Meal suggestions incorporating Carolina Gold rice?

Hey all,

I have some beautiful Anson Mills Carolina Gold Rice, and I want to prepare a dinner that includes it as one of the elements. Thought some of you might have some ideas!

TIA

Maryam
  • Posted by: Maryam
  • September 14, 2016
  • 8873 views
  • 15 Comments
Question image

15 Comments

Shuna L. September 15, 2016
Risotto, rice pudding (I like to make it without eggs so you can really taste the rice!), arancini, and Calas.
 
sexyLAMBCHOPx September 15, 2016
How about Chicken Bog? A chicken, sausage, and rice stew with deep southern roots like its famous rice. Anson Mills has a recipe but if you google you'll find lots of others with variations. If you make it enter it into this weeks contest. It screams fall, IMO.
 
AntoniaJames September 15, 2016
Frankly, that stuff is so good, I would serve it plain, with just about anything. The flavor is out of this world, isn't it? (That reminds me . . . I have half a bag of it in my freezer! Best rice I've ever eaten. Seriously.)
Incidentally, I served the Caroline Gold rice topped with their Sea Island red peas, made using the recipe that came with them. We had it on New Year's Day, instead of black eyed peas. Incredible. Highly recommend! ;o)
 
pierino September 15, 2016
As a lover of rice of all types I'll have to order some of this for myself and take it for a ride.
 
pierino September 15, 2016
As a lover of rice of all types I'll have to order some of this for myself and take it for a ride.
 
E E. September 15, 2016
Hello Maryam, I have used some of the heirloom rice, from another grower, and thought it had a special and interesting flavor and texture. The directions that worked best for me were to boil the rice, then drain it when it was tender and then spread it out on a (lightly) buttered jelly roll pan and dry it out a little in a warm oven. There are recipes around for a pilau or pilaf type of dish that was traditional for this kind of rice, and I liked that the best. So I did a saute of lamb with spices and some stock and tomatoes, but it could be anything along that line that you like. I suppose even a beef Stroganov sort of dish would work. You could also do a saute/stew with okra and tomatoes, maybe some beans.
 
Maedl September 15, 2016
Did you see this site?
http://www.carolinaplantationrice.com/recipes/
 
Nancy September 15, 2016
To both Pierino and cv - thanks both for your good points from the grounds of origin/authenticity and/or whether it works here and now.
I only know this dish from cooking in USA & Canada.
Can we perhaps agree that breaded fried rice balls are one of those dishes that have been imported & adapted, that would not be recognized in its home country as either authentic or edible, but that still might work and taste good here?
 
702551 September 14, 2016
Anson Mills has an arancini recipe for this rice on their website.

Here's the product page:

http://www.ansonmills.com/products/23

Unsurprisingly, they have other suggestions for this particular rice.
 
pierino September 14, 2016
I looked at the recipe and I remain a skeptic. I don't think you can the creaminess which a risotto or an arancino require with long grain rice. I'm sure the product is excellent for other purposes but this sounds like trying to sell something that it's not suited to. Rice in Italy is short grain and is grown in the Po valley. I can't imagine this going over well there.
 
702551 September 14, 2016
I hear you pierino, however the Anson Mills site claims the rice reacts differently from different cooking methods.

Personally, I don't think this rice is going to sub 1-for-1 with risotto rice (Carnaroli, Arborio, whatever) or any Asian short-grain variety, but they seem to think that it can provide something that's worth touting.

Maryam is not trying to impress Italians living in the Po Valley or Japanese at a Tokyo sushi bar. She is trying to impress people at her dinner table, wherever that is. It's really up to her to figure out if this Carolina Gold rice performs to whatever standard she expects.
 
Valhalla September 14, 2016
I just use it as I would any rice. The rice grits are also fantastic--I just love the consistency. Have you seen the recipes on their website?
http://www.ansonmills.com/products/23
Check out the red rice.
Some kind of pilaf with okra would be appropriate and seasonal.
 
Nancy September 14, 2016
Agree with Valhalla.
But/and. If you make plain cooked rice and have some leftovers, you might make Italian rice balls (arancini de riso), lightly breaded and fried...nice side dish that goes with many things.
Or the Sicilian version, stuffed with more goodies.
 
pierino September 14, 2016
For arancini you really need a short grain rice.
Myself, I would be thinking NOLA style red beans. With andouille sausage.
 
Nancy September 14, 2016
Pierino - Generally, yes short grain rice for the fluffiness and starch, but this rice may have enough starch to help it hold together. What do you think?
 
Recommended by Food52