Rice Pilaf

 Rice Pilaf

Prep Time : 15 minutes

Cook time : 25 minutes

Total Time : 40 minutes

Servings : 6-8 servings

Ingredients

- 2 cups white rice, preferable long grain

- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil (or chicken fat)

- 1/2 cup chopped green onions or yellow onion

- 1/2 cup chopped celery

- Up to 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock or broth, or a mix of water and stock (amount depends on the type of rice used)

- 2 teaspoons kosher salt or seasoned salt

- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne

- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Method

1. Heat the stock in a saucepan

Look at the cooking instructions for your rice. If your rice calls for 2 cups of water for every cup of rice then you will need a total of 4 cups of liquid. If you rice calls for 1 2/3 cups of water for every cup of rice, you will need a total of 3 1/3 cups of liquid.

Cook the rice in a liquid that is primarily stock - chicken stock or vegetable stock. Up to half of the liquid can be plan water, but at least half of the needed liquid should be stock. Homemade stock is the best, of course, and will make a big difference in the quality of the resulting pilaf.

Heat the measured amount of stock needed in a saucepan, at least 2 quart sized.

2. Brown the rice and add the onions and celery

While the stock is heating, heat a large skillet on medium high heat. Add the olive oil (or chicken fat if you have it) to coat the bottom of the pan. When the oil is hot, add the uncooked rice and brown the rice, stirring occasionally, for a couple of minutes.

When the rice has browned, add the onions and celery and cook a few minutes longer, until the onions begin to soften.

3. Add the salt, pepper, and cayenne.

If you are using canned or boxed broth, be careful of how much seasoning you add. We usually use homemade, unsalted chicken stock, so we add 2 teaspoons of salt or seasoned salt along with ground pepper and a dash of cayenne.

If you are starting with seasoned broth, you may only need to add a teaspoon of salt. Taste test the broth/stock. It can be a little on the salty side because the rice will absorb a lot of the salt.

4. Add the stock and cook the rice.

Pour the heated stock into the pan with the rice (or pour the rice mixture into the stock, depending on which pan has a lid).

Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat, cover and cook for as long as the instructions say on your package of rice. Usually between 15 to 25 minutes. Use a timer.

After the set amount of cooking time, remove the pan form the heat and let sit for 10 minutes, covered. At no point during the cooking of the rice should you uncover the pan.

5. Fluff with a ford and stir in the parsley.

Fluff with a fork to serve. Stir in chopped parsley, You can also mix in heated peas, toasted almonds, or raisins to the pilaf to make it more interesting.

Moist Lemon Cake Recipe

This moist Lemon Cake Recipe is fluffy, tangy and so easy to make from scratch! Every bite of this supremely moist pound cake is bursting with lemon flavor. If you like the Starbucks Lemon Loaf then you'll love this homemade lemon pound cake!

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 45 mins

Total Time 1 hr

Ingredients

For the lemon pound cake:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 Tbsp lemon zest

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 Tbsp lemon juice about 1/2 lemon

1/2 cup buttermilk see below for substitution

For the lemon syrup:

1/4 cup lemon juice about 1 lemon

3 Tbsp powdered sugar

For the lemon icing:

1 cup powdered sugar sifted

1.5 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp milk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9x5-inch (or 8x4-inch) loaf pan.

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, lemon zest, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using an electric mixer), cream the butter and sugar together at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 4-6 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.

With the mixer running on low-speed, add the eggs one at a time, then beat in the vanilla extract and lemon juice. Beat on medium-high speed until combined.

With the mixer on low, add about one-third of the flour mixture and mix until almost combined, then add half the buttermilk and mix until just combined. Repeat with another third of flour mixture and then the last half of the buttermilk, ending with the last third of the flour. Beat until just incorporated.

Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 45-55 minutes until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick comes out mostly clean with only a couple moist crumbs. Baking times vary, so keep an eye on yours.

Let the cake cool for about 15 minutes in the pan. Stir together the lemon juice and confectioners’ sugar for the lemon syrup. Carefully invert the loaf pan, and transfer the cake to a cooling rack, then brush the syrup on the cake while it’s still warm. Allow cake to cool completely.

When the cake is cooled, combine all the icing ingredients, start with 1 tbsp lemon juice and milk and add the remaining lemon juice as needed. The icing should be thick and not runny. Pour icing over cake and let dry before serving.

