The origin of this recipe is a Cajun dish, dirty rice. It’s essentially a rice pilaf cooked in a pot with chicken liver and offal. Is it possible to reproduce the essence of this dish while keeping the flavor without resorting to offal? Well, thanks to the mushrooms. The mushrooms that we find in every fruit shop are invaluable allies when it comes to flavoring our cooking: chopped in a pan, they give depth to stews and soups thanks to their high umami content. In addition, they are very useful in vegetarian or vegan recipes, since their texture and taste make them a good substitute for meat.
A few important points to make this recipe perfect (in addition, these are points that will come in handy in the kitchen in general). First, the vegetables – onion, celery, green peppers and mushrooms – need to be chopped very finely. There are two compelling reasons for this: the first is that they develop more flavor this way. The second is that the goal is for them to be no larger than the rice: you can chop them with a knife or food processor, but not in the blender because the veggies end up being over-chopped and releasing water.
Another simple and fundamental detail, the frying time: let the vegetables cook slowly and well in the oil. Use this time to slice the mushrooms, in fact it will take a little longer than the five minutes as long as the veggies don’t all burn well. The same applies if you let the mushrooms cook: it is important that they release all their water and evaporate so that the aroma can fully develop.
One last oddity about the stir-fries: the onion + celery + green pepper trio is a staple of Cajun cuisine, so much so that it’s known as “the holy trinity.” The green pepper is of the sweet type, that is, like the peppers, but in green: the other green, oblong peppers, the Italian type, would in this case give off a too bitter taste.
difficulty
We ask you to chop some mushrooms, honey.
ingredients
for 4 people
- 360 g long rice
- 300ml broth (vegetable, chicken, whatever you prefer)
- 250ml of water
- 300 grams of cooked beans
- 250 grams of mushrooms
- 60 g onion (approx. ½ medium onion)
- 60 g sweet green peppers (about ⅓ of a pepper)
- 60 g celery (about 2 sticks)
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 tsp smoked paprika (sweet or hot)
- 4 garlic sprouts or the green of a fresh spring onion
- Extra virgin olive oil
- salt and black pepper
preparation
Very, very finely chop the onion, celery and green peppers.
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Add the sauce with a little salt and black pepper, mix and cook over medium-low heat for about five minutes. You can leave it for a few more minutes, making sure it doesn’t burn too much or stick to the bottom.
In the meantime, clean the mushrooms and chop them very, very finely (the idea is that the vegetables are no larger than the rice so that the final mouthfeel is more pleasant).
Add the chopped mushrooms to the saucepan with a pinch more salt, mix and cook until they have released all their water and it has evaporated.
Chop the garlic cloves and add to the pot. Let cook for a minute.
Increase fire to the max. Add rice, oregano, paprika, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and more black pepper. Mix well and add the broth and water. Bring to a boil
Reduce the heat to minimum, cover and cook for about 12 minutes: the rice should be done and the liquid should be (almost) completely absorbed.
Spread the cooked beans over the rice, cover again and cook for another three minutes. Meanwhile, chop the garlic sprouts or spring onion.
Turn off the heat, add the chopped garlic sprouts and separate the rice with a fork. Serve with some hot sauce for a Mississippi Delta feel.
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