Harper's cook book encyclopædia

Rice, properly cooked, makes a very nice addition to certain kinds of meat. The grains should be preserved whole, and not, as is nearly always done, cooked until they become an unsightly mass. After washing and picking over the grains, put them into a large tin dish or [illustration: Rice, Boiled] shallow pan, where they will not lie too closely, and, pouring on a little water, cover, and place on the stove or in the oven, where they will cook very slowly; the steam, being kept in the dish, causes the grains to swell, and cooks them without destroying the shape. Rice, Boiled. — Take lb. of rice, wash it well in two waters, cold, and put the rice into a two-quart saucepan without a cover. Fill it threequarters full of cold water, and boil it slowly on a moderate fire, stirring occasionally until the grains become done enough, which will be known by tasting, as well as by feeling them between the finger and thumb. If soft to the heart they are ready, which will take about twenty minutes. Now put in one table-spoonful of salt, stir up, and take off immediately and throw the whole into a colander or drainer for ten minutes, and allow the water to drain thoroughly off and the rice to become free and dry. East Indian rice should be soaked in water overnight. It requires less time to boil when soaked. The rice becomes lighter from the fact that the grains separate more readily. Put the rice on in plenty of cold water, stirring it from the bottom of the saucepan occasionally. When the grains separate at the ends and they appear to form the letter X, the rice will be cooked ; the time required is half an hour. When the rice is cooked, drain in a colander, and place it before the fire, stirring now and then with a fork. Then serve with the soup or dishes of curry. In Germany rice is served with a rather profuse sprinkling of sugar and a little ground cinnamon on the top. Rice, Boiled (Turkish). — Put into a saucepan six cupfuls of stock or broth containing four cupfuls of the pulp of fresh tomatoes passed through a sieve ; pepper and salt to taste. When it boils, throw in, for every cupful of stock, half a cupful of fine rice, well washed and dried before the fire. Let the whole remain on the fire until the rice has absorbed all the stock, then melt a large table-spoonful of butter and pour it over the rice. At the time of serving take from the fire and stir lightly, to separate the grains. Rice, Casserole of. — Prepare this by boiling a cup of rice in a pint of well - seasoned chicken bouillon until tender, and until each grain stands separate. When the rice is quite dry make a firm mound of it on a platter, wash with the yolk of an egg, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and brown in a very hot oven. This dish may be served with tomato sauce. Rice, Creole. — Put one -half cup of well-washed rice in the top of the double boiler and cook over hot fire in a little butter until slightly colored. Add two cups of slightly salted boiling water and let it steam until the rice is tender and nearly dry. Slice four ripe tomatoes, two onions, and two green peppers, freed from seeds ; cook them in hot butter until soft, being careful not to burn them. Turn the rice into a hot dish, pour the fried mixture over it, and serve hot.