Spanish Rice

Great side dish that will compliment nearly any main course you make, but especially great with Mexican food!

This recipe took a while to perfect, the key is letting the rice simmer *off heat* at the end. The longer you can let that happen, the more the rice will soften and “bloom” properly. You will get a nice, flavorful rice that is light and not too sticky.

Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 40 – 60 mins

Ingredient List:
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* 1 Cup rice (jasmine or any white rice – NOT INSTANT)
* 32 oz. Veggie broth – won’t need all of it
* 1/2 cup large diced white / yellow onion
* 1 clove of garlic, smashed and diced
* 1/4 cup dice roma tomato – or- 2 Tsp tomato paste
* 1/2 Tsp oregano
* Salt to taste
* Olive oil for sauteing

Equipment:
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Large saute pan
Wooden spatula
Lid to cover pan

Instructions:
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1.) Place pan on med-high heat, add 1-2 Tablespoons oil; give a minute to heat up and add onion, garlic and tomato. Saute for about 1-2 minutes, once the veggies release liquid, add oregano. Cook until fragrent.
2.) Add rice and turn down heat (med-low), keep entire pan moving until the rice starts to brown.
3.) CAREFULLY add about 2 cups of broth, there will be a lot of steam. Stir pan to release any browned bits off bottom of pan. Once everything is bubbling, add another 1 – 1 1/2 cups of broth to fully submerge rice. Liquid should be a reddish color. Cover and turn heat down to simmer.
4.) Set a timer for 15 mins. Come back and check rice then, make sure the stove is not too hot. Lowest heat setting is best. You may need to add another 1/2 cup of broth, cover and allow rice to finish cooking properly. The rice kernels will start to change color from a pure white to a more translucent color. Take a small spoonful to see how close you are to done. Crunchy is not good.

5.) Set another timer for 15 mins. When that goes off, turn off heat completely. Leave rice covered and let it rest for at least another 15-20 mins.
6.) After resting period, take a large fork and fluff / stir the rice. Cover and let it rest for another 10 mins. All of liquid should be fully absorbed by the rice now.
7.) Rice is done when the kernels aren’t sticky / sticking too much to each other, fully cooked and soft – not crunchy.

Plating / final steps / drink pairings:
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This rice holds up well for a few days in the fridge in an air-tight container, if you allow it to fully cool down, you can portion it and freeze it as well for later. Simply pop in microwave for 2-3 minutes and you’ll have fresh rice for whenever.

Suggested toppings:

* Fresh cracked black pepper
* Fresh cut up cilantro
* Fresh Cotija cheese – if you don’t have any, go get some. This is the secret sauce.

Drink paring:

A nice dry white wine goes great with this stuff.