Know Your Ingredients: How to Cook Rice
May 18, 2011 by admin
Filed under How To, Know Your Ingredients, Seafood
Cooking Rice
Cover rice with twice as much water as rice. So if you use 1 cup of rice, add 2 cups of water. I usually add a teaspoon of oil or butter to the water to prevent it from foaming and boiling over. Bring it to a boil. Stir once to separate the grains, put the lid on, and turn the heat down to low. Cook the rice until all the water is absorbed and the rice is done. Fluff the rice with a fork or turn it into a bowl immediately. This prevents the rice from overcooking and compacting into a gooey mess. Different rice varieties take longer or shorter to cook, use the table below as a guide.
Cooking Times for Rice Varieties:
Long Grain White Rice – 15 to 20 minutes
Long Grain White Rice, Baked: bake in a 350 F. oven, 40 minutes to 1 hour
Brown Rice – approximately 45 minutes
Short Grain Sticky Rice – Soak for 10 minutes before cooking, cook for 10 minutes
Using Leftover Rice:
Image via Wikipedia
Don’t throw out leftover rice, add a few vegetables and stir fry it, make a rice salad or refrigerate or freeze it for later use.
Refrigerate or Freeze Rice for Later Use:
Make large batches of wild rice or brown rice and freeze it in serving size containers. When you are ready to use it, add a tablespoon of water and cover it with a damp paper towel. Microwave on high for a minute or two, until hot, then fluff with a fork.
Fried Rice
Recipes for fried rice begin with cooked rice. This is a good way to use up leftovers of either brown or white rice along with leftover meats and vegetables. Stir fry minced cooked meat and vegetables in 2 tbsp. of oil until vegetables are just tender and meat is heated through. Add 4 cups of cooked rice and 2 tbsp. of soy sauce. Stir fry until the rice is hot.
Variations — Making Your Rice More Interesting
Make rice with chicken broth instead of water. Also add 1 teaspoon of dried Italian seasoning and 1 cup of fresh or frozen chopped spinach. Cook as usual. Stir in ½ cup or more of grated Parmesan cheese and serve.
Go for a fresh flavor with this variation. Stir 2 diced tomatoes and ½ cup of parmesan cheese into freshly cooked rice. Sprinkle with 4 tablespoons of chopped fresh basil and serve.
Add ½ cup of dried fruit such as apricots, raisins or sweetened cranberries along with the zest of one orange and ½ cup of nuts to the rice as it comes off the heat. Mix in and fluff with a fork. This makes a great side dish with pork or chicken.
Rice Recipes:
She Crab Soup and South Carolina She Crab Soup- 2 Different Recipes
April 14, 2011 by admin
Filed under Seafood, Soup and Stew
She-Crab Soup
1 tablespoon butter
1 quart milk
1/2 cup cream, whipped
few drops of onion juice
1/8 teaspoon mace
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire
1 teaspoon flour
2 cups white crab meat and eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 Tablespoon dry sherry
- Melt the butter in top of double boiler and blend with flour until smooth.
- Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly. Add the crab meat and seasonings.
- Cook slowly in over hot water for 20 minutes.
- Place 1 Tablespoon of Sherry in each of 4 bowls. Add soup and top with whipped cream.
- Garnish as desired with paprika or finely chopped parsley.
HINT: If unable to obtain she-crabs, crumble the yolk of a hard boiled egg into the bottom of the soup bowl.
South Carolina Style She-Crab Soup
1 pound white crab meat
1 pint milk
1 pint cream
1/2 stick butter
2 teaspoons sherry
1/8 teaspoon mace
2 strips lemon peel (zest only)
1/4 cup cracker crumbs
salt and pepper to taste
- Put milk, mace, and lemon zest in top of a double-boiler over hot water. Simmer for a few minutes until hot.
- Add crab, butter, and cream and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add cracker crumbs, salt and pepper to taste. Allow to stand for a few minutes to develop flavors.
- When ready to serve, add sherry. Serves 6.
The All-time Best Oyster Stew- and its Easy!
April 14, 2011 by admin
Filed under Seafood, Soup and Stew
Image by annamatic3000 via Flickr
Best Oyster Stew Recipe
1 1/2 pints oysters and oyster liquor
5 Tablespoons butter
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
cayenne pepper to taste
chopped parsley or paprika
Combine oysters and butter in a skillet and cook until the edges curl. Add hot milk and cream and reheat to boiling point but do not boil. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne. Serve garnished with parsley or paprika. Serves 4-6.