Notes

If you don't have buttermilk you can make your own by combining 1/2 cup of milk with 1.5 tsp lemon juice or white vinegar. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes until it starts to curdle

The longer you beat the sugar and butter, the better the result will be because this process incorporated air into the batter and make the cake fluffy and tender

I recommend using fresh lemon juice but you can also bottled lemon juice

This cake would also taste great with lime juice or orange juice

New England–Style Home-Corned Beef and Cabbage

From America's Test Kitchen Season 13: Irish Comfort Classics

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

The best corned beef recipe was made with beef we cured ourselves. For our home­-corned beef recipe, we selected point-­cut brisket. We added the vegetables in two batches, based on their cooking times, for the perfect combination of flavors and textures.

Serves 8 with leftovers

Leave a bit of fat attached to the brisket for better texture and flavor. A similar size point­cut brisket can be used in this recipe. The meat is cooked fully when it is tender, the muscle fibers have loosened visibly, and a skewer slides in with minimal resistance. Serve this dish with horseradish, either plain or mixed with whipped cream or sour cream, or with grainy mustard.

INGREDIENTS

CORNED BEEF

• 1/2 cup kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon cracked black peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 2 1/4 teaspoons ground allspice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
• 2 bay leaves, crumbled
• 1 (4- to 5-pound) beef brisket, flat cut, trimmed

VEGETABLES

• 1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and halved crosswise, thick end halved lengthwise
• 1 1/2 pounds small red potatoes
• 1 rutabaga (1 pound), peeled and halved crosswise; each half cut into 6 chunks
• 1 small head green cabbage (2 pounds), uncored, cut into 8 wedges

INSTRUCTIONS

1. FOR THE CORNED BEEF: Combine salt, peppercorns, thyme, allspice, paprika, and bay leaves in bowl.
2. Using metal skewer, poke about 30 holes on each side of brisket. Rub each side evenly with salt mixture. Place brisket in 2 ­gallon zipper­-lock bag, forcing out as much air as possible. Place in 13 by 9­inch baking dish, cover with second, similar-­size pan, and weight with 2 bricks or heavy cans of similar weight. Refrigerate 5 to 7 days, turning once a day.
3. Rinse brisket and pat it dry. Place brisket in Dutch oven and cover brisket with water by 1 inch. Bring to boil over high heat, skimming any scum that rises to surface. Reduce heat to medium­-low, cover, and simmer until skewer inserted in thickest part of brisket slides in and out with ease, 2 to 3 hours.
4. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Transfer meat to large platter, ladle 1 cup cooking liquid over meat, cover with aluminum foil and place in oven to keep warm.
5. FOR THE VEGETABLES: Add carrots, potatoes, and rutabaga to Dutch oven and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium­-low, cover, and simmer until vegetables begin to soften, about 7 minutes.
6. Add cabbage, increase heat to high and return to boil. Reduce heat to medium­-low, cover, and simmer until all vegetables are tender, 13 to 18 minutes. 7. Meanwhile, remove meat from oven, transfer to carving board, and slice against grain into 1/4­inch slices. Return meat to platter. Transfer vegetables to meat platter, moisten with additional broth, and serve.

Loaded Cauliflower

You won't believe it's low carb!!!

Ingredients

• 1 large head of Cauliflower cut into bite size pieces (approx 6 cups)
• 6-8 strips of bacon cooked and crumbled (Cooked in oven at 400° for 20 mins)
• 6 Tbs chopped Chives
• 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup Sour Cream
• 2 cups Colby Jack Cheese (may use cheddar)
• 8 oz container sliced mushrooms (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°

In a large pot boil water and cook Cauliflower for 8 - 10 minutes, drain and let cool.

In a large bowl combine sour cream, mayo, 1/2 of crumbled bacon, 3 tbs chives, 1 cups of cheese, mushrooms and cauliflower and mix well... place in baking dish and cover with remaining 1 cup of cheese and rest of bacon crumbles. Bake for 15-20 minutes until cheese is melted. top with remaining 3 T chives and serve

Corned Beef and Cabbage

From Cook's Country | February/March 2012

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

Corned beef and cabbage makes its way to the dinner table (in this country, anyway) but once a year in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, and maybe for good reason. This meat can be unbearably salty, dry, and rubbery. And when cooked with the stale spice packet that often gets packaged with the meat, it’s flavorless at best. The accompanying vegetables are usually mushy, greasy, and monotone in flavor. To solve the dry, stringy meat texture, we got rid of the typical stovetop simmer and moved a covered pot into a low-temperature oven for gentler cooking. To help flavor the meat, we replaced some of the water with chicken broth and added celery, carrot, and onion, along with peppercorns, allspice, a bay leaf, and thyme, to the cooking liquid. For the cabbage, carrots, and potatoes typically served with the corned beef, we strained and defatted the cooking liquid and then cooked the vegetables in stages––potatoes first, then carrots and cabbage. A little butter added to the pot helped flavor the vegetables.

