Julia Child's Soubise Recipe (Onion & Rice Casserole)

The Recipe: Call onions the steady-eddies of cooking, we cook them every day but rarely take notice. Thanks to this classic French side dish called "soubise" [pronounced soo-BEEZ], we'll never take onions for granted again. Soubise combines thin ribbons of onion with rice and a little cream and cheese. Dreamy. Heavenly. Ethereal. Addictive. Yes, it's that good.

The Conversation: Who stands up for kohlrabi and green beans?

~ Skip Straight to the Recipe ~

COMPLIMENTS!

• "...it is fantastic!" ~ HeatherCheryl
• "... the family had only one comment: double the recipe next time!!!" ~ Anonymous
• "OH.MY.WORD." ~ Pamela

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An American Icon.

When Norman Borlaug died at age 95 last fall, it saddened me that his life’s work was vilified. Borlaug was the Midwestern scientist who championed modern farming practices across the world, not unlike, isn’t it so? the indigenous American peoples who bioengineered corn and potatoes millennia before. Borlaug’s work in agronomy, genetics and plant pathology is credited with saving a billion people from starvation. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970.

Then there’s St. Louis’ own Monsanto, the company whose Round-Up and genetically modified (GMO) seeds evoke controversy. In 2006, Monsanto formed a vegetable and fruit seed division to develop new strains of broccoli, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, melons and more.

First out of the dirt is a mild onion called EverMild introduced this month by Monsanto and St. Louis’ largest grocery chain, the family-owned Schnucks Markets. I attended a media lunch where chefs prepared an all-onion meal, everything from caramelized onion pizza and French onion soup (delicious!) to a fruity onion sorbet (no thanks).

Call Me Conflicted.

Call me conflicted. Nobody stands up for kohlrabi, say, like Kraft stands up for Kool-Aid. Nobody stands up for green beans, say, like General Mills stands up for Golden Grahams.

So when science and investment produce higher-yielding, disease resistant, longer-lasting, better-tasting or more nutritious vegetables and fruits, isn’t that what we ask and expect from American ingenuity? Isn’t that a sign of human progress, not a certain problem?

If it takes a company the size of Walmart versus the passion of Whole Foods (see “The Great Grocery Smackdown” from this month’s Atlantic) to save small family farms, can we allow the possibility that the Monsantos of the world must be afforded the chance to contribute?

Thoughts, readers? Do we want companies to stand up for fruits and vegetables? Can we afford to? Can we afford "not" to?

No debate about Julia Child’s recipe for Soubise [pronounced soo-BEEZ], the onion and rice side dish: it’s fabulous. My friend Anne Cori calls it "French risotto without the stirring" but the rice almost melts into the noodle-like strips of onion. Come to think of it, yes, with eyes closed and tastebuds open, there’s a mac ‘n’ cheese dimension to soubise, a swanky grown-up mac ‘n ‘cheese, for sure, but mac ‘n’ cheese nonetheless. Pair it with meat, a roast chicken, say, or thin slices of rare beef tenderloin or even as the "starch" with a weekend pot roast or brisket. Last week, I served it with Moroccan Chicken, twas dreamy.

COOKING with EVERMILD ONIONS The onions are supposedly tearless but in my experience, not. Because I wear contacts, I never have trouble crying over cut onions but with EverMild, I did, so did two others who helped cut vegetables for a family birthday party. (I know, I know, this is a bad sign.) EverMild onions are "long day" onions for harvest in the fall, sold up until March, when Georgia’s famous Vidalia onions, "short day" onions harvested in the spring, become available. For the moment, EverMild onions are only available at Schnucks Markets in St. Louis. More about EverMild Onions and St. Louis’ only newspaper doing investigative journalism, Riverfront Times.

JULIA CHILD’S SOUBISE RECIPE
(ONION & RICE CASSEROLE)

Hands-on time: 20 minutes
Time to table: 90 minutes
Makes 4 cups

• 2 cups salted water (or enough to cover)
• 1/2 cup rice (see TIPS)

• 4 tablespoons butter (2oz/60g/half a stick, see TIPS)
• 2 pounds (900g) onions, trimmed, peeled and sliced very thin (see TIPS)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• Pepper to taste

• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup grated Gruyère (about 1 ounce), (see TIPS)

Heat oven to 300F/150C.

