Emperor's Forbidden Rice with Rapini and Cremini Mushrooms

While attending the School of Natural Cookery, I learned the language of cooking, which allowed me to continue to develop as a chef-in-training.  I developed this delicious recipe shortly after completing the intensive.

Ingredients

• Walnut oil
• 1/4 of a yellow onion, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1.5 cups Emperor's Forbidden black rice
• 3 cups vegetable stock
• 1 bunch rapini/broccoli rabe, chopped with stems removed
• 8 oz cremini/baby bella mushrooms, quartered
• Fresh parsley
• Fresh thyme
• Salt and pepper to taste

How to make it
First, heat your pan on medium, then add about 2 tablespoons of walnut oil.  Then, add the yellow onion and 3 cloves of garlic. Saute for about 5 minutes, until the onion softens. Don't allow the garlic to burn to the pan. Then, add the rice and saute it in the oil with the onion and garlic for 2 minutes. Next, add the vegetable stock and steep it for 30 minutes covered. Steep just means to bring it to a boil, then turn it down to medium-low to simmer. Then add the chopped rapini and cook it for another 10 minutes.

In the meantime, in a separate pan, saute the cremini mushrooms in walnut oil with 3 cloves of garlic minced and fresh thyme and parsley.

Once the rapini has cooked down in the pan, add a little salt and pepper, then add the mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes.

The rice will make everything black so it'll be important to garnish with parsley and thyme once plating the dish to add some color.

The rapini may be a bit bitter -- if it is, just add a little more salt to it. Delicious!