Oswald Rivera

Author, Warrior, and Teacher

Category: rice (page 1 of 3)

SYRIAN RICE

October 18, 2023 / / 0 Comments

This is a Syrian Rice recipe that I got from an acquaintance years ago. At the time, though I  was familiar with rice and all  its variations, be it steamed rice, Spanish yellow rice, fried rice, risotto, you name it, Syrian rice was something new to me. Then I discovered that in the Middle East rice is a common staple. Syrian rice uses Syrian noodles or Ma’ccarona, which you can find in any Middle Eastern store. You can also substitute angel hair pasta. I’ve also discovered that there is a Lebanese version which uses vermicelli.

This is a quick and easy dish to prepare. All you need is the noodles, rice (long grain is preferred) and butter) add a little salt and that’s it. Traditionally this rice is paired with lamb; but you can serve it with your favorite roast, steak or chicken dish or, as vegetarian meal in  itself (with some assorted vegetables).

SYRIAN RICE

Ingredients:

1 cup rice
1 cup Syrian noodles (can use vermicelli or angel hair), broken up into small pieces
¼ cup butter
Salt to taste
Water or chickens broth

Instructions:

  1. Wash rice under cold running water (in a sieve) until water runs clear.
  2.  Soak rice for 15 minutes in hot water.
  3.  In a pan or pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add noodles and cook, stirring constantly until pasta is light brown but NOT burned. If you burn it you’ll have to start over.
  4.  Stir in rice and cook for about 4 minutes.
  5.  Add water(or broth) and salt. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer on low heat until water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Turn off heat and let rice rest for an additional 15 minutes, then fluff it with a fork and serve.
    Yield: 4 servings.

MEAT/RICE BALLS IN SAUCE

October 11, 2023 / / 0 Comments

This is a unique meatball recipe that combines beef (or ground pork, turkey or chicken) with rice. You simply combine the meat with the rice, form it into meatballs and fry in a tomato sauce. It’s a quick and delicious no-frills meal.

MEAT/RICE BALLS IN SAUCE

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
½ cup raw rice
¼ cup chopped onion
Salt and ground black pepper to  taste
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 (8-oz.) cans tomato sauce
1 cup water
2 cloves garlic, peeled nd minced
¾ teaspoon dried oregano

Instructions:

  1. In a bowl, mix beef, onions, salt and pepper. Form into small balls
  2. Heat oil in a skillet or fry pan over medium-high heat. Add meat/rice balls and fry, turning frequently until light brown but not crusty on all sides.
  3. Add sauce, water, garlic and oregano. Mix well. Cover and simmer on low heat about 45 minutes.
    Yield: 4 servings.

STUFFED ZUCCHINI WITH MEAT

July 31, 2023 / / 0 Comments

STUFFED ZUCCHINI WITH MEAT

I’ve had stuffed zucchini dishes before, but not this version. This is the Lebanese method of stuffing zucchini with meat. For full disclosure, this dish is from a cookbook I’ve had for years, Lebanese Delights by Raymonda khoury Naaman. It has become one of my go-too volumes when I want to impress friends and neighbors by serving a Middle Eastern meal.

The recipe is simple enough, sautéed zucchini with meat cooked with various spices. The recipe ingredients says use “lean ground meat.” We deciphered that to be beef, lamb or pork, your choice. You can  even make it with ground chicken or turkey. As an accompaniment we served it with another recipe from Ms. Naaman’s cookbook, Cooked Rice. This dish uses vermicelli noodles as an ingredient, thus it reminds me of Syrian rice, which is prepared the same way.

Enjoy this meal from a culture and cuisine thousands of years in the making.

STUFFED ZUCCINI WITH MEAT
(Koussa Ablama)
Serves 6

Ingredients:

2.2 pound small zucchini, about 5-6 zucchini
1 pound ground meat
4 tablespoons pine nuts
2 medium chopped white or red onions
1 tablespoon butter
4 tablespoons vegetable oil (Note: we substituted olive oil)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups water
Salt, pepper and cinnamon as desired

Preparation

Wash the zucchini, cut off the stems and hollow them using a zucchini cutter or potato peeler. (Note: you can also use an ice cream cone scooper. In fact, we found this easier when scooping out the zucchini flesh).

Melt the butter in a frying pan; add 2 tablespoons of oil and sauté the zucchinis.

Fry the pine nuts in 2 tablespoons of oil; add the chopped onions and fry until golden in color. Add the meat, salt, pepper and cinnamon and keep frying until the meat is cooked.

