Georgia’s Kitchen: Rice

Georgia Diehm

Rice has been served for many years as a cheap but nutritious food; that is if you use unrefined brown rice.Sadly, the white rice that is so popular in the American diet today has been stripped of most of its nutrients. Brown rice is loaded with vitamins and minerals, omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, is low in sodium, and has no cholesterol. And it is full of fiber.

Whether you serve rice as a side dish or in a casserole it is a good and economical food to serve, which can save on your grocery bill.

Brown rice takes longer to cook then white rice so if you use it in these recipes you may want to partially cook it before you add it to the casserole or cook the casserole for a longer period of time. Do whatever works best.

Here is a recipe Mom cooked quite often.

Spanish Rice

3 Tbs. olive oil or bacon fat
1 large onion, minced
1 cup raw rice
3 cups stock
1 cup canned tomatoes
salt and pepper
1 green pepper, minced or 2 canned pimentos, minced, optional

Cook the onion in the shortening until it gets transparent, then dump in the rice and cook it, stirring now and then, until rice looks pale tan. Add the stock, tomatoes, and green peppers or pimentos. If the stock is salted you won’t need much more so you’ll have to taste and add salt accordingly. Cover and let cook very slowly for 30 to 40 minutes. The liquid should all be absorbed by the time the rice is tender. Don’t stir it because the rice shouldn’t be mushy, but shake pan or poke at the bottom of the rice with a fork if you think its sticking. You may add bits of cooked ham, chicken, bacon, or any meat you have or like. Maybe tuna!
Note: Mom always made it with ground beef

Fast Skillet Supper

1/2 cup rice
1 lb of crumbled hamburger
2 chopped onions
2 Tbs of butter
1 1/2 cups canned tomatoes
1/2 tsp prepared mustard
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 pkg frozen cut green beans

Cook rice while you fry hamburger and onions in butter. Add the rice to it. Then add tomatoes, mustard, chili powder, salt, pepper, and green beans. Cover this now and simmer it till the beans are tender but still green; about 15 min

Supper Pie

Pie pastry
cooked rice, cooked soft
crisp broiled bacon
cooked chicken or turkey meat, cut in pieces
cooked sweet corn, scraped off cob
salt and pepper

Line a pie plate with a good pie paste(pastry), saving some for the top crust. Put into this a layer of cooked rice, cooked soft, dot with small pieces crisp broiled bacon, next a layer of cooked chicken or turkey meat,cut in pieces, then a layer of fresh cooked sweet corn,(scraped off cob). Repeat until dish is full. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover with top crust. Prick with a fork and bake until done.

Chicken Rice Custard

1 cut up fryer
4-6 eggs
2 cups cooked rice
nutmeg
2 cups milk

Lightly fry chicken parts. Make up a custard of the eggs and milk. Flavor to taste with salt and pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. Layer chicken with rice. Start with chicken. End up with rice. Pour custard mixture over the rice, chicken mixture. Cover with foil and bake 1 hr at (375).
This dish can be made up before hand and the dinner only needs one dish.

Cheese-Rice Pudding

1 cup rice
4 eggs
2 cups milk
2 Tbs melted butter
1/4 lb grated sharp cheese(1 cup)
1 tsp salt

Cook the rice without salt. Then separate the eggs. Beat the yolks slightly. Add the milk, butter, cheese, salt, and cooked rice. Beat those egg whites now till they’re very stiff. Fold them into the egg yolk-milk mixture. Pour it into a greased baking dish and bake at 350 degrees uncovered for 25 minutes.

As you can see there are limitless ways to use rice. Look in your cookbook or on the internet to see how many delicious recipes there are that will fit your taste buds.