How to Make Southern Shrimp and Grits with Succotash.
September 24, 2010 by admin
Filed under quick and easy, Seafood, Video
Heart Healthy Spicy Salmon Cakes
Salmon Cakes, photo by Another Pint Please...
This is an especially heart-healthy recipe because it contains omega 3 fatty acids in two forms: the fish oil from salmon and the plant-based omega 3 found in walnuts. In a recent clinical trial comparing the two types of omega-3s, researchers found that plant-derived omega-3 offers different heart-health benefits than the marine-derived omega-3, so for optimal heart health, you need to include both sources in your diet. This is also a very customizable recipe. Here, I’m giving it to you dinner sized for 2 people, roughly 2 and a half medium cakes each; or you can save some for lunch the next day. If you want a smaller meal for one person, just use 1 can of the salmon and halve the other ingredients.
Ingredients
2 cans boneless/skinless wild salmon (6 oz cans with liquid)
2 tsp dill
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp honey
2 eggs
1/2 small to medium yellow onion – chopped fine
1/3 red bell pepper – chopped fine
1/3 cup walnuts – finely crushed
Directions
1. Mix Together the mustard, honey and eggs, then set aside
Mixing Together
1. Mash salmon with a fork and add the walnuts, dill, paprika, red pepper flakes.
2. Mix in onion and red pepper into the salmon.
3. Add mustard/honey and egg mixture into the salmon.
4. Add approximately 1/3-1/2 cup of a combo of Italian flavored bread crumbs/plain breadcrumbs
5. Mixture should be firm and medium wet – just enough to form into patties without breaking apart.
Frying
Form into patties and fry on each side in olive oil until golden brown and hot.
Serving Suggestion
Serve with a good Tartar Sauce on the side or a dab of mayonnaise.
Ginger Marin is a Los-Angeles-based freelance writer whose main site is http://www.bioniclady.com
Spice Up Your Jambalaya Recipe
June 9, 2010 by admin
Filed under Cajun, Seafood, Soup and Stew
- Image via Wikipedia
By Kenny Leones
Creole jambalaya is one of the more popular forms of Cajun cuisine. Cajun is a term that applies to the people of Louisiana who are descended from the French-Acadians. Cajun cooking is characterized by the spicy and by the aromatic flavors of red and green bell peppers,celery, and onions mixing with the meat from shrimp, oysters, crawfish, other shellfish, and cured hams from pork, beef, or poultry.
For this best jambalaya recipe, you will need the following ingredients:
two (2) tablespoons of vegetable oil,
one (1) tablespoon of flour,
one fourth (1/4) pound of ham-cubed,
one fourth (1/4) cup chopped green bell pepper,
one half (1/2) cup celery-chopped,
one (1) can of whole skinned tomatoes,
three fourths (3/4) cup cooked shrimp,
one half (1/2) cup California dried raisins,
one (1) medium onion- sliced,
one (1) clove garlic-minced,
one (1) sprig parsley-chopped,
one half (1/2) cup uncooked rice,
one (1) cup of this mixture: ground pepper, dried cayenne pepper, bayleaf, and scallions- to taste.
Set the temperature of your oven to medium heat. Place your skillet pan on the range and heat the two (2) tablespoons of vegetable oil.
Stir in the flour. Add the ham, the chopped celery, and the green bell peppers. Cook while stirring constantly, for five (5) minutes.
Add the tomatoes, the shrimp, the onion, the garlic, the parsley, and the California dried raisins.
Bring to boil on high heat, then add the uncooked rice. Pour in the liquid from the canned tomatoes. Cover and cook on low heat for five minutes.
Cook on simmer mode for twenty to thirty minutes, or until the rice is done. Season with the 1 cup of ground pepper, dried cayenne pepper, bayleaf, and scallions mixture depending on what should suit your tastes.
This recipe is good for four (4) servings.
