Recipe for "rice-gumbo"

NAME

     RICE-GUMBO - A basic steamed rice for gumbo dishes
     If you are making the gumbo for appetizer servings,  make  a
     1/3  recipe.   If  you  make  this ahead, leave out the bell
     peppers, since they sour quickly.

INGREDIENTS (makes 1.75 l)

     500 g     white rice, preferably converted
     750 ml    chicken stock, homemade or canned
     15 g      onions, very finely chopped
     15 g      celery, very finely chopped
     10 g      green bell pepper, very finely chopped.
     20 g      unsalted butter, melted
     2.5 ml    salt
     0.5 ml    garlic powder
     pinch     white pepper, cayenne and black pepper

PROCEDURE

          (1)  Preheat the oven to 175 deg. C.
          (2)  Combine all the ingredients in a 12x22cm loaf pan.
               Seal  the  pan  snugly  with  aluminum foil.  Bake
               until the rice is tender,  about  1  hour  and  10
               minutes.

NOTES

     You can use the rice right away, or leave it in the oven  to
     stay warm for a couple of hours.  If you save it longer than
     that, reheat in the top of a double boiler or stir it  in  a
     skillet with a little butter.

RATING

     Difficulty: easy.  Time: 5 minutes preparation,  70  minutes
     cooking.  Precision: measure the ingredients.

CONTRIBUTOR

     Vicki O'Day
     Hewlett-Packard Laboratories, Palo Alto, CA
     hplabs!oday