Fill the zucchinis with the meat mixture and place them in a pot. Add the tomato paste (dissolved in 2 cup of water) and cook on high heat until done (about 20 minutes).

Serve hot with rice on the side.
(Recipe given bellow)

COOKED RICE
(Riz Mfalfal)
Serves 6

Ingredients:

½ cup vermicelli
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups water
1 cup rice
Salt as desired

 Preparation

Heat the butter and oil in a cooking pot. Add the vermicelli  and fry until golden in color. Add 2 cups of water, salt, and bring to a boil.

Rinse the rice with water, drain it, then add it to the boiling water. Cover the pot and let it boil for another minute, Reduce the heat and simmer until the rice is done.

Turn off the heat and let it stand for 2 minutes,

 

SAUSAGE WITH PEPPERS AND CUMIN RICE

June 9, 2023 / / 0 Comments

In Nuyorican culture, sausage and rice has always been a staple. Back on the block it was almost always spicy Spanish chorizo sausage that was added. And invariably we paired it with bell pepper or, what we call, pimientos. Initially  it was green bell peppers. Then we discover red bell peppers and that became our favorite. We just love its taste, and it looked great when presenting a dish. Which leads to today’s rendition, Sausage with Peppers and Cumin Rice. The sausage can be pork sausage like chorizo, Italian sausage or any any other inclusive of turkey or chicken sausage. Back then the rice was either plain boiled rice or Spanish yellow rice—until we discovered cumin rice, popular in North African and Middle Eastern cuisine.

In this combo dish, I would start with the sausage in the oven. Then preparing the rice and, as it simmers, complete the sausage recipe. Note that some sausage comes with a casing. If so, remove the casing first before cooking.

This dish has a spicy edge to it which we in the Rivera family favor. In this case, for a beverage to accompany the meal we recommend a chilled rosé wine or a Beaujolais, or even beer.

SAUSAGE WITH PEPPERS AND CUMIN RICE

Ingredients:

1½ pounds sausage
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced into rounds
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 large red bell pepper, rinsed, seeded, cored and sliced into ¼-inch strips
Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions:

  1. Prick the sausage with a knife or fork and cook in a 400-degree oven for 30 minutes.
  2.  In a large skillet or fry pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion. garlic, and stir fry until wilted.
  3.  Add red pepper and cook 4 minutes longer.  Remove sausage from oven. Slice into small rounds (¼ to ½-inch) and combine with vegetables in skillet. Add salt and pepper. Cook, covered, until sausage is done. Serve with cumin rice (recipe bellow)
    Yield: 4 servings.

CUMIN RICE

Ingredients:

1 cup rice
3 tablespoons butter
¼ cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
½ teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and black pepper to taste
1½ cups fresh or canned chicken broth or water
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
2 sprigs fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried
1 bay leaf

Instructions:

  1. Rinse  rice in a fine-mesh strainer until the water runs clear. In Pennsylvania Dutch country this is known as “washing rice in several waters.” This removes excess starch from the rice, resulting in grains that are more separate when cooked.
  2.  Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a heavy saucepan or pot with a tight-fitting lid. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until wilted. Add rice, cumin, salt and pepper. Stir briefly over low hear until the grains are covered with butter.
  3.  Stir in the broth and make sure there are no lumps in the rice. Add parsley, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer over low heat until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, about 20-25 minutes.
  4.  Discard the thyme leaves and bay leaf. Stir in the remaining butter and serve with the sausage and peppers.
    Yield: 4 servings.

ROAST CHICKEN MOROCCAN STYLE

December 8, 2022 / / 0 Comments

 

I’m , always on the lookout for a good roast chicken recipe, something out of the ordinary. Well, this is one for the ages: Roast Chicken Moroccan Style. I’ve never been to Morocco but, if I do, this is the first dish I’ll order. It’s a heavenly chicken replete with myriad herbs and spices not common to our version of roast chicken.  And, as an addition I’ve included a saffron rice recipe that goes great with the chicken. So, impress your family and friends with your worldliness. Give them a roast chicken dish that’s simply marvelous. They’ll sing your praises.

Now, traditionally, with this dish, it is cooked in an outdoor grill. This being winter in the northeast, we cooked the chicken in a preheated broiler and it came out just fine.

