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FOOD FOR THOUGHT By
Wanda A. Adams
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| • | A curious crop |
Rice is my carbohydrate downfall. I don't feel that I've eaten if there is no rice on the plate. While steamed white rice is my favorite indulgence, I pretty much have never met a grain of rice I didn't like. Of course, brown rice is preferable from a health perspective, and it's important to keep the serving size in check because, nutritionally, when it comes to white rice, you might as well be eating sugar by the handful.
A short time ago, I was in rice heaven when I attended a luncheon with a local PEO women's group and a member, Bunny Hansen, served a white-and-wild-rice casserole that was just delicious. She was kind enough to send me the recipe, and I can't wait to make it for some special occasion. It's interesting in that it can be served hot, cold or at room temperature — perfect for our potluck style of entertaining. This makes a LOT and it's quite filling.
RICE CASSEROLE
Cook wild rice according to package directions. Steam white rice as usual.
In a saute pan, fry bacon until crisp; remove and drain on paper towels; chop and crumble bacon. In the same saute pan, drain off most of the fat, leaving just enough to saute the onion, peppers and mushrooms until onions are limp and translucent.
In a large bowl, mix cooked rices with vegetables, bacon and ham. Stir in 2 cans mushroom soup and 1 1/2 cans milk. Season as desired with freshly ground pepper. Spread in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish — it will fill it to the brim and mound up a bit — and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
Makes 12 generous servings.
The other night, I made a variation of this. In place of wild rice, I used whole-grain sweet rice (mochi rice with the husk on). In place of ham, I used minced Portuguese sausage (sauteed and well-drained of fat). I used fresh mushrooms and added a handful of minced flat-leaf parsley (because I put parsley in everything except cake!). And I had some leftover roast beef I needed to get rid of, so I minced that and added it.
This shows how versatile this recipe is: You can vary ingredients so long as you stay within the basic framework of 3 cups raw rice, 2 to 3 cups chopped vegetables, 2 cups of cubed meat and the soup and milk.
Send recipes and queries to Wanda A. Adams, Food Editor, Honolulu Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802. Fax: 525-8055. E-mail: wadams@honoluluadvertiser.com.
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