Friday, April 16, 2010

Easy Crockpot Recipes With Rice

Rice is something that you might usually make on the stove while making a stew or curry in the slow cooker. This is not always necessary though because it is possible to cook rice in the crockpot. Actually there are lots of grains you can slow cook, including millet and quinoa.
Rye and barley are grains which take a long time to soften so these are not recommended for slow cooking. Soak grains in water before slow cooking them and you will speed up their cooking time.
Rice is perhaps the most widely eaten ingredient in the world, although different varieties are better suited to different cooking methods. Long grain rice, for example, does not do well in the crockpot. It does not absorb liquid well or heat up enough to get tender.
Which Types of Rice are Best to Slow Cook?
If you want to know how to cook rice in the slow cooker, choose quick-cooking rice instead. This is a processed rice which does well in the crockpot. Quick-cooking rice will absorb the steam released inside the crockpot and it will cook to perfection without becoming mushy.
You can slow cook quick-cooking rice in about thirty minutes. Risotto rice is another kind of rice that cooks well in the slow cooker and quick-cooking risotto rice is the best variety. You can make a gorgeous, creamy risotto in your slow cooker in about an hour. Other crockpot recipes with rice include jambalaya and rice pudding. You can add cooked rice to any slow cooker recipe in the final stages of cooking and it is especially good to bulk up a soup or stew dish.
Easy Recipe for Crockpot Risotto
This recipe is wonderful because you can leave it to cook itself. Conventional stove-top risotto needs to be watched and stirred nearly constantly but slow cooking eliminates the need for that, while the end result is pretty much identical. This delicious risotto recipe serves six people and you can serve it by itself or as a side dish with your favorite chicken recipe.
What you will need:
  • 3 cups baby spinach
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/4 cup dry white wine
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 3 3/4 cups chicken broth
  • 1 diced onion
  • 1 1/4 cups raw Arborio rice
How to make it:
Saute the onion in the olive oil for five minutes in a skillet over a moderately high heat. Transfer it into a crockpot. Add the rice to the crockpot and stir. Add the chicken broth, salt and wine. If you are not using low-salt chicken broth, taste the mixture before adding the salt because it might not be necessary.
Fill a bowl with cold water and add the spinach. Remove it and drain the bowl. Repeat once more, then dry the spinach leaves with a clean kitchen towel. Remove the stems from the spinach and chop the leaves. Add them to the crockpot. Cover and cook for two and a half hours on high or until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender. Stir in the cheese and serve the risotto.


Source: ezinearticles



The New Busy think 9 to 5 is a cute idea. Combine multiple calendars with Hotmail. Get busy.

No comments:

Post a Comment