Gooey Rice

To go with our grilled pork medallions, I wanted to use some Massa brown rice, but I was looking for a little extra flavor since the rest of the meal was fairly bland. I sauteed some chopped onion in about a tablespoon of bacon fat, until it was nicely brownish, then added the rice, cooking it in the onion-bacon mixture for a few minutes before adding chicken broth and simmering, covered, for about 50 minutes.

When I put the medallions on the grill, I started the beans and added brightly green scallions to the rice pot, stirring them in and letting them cook gently for the 5-10 minutes or so it took to grill the pork and steam the beans.

I'd describe the rice as bacon-onion risotto except that I've never made a risotto in my life. The smoky bacon flavor pervaded the dish and the rich onion flavor complemented the nutty rice. The texture was creamy/gooey, as if I had added stock and stirred every few minutes when, in fact, all I did was put on the lid, set the timer and go bug My Beloved for a while.