Best Rice With Caramelized Shallots From Melissa Darabian Recipes

RICE WITH GREEN PEPPER AND JALAPENO

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large sauce pan. Then add the jalapeno, onions and green peppers, sprinkle with salt and cook over medium heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir. Add the rice and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the rice is golden, about 5 minutes. Turn the heat up to high and add 2 cups water and the stock. Bring to a boil, cover tightly, and reduce the heat to a simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let rest, still covered, 3 minutes longer. Sprinkle with the lime zest and juice before serving.

RICE WITH CARAMELIZED SHALLOTS FROM MELISSA D'ARABIAN

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, add the butter. When the butter has melted add the shallots and saute until very soft, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in the rice and add a pinch of salt.
• Raise the heat to high and cook, stirring to toast the rice, about 1 minute.
• Add the wine and cook until reduced by half.
• Pour in the stock and water and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer until the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
• Season with salt, to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve.

CARAMELIZED SHALLOT PASTA

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium high. Add shallots and thinly sliced garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots have become totally softened and caramelized with golden-brown fried edges, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Add red-pepper flakes and anchovies. (No need to chop the anchovies; they will dissolve on their own.) Stir to melt the anchovies into the shallots, about 2 minutes.
• Add tomato paste and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly to prevent any scorching, until the tomato paste has started to cook in the oil a bit, caramelizing at the edges and going from bright red to a deeper brick red color, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer about half the mixture to a resealable container, leaving the rest behind. (These are your leftovers to be used elsewhere: in another batch of pasta or smeared onto roasted vegetables, spooned over fried eggs or spread underneath crispy chicken thighs.)
• To serve, cook pasta according to package instructions in a large pot of salted boiling water until very al dente (perhaps more al dente than usual). Transfer to Dutch oven with remaining shallot mixture (or a skillet if you are using the leftover portion) and 1 cup pasta water. Cook over medium-high heat, swirling the skillet to coat each piece of pasta, using a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape up any bits on the bottom, until pasta is thick and sauce has reduced and is sticky, but not saucy, 3 to 5 minutes.
• In a small bowl, combine parsley and finely chopped garlic clove, and season with flaky salt and pepper. Divide pasta among bowls, or transfer to one large serving bowl, and top with parsley mixture and a bit more red-pepper flakes, if you like.