Know a little more about the different Italian rice varieties

Wazzup Pilipinas!?



For most people, Italian cuisine usually evokes a copious dish of pasta or a mouthwatering pizza. But Italian gastronomy not only relies on these two dishes. It includes a wide range of regional ingredients for making typical Italian food, with rice on the top of the list.

Italy has an ancient tradition of using rice as its main staple food. Nowadays, that country is the major rice producer in Europe with the most important crops located in Lombardy and Piedmont regions, near the French border.

Rice tradition goes back to the middle of the 15th century. There are two main theories of how rice reached Italy. One indicates this grain arrived by the Crusaders or by the Arabs. Some others believed rice came from the Middle East and the Far East through merchants.

Wherever its origins, Italians have improved rice cultivation by creating an ingenious irrigation system, which allows settling rice as a popular and affordable crop. That is the reason why rice has become one of the main staples of Italian gastronomy.

Italian rice

There are more than 160 varieties of Italian rice with unique characteristics and uses in countless rice preparations. This wide range of quality Italian rice allows Italy to represent 5% of total world rice production.

Most known varieties include Arborio, Sant’Andrea, Roma, Carnaroli, Baldo, Balilla, and Vialone Nano. Surprisingly, lots of people cannot yet recognize the different types of Italian rice and keep wondering what is Arborio rice or which one is Carnaroli.

Here you have the answer; let's learn all about them and how to cook with the right type for properly making delightful rice dishes.

Arborio: It is super fino rice with a short oval shape. It is preferred for cooking risotto and salads.

Sant’Andrea: A bit larger grain with high starch content. It has a good absorption characteristic which makes it ideal for risotto, soups, arancini, and puddings.

Roma: This rice type is long, round, and compact. After cooking, grains remain well separated. It is used for cooking risotto, arancini, Paniscia, and soups.

Carnaroli: Known as “The King of Italian Rice” because of its outstanding characteristics for making risotto. It is a smaller grain with a pearl core; it releases low starch content when cooking which results in al dente risotto.

Baldo: This is a crystalline grain with low starch content. It remains separated and consistent after cooking. It is perfect for preparing salads and risotto due to its good cooking resistance.

Balilla: It is known as common rice. This grain is fat and round. When cooking, it results in sticky rice, and it is used for soups and minestrones.

Vialone Nano: It is a semifino rice. Its grains are small with a plump shape. Its high starch content and excellent absorption properties make it also perfect for risotto.

Using the right rice variety in your Italian dishes

Italian cuisine is very simple and its extraordinary flavors depend on the quality of the ingredients used. The most common are tomatoes, potatoes, cheeses, rice, corn, meat, pork, and fish. All these meals are well seasoned and slightly spiced for creating the most delicious dishes.

If you choose to cook with some Italian rice varieties, you must consider that every type of Italian rice is used for specific dishes. Try the following recipes and discover the true Italian flavors.

Risotto all'amatriciana (4 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups of Carnaroli rice.
• 5.3 oz (150 grams) of guanciale (Italian cured pork).
• 14 oz (400 grams) of peeled and crushed tomatoes.
• 2/3 cup of pecorino romano cheese.
• 2 liters of vegetable broth.
• 3 tablespoons of dry white wine.
• Black pepper to taste.
• Salt to taste.
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Preparation:

In a saucepan, pour vegetable broth and keep it warm.

Cut guanciale into 0.5 cm strips.

In a saucepan, cook guanciale until it gets crispy and brownish.

Incorporate white wine, and cook until the alcohol starts to evaporate.

Season tomatoes with salt and pepper and add them to the saucepan. Cook this sauce covered at medium-low heat.

In another saucepan, toast the rice and add to the sauce. Stir very well.

Pour warm vegetable broth little by little.

And continue adding a few amounts of broth each time until rice is tender.

Take out rice from the heat, and add cheese.

