Cheesy Broccoli and Rice

Ingredients
2 slices white sandwich bread, torn into pieces
³⁄₄ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled
2 pounds broccoli, florets cut into 1-inch pieces, stems chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 ¹⁄₄ cups white rice
4 cups chicken broth
1 ¹⁄₄ cups half and half
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
¹⁄₈ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400*F. Pulse bread, ¹⁄₄ cup Parmesan, and melted butter in food processor until coarsely ground. (Or use a mini-grinder.)  Add garlic.

2. Microwave broccoli florets, covered, in large bowl until bright green and tender, 2 to 4 minutes; set aside. Melt remaining butter in Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook onion and broccoli stems until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, until rice is translucent, about 1 minute. Stir in broth, half and half, and salt and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often, until rice is tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Off heat, stir in cheddar, cayenne, remaining Parmesan, and broccoli florets.

3. Place Dutch oven in oven and bake until sauce is bubbling around edges and top is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. Serve. 

Comments
I thought this dish was fantastic.  It sort of reminded me of risotto, only in baked casserole form.  It was scrumptious.  The original recipe is from the 2009 Cook’s Country Annual.  I did exchange the food processor for my mini-grinder and baked it in the Dutch oven instead of the 13 by 9-inch pan the recipe called for in order to spare my dish washer.  He appreciated my generosity and benevolence.  He was also pleased that this dish wasn’t as cheesy as he thought it would be – since he’s not a lover of cheese, this is a good thing.

Cook’s Country 2009