By Julian Armstrong, Montreal Gazette
Trusty broccoli can do with some variations. A new cookbook that lightens southern American cuisine contains this easy recipe. Virginia Willis, Atlanta cookbook author and TV cook, uses a food processor to break up long grain rice so it will make a creamy risotto when simmered in chicken broth. The broccoli is added for the final minutes of cooking.
Her book, Lighten up, y’all: Classic Southern Recipes made Healthy and Wholesome (Ten Speed Press/Random House, 2015) is an inviting approach to cooking deep south recipes with their fat and salt reduced. Raised on the traditional recipes of her region, but determined to lower her weight, Willis developed satisfying, fresh versions of her family favourites.
Eating her style of cooking has paid off; I met her in March at the conference of the International Association of Culinary Professionals in Washington and she was considerably slimmer than when the photographs were taken for this book. The calorie count for this recipe is 206 with 5 grams of fat.
BROCCOLI AND CHEESE RICE GRITS
Serves 6
1 cup long grain white or brown rice or jasmine brown rice
6 cups (1.5 L) homemade chicken stock or reduced-fat, low-sodium chicken broth
Coarse kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 bay leaf
1 bunch broccoli, cut in florets, stems peeled and thinly sliced
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 50 g)
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg or dried to taste
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Pulverize the rice until broken in a food processor fitted with the metal blade, three to five minutes. In a heavy saucepan, bring stock and one teaspoon salt to a boil over medium-high heat. Add rice and bay leaf, bring to a boil, lower heat to a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender. It should resemble creamy oatmeal or grits. It will take about 20 minutes for white rice and 25 to 30 minutes for brown rice.
Add broccoli stems, stirring to combine, and cook for one to two minutes. Then add florets, stir in, and cook until tender, about seven minutes.
Remove bay leaf and add cheese, nutmeg and butter. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve hot.