Rice and milk pudding (4 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of white Baldo rice.
• 1 liter of milk.
• ½ cup of sugar.
• 1 tablespoon of butter.
• Vanilla extract to taste.
• Ground cinnamon to taste.
• Raisins to taste.

Preparation:

In a saucepan, pour milk, butter, and rice. Mix very well.

Add sugar and cook at medium heat. To avoid the mixture from sticking you must stir the mix carefully.

Reduce heat, and continue stirring.

When it gets creamy, remove it from heat, and add vanilla extract.

Serve with raisins and cinnamon on the top.

A simple and tasty rice dish when you are short of time

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

Due to the fast-paced lifestyle of today, it is understandable that cooking is not the priority for many people, and it could even be considered by some as an arduous time-consuming task. Certainly, in a world full of responsibilities, spending time in the kitchen may not be feasible for everyone.

However, we all deserve a moment of peace in our homes and a well-cooked meal to enjoy, better if it is made by ourselves, and that is not an unattainable mission: there are quick and tasty recipes that can help anyone in those moments.

The recipes detailed below are microwave-based and are made to create easy and quick dishes as you have never thought before.

If you are interested in more recipes for rice with egg in the microwave you can see them here: minuterice.com/recipes/microwave-egg-fried-rice/

Vegetarian microwave eggs and rice recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 white eggs.
• 4 cups of brown rice.
• 1 large red grated onion.
• Salt.
• Provençal nutmeg.
• 4 perita tomatoes.
• Brown sugar.
• Neutral oil.

The first step is to do is cooking the rice, in this case, brown rice, so mix it with the water, the salt and the olive oil in a microwave-safe container (this is very important), that should be large enough, since the rice will increase in volume and it could overflow if the container can’t handle it.

If the container lid does not have a vapor vent, do not close it completely, try to leave a space for the steam to escape, and cook at maximum power (800 W) for 12 minutes.

When time is up, take the container out of the microwave, uncover it, stir it well with a spoon or a fork, and put it back in the microwave, also at maximum power for another 10-12 minutes.

Let it rest for a few minutes to finish cooking, so it can be used later. To further separate the grains, use a strainer and cool running tap water to drain it well.

Then place the rice on a deep plate and open the 2 white eggs on top of the rice, place it in the microwave for a minute and a half without adding any oil or butter.

The final touch will be the sliced tomatoes, so place it on the rice, then you can rectify the salty or sweetness of the dish using salt or sugar, and voila you can present it.

Microwave fried rice recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp of butter.
• 1 chopped onion.
• 4 slices of bacon, chopped.
• 1/2 cup chickpeas.
• 2 cups of rice.
• 3 cups of hot water.
• 2 cubes of shredded chicken broth.
• 1 red bell pepper.
• 1 cup of mushrooms.
• 1 tbsp of mixed herbs.
• 1 pinch of salt and pepper.

In a microwave-safe saucepan, put the bacon, the onion and the peas along with the butter. Set the M/O on high for 6 minutes. Take it out carefully and stir.

Rinse the rice under tap water and pour it onto the pan with 3 cups of hot water and the vegetables. Stir it again.

Add salt, pepper and the herbs to taste, and microwave on high for 10 more minutes. Stir the rice.

Set another 10 minutes on high and when done, remember to stir again before serving.

Recipe for rice with vegetables and ham in the microwave

Ingredients:

• 2 glasses of vegetable or chicken broth.
• 1 cup long or round grain rice.
• 2.5 oz (75 g) serrano ham chopped pieces.
• 2 carrots cut into brunoise.
• 1 tsp of the spice you like, curry, cumin or any other.
• 130 gr. frozen peas.
• A good drizzle of olive oil.
• Salt.

In a microwave-safe bowl, put the drizzle of oil and then the rest of the ingredients. So let's try to integrate everything by stirring them well.

Including the rice which we have previously cooked with the microwave. To do this, put the salt, the rice, and the water together with just another splash of oil, in this case, a cup of rice and a cup of water, in a microwaveable bowl, for 12 minutes is enough for it to be ready.