SERVES 6 TO 8

Use flat-cut corned beef brisket, not point-cut; it’s more uniform in shape and thus will cook more evenly. When slicing the cabbage, leave the core intact or the cabbage will fall apart during cooking.

INGREDIENTS

•  (4- to 5-pound) corned beef brisket roast, rinsed, fat trimmed to 1/4 inch thick
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 4 cups water
• 12 carrots, peeled (3 chopped, 9 halved crosswise)
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• 1 onion, peeled and quartered
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon whole allspice
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 pounds small red potatoes
• 1 head green cabbage (2 pounds), cut into 8 (2-inch) wedges
• Pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Combine beef, broth, water, chopped carrots, celery, onion, bay leaves, peppercorns, thyme, and allspice in Dutch oven. Cover and bake until fork slips easily in and out of meat, 4½ to 5 hours.
2. Transfer meat to 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Strain cooking liquid through fine-mesh strainer into large bowl, discard solids, and skim fat from liquid. Pour 1 cup cooking liquid over meat. Cover dish tightly with aluminum foil and let rest for 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, return remaining cooking liquid to Dutch oven, add butter, and bring to simmer over medium-high heat. Add potatoes and simmer until they begin to soften, about 10 minutes. Add carrot halves and cabbage, cover, and cook until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer vegetables to serving platter and season with pepper to taste. (Reserve cooking liquid for making Creamed Chipped Beef using leftover corned beef; recipe at right.)
4. Transfer beef to carving board and slice against grain into ¼-inch-thick slices. Serve with vegetables.

TO MAKE AHEAD: Prepare corned beef through step 2. Refrigerate moistened beef and cooking liquid separately for up to 24 hours. To serve, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Transfer meat to carving board and slice against grain into ¼-inch-thick slices and return to baking dish. Cover dish tightly with foil and bake until meat is heated through, about 25 minutes. While meat is heating, proceed with step 3.

Cauliflower Soup

From America's Test Kitchen Season 14: Let’s Start with Soup

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

For a creamy cauliflower soup without cream, we relied on cauliflower’s low insoluble fiber content to produce a velvety smooth puree. To ensure that cauliflower flavor remained at the forefront, we cooked the cauliflower in seasoned water (instead of  broth), skipped the spice rack entirely, and bolstered the soup with sautéed onion and leek. We added the cauliflower to the simmering water in two stages so that we got the grassy flavor of just-cooked cauliflower and the sweeter, nuttier flavor of long-cooked cauliflower. Finally, we fried florets in butter until both browned and used each as a separate, richly flavored garnish.

Serves 4 to 6

White wine vinegar may be substituted for the sherry vinegar. Be sure to thoroughly trim the cauliflower’s core of green leaves and leaf stems, which can be fibrous and contribute to a grainy texture in the soup.

INGREDIENTS

- 1 head cauliflower (2 pounds)

- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces

- 1 leek, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced thin, and washed thoroughly

- 1 small onion, halved and sliced thin

- Salt and pepper

- 4 1/2 – 5 cups water

- 1/2 teaspoon sherry vinegar

- 3 tablespoons minced fresh chives

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Pull off outer leaves of cauliflower and trim stem. Using paring knife, cut around core to remove; thinly slice core and reserve. Cut heaping 1 cup of 1/2-inch florets from head of cauliflower; set aside. Cut remaining cauliflower crosswise into 1/2-inch thick slices.

2. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add leek, onion, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt; cook, stirring frequently, until leek and onion are softened but not browned, about 7 minutes.

3. Increase heat to medium-high; add 4 1/2 cups water, sliced core, and half of sliced cauliflower; and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Add remaining sliced cauliflower, return to simmer, and continue to cook until cauliflower is tender and crumbles easily, 15 to 20 minutes longer.

4. While soup simmers, melt remaining 5 tablespoons butter in 8-inch skillet over medium heat. Add reserved florets and cook, stirring frequently, until florets are golden brown and butter is browned and imparts nutty aroma, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and use slotted spoon to transfer florets to small bowl. Toss florets with vinegar and season with salt to taste. Pour browned butter in skillet into small bowl and reserve for garnishing.

5. Process soup in blender until smooth, about 45 seconds. Rinse out pan. Return pureed soup to pan and return to simmer over medium heat, adjusting consistency with remaining water as needed (soup should have thick, velvety texture but should be thin enough to settle with flat surface after being stirred) and seasoning with salt to taste. Serve, garnishing individual bowls with browned florets, drizzle of browned butter, and chives and seasoning with pepper to taste.

