{"id":27371,"date":"2020-10-02T11:09:10","date_gmt":"2020-10-02T09:09:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tortelliniandco.com\/?p=27371"},"modified":"2024-02-20T15:24:59","modified_gmt":"2024-02-20T14:24:59","slug":"rice-casserole-with-potatoes-and-mushrooms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tortelliniandco.com\/en\/rice-casserole-with-potatoes-and-mushrooms\/","title":{"rendered":"Rice casserole with potatoes and mushrooms. Pure comfort food"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I think about comfort food, firstly, I guess steaming dishes like this rice casserole with potato and mushrooms, a revisitation of a famous Italian dish from the South, rice, potato, and mussels\u00a0<\/span>tiella.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

But what exactly does comfort food mean anyway? However, I suppose it changes for each of us, above all today, with the variety of diets that crowd our tables today.<\/span><\/p>\n

The expression, which has taken shape thanks to the pioneering reflections of British and American food writers, refers to foods that, in addition to satiating, have to do with consolation and well-being.<\/span><\/p>\n

Anyway, often are foods reminiscent of childhood or home cooking; almost always, they are carbohydrates or dishes high in sugar.<\/span><\/p>\n

When I think about the home cooking of my childhood, I find flavors that go far beyond mere nourishment. Often, my comfort foods are pasta dishes and desserts. More pasta than desserts, to be honest. My list of comforts includes the classic\u00a0<\/span>cup of broth<\/span><\/a>, consomm\u00e9s,\u00a0<\/span>and soups<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

My idea of comfort food is related to ingredients, memories, and seasons (of life even).\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>It’s this mix of different elements that make a dish a comfort.<\/span><\/h5>\n

I admit my favorite comfort foods are almost all traditional Emilia-Romagna first courses. And among the desserts, surprisingly, there is the American apple crumble that my flatmate and friend Ann made several times.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Rice<\/p>\n

The flavors of the woods in a rice casserole<\/h4>\n

During one of my weekly visits to my parents’ house in Romagna, I found a welcome gift waiting for me. It was a bag of fragrant porcini mushrooms picked in the woods surrounding Castel del Rio. It is a small village in the Romagna Apennines that becomes Tuscany after a handful of kilometers. I have often written about this area here on the blog since that is where the paternal branch of my family comes from.<\/span><\/p>\n

I decided to use the stems of those porcini mushrooms, less valuable than the caps, to revisit the superb recipe for rice, potato, and mussels\u00a0<\/span>tiella<\/span><\/em>\u00a0that Paola, a friend from Brindisi who has lived in Bologna for a long time, prepares.<\/span><\/p>\n

That is a land version of my friend’s sea recipe, where mushrooms replace mussels. I assure you that the rice pan produces a comfort food effect.<\/span><\/p>\n

The ingredients cook together, placed in layers, and covered with broth.<\/span><\/p>\n

As they cook, the moods mingle, and the flavors of forest, earth, and rice paddy, encouraged by Parmesan cheese, come together. The outcome is a special pan that is also suitable for Sunday lunch.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Buona cucina, Monica<\/p>\n

Cooking Notes<\/span><\/h5>\n