San Francisco Skillet

 
Think about the old commercial with the streetcar and the bell ringing to advertise a boxed product that included rice and pasta.  This recipe is reminiscent of that commercial.  It is a San Francisco tradition, and in this recipe, we incorporate fresh crab into the recipe.  It is very delicious and could be served warm or cold and would be equally appetizing.  I also think that you could substitute the seafood for chicken, turkey or roasted pork.  It could also be delicious on its own, without any meat at all.

Ingredients:
½ c. roasted red bell pepper, diced (use the rest of the pepper for garnish)*
1 c. spaghetti, broken into half inch pieces
1 c. arborio rice
½ c. small yellow onion, diced
1 c. low sodium chicken broth
¼ c. white wine
salt and pepper, to taste
2 T olive oil
2 T unsalted butter
1 c. crab meat
½ c. green onion
½ c. parsley (may use additional for garnish)
½ c. fresh tarragon or 1 t. dried tarragon
lemon

*You can use pre-roasted red peppers which are widely available in most supermarkets.

 
Otherwise, roast your pepper, charring on all sides.  After roasting, place in a paper bag and seal until cooled.  Once cooled, scrape the skin and charring from the pepper.  Use a paper towel to remove any excess - do not run under water.  Cut and seed the pepper, then place in a dish with olive oil.  Dice half of the pepper and leave the other half for garnish.

 

Wrap about a third of a box of spaghetti into a towel.  Once in the towel, use the back of a knife to break into pieces.

Add butter and olive oil to a medium pot or skillet with high sides, over medium high heat.

Add the broken spaghetti and rice.  Stir until the rice and pasta are toasted, light brown.

Season with salt and pepper.

Add onions, tarragon and diced red pepper.  Saute until the onions are transparent.

Add white wine followed by heated chicken stock.  The chicken stock can be warmed in a microwave oven for about 2 minutes.  Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered for 15-18 minutes.  Remove from heat and fluff with a fork.

 

Add crab and parsley and combine.

Serve with lemon and garnish with green onion, parsley and red pepper.