Category: Cooking

How to Cook Rice

Here are two standard methods for cooking rice:

Method 1 – Boiled Rice

  1. Per cup ( 8 oz / 200 g) of uncooked rice, bring to a boil in a large saucepan 2 cups (16 oz / 500 ml) of water
  2. Add 1 teaspoon of salt.
  3. Slowly pour rice in
  4. Then stir lightly, then cover the pot
  5. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes

Method 2 – Par-Boil Rice

  1. Heat 1 tablespoon of fat (such as oil or butter) in a large saucepan over medium-low heat.
  2. Pour in 1 cup (8 oz / 200 g) of uncooked rice, stir around to coat, and cook until rice turns a bit transparent, about 5 minutes. (Optional: for a nuttier tasting rice, brown the kernels a bit by cooking them a bit longer until they just start to brown.)
  3. Slowly pour in 2 cups (16 oz / 500 ml) of already boiling water from the kettle, stir in 1 teaspoon of salt if desired, cover, and then cook for 15 minutes.
  • For either method:

If all the water has gone but the rice is not yet tender, add a few tablespoons of boiling water, cover and cook a bit more; if water has remained but the rice is cooked, remove cover and cook a minute or two uncovered to allow water to evaporate until the water is gone.

Miscellaneous rice cooking tips

  • Don’t stir rice while it is cooking, as stirring it will make it sticky. (Risotto is the exception: you want it sticky.)
  • The wider the mouth on your pot, the better your rice will cook.
    If you have storage space for a rice steamer, they are inexpensive, and take all the stress out of cooking rice.
  • When reheating leftover rice in a microwave, add 1 teaspoon of water per cup (150 g / 4 oz) of cooked, leftover rice.
  • To make a soup thicker, throw in a few handfuls of leftover cooked rice towards the end.

25 LBS Rice is 275 servings of cooked rice
1 Pound uncooked = 11 servings cooked

Cooking Pinto Beans

  1. Sort beans and remove discolored beans and anything other than a bean
  2. Wash the sorted beans, put in pot, cover with water and soak for 6 hours to overnight
  3. Place on heat source and bring to a boil
  4. Let boil for 10 minutes stirring occasionally
  5. Reduce to a bare simmer, partly cover pot with lid, and cook for 1-1/2 to 2 hours
  6. Continue stirring occasionally.
  7. Make sure the beans are soft before removing from simmer

Equivalents and Measures

1 Pound Pinto Beans = 12 half-cup servings
100 servings = 8.33 pounds on pinto beans

One pound bag of dry beans = 2 cups dry beans
One pound bag of dry beans = 6 cups cooked beans, drained
One cup of dry beans = 3 cups cooked beans, drained
½ cup cooked beans, drained = 1 serving of beans
One 15-oz. can of beans = 1.75 cups cooked beans, drained
One 15-oz. can of beans = 3.5 servings of beans

Cajun Jambalaya

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb Sausage cut 1/4 in. thick 3 tb Salt
2 boneless chicken breasts
1/2 ts Cayenne pepper
1 medium onion
3 Bay leaves
1/2 Bell pepper
3 oz Tomato paste
2 Cloves garlic
1/2 lb Peeled shrimp
2-1/2 c Water
1-1/2 c Raw rice

– Saute sausage, chicken, onions, bell pepper and garlic until sausage and chicken are browned.
– Add the water, salt, cayenne, bay leaf and tomato paste.
– Bring to a boil with the lid on.
– When water boils add the shrimp and the raw rice.
– Stir and lower heat.
– Let rice simmer, stirring every five minutes until rice is cooked.

Yield: 2-4 servings.

Honey Spiced Cajun Chicken

Serves 2

– 2 pounded chicken breasts
– Tony Charcheres Cajun Seasoning
– 3 sliced mushrooms
– 1 diced tomato
– 2 Tbl mustard
– 4 Tsp. honey
– 3 oz cream
– Cooked linguini (for 2 people)

1. Pound boned (or boneless) chicken breast to 1/2 inch
2. Pat the chicken in the seasonings and grill until done.
3. Slice chicken in thin (1/4 inch) slices
4. Put chicken slices back in pan with a little oil, the diced tomato and mushrooms for 2 minutes.
5. Add the honey, mustard and cream.
6. Cook for 5 minutes at medium heat. toss in cooked linguini.

 

Shrimp Etouffe

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 stick butter unsalted
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 medium onions chopped
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 celery rib finely chopped
1 pinch cayenne pepper
2 garlic cloves minced
1 pounds medium shrimp, shelled & deveined
3/4 teaspoons jalapeño pepper minced
2 scallions chopped
1 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup parsley chopped
1 7 ounce can Italian chopped tomatoes juices reserved
1-1/2 cups rice cooked
1/2 tablespoon sweet paprika

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a heavy non-reactive 14 inch skillet, melt the butter
2. Add the onions and celery and cook over moderate heat until translucent, about 5 minutes.
3. Add garlic and jalapeño and cook for 2 minutes
4. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes.
5. Stir in tomatoes and their juice, the paprika, salt, black pepper and cayenne
6. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 5 minutes.
7. Add shrimp and stir until they curl and turn pink, 2-3 minutes.
8. Stir in the scallions and parsley and serve over cooked rice.

Jamaican Jerk Chicken Recipe

Jamaican Jerk Chicken Recipe

Chop up a chicken or buy one already cut up.  Break the thigh bone joint.