ROAST CHIKEN MOROCCAN STYLE

Ingredients:

1 roasting chicken, about 3 to 3¼ pounds, halved or quartered
3 scallions, white parts only, chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
1 tablespoon fresh chopped coriander or 1 teaspoon dried
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon cayenned pepper
4 tablespoons butter, softened

Instructions:

  1. Rinse chicken under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.
  2. Put the scallions, garlic, herbs, salt and spices in a mortar and pound until crushed. Blend with the butter to make a paste. Rub the paste all over the prepared chicken pieces. Leave the chicken to marinate at room temperature for at least 1 hour.
  3. Arrange the chicken pieces skin side down under the broiler After 5 minutes turn and baste with any extra paste or the juices in the boiling pan. Continue turning and basting every 5 minutes for approximately 25 minutes or until the pieces are done. Serve with Saffron Rice (recipe given below).

SAFFRON (YELLOW) RICE

ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 cups rice
½ teaspoon saffron threads or ¼ teaspoon saffron powder
Chicken broth, about 3 cups or to cover rice
Salt and black peeper to taste
4 ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 cup finely chopped parsley

Instructions:

  1. In a large saucepan or pot, heat olive oil and sauté onion and garlic for 5 minutes. Stir in rice and sauté until grains are transparent.
  2. Add saffron and chicken broth to cover rice by about ¼-inch. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer until rice is tender and liquid absorbed, about 30 to 40 minutes. Add salt and pepper and serve on a platter with tomato and parsley border.
    Yield: 4 servings.

GREEK STYLE BEANS AND RICE

October 20, 2022 / / 0 Comments

Rice and beans, whether it’s Arroz con Habicuelas in Puerto Rican cuisine or Arroz con Frijoles in Mexican cooking, is a common staple. Can’t go wrong with it: rice has the carbohydrates and beans have the protein. An inexpensive,  convenient and healthy meal. Thus I’m always on the lookout for something similar in other cultures. That’s when I came across Greek Style Beans combined with Greek rice, or pilafia. In this case, rice pilaf with onion (pilafi me kremmithakia).

Note that in the recipe given, I use dry white beans, which have to be soaked in water overnight. You can cut corners (and cheat) by using canned white beans but, my friends, it just won’t taste the same.   Go the extra mile and soak the suckers then cook. You won’t regret it.  Also, I topped everything with Greek Kalamata olives. This is optional, but it does enhance the dish.

GREEL STYLE BEANS

Ingredients:

2 cups small white beans
¼ cup olive oil
2 scallions, chopped
¼ teaspoon coriander powder or dried oregano
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions:

  1. Soak beans overnight and drain. Cover with fresh water by at least 2 inches. Bring to boil, lower heat and cook, covered, over moderate-low heat until beans are tender but not mushy (about 1 hour).
  2.  Add rest of ingredients and mix well. Cook for 10 minutes longer. Serve with Rice Pilaf with Onion (see recipe below).
    Yield: 4 servings.

RICE PILAF WITH ONION

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1¼ cup long-grain rice
2 cups chicken broth or 2 cups hot water  and 2 teaspoons chicken broth granules
½ cup chopped onion
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
½ cup kalamata olives, halved (optional)

Instructions:

  1. Wash rice at least 3 times in cold water and drain to rid it of starch. What in Pennsylvania Dutch country is know as “washing in several waters.”
  2.  Heat oil in a medium-sized pot or saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the rice and cook until golden in color, stirring occasionally.
  3.  Meanwhile, heat the chicken broth to boiling. Add the chicken broth to the rice, plus the onion and garlic. Cover and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed (about 30 minutes). Fluff the rice with a fork, served with the beans and topped with the kalamata olives.

PERSIAN RICE WITH PIGEON PEAS

January 5, 2022 / / 0 Comments

PERSIAN RICE WITH PIGEON PEAS

I got this recipe years ago from a former co-worker when I was a wage slave. For full  disclosure: I included the recipe in my first cookbook, Puerto Rican Cuisine in America (Running Press) since I needed additional rice recipes at the time. I titled the recipe Arroz de Persa (Persian Rice), and it is the same recipe we are doing today. In that dish I noted that, following my Nuyorican influence, I like to add peas to the rice, and sometimes olives and pimentos. This time around I experimented with it and added canned pigeon peas. Arroz con Gandules, rice and pigeon peas, is one of the staples in Puerto Rican cooking. So I thought I’d do the same with Persian Rice. I guess you could call this a fusion dish. Whatever, it’s delicious. Note that, if you can’t find pigeon peas, you can substitute a package of frozen green peas,

This entrée would make a great side dish to any meal, be it beef, chicken or pork. In this instance, we serve it with salmon.

