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I tried
to create this dish a couple of times, never with the success
I wished until I watched a recent 'Two Hot Tamales' TV show and
they featured Spanish Rice.
1/4 -
1/2 cup of good Olive Oil, heated in a skillet (I didn't use quite
1/2 a cup.)
1 cup
white long-grain rice
1/2 onion,
chopped
1 medium
bell pepper, chopped
2 ribs
celery, diced
2 cloves
garlic, minced or smashed
cilantro
if you like
salt,
pepper, other seasonings
1 cup
(plus more) tomato juice
1/2 -
1 cup water or stock
Heat the
oil in a large skillet until it's almost smoking. Add the rice
and cook until it's light browned and crunchy. It will absorb
some of the oil, but it won't expand much. This is going to take
almost 10 minutes to brown as much as necessary. Stir often so
all the rice is exposed to the hot oil evenly. Don't cover, if
you top this with a cover, the lid will 'sweat', and cause the
oil to splatter out! If you feel it's not cooking and you just
'must cover it', be sure to wipe the pot lid often to remove any
condensation.
Add the
chopped vegetables except the cilantro and garlic. Cook until
onions are translucent, don't overcook onions or peppers.
Add the
garlic and cilantro and salt. (Garlic will get bitter if it's
fried for very long, and the cilantro will shrivel up to nothing,
best to add them just before you're about to add the liquids.)
Start
stirring in the liquid. The hot oil will cause the tomato juice
to steam and splutter.Add water or stock, and lower heat and cover
dish. Cooking time from now on is only until all the liquid has
been absorbed, the rice cooked through, etc.
Fluff
with a fork, don't let the rice stick to the skillet, and cook
till done. You may need to cook uncovered a little while if you've
added too much liquid, or you may need to finish off with more
juice or water if it looks too dry.
This is
going to be a cheery orange color, and great as an aside, or add
chopped cooked meat and vegetables to it for a one-dish meal.
May add
more cilantro to garnish.
Text
and images copyright 1998 Martha
Wells
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