Here
is one more illustration of the virtues of brown rice. My wife Liz's father Angelo Corrado lived
with us for the last few years f his life. He had been a diabetic for over 30 years. He still craved pasta though
he knew it is one of the worst foods he can possibly eat. Whenever he ate
regular white or semolina pasta his sugar count would jump to over 200 and then crashes down leaving him depressed
and drowsy. Is this you? You know, eating is supposed to be your body's fuel.
You are not supposed to fall asleep after eating. So I
used Angelo as my Guinea pig! I served him small portions brown rice
and brown rice pasta combined with free range meats and fish for dinner and we monitored his
sugar levels. When he ate the brown rice his sugar levels mobved up and tne back down slowly. And he stayed---happy! . The complex carbohydrates
in brown rice are truly miraculous!
On the menu at New World we
actually call it "No Crash" risotto!
This is big for me. Getting away from the white stuff is a matter of
survival!
Getting Ahead on Brown Rice
It is a good habit to make a few cups of brown rice
every week and
keep it in the fridge. It is
so simple. The ratio for making brown rice
is part rice to 1 1.2 parts water. Add a pinch
of salt and a drop of oil
or butter and bring to a
boil. Once it boils, cover it snugly, reduce
the heat to very low and
allow to gently steam for about 45
minutes. Use a fork to flake the rice out onto a
cookie sheet to cool
and then store in an
airtight container in the fridge for up to one
week. I like to count on
about 3/4 cup raw rice per person per meal.
Brown Rice and Mushroom Risotto
Serves 4 - Ricter Scale 1
A slowly cooked risotto is
For the risotto
6 cups cooked short grain
sweet brown rice
olive oil
1 tablespoon organic butter
1/2 Spanish onion, minced
1 cup leeks, sliced in rings
(on medium leek should do)
1/4 cup carrot, diced small
1 clove of garlic, minced
4 oz brandy
4 large portabello
mushrooms, sliced
1 cups oyster mushrooms,
string roots trimmed
1 cups crimini mushrooms,
quartered lengthwise
2 tablespoon fresh sage,
coarsely chopped
For garnish
Grated Parmigiana, Sardo or
Asiago (Romano is too sharp)
truffle oil
For the stock
olive oil
chopped leek tops
any garlic peels
stems from sage
stems from the portabellos
trimmings from the oyster
mushrooms
1/8 cup dried forest
mushrooms or porcini ( a few pieces)
1/4 cup brandy
1 tablespoon sea salt
a few whole peppercorns
4 cups water
2 cups cream
If
you have your rice precooked, the making of this dish is about timing. Put the
mushrooms into roast while you make the stock. Getting everything ready in
advance is not a bad idea. You can roast the mushrooms, cook the rice and make
the stock up to three days in advance. Just be sure to store them in the
refrigerator, covered well.
Roast the Mushrooms
Preheat
oven to 500. Put the sliced portabello, crimini
and oyster mushrooms in a
bowl. Toss them with olive oil, salt and
pepper them well and put
them on a sheetpan. Roast for 10 minutes
or until they are sizzling
and golden around the edges. Remove from
the oven and let them cool
down
while you finish the dish.
Make the stock
In
a heavy pot, sauté the mushroom stems and leek tops with the
olive
oil until golden . Put in the dried mushrooms and brandy.
Turn
up heat and let cook until brandy flames up. Add water, garlic
peelings,
cream, and sage stems and bring to a rolling boil. Reduce
heat
to a low simmer, add the salt and peppercorns and continue to
simmer
for cook for 20 minutes to infuse
flavor.
Strain out and press on solids to extract all of the flavor.
Reserve.
Make the Risotto
Note: Use a heavy bottomed pan large enough to
hold everything with room for stirring for cooking and a wooden spoon for
stirring.
In that heavy pan use some olive oil
to sauté the onion, leek and carrot.
When wilted and lightly golden around the edges, add the garlic. Now add the
brandy and flame. When the flame has died down, stir well. Add the cooked rice
and stir well. Add about half of the reserved stock and stir again with a
wooden spoon.
Cook
the risotto gently adding the rest of the stock a little stock at a time until
it is all gone. Add the sage and a
handful of the cheese.
