is mostly evaporated.
6. Turn the heat to low. Add 1/2 cup broth to the pan and cook until most of the broth is absorbed.
7. Continue to add broth, 1/2 cup at a time, and cook until barley is cooked through; about 35 to 45 minutes.
8. Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan cheese and reserved cooked bacon.

Rice Salad with Chimichurri Dressing

Fresh parsley from the garden

What is chimichurri?

The warm weather of summer has coaxed my garden into a growth spurt of amazing proportions. Parsley and oregano have exploded from every nook and cranny. When given lemons, we make lemonade. When given parsley, we make chimichurri.

No, it's not a new dance. Chimichurri is a popular Argentinian condiment--a green sauce used on grilled meats as commonly as we use catsup.

How did such a simple sauce gain such a strange name? There are many theories. One story claims that it comes from "Jimmy McMurry", an Irishman who invented the sauce. Others say it was "Jimmy Curry", an English meat importer, James C. Hurray, and even an English family who were heard to say "give me the curry" while dining with an Uruguayan family.

All I know is that it is so easy to make.

Chimichurri Sauce

Ingredients

• 3 cups chopped flat-leaf parsley, firmly packed (leaves only, no stems)
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt
• juice of 1/2 large lemon
• 3/4 cup olive oil

Instructions

1. Place all of the ingredients in the bowl of your food processor. Process until smooth.
2. Cover and chill until ready to use. Can be kept in the refrigerator for 2 days.

OK, so now what do you do with chimichurri? My husband and I had it with chicken. It would be equally fabulous with grilled steaks, fish, or even pork.

But there will be leftovers. We had leftovers. Now what?

Well, I've never been known to throw anything away. Not even a cup of day-old chimichurri. So today you are getting two recipes for the price of one!

Rice Salad with Chimichurri Dressing

Cook Time

Prep time: 15 min

Cook time: 5 min

Ready in: 20 min

Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 4 cups cooked rice, (long-grain white or brown)
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 cup diced tomato, (with seeds removed)
• 6 slices bacon, cooked crisp and chopped
• about 1 cup chimichurri sauce
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, (optional)
• 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley, (optional)

Instructions

1. Combine rice, celery, tomato and cooked bacon in a large mixing bowl.
2. Add chimichurri sauce and toss gently.
3. Sprinkle walnuts and fresh parsley on top just before serving.
4. (Note: Can be served immediately, at room temperature, or cover and chill for up to one day to allow flavors to blend).