PERSIAN RICE WITH PIGEON PEAS

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup vermicelli or thin spaghetti, broken up into 1-2 inch pieces
Water or chicken broth
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup rice
1 15-ounce can pigeon peas, drained

Instructions:

  1. Heat oil in a skillet or saucepan. Add vermicelli and stir-fry until golden brown.
  2. Add water or broth to cover by ¼ inch, and salt. Add rice and mix well.
  3. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer on low heat until water is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
  4. Add pigeon peas and stir to combine. Cover again and simmer another 10 minutes.
    Yield: 4 servings.

ARROZ CON POLLO (Rice with Chicken)

December 28, 2021 / / 0 Comments

Some would argue that Arros con Pollo is the most well known dish in the Puerto Rican/Nuyorican pantheon . To us, it’s more popular than paella. To some, it’s just paella without the seafood and chorizos. Its saving grace is that, though it may take some time to prepare, you can fancy it up by adding sweet peas, pimento strips. assorted olive or whatever else you desire. Some rice with chicken recipes call for saffron, ground cumin or paprika to give the rice its color. We use tomato sauce and achiote.

As noted, our rendition calls for achiote and aji dulce, or sweet chili peppers. Note that the latter are not the common hot peppers associated with Mexican cuisine. Sweet peppers are just that, mild and sweet. They can be found in any Latino or Asian market. If you live in a major metropolitan area you can usually find it in your local supermarket.

Achiote is what we use for giving color to such dishes as yellow rice, pilaf rice, or any dish you want to enliven with a nice yellow-reddish hue. A simple method to prepare achiote is to cook 1 tablespoon annatto seeds, what we call the achiote (also found in Latino/Asian markets), in ½ cup olive oil or vegetable oil. You cook the seeds, stirring frequently, on low heat for 5 minutes. Be aware that if the flame is kept on high the seeds may crack and splatter. During cooking, the oil will turn a bright orange-red, The longer the seeds steep in oil, the darker the hue. Remove from heat, let cool and, using a small strainer, pour into a jar or container. Cover and refrigerate. That’s it.  If you want more achiote, use more seeds.

Back in Spanish Harlem, arroz con pollo was normally served for a special occasion. But, in our family, we ate it frequently. It was one of the foodstuffs that kept the family vibrant and together.

ARROZ CON POLLO
(Rice with Chicken)

Ingredients:

3 cups rice
1 3-pound chicken, cut into serving pieces
12 whole black peppercorns
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
3 ounces salted pork (also called fatback), rinsed and diced
(Note: you can substitute 3-4 strips of bacon, cooked and diced)
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
3 aji dulce (sweet chili peppers), seeded and chopped
½ cup tomato sauce
1 cup chicken broth or bouillon
2 cups water
2 tablespoons achiote (see above)
1 8½-ounce can green peas (drained) or 1 10-ounce package frozen green peas

Instructions:

  1. Wash rice at least three times (until water is clear).
  2.  Rinse chicken pieces under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.
  3.  Place peppercorns, garlic, oregano and salt in a mortar and pound until crushed. Blend in 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and vinegar.
  4.  Rub chicken pieces thoroughly with the seasoning. In our clan, if we’re in a rush, we let chicken stand for 15 minutes just before cooking. Otherwise, we marinate it for several hours or overnight in the fridge.
  5. Heat remaining olive oil in a heavy kettle or Dutch oven and brown salted pork over moderate heat. Add onion, bell pepper and aji dulce. Sauté until onion is translucent.
  6.  Add tomato sauce, chicken broth and olives. Stir to combine.
  7.  Add chicken pieces plus 2 cups water. Mix, lower heat to moderate-low and cook, covered, for 15 minutes.
  8.  Add the rice and achiote. Add more water to cover contents in pot, if necessary. Mix well and simmer, covered, on low heat until rice is tender (about 30) .
  9. Stir in peas. Cover and cook 10 minutes more.
    Yield: 8 servings.

 

GREEK MEATBALLS WITH RICE

November 15, 2021 / / 0 Comments

One of my favorite ways of preparing  meatballs is how our Greek brethren do it. I have long been a fan of Greek cuisine. They have 3,000 years of history in terms of cooking. We can learn a thing or two from them. So, you can consider this posting as a Greek meal. Simply, it’s meatballs  (keftaides) over rice with fideo (pilafi me fides). The latter dish  is just rice combined with cut thin spaghetti (fideo). Back in Spanish Harlem almost every household would add fideo to their soups. We never thought of combining it with rice (another innovation by our Greek brothers and sisters).

