The Simplest Side Dish You'll Ever Make... and One of the Tastiest

Two Ingredient Rice Au Gratin 

If you haven't figured out that quick and easy, yet homemade from real-food ingredients is the rule of the kitchen and cuisine here at Potluck Paradise headquarters, we've not been doing our job very well.  We'd almost always rather eat something we've made than pull a microwave dish from the freezer or even go out to eat. 

When we're in a hurry we take most of our inspiration from what's in the cupboard, freezer, or fridge and we frequently fall back on the time-tested dishes we've found in our research into foods prepared and loved in kitchens dating back to the 1820s. 

We fell in love with this two-ingredient dish from the wheat and potato saving days of World War I. Back then rice was an uncommon ingredient in Midwestern kitchens. The home economics faculty members at the University of Minnesota were charged with finding ways to help homemakers "win the war with food."  They published a number of recipes. This simple dish was among them. It has a feel of macaroni and cheese, without the bother of boiling the macaroni and cooking up the cheese-laden white sauce. 

It couldn't be easier. Leftover rice and grated cheese. And a microwave... or you could use the oven. 

Rice Au Gratin

1 cup leftover rice -- we like brown rice

2 ounces grated cheese -- we like cheddar cheese 

The key to success is to have the rice in a layer not more than an inch thick.  Pat into a lightly greased  microwave safe pan. Sprinkle with cheese and microwave on medium until the cheese melts. 

Easy to increase -- using 2 ounces of cheese for each cup of rice. 

Copyright 2015 Rae Katherine Eighmey. All rights reserved.

Egg and Rice Omelet--A Potluck Paradise Vegetarian Favorite for Lent

From time to time our attention shifts to options for meatless meals here at Potluck Paradise headquarters.  And as Lent starts during this National Month of Potluck celebrating, we thought we'd share this recipe that deliciously combines leftover rice and stretches just 2, count 'em TWO eggs and topped with a bit of cheese sauce to make a very filling and delicious dish for two 

We found the original recipe in the March 1911 edition of the Boston Cooking School Magazine. It looked tempting, but it looked even more tempting when we realized that we had a cup of so of cooked rice in the fridge that we didn't quite know what we were going to do with it. 

Presto! a solution.... and lunch. 

Rice Omelet with Cheese Sauce 

2 eggs, separated

1 cup cooked brown rice, at room temperature

1 tablespoon water

a couple of grinds black pepper

dash salt, optional

1 tablespoon butter

About the pan and cooking method. I used my calphalon 8-inch omelet pan and it worked very well. The sides on the pan slope from a 5 1/2-inch base to a 7 1/2-inch inside diameter top. The original 1911 recipe says to finish cooking the omelet in the oven. I opted for a simpler method and just put a lid over it until it set.  The trick of stovetop cooking is to make sure the heat is low enough at this point that the bottom doesn't urn while you are waiting for the center to finish cooking. 

Instructions 

In a small mixing bowl beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks and set aside. In a medium mixing bowl lightly beat the egg yolks with salt, pepper, and water. Stir in the rice and mix well until all the grains are separated and coated with the yolk mixture. Gently fold the egg whites into the rice mixture. Melt the butter in omelet pan and swirl it up around the sides. Spoon the mixture into the pan and cook first over medium heat and then, once the bottom has set, continue on low heat, covering the pan with a lid, or putting it into a pre-heated 350 degree oven until the middle is set. 

To serve

Make a shallow cut through the omelet, cutting at the one-third mark. Pour cheese sauce over the larger area and then carefully fold the remaining third over the top. And then, with another carefully, remove to the plate. 

This is simple and elegant, in a homespun way. The crust is crispy and the filling surprisingly light. I made the cheese sauce with cheddar cheese. Swiss would be nice with some sauted mushrooms on the side. 

Cheese Sauce

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup milk

1/2 cup grated cheese -- more or less to taste

In a small saucepan, melt the butter and then stir in the flour. Cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes, stirring frequently, so that the flour begins to cook, but doesn't brown. Gradually add the milk and continue cooking and stirring until the sauce thickens. Stir in the cheese.  Leftover sauce can be refrigerated for a week, or stored in the freezer for a month.  

Spectacular Squash Stew

Winter has been back and forth a few times these recent Minnesota days. And with the quixotic temperatures our appetites here at Potluck Paradise headquarters have slipped into wanting something both hearty and light.

I stood there in the grocery store looking at the wide array of fish, fowl, and meats. None of them "fell into the cart" with menu in hand.  Suddenly I remembered a years-ago recipe for squash stew. I hadn't made it in years.  I did a quick U-turn and headed back to the vegetable section. Amazingly, I remembered most of the ingredients. What I didn't recall in time to purchase, I discovered I already had in my pantry once I pulled the yellowed file card from the recipe box. Okay, I did make a substitution. I only had one can of white beans, so I put in a can of black-eyed peas left over from our New Year's Lucky Food dinner.

The stew turned out so well, I know it won't be years before I make it again.

I made a couple of loaves World War I wheat-stingy bread it has cornmeal and oatmeal in addition to some wheat flour. A slice or two nicely sopped up the stew's delicious juices. A couple of pickles on the side.  Yum!

As the days have continued to alternate between snow and cold with wonderful, warm snow-melting sun, we've gotten into a vegetarian kick here at headquarters. Once we no longer have to climb over snowdrifts to get to the grill we'll probably cook up some burgers or chops. But for now, this lighter vegetarian fare is just right.

Sensational Squash Stew

1 large butternut squash peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes, about 4 cups

2 cups unsalted vegetable or broth

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 large sweet onion, diced

1 tablespoon minced garlic, more or less to taste

2 green peppers, cut in 1-inch pieces

2 ribs celery cut in 1-inch slices

1 8-ounce can tomato sauce

2 cans chopped tomatoes

2 cans white beans, drained and rinsed

2 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon allspice

Combine the squash and broth in large saucepan and simmer over low heat until the squash is slightly cooked, about 10 to 15 minutes. Put the olive oil and butter in a large frying pan. Add the onion and sauté until it is just beginning to turn transparent. Add the garlic and green paper. Saute a few minutes longer. Stir in the tomato sauce, cover and reduce heat and cook for about 5 minutes. In a large slow cooker or stockpot combine the squash and broth, the contents of the frying pan and the remaining ingredients. Cook over very low heat until the flavors are combines, about a half hour on top of the stove, or longer in the slow cooker. Serve with brown rice or crusty bread and a salad. 

Copyright 2013 Rae Katherine Eighmey. All rights reserved.