You can replace the three fourths (3/4) cup of shrimp in this recipe with eight (8) pieces of chicken meat. You can also replace the one fourth (1/4) pound of ham-cubed with one half (1/2) cup of Spanish pork sausage-diced. Also, instead of using all the liquid from the canned tomatoes, you can replace half of this liquid with one half (1/2) cup of sherry to achieve that flavor of an authentic Cajun jambalaya for your home-cooked meal. Lastly, you can add a one third (1/3) cup of brown sugar to this recipe if you would like your Creole jambalaya to taste all of sweet, salty, and spicy, at the same time.
Please click these links if you want to know more about best jambalaya recipe or how to cut a mango in general.
How to Make Healthy Meals Quickly and Easily -Buttery Citrus Fish and Easy Grilled Vegetables
May 31, 2010 by admin
Filed under Grilling and Barbecue, Seafood, Vegetables
Yes, you can make healthy meals at home quickly and easily! Even busy cooks can find time to make these quick and easy buttery citrus fish and easy grilled vegetables. This meal is a lot better for you and your family than a trip through the fast-food drive-thru.
QUICK AND EASY BUTTERY CITRUS FISH
3 tbsp butter flavored sprinkles
1 tbsp lemon pepper blend
1 tbsp lime juice
2 tsp honey
1 lb boneless white fish fillets
In a small bowl combine the butter flavored sprinkles, lemon pepper blend, lime juice, and honey; stir to mix well. Place the fish fillets on broiler pan and broil 6 to 8-inches from the heat until first side starts to brown. Turn fish over and spread the honey mixture over the second side. Broil another 4 to 5 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.
Per fillet: 106 calories, 7 grams carbs and 17 grams protein
EASY GRILLED VEGETABLES
1/2 cup mayo style salad dressing
1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
2 zucchini, cut in half lengthwise
2 yellow squash, cut in half lengthwise
2 bell peppers, cored, seeded, and cut into fourths
If using an electric broiler, preheat. If using an outside grill, cook over hot not flaming coals. No need to preheat a gas broiler.
Mix the mayo style salad dressing and the Italian dressing until they are well blended. Lightly score the cut sides of the vegetables and brush one side with the salad dressing mixture. Place, salad dressing side up, on broiler pan about 4-inches from the heat. Broil 6 minutes. Turn vegetables, brush second side with the dressing mixture and return to broiler for another 5 to 6 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
Enjoy!!
For more of Linda’s recipes and diabetic information visit http://diabeticenjoyingfood.squarespace.com For her old fashion recipe collection visit her at http://grandmasvintagerecipes.blogspot.com
Cooking Tips – How to Cook Crab the Right Way
May 24, 2010 by admin
Filed under How To, Know Your Ingredients, Seafood
- Image via Wikipedia
By Michael Araujo
Regardless of your age, gender, or marital status, understanding how to whip up a delicacy or two is a trick you would not mind having up your sleeve. It might be cooking for an intimate dinner with your mom and dad or your lover, or for your friends and family who are coming over for dinner; knowing helpful tips for cooking crab can come in quite handy. If you’re somebody who’s interested about enjoying the good things in life, and enjoying making your own meals, or merely somebody who wants to impress everyone with your own skills in cooking, then this article about the best way to cook crab will hold your attention.
The very first thing in explaining the proper way to cook a crab is that there’s a wide variety of methods to do it, differing from the parts of the crabs and the type of crab you are using, to different parts of the world where the recipe originated.
Another important thing that should be considered in cooking a crab is to get fresh spices and herbs that will be added to the dish; one should pay more attention to this particularly if the crab is to be marinated and then cooked. Otherwise all of the crab meat’s flavor will get subsided and unnoticeable to your taste buds if your spices aren’t of high quality.
In cooking a crab, the conventional instructions would teach us to boil it. But this strategy makes the shell of the crab soft and tough to break through, while sometimes also making the flesh of the crab stick to the shell. However if you will bake the crab, the shell gets simpler to break and the meat won’t stick to the shell, making it quite easier to remove. Nowadays, the baking strategy is taught by many, particularly when referring to cooking the legs of the crab.
The right way of cooking a crab differs significantly from one part of the world to the other; and much of the time each system enhances the native crab species the locals consume. But, making a fusion between certain local tips and methods of cooking the crab with a native crab from another region can produce an end result that is equally tasteful, or sometimes far better. Try these fusions, and you’ll be having an enjoyable cooking experience!
Mike Araujo is an expert in various cooking tips and lessons. To get more helpful information, visit Cooking Lesson.
