This is an easy recipe for rice. I know that there are packaged rices that are really good, but for our traditional Christmas Eve dinner I prefer to go with “scratch-made.” For years I have finagled the process because I didn’t have a Dutch oven. I would use a cast iron skillet and then transfer the mixture into a stone bowl and flip a round stone baker over that for a lid and bake it. This year I finally bought a Dutch oven and oh my it is so much easier now! Love my Dutch oven! But I digress, this is about the rice…
Ingredients:
2 cups salsa
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups white rice, uncooked
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a 3-quart, oven-proof saucepan or small Dutch oven (with lid), heat the oil over medium heat. Add the rice and cook, stirring regularly, until the rice is chalky looking, about 5 minutes. If some kernels brown, it’s okay.
2. Add the salsa–I use this recipe or just use any roasted tomato and jalapeno salsa–and stir for a minute as the salsa sears and reduces a little.
3. Add the broth and a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil, stir once, scraping down any rice that is on the sides of the pan. Cover tightly and bake for 25 minutes. Rice is done if you can bite into a grain and it is nearly cooked through.
4. If rice is ready, cover and let stand out of the oven for 5-10 minutes longer to finish cooking. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of fresh chopped cilantro over the rice, then use a fork to fluff rice and fold in the cilantro.
Okay, here is a picture of my new Dutch oven. Isn’t it pretty? Better Homes and Gardens at Walmart….
Source: Rick Bayless’ Mexican Kitchen.