Emperor’s Rice from Julia Child’s The New Way to Cook. This is when thirty years ago Julia was showing what to do with the leftover rice.
Thirty years ago, I remember being excited about this recipe in the book because pictures and ingredients and not liking it when on the table. This is not a recipe, it is a guide, and back then my cooking experience was wanting.
At the time of that first attempt, I didn’t know that there was olive oil and, then, there was the olive oil and that olive oil actually had a taste. That cooked rice was not the same thing as the day old. That different rices responded to fat in each in its own way and following exact measurements from the book could be pointless. That cilantro and parsley didn’t go together. That lemon juice and vinegar deliver different results. That you should taste for salt and add it at different stages. That it was ok to omit or substitute things you didn’t like even if they are printed in the recipe. That it’s ok to add hot peppers even if they were not mentioned but your family likes it hot.
And one more thing. All these years, I have been cooking rice with very good to excellent results in a pot, in the oven, or a steamer basket. Some time in the 90s,
Food & Wine published a detailed article on cooking techniques for every available type of rice. I saved it and followed it until a month ago my device-skeptical husband suddenly said we needed a rice cooker. It was the first time I shrugged my shoulders hearing about a new cooking appliance. We got it. It is only then I understood why more than half of the world made rice a staple of their diet.
WHAT WENT IN
— 4 cups cooked rice, at least a day old
— best olive oil you can get
— juice of 2 lemons
— salt and pepper to taste
— 1 bunch of dill, tough stems removed, chopped
— 1 bunch of parsley, tough stem removed, chopped
— 1 bunch of scallions, chopped
— 1 lb iItalian sausage, casings removed, broken into pieces with fork, fried
— 8 oz ham steak, fried cut into 1/4” pieces
— 10 oz cooked shrimp, peeled, cooked, cut into small pieces
— 2 shallots, chopped
— 10 oz castelvetrano olives, pitted, roughly chopped
— 3 Tbsp capers, rinsed and dried
— handfuls of pine nuts, toasted
— 1 English cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
— 1 red bell pepper, cored and diced
— 2 Serrano peppers, halved longwise and sliced
— 2 red longhorn peppers, halved longwise and sliced
— 10 oz cheddar cheese cut into 1/4” cubes
— broccoli florets, blanched for 7 minutes in boiling water, cooled off in ice water, drained
THE PROCESS
1. Break up cooked rice with fork infill fluffy, season with oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
2. Mix in chopped herbs.
3. Add and gently incorporate other ingredients as you prepare them.
4. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
5. Do not skimp on olive oil and lemon juice.
A side note: Once you set up your mise en place, it is a nice comforting preparation process for a feel good two-hour old movie.
