Subscribe to our newsletter Tu boil every Friday (enabled for subscribers, free for two months for non-subscribers).
Editor’s Note: Rice for Dummies
If French home cooking traditionally pays little attention to rice, considering it a simple side dish, then this dish is taken much more seriously in other gastronomic cultures, in particular Asian (biryani, bibimbap, nasi goreng, etc.), African (wolof rice, tiep … ) or Southern Europe (risotto, arancini, paella…). In France, some star stars are more interested in it than their fellow citizens: Pascal Barbeau (Astrance, currently closed, but you can see him at the Cèna in Paris) is a fan, as is Nadia Sammut (Auberge La Fenière, in Cadena ). This latest gluten-free kitchen is his establishment, created by his grandmother and then taken over by his mother, Reine Sammut, even the only star-marked establishment that does not offer any dishes containing wheat.
leaf through Hot (ed. Hachette Cuisine and Human Humans, 2021), we stumbled upon a recipe the latter passed along to culinary author Victoire Lou, who reminded us how much rice deserves a closer look. It only takes a few simple gestures and a few extra minutes of prep – but we promise you won’t have to do any more dishes – to perfect your rice dish. Start by rinsing 250 grams of rice to get rid of the starch and prevent it from sticking together. Cut the onion, peel the clove of garlic. Fry the onion in 15 ml of olive oil until transparent, add the rice, mix and heat over low heat for a few minutes without coloring it. Moisten with 35 ml of chicken broth. Salt pepper. Stir again and bring to a boil. Add garlic clove and thyme sprig. Cover with a lid and cook over low heat until the broth is completely absorbed (about fifteen minutes). We eat, we are (by) defeated: never again will we be content with casually dropping rice grains into a pot of boiling water and waiting (ten to twenty minutes, depending on what is written on the box).
Napkin rings: a whim in Belleville
The headbutt is aptly named. It’s kind of the perfect restaurant, beautiful, good, not too expensive, where you can always find a table for two at the last minute, even at the end of the bar. It’s because you eat well, drink well, and Lorraine, the hostess, is always attentive. The neighbors have a party there: there are often children, big dogs and many actors playing almond trees. There we ate simple and delicious things, orecchiette with candied lemon…
.