TECHNIQUE

CREAMY BY NATURE

Most soups made from pureed vegetables contain cream for a simple reason: to mitigate the effects of insoluble fiber. All vegetables have both soluble and insoluble fiber, but only the soluble kind fully breaks down during cooking, which contributes viscosity to the soup. Insoluble fiber remains intact, and the best that the blades of a blender can do is break it down into smaller bits. But cauliflower has a leg up on other vegetables. It’s very low in overall fiber—and only half of it is insoluble. This means that cauliflower is easily pureed into a silky-smooth soup with no cream at all.

TECHNIQUE

VARY COOKING TIME TO COAX OUT CAULIFLOWER’S DIFFERENT FLAVORS

While developing our recipe for cauliflower soup, we discovered that cauliflower’s flavor changes dramatically depending on how long you cook it. Shorter cooking times bring out its cabbage-like flavors, while longer cooking times turn it nuttier and sweet. Too much cooking drives off all its flavor. To bring the full spectrum of possible flavors into our soup, we cooked some of the cauliflower for 15 minutes and the remainder for 30 minutes.

15 MINUTES: The punchy, cabbage-like taste and the sulfurous odor of a compound known as carbon disulfide are dominant.

30 MINUTES: Carbon disulfide dissipates, allowing the sweeter, nuttier flavors of other substances known as thioureas to break through.

60 MINUTES: After an hour, nearly all the flavor has dissipated, leaving the cauliflower bland and flavorless.

Almond Granola with Dried Fruit

From America's Test Kitchen Season 14: Oatmeal Muffins and Granola 

• 1/3 cup maple syrup 
• 1/3 cup packed (2 1/3 ounces) light brown sugar 
• 4 teaspoons vanilla extract 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil 
• 5 cups old­-fashioned rolled oats - Do not use quick oats
• 2 cups (10 ounces) raw almonds, chopped coarse 
• 2 cups raisins or other dried fruit, chopped 

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

Store-­bought granola suffers from many shortcomings. It’s often loose and gravelly and/or infuriatingly expensive. We wanted to make our own granola at home, with big, satisfying clusters and crisp texture. The secret was to firmly pack the granola mixture into a rimmed baking sheet before baking. Once it was baked, we had a granola “bark” that we could break into crunchy clumps of any size. 

Makes about 9 cups 

Chopping the almonds by hand is the first choice for superior texture and crunch. If you prefer not to hand chop, substitute an equal quantity of slivered or sliced almonds. (A food processor does a lousy job of chopping whole nuts evenly.) Use a single type of your favorite dried fruit or a combination. 

INGREDIENTS INSTRUCTIONS 

1. Adjust oven rack to upper­-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. 
2. Whisk maple syrup, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in large bowl. Whisk in oil. Fold in oats and almonds until thoroughly coated. 
3. Transfer oat mixture to prepared baking sheet and spread across sheet into thin, even layer (about 3/8 inch thick). Using stiff metal spatula, compress oat mixture until very compact. Bake until lightly browned, 40 to 45 minutes, rotating pan once halfway through baking. Remove granola from oven and cool on wire rack to room temperature, about 1 hour. Break cooled granola into pieces of desired size. Stir in dried fruit. (Granola can be stored in airtight container for up to 2 weeks.) 

GRANOLA GONE WRONG - Most store­-bought granola is so bad (and so overpriced), we're surprised anyone ever buys it. Without oil to provide moisture, fat­-free versions contain dry, dusty oats. Baked with the other ingredients, dried fruit turns tough and leathery. Loose oats, versus chunks, too readily absorb the milk or yogurt and turn soggy. 

KEYS TO CHUNKIER GRANOLA 

PRESS DOWN - Spread oat mixture onto parchment­-lined baking sheet. Press it firmly with spatula to create compact layer. 

BAKE BUT DON'T STIR - Bake granola at 325 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes. Rotate pan halfway through baking but don't stir. BREAK UP Break cooled granola "bark" into pieces as large as you'd like. 

FOR BETTER GRANOLA, ADD FAT - When we mixed up a batch of granola in which we left out the oil, the resulting cereal was a real flop, the oats having taken on a crisp but overly dry consistency. It turns out that fat is essential for creating a likable crispness. 

Here’s why: When the water in a viscous liquid sweetener (like the maple syrup in our recipe) evaporates in the heat of the oven, the sugars left behind develop into a thin coating on the oats and nuts. But without any fat, the sugar coating will become brittle and dry. Only oil can provide a pleasantly crisp coating with a sense of moistness.