Gullah Rice Recipes

GULLAH RICE

Steps:

• Heat 1/4 cup oil in a heavy-bottomed pot. Season chicken with Gullah seasoning. Brown chicken in oil, about 8 minutes; remove and set aside. Add onion to pot and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes.
• Return chicken to pot with onion and add stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and briskly simmer until juices run clear when the chicken is pierced with a fork, about 15 minutes. Remove chicken and set aside. Strain stock into a bowl and discard onion. Return stock to pot.
• Heat butter in another heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook over medium heat, whisking continuously, until mixture turns dark brown, about 10 minutes. Whisk mixture into stock, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat and briskly simmer until stock thickens, about 5 minutes. Add rice and return to a simmer, then cover and continue to simmer until rice is tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
• While rice is cooking, strip chicken meat from bones. Discard bones and any sinew. Dice the meat.
• In a clean, heavy-bottomed pot, heat remaining 1/4 cup vegetable oil. Add pepper and carrots; sauté until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add shrimp and sauté 3 minutes more. Add chicken and sausage and heat through. Add mixture to rice, mix well, and cook until heated through. Serve immediately.

GULLAH RED RICE

Steps:

• Rinse the rice until the water becomes slightly clear. (This removes the starch.)
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large frying pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the sausage, onion and pepper and cook, stirring, until the vegetables soften and start to brown at the edges, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, sugar, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir rice into the tomato mixture and cook, uncovered, and stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.
• Transfer to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and spread into an even layer. Add just enough water to cover the rice (about 2 cups). Tightly cover with a lid or foil and bake for 30 minutes without uncovering the baking dish. Turn off the oven, remove the rice, fluff the rice, then cover and return to oven for 10 minutes more.

GULLAH RED RICE

Steps:

• Place bacon in a pot and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, 7 to 10 minutes. Add bell pepper and onion to bacon grease and saute over medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Add sausage and cook and stir until browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove mixture from the pan to a bowl.
• Pour tomato sauce and tomato paste into the same pot, along with 1 cup water. Bring to a boil; add rice, sugar, salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. Bring back to a boil; reduce heat and let simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Transfer the rice mixture to a 9x13-inch baking pan. Cover with foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until liquid has evaporated and rice is tender, about 25 minutes.

LOW COUNTRY GULLAH RICE

Steps:

• Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
• Add celery, carrot, and pistachios; sauté 5 minutes or until tender.
• Add water and salt; bring to a boil.
• Add rice and thyme; return to a boil.
• Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until most of liquid is absorbed.
• Let stand, covered, 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

BENNE COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 2 large cookie sheets with butter.
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat and add the benne seeds, stirring them until coated. Toast the seeds, stirring frequently, until fragrant and darkened a shade, 2 to 3 minutes. Take care not to burn the seeds and turn down the heat if needed. Scrape onto a plate and let cool completely.
• Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl.
• In a large bowl, cream together the remaining 8 tablespoons/115 grams butter and both sugars until well combined and fluffy. Add the egg and beat well. Add the cooled toasted benne seeds and the vanilla, then stir in the flour mixture.
• Drop rounded teaspoonfuls of the cookie dough at least 2 1/2 inches apart on 1 prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until golden brown around the edges. Remove the wafers from the cookie sheet immediately and place on waxed or parchment paper to cool. Repeat with the remaining dough on the second cookie sheet, reusing the first sheet when it's cool, if needed.