Name: Brown Rice with Sauteed Mushrooms and Leeks
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups long-grain brown rice or medium-grain brown rice, or short-grain brown rice; 2 1/3 cups low-sodium chicken broth; table salt; 1 tablespoons unsalted butter; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 medium leek , white part only, sliced crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rings, then rinsed and dried thoroughly; 6 ounces cremini mushrooms , sliced ¼ inch thick; 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves; 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper; 1 1/2 teaspoons sherry vinegar

Why This Recipe Works

For our brown rice recipe, we cooked the rice in the oven to approximate the controlled, indirect heat of a rice cooker, eliminating the risk of scorching. Experimenting with proportions, we discovered why most brown rice is sodden and overcooked: Most brown rice recipes call for a 2:1 water-to-rice ratio. For our brown rice recipe, we found that 2 1/3 cups water to 1 ½ cups rice gave us perfectly cooked rice.

Before You Begin

To minimize any loss of water through evaporation, cover the saucepan and use the broth as soon as it reaches a boil. An 8-inch ceramic baking dish with a lid may be used instead of the baking dish and foil. To double the recipe, use a 13 by 9-inch baking dish; the baking time need not be increased.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 375 degrees. Spread rice in 8-inch-square glass baking dish.

Bring chicken broth to boil, covered, in medium saucepan over high heat; once boiling, immediately stir in 1/8 teaspoon salt and pour broth over rice. Cover baking dish tightly with doubled layer of foil. Bake rice 1 hour, until tender.

When rice has about 10 minutes baking time remaining, heat butter and oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until foaming; add leek and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until moisture released by mushrooms evaporates and mushrooms are browned, about 8 minutes longer. Stir in thyme and pepper and set skillet aside.

Remove baking dish from oven and uncover. Fluff rice with dinner fork, then cover dish with clean kitchen towel; let rice stand 5 minutes. Uncover and stir in mushroom/leek mixture and sherry vinegar; serve immediately.