Rice-a-Zoomie

I don't suppose I am the very first person to invent this rice dish, so I probably haven't really earned naming rights, but I'm so gosh-darn proud of it that I'm claiming it anyway.

It's pretty simple, really, just green garlic sauteéd in butter, then tossed with Massa brown rice, which are then cooked in water for about 50 minutes before being tossed with just about two tablespoons of homemade bacon bits and whole, roasted Massa almonds.

You gotta serve it quick-quick as the almonds quickly re-absorb water and lose their crisp crunch; the flavor is still wonderful, of course, but the snap is lost. I love snap, so I had the rest of the meal ready to go before stirring in the bacon and almonds.

Smoky and ever-so-slightly-salty from the bacon with savory undertones from the green garlic, this rice as serious temptation to eat 'way too much. We had to quickly slip the rest into the fridge for a subsequent meal or My Beloved and I would have simply stood over the pot with our forks and competed with each other for bites of Rice-a-Zoomie.

Another Win-Win

Did you know that Massa also grows almonds? Well, duh, you'd think I'd have noticed this before but I was so focused on their delicious rice that I missed this entirely until last week when I stopped by their booth at the Marin farmer's market to pick up more rice. The man behind the counter had two enormous bags of almonds on either side of the rice, one of roasted and one of raw.

Yes, please!

I asked for half a pound of each, mixed in the same bag. We've been snacking on them all week. No salt, just plain, they are crisp and bright in flavor with a lighter texture than most almonds. The roasted ones are toasty and the raw ones are mellow. Simply to die for. Really, as good as the rice is, and that's saying a lot. We've had to restrict ourselves to a small handful to share before dinner, or we'd devour the whole pound in just a day or so.

I'm going to try making the rice with some onion, chicken broth and, at the last minute, tossing in some of the roasted almonds. Stand by for a review - I think it's going to be another win-win from Massa.