FOOD AND BEVERAGES: Rice - World’s Most Important Grain on Your Thanksgiving Table

World’s Most Important Grain on Your Thanksgiving Table: Rice

By Jorge Jefferds November 14, 2014 

Half the world's population supposedly subsists wholly or partially on rice. Ninety percent of the world crop is grown and consumed in Asia. American consumption, although increasing, is still only about 25 lb (11 kg) per person annually, as compared with 200 to 400 lb (90–181 kg) per person in parts of Asia. 

Rice is the only major cereal crop that is primarily consumed by humans directly as harvested, and only wheat and corn are produced in comparable quantity. Why is rice important?

Rice is a nutritious food and an important part of a healthy diet.  Rice contains more than 15 vitamins and minerals that help protect against disease and ensure healthy growth during pregnancy and childhood. In fact, populations with high rice consumption are associated with less overall disease rates and with better health, and scientific studies show that people who eat rice have healthier diets.

This Thanksgiving Day, one of the main suggestions on our tables should be the millenarian grain to accompany our traditional turkey. Even though, there are several excellent recipes, the one in particular is called Paella, where rice and seafood will delight the most refined palates.

Ingredients

Spice Mix for chicken, recipe follows

1 (3-pound) frying chicken, cut into 10 pieces

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 Spanish chorizo sausages, thickly sliced

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 Spanish onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, crushed

Bunch flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped, reserve some for garnish

1 (15-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained and hand-crushed

4 cups short grain Spanish rice

6 cups water, warm

Generous pinch saffron threads

1 dozen littleneck clams, scrubbed

1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and de-veined

2 lobster tails

1/2 cup sweet peas, frozen and thawed

Lemon wedges, for serving

Special equipment:

Large paella pan or wide shallow skillet

Spice Mix for chicken:

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

2 teaspoons dried oregano

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Preparation

Special equipment:

Rub the spice mix all over the chicken and marinate chicken for 1 hour in the refrigerator. Heat oil in a paella pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the chorizo until browned. Remove, and reserve. Add chicken skin-side down and brown on all sides, turning with tongs. Add salt and freshly ground pepper. Remove from pan and reserve.

In the same pan, make a sofrito sauce by sautéing the onions, garlic, and parsley.

Cook for 2 or 3 minutes on a medium heat. Then, add tomatoes and cook until the mixture caramelizes a bit and the flavors meld. Fold in the rice and stir-fry to coat the grains. Pour in water and simmer for 10 minutes, gently moving the pan around so the rice cooks evenly and absorbs the liquid. Add chicken, chorizo, and saffron. Add the clams and shrimp, tucking them into the rice. The shrimp will take about 8 minutes to cook. Give the paella a good shake and let it simmer, without stirring, until the rice is al dente, for about 15 minutes. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, when the rice is filling the pan, add the lobster tails. When the paella is cooked and the rice looks fluffy and moist, turn the heat up for 40 seconds until you can smell the rice toast at the bottom, then it's perfect.

Remove from heat and rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with peas, parsley and lemon wedges.

Spice Mix for chicken:

Combine ingredients in a small bowl. Rub the spice mixture all over the chicken; marinate for 1 hour, covered.

Paella is a Valencian rice dish with ancient roots that originated in the mid-nineteenth century near Albufera Lagoon, a coastal lagoon in Valencia, on the east coast of Spain.