Don't throw out that rice! Instead make this twice-cooked side dish. It's easy to make and it only takes about 15 minutes. It's rich and creamy and similar to risotto but closer to a Japanese onigiri (rice ball). This recipe serves two.
You'll need;
- a small covered sauce pan
- a wooden spoon
- a square or round cooking ring
- 1 1/2 cups cooked, leftover rice
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 tsp of spices to your taste: powdered onion, garlic, parsley, pepper, oregano, thyme… etc.
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese.
- 1/2 tsp sea salt, to taste
Add chicken broth, butter, salt, and spices to a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium and add cooked rice. Stir often with a wooden spoon until most of the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and add grated Parmesan cheese and olive oil, mix well, cover, and let it set for 5 minutes. Put rice into cooking rings and pack well, then remove the ring. If the rice does not release easily from the ring, run a wet butter knife around the inside edge. Top it with more grated Parmesan or dried bonito flakes. You have to admit this is pretty impressive for leftover rice.
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lisa says
The rice was salted when you cooked it the first time. Why on earth would you salt it again?? And then add Parmigiana (not Parmesan) cheese, which is super-salty? And POWDERED ONION? “Impressive?” No.
Tony L says
Lisa, I think you may have misread. The rice is actually left over plain white rice, not a pre-salted pilaf or risotto. The 1/2 tsp of sea salt in this recipe is fairly negligible, but helps the 3/4 cup chicken broth absorb evenly into the 1 1/2 cups cooked leftover rice. But as with all recipes, if salt is a problem in your diet, use a salt substitute instead or exclude it and cook at a lower temperature.
Parmiagiana is actually a southern Italian casserole made with layers of Parmigiano-Reggiano (eponymous of the town) and fresh tomatoes, eggplants, or pounded meat filets such as veal… it’s delicious. Instead, I used a sharp well aged Parmesan cheese from upstate New York. Although it’s quite nice and shaves beautifully, it does not deserve to share it’s place with the true Reggiano formaggio.
Tony L.