Midnight Rice

Italian black rice. It does exist, but this odd rice is not native to Italy; it was brought there from China in the 1980s, and has become popular ever since. It is a wonderfully chewy, nutty rice that reminds me of a kinder, gentler wild rice. It will not cook up like a risotto, so don’t even try it; I did, and it was an epic fail.

Instead, you need to cook black rice like wild rice, which is to say with lots of water and a willingness to drain the excess water out of the dish before you serve it. There is nothing wrong with the excess water, but I don’t like black rice when it is soupy.

I call this dish “midnight rice” because it is one of my annual homages to the Winter Solstice; last year’s was called, aptly enough, “winter solstice.” In addition to the black rice, this recipe has lots of black trumpet mushrooms, which are available online or in good gourmet stores, as well as a fancy extra: Black truffles. I happened to have some I gathered in Oregon for this recipe, and they add another layer of flavor to an already deeply savory dish. If you can’t afford them, just use a little black truffle oil — or skip them altogether.

Serves 4, and can be doubled

• 2 cups Italian black rice
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup shallots, minced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound black trumpet mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
• 2 cups beef, vegetable or wild game stock
• 2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 black truffle (optional)
• 2-4 tablespoons black truffle oil

 

1. In a heavy pot, heat the butter over medium-high heat. Add the black trumpet mushrooms and shallots and saute, stirring often, until the shallots begin to brown, about 5-6 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
2. Stir in the rice and add the salt. Saute for 1 minute. Pour in the water and stock and turn the heat to high. When the liquid boils, turn the heat down to a bare simmer, cover and cook gently for 40-50 minutes.
3. Check the rice. It should be tender. If not, continue to cook for another 10 minutes. Drain any excess liquid of there is any.
4. To serve, drizzle a little black truffle oil over the rice and shave very thin slices of black truffle over the dish.

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