The Ultimate Rice Cooker (58 page)
Beth learned this recipe in the 1980s from Louise’s Pantry Cooking School in Menlo Park, California. Spaghetti squash had just hit the market and no one knew quite what to do with the football-shaped squash with a stringy interior. People who are allergic to wheat and can’t eat pasta go for this rendition in a big way. Steaming is the best way to cook this squash that ends up looking so very much like spaghetti, so the delicate insides don’t get mushy. Spaghetti squash is also good with a tomato vinaigrette, or mixed with half spinach or plain angel hair pasta.
MACHINE: Large (10-cup) rice cooker ;
on/off only
CYCLE: Regular
YIELD: Serves 2
1 spaghetti squash (2 to 2½ pounds)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
⅓ cup heavy cream
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1. Fill the rice cooker bowl about one-quarter full of hot water. Close the cover and set for the regular cycle.
2. Meanwhile, wash the squash and halve with a cleaver or large, heavy knife. Scoop out the seeds and fibers. Halve each piece again.
3. Coat the steamer basket with nonstick cooking spray and place the squash cut side down in the basket. When the water comes to a boil, place the steamer basket in the cooker and close the cover. Steam until your finger leaves an indentation when pressed into the squash, 20 to 30 minutes.
4. Remove the basket from the cooker. Gently pull the strands from the shell with a large spoon until only the thin skin remains. Place the squash in a warm serving bowl and toss with the butter, cream cheese, basil, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
cold vegetable platter with sauce verte
For summer entertaining or an extra-special vegetable dish. The creamy green sauce is easy to make, and perfect paired with all sorts of cold steamed vegetables. Serve with fresh crusty French or Italian bread and butter.
MACHINE: Large (10-cup) rice cooker ;
on/off only
CYCLE: Regular
YIELD: Serves 8 (about 1¾ cups sauce)
SAUCE
1 cup mayonnaise
½ cup sour cream
One 3-ounce package cream cheese
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 sprigs fresh Italian parsley, leaves only
2 green onions, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon seasoned salt-free blend, such as Parsley Patch
½ teaspoon dried tarragon, crumbled
¾ cup frozen spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry before measuring
VEGETABLES
1 head cauliflower, broken into equal-size florets, steamed, and chilled
1 pound baby carrots, steamed and chilled
1 pound fresh green beans, ends trimmed, steamed, and chilled
1 pound baby zucchini, steamed and chilled
1 pound fresh asparagus, bottoms snapped off, steamed, and chilled
1½ pounds baby creamer potatoes or purple potatoes, whole if small, cut in half if larger, steamed, and chilled
6 ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges
1. Make the sauce. Place all the sauce ingredients in a food processor. Pulse to combine and coarsely puree. Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate until serving. Can be made a day ahead.
2. Arrange the vegetables on a serving platter. Transfer the sauce to a small bowl and place it in the center of the vegetables. Diners serve themselves.
When Beth was learning about Italian cuisine thirty years ago, pasta was spaghetti or ravioli and sauce was red. On a visit to her friend and gourmand Robert Barker, who lived in San Francisco’s North Beach, she was treated one evening to an Italian take-out meal. Out of the carry-out containers came four different shapes of pasta, including angel hair and bows of tortellini, and myriad sauces, all in different colors. There was alfredo cream sauce, smooth red marinara, green pesto, and a yellowish Italian fontina cheese sauce called
fondutta
. This northern Italian version of Swiss fondue, using milk instead of wine, was the first new sauce she mastered. It is beautifully simple, tastes divine, and is a snap to make. Here is the recipe she has been making for what seems centuries. Serve over a pile of hot steamed vegetables and fresh cooked rice (or polenta) for a spectacular meatless meal with crusty bread, or as a side dish with simple roast chicken.
