My mother was a wonderful cook, so I am blessed to have many of her delicious recipes. I was never a big fan of rice until my mother made this rice dish. It is a wonderful change from baked, mashed or scallop potatoes. The recipe calls for dry vermouth. Vermouth is a fortified wine. So you may be asking what is a fortified wine? Some wines are fortified to preserve them since ethanol is a natural antiseptic. Vermouth is flavored with aromatic herbs and spices and dry vermouth is more bitter than sweet.
I love this recipe because the mushrooms and the vermouth add texture and flavor to the rice. You will first brown the long grain rice and then cook it in chicken broth instead of water. It is a great side dish that everyone will love. It is a wonderful change from other starches and I often serve it during the holidays.
Long Grain Rice with Mushrooms
Serves: 6-8
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 25 mins
Ingredients:
1/3 cup butter
1 1/2 cup long grain rice (be sure you buy "long grain" rice)
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup sliced mushrooms
3 1/2 cup chicken broth (you can buy broth in boxes or make your own using Better Than Bouillon Chicken Broth which is my favorite broth)
1 cup dry vermouth
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Add the chicken broth and dry vermouth into the pot.
2. Melt the butter into a medium sauté pan on medium heat, then add the long grain rice stirring often until the rice is a light brown color.
3. Set the long grain rice aside in a bowl. Keep the sauté pan warm to cook the chopped onions
4. Add the cup of chopped onions into the butter you just used to brown the rice and lightly sauté until they are translucent in color. (For new cooks: the onions will be glasslike looking- somewhat transparent) Set the onions aside.
5. Add the rice mixture with the sliced mushrooms into the pot of chicken broth and vermouth. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot with a lid and continue to cook for 25 minutes. Stir periodically until the broth is absorbed. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Enjoy!