Stuck-Pot Rice with Potato Crust and Broiled Shrimp

Serves 4.

  • Salt
  • 1 cup basmati rice, well rinsed
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/8 cup melted butter
  • 1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ tsp. ground fennel (not seeds)
  • 1 medium waxy potato (thin-skinned variety like Yukon Gold)
  • 1 medium fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced. Chop and reserve the feathery leaves for garnish.
  • 3 scallions, sliced crosswise in ¼ inch slices.
  • 1 tsp. finely chopped garlic
  • broiled shrimp

Prepare the rice

  1. Fill a medium pot with lightly salted water, and bring to boil.
  2. Stir in rice, return to boil and reduce heat so water is at a lively simmer.
  3. Cook undisturbed about 5 minutes; drain, and set aside. Rice will be only partly done.
  4. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Prepare vegetables

  1. In a small bowl, combine 1 tbsp. butter and 1 tbsp. olive oil with the ground fennel.
  2. Add the chopped garlic.
  3. Peel potatoes, and cut crosswise into thin slices.
  4. Put remaining butter and oil in large heavy-bottom pot.
  5. Add fennel, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 3 minutes.
  6. Transfer fennel to a plate, and set aside.

Construct the stuck-pot

  1. Add ¼ cup water and butter-oil-ground fennel-garlic mixture to pot.
  2. Sprinkle the sliced scallions on bottom of pot and then carefully cover the scallions with a layer of potato slices.
  3. Add half the rice, then fennel, then remaining rice.
  4. Wrap a clean kitchen towel around lid of pot so it completely covers inside of lid; gather corners on top so they do not fall anywhere near stove.
  5. Place lid on pot, sealing tightly.
  6. Turn heat to medium-high.
  7. When you hear water spattering – in about 5 minutes – turn heat down very low.
  8. Cook undisturbed about 45 minutes. If the potatoes do not smell toasty turn the heat to high for about 4 or 5 minutes and let it sizzle and brown. Don’t let it burn.
  9. Remove from heat, and let sit 5 minutes more.
  10. Carefully remove lid and cloth, and turn pot upside down over a platter.
  11. If potatoes come out in a single crust, terrific. If not, use a spatula to scrape pieces out of pan and onto rice.
  12. Season with salt and pepper to taste, sprinkle with the reserved feathery fennel leaves and serve with broiled shrimp.

 

 

 

 

This entry was posted in Not sweet but savoury / Tarty nie całkiem deserowe. Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *