I forget about rice… I can go for months, even years, without eating the stuff. But then when I do — I remember how much I like it! Especially in a dish like this, with earthy shiitake mushrooms and a drizzling of white truffle oil. And leeks — don’t forget the leeks. The only thing difficult about this recipe is cleaning the mushrooms. After that, it’s a snap. Sort of a cheater’s version of risotto — the texture is completely different, but it’s delicious anyway.

And it works alongside a wide range of things — from roasted chicken (even the takeaway kind) to grilled fish, steaks or even alongside just a simple green salad.

Recipe: Grains: Rice with Shiitake Mushrooms & Truffle Oil
Serves 4

4 cups chicken broth (or can substitute vegetable broth)
2 cups long grain rice like Texmati
3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 leek, white and light green part only, halved and sliced
1 pound shiitake mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 teaspoons good quality white truffle oil

In a medium saucepan, bring the broth to a boil over high heat. Stir in the rice, bring back to a simmer, and cover and cook for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add leeks and saute u ntil softened. Add mushrooms and saute until softened. Add white wine and let simmer, reducing by about half. Stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper.

Add the rice to the skillet and mix with the mushroom, using two forks. Serve at once, drizzling each serving with a judicious teaspoon or so of the white truffle oil.

Wine Pairing:This just cries out for Pinot Noir to me. Though if I were serving it with a white-fleshed fish, I would probably go Chardonnay instead.