RICE Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan, add the rice and cook for exactly 5 minutes. Drain immediately.

ONIONS Melt the butter on medium heat in a large oven-safe skillet (see TIPS) with a lid. Drop in the onions as they’re prepped, stirring to coat with butter. Once all the onions are in, briefly sauté them. Stir in the rice, salt and pepper.

BAKE Cover and bake for an hour, stirring once or twice. Remove from the oven, stir in the cream and cheese. If the rice is still a little undone, return to the oven for 10 – 60 minutes (see TIPS). Serve and savor.

MAKE-AHEAD TIPS Soubise can be made ahead of time and then reheated for serving, no loss to quality.

ALANNA’s TIPS My favorite rice for soubise is the Arborio so often used in risotto. But don't worry, any white rice will work fine. Brown rice works too but needs to be cooked longer than white rice, aim for "al dente" so just before done. Less butter works too, I’ve used as few as two tablespoons butter. But with less fat, do watch the onions carefully as they cook, so not to scorch. For onions, use a cooking onion like a yellow onion or a sweet onion like a Vidalia, once they’re in season. With careful knife work, it is possible to slice the onions thin-thin-thin. Faster, however, is the slicing blade on a food processor. My favorite slicer for this dish is a mandoline, also called a Japanese Benriner. Cut the onions in halves or quarters, place flat-side down on the blade to peel off ribbons of onion. Please, do wear the finger blade and review my tips for how to safely use a mandoline. For cheese, Gruyère is traditional and adds a gooey-nuttiness that’s fabulous. But I first became smitten with soubise made with goat cheese, the tang played beautifully off the savory onions. Many cheeses would work, just avoid an oily cheese such as cheddar. For appearance’s sake, I like to combine the rice and onions on the stove but then transfer to a shallow dish like a quiche pan covered with foil for baking. An hour in the oven creates a dish that’s done – and delicious – and creamy-pale. When dinner ran late one night, I left the soubise in the oven for another hour and oo-la-la, the cream turned dark and nutty.

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Half Cup: 145 Calories; 9g Tot Fat; 6g Sat Fat; 13mg Cholesterol; 132mg Sodium; 13g Carb; 2g Fiber; 4g Sugar; 3g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS Old Points 3 & PointsPlus 4 & SmartPoints 6 & Freestyle 6.

Adapted from a “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” class at Kitchen Conservatory, St Louis' amazing cooking school. The instructor, my friend Anne Cori, reports that her students all went home afterward to make her newbies for soubise themselves. I get this: I’ve made soubise three times and three ways in 10 days. Yes, it’s that good. Anne’s a fabulous cook and a regular inspiration. She’s also the Pastry Whisperer who taught me how to make Flaky Tender Pie Crust and for that, and for Julia Child’s Soubise recipe, and other life-changing introductions, I am ever grateful.

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An Alanna-Style French Menu

Olivada on Crostini

Fast Roast Chicken
~ Julia Child's Soubise ~
(recipe above)
Ratatouille
Salad Greens with My Favorite Dressing

Lemon or Coffee Pots

~ more French recipes ~

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Homage to Julia Child

~ Julia Child's Blender Hollandaise ~
~ Julia Child's Cucumber Salad ~
~ Julia Child's Lentil Salad ~
~ Julia Child's Cream of Zucchini Soup ~
~ Julia Child's Yellow Squash Coconut Soup ~
from A Veggie Venture, my food blog about vegetables

~ Mastering the Art of French Cooking ~

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Fall In Love with Onions

(hover with a mouse for a description; otherwise click a photo to view the recipe)

~ more onion recipes ~

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Shop Your Pantry First

(helping home cooks save money on groceries)

~ onions ~
~ rice ~
~ cheese ~
~ All Recipes, By Ingredient ~
~ How to Save Money on Groceries ~

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Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make Julia Child's Soubise recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

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