With this Greek dinner I took the liberty of adding saltsa bechamel to the meatballs. Saltsa bechamel is the Greek method of preparing béchamel sauce, that fame sauce attributed to French cuisine (although some historians state its origin is actually Tuscany—but that’s another story). Add some good Greek wine like a Agiorgitiko from Nemea or Xinomavro from Naoussa, and you’ll have a dinner that will transform you to a sunset evening in Athens. Don’t let the Greek wine tongue twisters deter you. An Agiorgitiko is similar to a Merlot. With a Xinomavro, think of a Barolo or Pinot Noir.

For this dinner, I would suggest making the béchamel sauce first. You can set it aside and heat it up again with the main course; then preparing the rice with fideo. While the rice is cooking, you can make the meatballs, which are served drizzled with the sauce.

SALTSA BECHAMEL

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Dash of nutmeg
2 cups milk
2 egg yolks, slightly beaten

Instructions:

Melt butter over low heat. Add  flour, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir until blended into a consistent paste. Remove from heat. Gradually stir in milk and return to heat. Cook, stirring constantly until thick and smooth. Remove from heat and gradually add egg yolks, stirring constantly. Yield: 2 cups

RICE WITH FIDEO

Ingredients:

1½ cups long grain rice
¾ cup fideo (or crushed vermicelli)
4 tablespoons butter
3 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried chives

Instructions:

Combine the rice and fideo and sauté in butter in a 2-quart pan or pot until golden brown. Add chicken broth and chives. Cover and cook over very low heat until the liquid is absorbed, about 30-40 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve. Yield: 4 or more servings.

GREEK MEATBALLS:

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground beef or a mixture of beef and pork or lamb
1 cup bread crumbs
1 teaspoon salt
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
3 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley or 1 teaspoon dried
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon fresh chopped mint or 1 teaspoon dried
1 egg, beaten
¼ cup ouzo or anisette
1 cup flour
½ cup olive oil (or more if needed).

Instructions:

  1. Combine meat, bread crumbs, salt, onion, parsley, garlic, mint, egg and ouzo. Mix well.
  2. Form into meatballs and roll them in the floor. Note that we like our meatballs medium-sized, not small. Place on a cookie sheet and chill for 1 hour.
  3.  Heat oil in a large skillet or frying pan  and fry meatballs over medium-high heat until done, about 15-20 minutes. Serve them hot.
    Yield: Makes about 32 meatballs (4 to 6 servings).

 

 

 

 

 

ARROZ CON CHORIZO (Rice and Sausage)

October 19, 2020 / / 0 Comments

One of our favorite dishes is Arroz con Chorizo, or Rice and Sausage. The sausage usually entails chorizo, the Spanish pork sausage most common to Puerto Rican cuisine. But for this dish you can use any preferred sausage be it beef, pork, chicken or turkey. The recipe also calls for sofrito, a common base flavoring in Nuyorican cooking. You can find a recipe for sofrito in our post of 10/16/20. If you don’t have the time or ingredients for sofrito, you can use achiote, as we did in this version. Achiote is easy to make. Just heat ½ cup olive oil in a small skillet or pan. Add 1 tablespoon annatto seeds (found in most supermarkets or Hispanic markets). Cook, stirring frequently on low flame until the oil turns a bright orange-red color. Use as needed, cover and refrigerate. The achiote will give not only flavoring,  but also that bright color that defines the rice.

The most common accompaniment to this recipe is beans. It can be red kidney beans, black beans, white beans, ext. This time around we used pinto beans. This is the type of hearty meal that comforts the soul.

Ingredients:

2 cups rice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and sliced into thin rings
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
2 chorizos or 4 preferred sausage (about 12-ounce pack), sliced into ¼-inch rounds
1 tablespoon achiote
Water or chicken broth to cover
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Instructions:

  1. Wash rice until liquid runs clear. This is what they call  in Pennsylvania Dutch country as “washing in several waters” to remove starch from the rice.
  2.  Heat oil over medium heat in a heavy skillet or pot (we prefer cast-iron).  Add onion and stir-fry  until onion is wilted and translucent. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes more.
  3.  Add rice. Stir in achiote, and add water to cover contents in pot ¼ to ½ inch. Add salt and pepper.
  4.  Bring to a boil. Cover tightly and simmer on low heat until water is absorbed and rice is tender (about 20-25 minutes). Serve with beans.
    Yield: 6 servings.

 

 

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