If you are using breast meat only – use 2-4 breasts

For the jerk marinade:

• 1 onion – peeled and chopped
• 1 garlic clove – peeled and crushed
• 3 spring onions – finely chopped
• small square of red chilli – finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon coriander – chopped
• 1 Tsp Marjoram
• 1/2 level teaspoon allspice
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• Ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

1. Mix the jerk marinade ingredients together.
2. Rub the marinade into each piece of chicken.
3. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
4. Heat grill (hot)
5. Place chicken on grill and cook for 30 – 40 minutes until the chicken is cooked and the juices run clear.
3. Serve hot or cold with salad or rice.

NOTE: Make sure the chicken is cooked by inserting a skewer and checking the juice is clear and not pink or red.

Carne Asada Recipe

Carne Asada Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

– 2-3 lb. skirt steak (or substitute sirloin tip or Tri-tip which also hold marinade well)
– Approximately 1 qt. medium hot salsa (heat is critical to properly flavor this dish, and it will dissipate when you grill the meat)
– 4 tbsps. ½ cup lemon, lime, or orange juice
– 1 tbsp. Kosher salt
– 1 tbsp. ground black pepper
– Rub Recipe Below

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix the salsa, liquid, and spices thoroughly and place in a Ziploc bag with the steak. Marinade 5 hours in the refrigerator. The meat will become mushy if marinated longer than 8 hours.
2. Smoke for an hour at 150. Remove from the grill.
3. If using skirt steak, turn the grill up to 450. Return the meat to the grill when it reaches temperature. Skirt steak will finish in 3-5 minutes per side. Look for nice crisp edges that signal they are done. Rest the meat for 5-7 minutes before slicing.
4. If using tri-tip or sirloin tip, turn the grill up to 375. When it reaches temperature, return the meat to the grill and roast for about an hour until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 125-130. Let the roast rest for about 5-7 minutes before slicing.
5. While the meat rests, grill a couple of green onions and top the meat with them. Slice and enjoy

Rub Recipe:

6 Tbl Granulated Garlic
3 Tbl Onion Powder
6 Tbl Cup Chili Powder
2 Tbl Ground Cumin
2 Tbl Ground Celery Seed
6 Tbl Onion Powder
1 Tbl Ground Oregano
6 Tbl Paprika
1 Tbl Cup Black Pepper
1 Tbl Cayenne Pepper
2 Tbl Ground Coriander

Beef Jerky Using Smoker Grill

Ingredients:

– 1 cup of BBQ sauce
– 1 quart of water
– 1/2 cup kosher salt
– 1/4 cup brown sugar
– 1/4 cup white sugar
– 2lbs of sirloin roast or similar
– 3 tablespoons of Black Pepper

1. Cut the sirloin roast into 1/2 in. thick strips. Trim fat.
2. Combine the marinade ingredients and stir thoroughly.
3. Add the sirloin strips to the marinade and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours, preferably overnight.
4. On the smoker grill – Get the grill temperature to about 185°.
5. Remove the sirloin strips from the marinade and pat dry.
6. Set strips on grill
7. Smoke 3-5 hours or until you are satisfied with the texture.

Blackened Chicken

This is a tried-and-true blackened chicken recipe. I used the propane eye that is part of my propane grill, but any gas or outside fire heat source will work well. This recipe is for 2 chicken breasts. You can expand the recipe for a larger number of people. This recipe will also work for pork chops or fish. The key is getting the black iron skillet very hot.

You’ll need:

– 2 skinless chicken breasts
– 1/4 Stick Melted unsalted butter

Blackened Seasoning Mix:

– 1 Tbl Salt
– 1 Tsp Onion powder
– 1 Tbl Garlic powder
– 1 Tsp Ground Cumin
– 1 Tsp Ground Black Pepper
– 1 Tsp Ground cayenne pepper
– 1 Tsp White Pepper
– 1/2 Tsp Sweet Paprika
– 1/4 Tsp Coriander

– Recipe calls for 2 skinless boned chicken breasts, about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick.
– Pound each breast fillet to 1/2 to 2/3 inch thick with meat tenderizing hammer.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Cook these outdoors. The smoke when cooking will set your smoke alarm off and fill the house with the spicy scent.

Directions:

1. Thoroughly combine the seasoning mix ingredients in a bowl or shaker jar/bottle.
2. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over very high heat until it is extremely hot and just short of the point at which you see white ash or a white spot forming in the skillet bottom, about 5-8 minutes. (the time will vary according to the intensity of the heat source)
3. Just before cooking each piece of chicken, baste one side with the melted butter, then coat the side evenly with the seasoning mix, then patting the spices onto the fillet with your hands. Then baste and sprinkle the other side. Do this for both fillets.
4. Immediately place the fillets skinned side down in the hot skillet, making sure that the meat is lying flat.
5. Cook uncovered over the same high heat until the underside forms a crust, about 5-7 minutes. (The time will vary according to the thickness of the fillets and the heat of the skillet or fire; just keep a close eye on it)
6. Turn the fillets over and baste more of the melted butter on top of each. Cook just until meat is cooked through, about 3-4 minutes more – again, depending on the temperature of your heat source.
7. Serve the chicken fillets crustier side up while piping hot.

Breadcrumb Parmesan Flounder

Ingredients

  • 4 flounder fillets
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted – divided
  • 1 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 pinch dried thyme

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a large, shallow baking dish.
  2. Arrange flounder fillets on prepared baking dish and brush with 1 tablespoon butter. Combine remaining 3 tablespoons butter with bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and thyme in a bowl; sprinkle over flounder.
  3. Bake in preheated oven until fish flakes easily with a fork, 15 to 20 minutes. Carefully transfer fillets to a plate with a spatula.