Microwave uncovered on full power for 20 minutes. Once it beeps, don’t open the door and let it stand for 5 minutes.

Then you can serve and enjoy it.

The origins of Spanish Paella

Wazzup Pilipinas!?


Have you ever learned about the origins of Spanish paella?

One of the traditional meals in Spain is paella, this preparation has an incredible history that is worth knowing. Besides, it is an easy meal to prepare at home, with simple, easy-to-get ingredients, and not too much cooking experience needed to enjoy a delicious dish.

Converging cultures

Paella is the favorite dish of the Spanish people, and even international high quality rice manufacturers offer recipes to prepare it, as you can see in mahatmarice.com/recipes/authentic-Spanish-paella-seafood/. So making a good paella today is not a difficult task.

The paella as it is known in Spain today comes from two different cultures, the Roman for the pan, and the Arabic for the rice. There is even a story that tells that the servants of the Moorish kings created rice dishes by mixing all the leftovers from the royal banquets. Moreover, there are those who claim that the term paella comes from the Arabic word baqiyah, which means leftovers.

The truth is that it refers to the pan where the rice is prepared, according to the Roman culture that used words like patella or patera, to refer to containers with different culinary functions. Nowadays, the paella pan where the food is prepared has two opposite handles and is made of a steel alloy to withstand intense heat.

A little bit of history

In Valencia, the paella originated sometime between the 15th and 16th centuries, when farmers and day laborers rested for lunch and used the remains of food from the celebrations cooking them on an open fire.

According to some historians, no dishes were used to eat the rice. Instead, it was consumed directly from the pan, since each one used his own wooden spoon.

At first the paella was prepared with poultry, field rabbit or hare, as well as with fresh vegetables. They mixed all together with the rice and olive oil, and cooked over low heat. Fires were made with orange tree wood, whose smoke gave the paella a characteristic taste and smell.

It is possible to find paellas in different presentations depending on the region where it is prepared, such as the Valencian, with beef, lamb, seafood, vegetables or mixed, so you can enjoy it in many ways.
How is paella prepared?

There are many ways to make a delicious paella, but the following is the traditional Valencian recipe, so you’ll enjoy preparing an old-style meal.

Ingredients:

• A cup of peas.
• Four tablespoons of olive oil.
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• Lemon juice.
• Two strands of saffron.
• A branch of marjoram.
• A branch of parsley.
• A nice chopped onion.
• Two cups of rice.
• A green pepper and a red pepper, both cut into strips.
• 17 ounces of shrimp.
• 17 ounces pre cooked mussels.
• 35 ounces of clams.
• 7 ounces of sliced chorizo.
• 17 ounces of pork chops.
• A chicken cut into pieces.

Method of preparation

To start, you should remove the chicken’s thighs, breast, and legs. The rest of the pieces must be cooked together with the parsley, salt, pepper and marjoram to prepare a broth, then strain and reserve.

In a paella pan add the oil to heat it, and fry the reserved pieces of chicken, as well as the pork chops. When everything is golden, remove the pieces of chicken and the pork chops, and reserve.

In the fat released by those ingredients, fry the chorizo and the onion. Then remove the excess fat and add the rice. Mix well so that the rice becomes soaked in fat, then place the fried chicken, chops and vegetables.
Add the saffron and stir with a spoon for the broth to acquire color.

Pour the broth over the rice, add a few drops of lemon juice, and finally add the seafood. Cover the preparation with foil, reduce heat and let it simmer for about 20 minutes.

After 10 minutes of cooking, add more salt and pepper to season the paella, add the chorizo and let cook until the rice is soft.

Following this recipe, you can prepare a meal that has been preferred by Spaniards for many years. The paella is a delicious dish that is worth trying at home, since its preparation in any of its versions is simple, and you’ll surely end up with a delicious result.