MACHINE: Large (10-cup) rice cooker ;
on/off only
CYCLE: Regular
YIELD: Serves 6 (4 cups
fondutta
)
FONDUTTA
1 pound Italian fontina cheese, diced (about 4 cups)
1½ to 2 cups whole milk, as needed
6 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Salt
Ground white pepper
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
VEGETABLES
4 baby leeks, washed well and cut in half lengthwise
1 head broccoli, broken into equal-size florets
4 stalks celery, cut into chunks
1 pound fresh asparagus, bottoms snapped off
1 pound fresh green beans, ends trimmed
1 pound zucchini, cut on the diagonal into 1-inch-thick rounds
One 12-ounce package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
Your favorite rice (such as basmati, jasmine, short-grain brown, Japanese-style medium-grain, Wehani, or Jasmati) to serve 6, freshly cooked
1.
Make the
fondutta
. In a large bowl, combine the cheese with 1½ cups of the milk. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours to soak.
Place the cheese-milk mixture, egg yolks, and butter in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Slowly cook, stirring occasionally, until the cheese is melted and the sauce has thickened, about 15 minutes. Thin with the extra milk, if a thinner sauce is desired. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Keep hot.
2. Meanwhile, fill the rice cooker bowl about one-quarter full of hot water. Close the cover and set for the regular cycle.
3. Coat the steamer baskets with nonstick cooking spray and arrange the leeks, broccoli, and celery in the bottom tier of the baskets. Arrange the asparagus, green beans, zucchini, and artichoke hearts in the top tier. When the water comes to a boil, place the baskets in the cooker and close the cover. Set a timer and steam for 12 to 15 minutes. Check for doneness.
4. Arrange the vegetables on a serving platter, place the rice in a mound in the center, drizzle all over with the hot
fondutta
, and serve immediately. Serve the extra
fondutta
with a ladle.
steamed vegetables with port beurre rouge
The New York Times
ran a story about a four-star French chef who serves only vegetables in his restaurant. “The taste!” he exclaimed. “The scent! It is so satisfying and delicious.” Here is a dish you might encounter in this type of establishment, with the thick and luscious port
beurre rouge
, the red butter sauce, combining vinegar and port wine, that is a variation of one of the foundations of the French saucier art. We first had this dramatic-tasting sauce at Greens Restaurant, in the Fort Mason complex of San Francisco, where it is served with grilled vegetables during the fall and winter.
MACHINE: Large (10-cup) rice cooker ;
on/off only
CYCLE: Regular
YIELD: Serves 8 (1½ cups sauce)
SAUCE
⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
⅓ cup port wine
2 shallots, minced
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
VEGETABLES
1 pound baby carrots
8 baby beets, stems trimmed 2 inches above the beet, leaves reserved
1 pound baby creamer potatoes or purple potatoes, whole if small, cut in half if larger
2 pounds baby winter squashes, such as delicata or yellow acorn (4 squashes), halved and seeded
1 pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed
¾ pound fresh haricots verts, green beans, or sugar snap peas, ends trimmed
⅓ pound shallots or pearl onions, peeled and left whole
4 stalks celery, cut into 3-inch lengths and lengths cut into thin strips
1. Make the sauce. Combine 1.3 cup of the vinegar, the port, and shallots in a medium-size, heavy-bottomed nonaluminum saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until reduced by half; this happens quite quickly, within a few minutes, so keep a close eye. Turn the heat down to medium, add the cold butter pieces, one at a time, and whisk, waiting until each piece is melted and incorporated before adding the next one. The sauce will thicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add the remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar. Pour into a deep container that can stand in a water bath until serving.
2. Fill the rice cooker bowl about one-quarter full of hot water. Close the cover and set for the regular cycle.
3. Coat the steamer baskets with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange the carrots, beets, potatoes, and 4 squash halves in the bottom tier of the baskets. Arrange the mushrooms, haricots verts, shallots, remaining squash halves, and the celery in the top tier. When the water comes to a boil, place the steamer baskets in the cooker and close the cover. Set a timer and steam for 18 to 25 minutes. Check for doneness. (Or steam the vegetables in two batches if you have a single steaming tray.)
4. Arrange the vegetables on a serving platter, drizzle with the hot sauce, and serve immediately. Serve the extra sauce with a ladle.
