OK, so you take an electric rice cooker...and some brown rice...and some Swanson Cooking Stock...

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Through trial and error, I invented a brown rice recipe the other night that might actually get me to eat brown rice more often. Rice comes out moist but not mushy...you still get the chewy-ness of the bran layer but it's not REALLY dry and REALLY chewy, which is one thing that turns people off to brown rice.

Vegetarians / vegans can substitute the beef or chicken cooking stock with vegetable stock. I don't know what vegetarians / vegans do about butter, but whatever it is, do that.

:toast:

Electric Rice Cooker Brown Rice a la Vespucci

1 rice cooker measuring cup of brown rice, rinsed in a strainer under cold water
1-1/2 rice cooker measuring cup of Swanson Cooking Stock (beef or chicken)
1 rice cooker measuring cup of reserved dried porcini mushroom liquid (see note below)
1 tablespoon reconstituted dried porcini mushrooms, chopped (see note below)
1 teaspoon Emeril's Essence Creole Seasoning (see note below)
1 tablespoon butter

Add rinsed brown rice to rice cooker. Add chopped porcini mushrooms. Mix Cooking Stock, porcini mushroom liquid and Emeril's Essence in a small bowl, add to rice cooker. Add butter. Close lid, turn on rice cooker, wait, and ENJOY.

Emeril's Essence Note: You can find this in the spice aisle of most supermarkets or make your own from the recipe Emeril has on the Food Network Web Site (this link takes you to his recipe for beef stew: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/emerils-beef-stew-recipe/index.html ...scroll down and you will see the essence recipe at the bottom. I make my own in much smaller "per receipe" batches).

Porcini Mushroom Note: You can get dried porcini mushroosm at most markets and they keep in your cupboard forever if you put them in an airtight container. Get a small saucepan, put in one cup of water, add a small handful of the dried mushrooms, bring to a boil, immediately cover pot and remove from heat. Let stand covered 30 minutes. Remove mushrooms with a slotted spoon. Rinse in a strainer to remove dirt / sand. Place a double thickness of cheesecloth in a strainer (or a clean white paper towel if you don't have any). Pour the mushroom liquid into the strainer. Reserve for use in recipes like the one above.

:toast:

[Kali]

1. mix it

start the brown rice - when the time remaining is 15 - 20 minutes add the white rice.