MEXICAN RICE (ARROZ MEXICANO)

Hola!

Most people will call this Spanish Rice...  Why?  Spain is like across the Atlantic Ocean. The majority of the ingredients in this delicious dish come from here. The America's. Doesn't that sound elegant? THE America's! Makes me proud...  anyway, this is one of THE basic dishes that is usually a side dish unless you want to make it a skillet dinner by adding roasted chicken. If you do that it becomes Arroz con Pollo, or Chicken with Rice. The variations are as endless as your imagination...

I remember my mom preparing this dish at least twice a week. Sometimes three times a week. It was my father's favorite. Full of flavor. Filling. Inexpensive. And quick.

Mom would start the dinner meal around 4:30 in the afternoon... She would head to the kitchen. Grab her colorful apron so as not to soil her Moo-Moo... (which was also colorful). She would then turn on the radio to her favorite Mexican station KUNO and would listen to the music her favorite singer, Pedro Infante... Where ever I was in the house, I'd come to the kitchen and help her. I loved to listen to her sing. She had a very soft and gentle soprano voice. It's funny but to this very day, if I hear Pedro Infante's music, I can smell tortillas on the griddle... It's a very warm and tender memory for me...

You will need the following ingredients and tools to prepare this delicious dish:

1 Tspn  Olive Oil (Extra Virgin Organic)
1 ½ Cups White Long Grain Rice
1 tspn Garlic (minced)
½ Large Pickled Jalapeño Chilli (diced)
1 Large Red Roma Tomato
½ Package Frozen 3 Pepper & Onion Blend Vegetables (large dice)
1 tspn Sea Salt
½ tspn Black Pepper
½ tspn dried Thyme
½ tspn Mexican Oregano
1 tspn Cumin
1 ½ tspn Chile Powder
1 14 oz. Can Chicken Broth plus hot water to equal 3 Cups
1  9.5" skillet with a tight fitting lid for cooking the dish.
1  7" skillet for toasting spices

Juice of 1 Lime (optional)
½ Bunch Fresh Cilantro (Finely chopped) - (optional) or for Cilantro Rice
½ Bunch Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley (Finely chopped) - (optional)
You will note that I did not use Tomato Sauce. My Nana never used it, My Aunt Beatriz always used it instead of water, My mother used it only when she added fresh chicken for "Arroz con Pollo."

As you can tell... I'm NOT a professional photographer... but I'm not apologizing for that as I think it's important to know that these dishes can be prepared with things right out of your cupboard... I use spices from a variety of sources... including some ingredients that I grow in pots on the patio...

I DO like to organize them in little bowls for a very important reason. Once the cooking process starts, it goes rapidly and so if you are doing this alone, it's a good idea to prepare everything ahead just in case  your two hands need that extra boost so that things don't burn or scorch and ruin the dish.

You can see that this dish uses a few spices.

Fortunately most grocers now carry prepped vegetables for you to conveniently use. I prefer frozen vegetables as opposed to canned. They taste fresh from the garden. The bag you see is a combination of Red, Yellow, Green Bell Peppers and Onions. If you have to prepare this after work, this is a great convenience.

I use either the Goya Olive Oil for cooking because it's inexpensive... (read: CHEAP).

MY preference is the Filippo Berio Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I can't help it... I go Organic when ever I can...

For this recipe, I'll use a white long grain rice. You can also use a brown rice as well... just remember to adjust your cooking time since that will take about 15 to 20 twenty  minutes longer...

On the chopping board, you'll see that I have that frozen 3 Pepper & Onion blend ready for me to chop up just a little more. I have issues with ingredients in food that are larger that bite size. I generally chop everything to a dice. more palatable to my taste buds. You'll also a large red Roma Tomato, 1 teaspoon of minced garlic, and half of a large pickled Jalapeño Chilli. You'll also notice my 7" Santoku knife. I really enjoy that tool. I use a white plastic cutting board because it's easy to clean and sanitize. Though I'm ashamed to admit that they are not eco-friendly. I stay away from glass ones because they are prone to breaking or chipping and they can dull the sharpest of knives. Wood boards are awesome looking and just as easy to clean and sanitize as the plastic ones and due to them being eco-friendly, I'll be buying a wooden one very soon! Bamboo cutting boards are good but the quality varies considerably... Price, I'm told, is a good indicator.

Gosh! I got carried away talking about cutting boards there...  (rolls eyes)

Back to the Mexican Rice!

Okay. I've diced the tomato and have given a large dice to the frozen vegetables. I'll set them aside until I need to toss them into the rice as it's being lightly browned...

Next... the Jalapeño Chilli is also diced and set aside for use. (I left the juices of the tomato and vegetables so that they could be further absorbed by the chilli.)

The Spices...  From left to right are 1 tspn Salt & ½ tspn Black Pepper, ½ tspn dried Thyme, ½ tspn dried Mexican Oregano, 1 tspn powdered Cumin, 1 ½ tspn Chile Powder.

 On the back burner you will see 7" skillet for toasting spices.

Pour Olive Oil onto a 9.5" skillet that has been heated over medium high heat. Immediately add the rice. You will notice that the rice will almost immediately start to turn white. Add the vegetables and the garlic. Turn on the small skillet to high heat.  Be sure and stir the front skillet with the rice. DO NOT let the rice burn. Have the Chicken broth and hot water ready. This happens rather quickly. As soon as the small skillet is hot, dump all the spices in to it and remove from the heat source stirring with a spoon. The spices are ready almost immediately. You can smell the spice combination. Immediately add them to the rice dish. 

Quickly stir in the chicken stock and water.

Bring to a rolling boil.

Turn down the heat to simmer and cover with a tight fitting lid.

DO NOT REMOVE LID OR UNCOVER UNTIL THE COOKING PROCESS IS DONE.

Approximately 20 minutes.

Use a fork in the middle of the dish once the lid is removed to make sure the liquid has been absorbed. Most of the vegetables will be at the top of the rice.

Before serving, gently fold the vegetables into the rice and add the lime juice and cilantro and flat leaf parsley if you choose.

Add more salt and pepper to taste.

You're done! You have a wonderfully fragrant and delicious Arroz Mexicano that you can serve as a side dish to a caserola de Enchiladas De Pollo en Tortillas de Maíz Verdes.

In fact, you can prepare this as the enchilada casserole is baking! This dish will be done by the time the enchilada casserole is done baking and resting.

Well at least you know that you'll be making Green Corn Tortillas pretty soon for that enchilada casserole.
¡BUEN PROVECHO!