Rice Plus Anything And Everything

 O ne of the easiest meals to make right now is rice.It's a filling comfort food that can be mixed with anything and eveything. You can mix it with fresh or leftover ingredients.

Instant rice is the best kind to work with , especially if you're a novice home chef.It 's a quick cook and also lower in carbs and calories if you're actually watching your weight right now. You could go for brown rice for a healthier alternative. Keep in mind that that flavor is slightly nutty flavor that may overpower more delicate flavors and spices. The same thing with basmati rice which has a nutty, spicy and sometimes floral flavor.The second question is what do you boil it in? water works the best but if you do want more flavor then thinl any kind of broth, from beef, to chicken to vegetable. This on it's own is a good and easy lunch or dinner. Add some butter and Parmesan and it'a great instant meal.Another good aspect of rice is that you can make two cups just for yourself our five or six for a family meal. It all dpeends on what you use the rice for. A cup is great in leftover soup but if you're making  a dinner, with gresh ingrdients, then use five to six cups.Just gauge it/

What can  you add to rice? Sauteed veggies are good. Think onions, broccoli and mushrooms sauteed in garlic and olive oil. It's a refreshing version of fried rice and made vegetarian by the addition of all these different veggies. You can also add some sliced carrots and peas too. If you want to make it heartier add some chicken , beef or shrimp. These can be sauteed separately or with the veggies themselves. Leftovers like ham or turkey can also be added to any rice dish for a satisfying lunch or dinner. You can add leftover  gravy to moisten it and also give it more flavor.  Repurposed leftovers like cubed sweet ptoatoes, and green beans can be added  if you want or jsut make a stand alone rice dish with these for a tasty side.  Aspicy dish is good on a cold night. You can make a Spanish or Tex-Mex version with the addition of chili or some hot peppers.Add a dash of chili powder and a small can of tomato sauce along with a dash of cumin. If you want toss in  some cooked crumbled beef or shredded chicken for a kind of enchilada feel.

A bowl of rice is satisfying. It's also versatile. Make it anyway you want, with favorite veggies and meats.

It's Coleridge's Birthday!

Today is Samuel Taylor Coleridge 's birthday, born in the romantic and dairy rich shire of Devon in Southwestern in England. What would he have eaten for his big day? Pasties, buttery and flaky pastries filled with beef, pork and possibly chicken. Maybe a slice of the fish intense Stargazey Pie , with the little heads of pilchards. It would have been washed down with a delicious cup of scrumpy - a strong, slightly carbonated cider made from the county's famed apples. He may have finished with a Dittisham plum tart smothered with clotted cream.

To him, a toast  - not with scrumpy but with a modern American treat - the German chocolate cupcake!

Braai Barbecue South African Style

Barbecue is universal.  All it takes is good weather a grill,  and excellent cuts of meats. South Africans practically celebrate it with braai or grill in the Afrikaans language. It is an involved affair that features time honored recipes and good food.

Julia Moskin wrote about it as well as getting to try the recipes in yesterday's New York Times Food section. The issue featured everything fire grilled and barbecued . Braai fits right into this as it's beyond a national pastime , it's part of South African heritage, uniting everyone in this once segregated country. it is even celebrated as a recognized holiday on September 24th,or Heritage Day. Braai is an ancient technique, first being named shisa nyama, Zulu for burnt meat, and is done in every neighborhood, from shanty towns to villas.barbecuing has grown in popularity thanks to more supermarkets selling more affordable cuts and shows featuring it such as "Ultimate Braai masters" and  Siba's Table.It can be the everyday chicken or toasties, grilled cheese sandwiches to more elaborate steaks and sausages.Lamb ,beef and pork are among the most popular to be grilled.T-bone steaks Some even sell ostrich meat along with bok or antelope and wildebeest. Supermarkets even sell braai packs, although there are still many butcher shops here that sell customized cuts. where customers  can also buy  already cooked barbecue, red hot from the grill. There are even restaurants that feature braii and the side dishes that accompany it.

What makes a braai so delicious?It's the influences of different cultures on the cooking. Spices play a big role in the flavoring thanks to the influence of the area's Cape Malay population. These were the people transported to Africa's tip from Indonesia in the 17th and 18th Centuries.Many worked as cooks and their recipes and spices are still used today. They brought sweet chutney, fiery ketchups and grilled skewers along with different curries. Sosataties, a descendant of satays are also big on the braai menu. These are lamb chunks marinated in a tangy sweet jam and perfumed with fresh citrus or curry leaves. Peri-peri,a type of chili pepper that came with the Portuguese settlers from nearby Mozambique is a braai must have.. The South Africans also serve the highly spiced with coriander and cumin sausages called boerewors and use a salt rub called braii sout  seasoned with those same spices along with clove cinnamon and cumin.Brais aren't just about meats. Home barbecuers also throw corn on the grill, but it's not the mild ears that we serve. Theirs are full of heat and kick thanks to being rubbed with butter zested up with fresh , hot chiles, garlic and hot sauce. There is also umxhaxha, a mix of corn and squash simmered with salt sugar and cinnamon stew like dishes, umngqusho and chakalaka, made with  various veggies and more spices.

Braai just isn't a barbecue. It's South Africa itself, uniting a still fractured country with grilled meats and sides. Delicious , yes, but much more than that.