# Went out on a limb



## bigdaddy3k (Aug 13, 2009)

And it turned out great!

I made a nice veggie curry today for dinner but I wanted to use up my "standard" rice. I have switched full time to Basmati.

To dress it up and bring some more flavor and dimension to the dish I added almond extract to the cooking rice. It was outstanding!!


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## TheMetalChef (Aug 13, 2009)

bigdaddy3k said:


> To dress it up and bring some more flavor and dimension to the dish I added almond extract to the cooking rice. It was outstanding!!



You have discovered the secret Europeans figured out early on, but Asians and Americans have yet to fully embrace - that rice is a great big sponge, just waiting to soak up whatever flavors you want to feed it.

Try making a risotto sometime. It will completely destroy your concept of how rice should be prepared.

PS: Don't use the Basmati. I tried this. It didn't work out so well... There's a reason why Arborio is the rice of choice here Stateside for that dish...


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## bigdaddy3k (Aug 14, 2009)

I have all the fixins for risotto. Have had them for a while. Just haven't done it yet. I have it in my head that a pistachio/mushroom risotto would rock.

Also, I agree that most folks don't understand that rice and pasta are great flavor carriers. The almond extract is a new addition to my spice cabinet but it is definitly not the first flavor I've added to rice. 

I keep trying to think of a flavor to add to rice when I make rice pudding. I am leaning towards raspberry.


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## TheMetalChef (Aug 14, 2009)

bigdaddy3k said:


> I have all the fixins for risotto. Have had them for a while. Just haven't done it yet. I have it in my head that a pistachio/mushroom risotto would rock.



That probably would rock.

Today, I'm making an attempt at a mock "veal" consomme for my risotto tomorrow - I wanted to make a real veal stock, but not a single place in the area (including *two slaughterhouses and a butcher shop*) had any veal bones... 

So I'm going to take two quarts each of beef and chicken stock, plus requisite root vegetables and tomatoes, and a few bony veal blade chops I managed to scrounge up (which I will, of course, roast first), and boil it up for a few hours to see if I can get some kind of decent product out of it.

I figure it can't be any worse than if I just resorted to the chicken/beef stock combination as a "substitute" for the veal stock.


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## bigdaddy3k (Aug 14, 2009)

Veal bones are like bigfoot, you just can't find them. They are usually snatched up by local french restaurants. My butcher said that he can actually charge more for the bones than for the meat as more recipes call for the stock than the meat.

Have you tried a base veggie stock and then boil the veal chops in it? I think the chicken/beef combo will negate the true flavor of the veal but the veggie stock may play more of a supporting roll.


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## TheMetalChef (Aug 14, 2009)

That might be worth a stab. I'm hitting the local Food Lion one more time before I get started today, just to see if they have any more "manager's special" blade chops (every little bit helps, and I ain't paying $6 a pound for bones when I could pay $3) - I might pick up some prepack veggie stock.


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## ChefJune (Aug 14, 2009)

bigdaddy3k said:


> I keep trying to think of a flavor to add to rice when I make rice pudding. I am leaning towards raspberry.


 
Raspberries are wonderful in rice pudding.  So are brown sugar and peaches!


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## ErikC (Aug 14, 2009)

There is a wonderful recipe from one of Jamie Oliver's books that I tried once for risotto. I can't find it right now, but it involved roasted butternut squash with pancetta and sage. It was wonderful...but somehow the book got lost in a move


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## bigdaddy3k (Aug 14, 2009)

ChefJune said:


> Raspberries are wonderful in rice pudding. So are brown sugar and peaches!


 

I know whole fruit raspberrys rock in RP. I'm talking about adding the flavor to the rice while it cooks. Like a raspberry syrup. I worry about the sugar in the cooking though.


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## Robo410 (Aug 14, 2009)

as you guys say, veal bones in any quantity are hard to come by for the home cook. I buy beef soup bones (pretty available) and blanche them for 5 min or so before lightly roasting them before making stock. This I combine with white chicken stock (not roasted carcasses but raw) to make a stock with not too much dominance but good mouth feel. It takes flavors well. give it a try sometime and see what you think.


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## Andy M. (Aug 14, 2009)

Consider adding some ground cardamom to the cooking rice pudding.


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## bigdaddy3k (Aug 15, 2009)

Andy M. said:


> Consider adding some ground cardamom to the cooking rice pudding.


  Already there man!  I make two kinds, non-traditional and Indian. Sometimes I cannot tell which one I like more.


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## TheMetalChef (Aug 15, 2009)

So go way way way out on the limb. Cook the rice for the first 15-20 minutes in fruit juice - something crazy like pomegranate.


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## TheMetalChef (Aug 16, 2009)

BTW - did the mock veal stock today. 4 pounds of crap veal cuts in 1 gallon of canned veggie stock simmered for 9 hours = 1 quart of OMG YOU WOULDN'T KNOW THE DIFFERENCE!

Seriously. The result was AWESOME - and super easy, because the veggie stock already had all the requisite mirepoix-type veggie extracts, all I had to do was roast the meat for 20 minutes and chuck it in there. 

Salt was a bit strong, but when I thin this brew down a bit for the risotto (I usually find myself doing 5 cups of liquid to 2 cups of rice in this preparation), I've no doubt it will correct.


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## bigdaddy3k (Aug 17, 2009)

That veggie stock is a light tasting life saver. I have used it on numerous dishes that called for obscure stock. Wish I was there to taste!


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