SOUBISE

adapted from the Julia Child classic — useful alone as a vegetable or layered in a casserole with ham or chicken and Mornay sauce.

Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup rice
  • 2 pounds sweet Spanish onions
  • 6 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • Salt
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons heavy cream optional
  • ½ cup grated cheese optional
  • Freshly grated pepper
  • Lemon juice

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 325° F.
  • Drop rice into boiling salted water, boil for 5 minutes and drain.
  • Peel and chop the onions.
  • Heat the butter and oil in a baking dish; stir in the onions, then the rice and ½ teaspoon salt. Mix to coat well with butter and oil.
  • Cover the pan and place in a preheated 325° F. oven.
  • Bake for 45 to 60 minutes or until the rice is completely tender and the onions are soft and golden. Stir occasionally.
  • Mix in the cream and cheese if you wish, adding salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste.

Notes

Yield: 4 cups.
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To use Soubise as a layer in a casserole, after the onions and rice are cooked, beat in 2 egg yolks. Omit the cream and the cheese and season as above. Then layer in whatever casserole you choose to include it in and bake according to directions.
Example: Make a layered chicken or ham ( whatever you fancy in the meat department), spinach, and Soubise casserole in a Mornay Sauce.
1. Make a bed of cooked chopped spinach.
2. Sprinkle with Swiss and Cheddar cheeses.
3. Fill ham slices with soubise and fold each over like an envelope; set on the spinach, seam sides down. Spoon any remaining soubise around the ham and top with Mornay Sauce (see below) and some grated cheese.
4. Bake in a preheated 375° F. oven until bubbly, about 25 to 30 minutes.
Keyword Rice, Dumplings and Grains