I never cook rice.  If Mr R is around the place and we are having curry or chilli or something else that requires a ricey accompaniment, he is in charge. He is the expert. Just as I am the expert in the scrambled eggs department.  On a Sunday morning that’s my job, he looks after the sausages and bacon.  It is a division of labour that has become default.

This rice recipe appears in Vincent’s genius Cooking Price-Wise book.  This book accompanied his equally genius TV show which appeared on British TV in the 1970s.

The recipes in this book are all in ye olde English measurements and for the Vincent Price cookbook everything will be in American cups so I had to do a bit of reverse engineering on the pimento rice recipe.  So I set about testing my mathematical calculations and got amongst the rice.  I was expecting a fail, but what do you know? Cooked in my Cooking Price-Wise inspired saucepan from the 1970s, it was absolutely perfect!

I hereby give myself a pat on the back.

This is a simple way of jazzing up rice and I fashioned some of it into something rather delicious as I’d spotted an Ottolenghi recipe I fancied having a go at.  Here’s the Guardian Feast photo of his Baked Kimchi Rice

Mine wasn’t quite so photogenic, but man oh man, it was delicious!  This is why food photographers get paid for what they do so well – hahahah!

Here’s Vincent’s original recipe – please note, a UK pint is different to a US pint, hence my cup conversions which you’ll find in the second version.

 

Vincent Price’s Pimento Rice

8 oz long-grain rice

1 pint chicken stock

1 teaspoon salt

1 oz butter

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

2 tablespoons diced pimiento/red bell pepper

Combine stock, rice, butter and salt. Heat to boiling, stir once, cover, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes or until rice is tender.  Add parsley and pimento.  Toss lightly.

Serves: 4

Vincent Price’s Pimiento Rice US Cups Version

1¼ cups long-grain rice

2¾ cups chicken stock

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

2 tablespoons diced pimiento/red bell pepper

Combine the stock, rice, butter and salt. Heat to boiling point, stir once, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until rice is tender. Add parsley and pimiento. Toss lightly.

Serves: 4

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