¡arroz, por favor!

whenever my friend, aymee, from mexico, shows up for a visit every several years, i know it'll be a feeding frenzy, lots of sangria and tons of gossip. this visit was no exception but unfortunately because of a tight schedule, time was cut short. this meant little opportunity for our regular lounging around not caring about time. aymee's visits are fun because she is a great cook and knows a lot about mexican cooking both traditional and 'new'. maybe it helps that she was also trained as a professional chef de cuisine!

coming from a jewish family, many of the foods she & her family ate had to be tailored as cerdo or pork and its by-products play a big role in mexican food. a traditionally common ingredient used as a cooking fat has been lard. since this doesn't fit in with the jewish way of cooking, the natural alternative has been to use rendered chicken fat, or schmaltz, which is a good analog. this was used a lot in her family's cooking as for example in the following staple recipes.

an easy to make (side) dish, and one which is eaten regularly in many parts of mexico — even as a main dish, is arroz al estilo mexicano or mexican style rice. aymee's way of doing it is pretty much the same as what i have here which is a fusion of her way and a recipe i have used as a guideline for many years (from the art of mexican cooking).

there are many kinds of rice dishes in mexico and all manners of cooking it. the rice here is cooked like you would with a risotto and not the "american way" of dumping everything in all at once. all is done without using a lid until the final moments where the remaining liquids are drawn up by the rice, leaving you with a tasty arroz you will really enjoy.

arroz al estilo mexicano

makes enough for 6 to 8 servings

ingredients:

12 oz or 1.5 c long grain white rice

1 heaped c tomatoes, chopped
2 large cloves garlic
1/3 c chopped onion
1/4 c water + 2 tsp oil (see note in recipe)

1 dried chili of your choice (opt)
i use either an ancho or pasilla

5 tbsp chicken fat (shmaltz) or veg oil

28 oz or 3.5 c chicken or vegetable broth or water

1/2 c frozen or fresh peas

1 - 1 1/2 tsp salt
pepper, to taste
1/4 tsp or more cumin powder (opt)

method:

soak the rice for 12- 15 minutes in hot water.

while letting it drain well, continue with making the paste you will need to add to the rice. if you like, place the rice on a clean tea towel and spread it out to air dry. it should not be "wet" when you need it for the second stage of the recipe (frying the rice).

chop and measure the tomatoes, onion and garlic.

place in a blender or food processor. if using fresh tomatoes that are not very juicy then add the water and 2 tsp oil and process until it is a smooth paste which is an orangey-red colour. some tomatoes need the extra liquid, others don't. if using canned tomatoes, you won't need it most likely. (try to use fresh). add a little extra water ONLY if absolutely necessary to blend the mixture. set aside.

in a good pan, which has a lid, place the chicken fat or oil. heat it over medium heat. if using the dried ancho or pasilla chili, add it now. cook it on both sides until it softens and becomes puffed up. remove and add it to the broth for later.

add the rice and let it cook until lightly golden brown. make sure to keep stirring. if the rice is wet, chances are it will stick.

when it is ready, add the paste you made all at once. cook it until it is completely mixed with the rice and any moisture evaporates and gets absorbed by the rice. your paste may not be as thick as mine is, don't worry about it. i don't add much water to the paste when grinding it.

add the broth (with the chili if using) in 3 additions so the rice will cook through slowly:

1st addition — add about 3/4 c. don't concern yourself about being so exact. cook it until it is completely absorbed.

2nd addition — add half of what is left of the broth and cook again, stirring all the time, until it absorbs and you see it bubbling and "asking for more". add fresh peas now (frozen in next stage).

3rd addition — add the rest of the broth, stirring. add the salt, pepper and cumin (if using). add the frozen peas at this point. cook until the liquid is absorbed and there are lots of holes visible. there should still be some liquid but it will be kind of thick.

turn the heat down to a complete minimum. place the lid on the rice and cook it for about 7 to 8 minutes. take a peek half way through to see if it needs the full time. test a grain or two at this point to see if it is cooked.

remove the pan from the heat, and let it sit another 10 minutes. the rice grains need to stabilize and firm up.

stir well. taste and adjust seasonings, if needed.

garnish with cilantro or flat leaf parsley. you can serve this with quartered hard boiled eggs also.

¡buen apetito!

no tongues this time, only nests

this side dish is a standard pilaf well known throughout the mediterranean and middle east and even beyond that. mixing rice with different sorts of paste is nothing new — if you've ever been to any lebanese restaurant or eatery, you have seen this one for sure.

this was always made in my home with noodles we called fideyos (fidellos). basically, they are very thin coiled noodles, as shown above, which were/are hand-crushed. of course, if you are not able to find these you can use angel hair pasta which you will snap into smaller pieces. alternately, you can use ones which are already cut into small pieces like the kind which are used for chicken noodle soup (about 1 1/2 inches long).

the best way to make this is using a good stock. since we don't use butter with chicken stock, we added shmaltz which is seasoned chicken fat. if it was for a dairy type meal we used parve (non animal/vegetarian) stock powder and butter. as the saying goes, everything definitely IS better with butter, LOL :)

what's with the title of this post? look here & here, if you haven't followed my blog.



classic rice & noodle pilaf

ingredients:

1 c long grain white rice (not basmati)
1/2 c fine noodles (1 1/2 - 2 nests)
1 - 2 tsp salt
1/8 to 1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 - 1 tsp garlic powder (not salt)
2 c stock or water
3 tbsp margarine/oil or salted butter

optional:

1/8 - 1/4 tsp cinnamon and/or allspice [and/or]
1 tbsp tomato paste

method:

either measure out the already "cut up" noodles or take the nests over a bowl, one a time, and crush them with your hand. they should be about 1/2 to 1 inch. don't worry if they are not perfectly even. if you want that you have to use ones that are machine made and precut to size.

heat 2 tbsp of margarine or butter over medium heat and add the noodles.

fry them until they are only golden brown. if they are still too big, you can break them up in the pan as they fry with a wooden spoon.

add the rice to the pan.

add only 1 tsp salt and the pepper and garlic powder. if using the other optionals add them now, too.

add the water and mix well. bring to a boil.

lower the heat to minimum and cook well covered for 18 - 20 min.

after all liquid has been absorbed, remove the pan and let it sit covered for 15 minutes. this helps it to firm up and the flavours to blend nicely.

add the last tablespoon of butter or margarine and mix well.

taste and adjust the salt and pepper. it will probably taste a bit bland at this point if you used unsalted stock or just water. it will taste better once well salted.

serve and enjoy with your main course!

rice with bird tongues

.... now that i have your full attention —

did you really think i was cooking bird tongues? LOL.

this is a very simple vegetarian rice dish that goes well with many things. not to offend any birds, it is very good with chicken dishes; it also pairs very nicely with grilled fish. it is actually a mixture of basmati, or any long grain white rice, and langues d'oiseaux (long d'wuh-zoh, for you non-french speakers), otherwise commonly known as orzo pasta or bird tongues.

this sidedish is made with both cinnamon and allspice but that can be omitted if you really don't like it. the flavour of these spices do not predominate at all in it but rather give it a more unusual and interesting taste than you would have without it. both the spicing and the use of pasta make it a middleastern and/or sephardi type of rice accompaniment to a meal. presoaking the basmati rice is not necessary however it can be done; just make sure it is well drained and dried before adding to the orzo.


rice with langues d'oiseaux (orzo)

ingredients:

1/4 c orzo pasta
1 c basmati or long grain rice
2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 c water or stock or water with 2 tbsp powdered stock (like "osem")
1 tsp salt (less if you're using salted stock or powdered stock)
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground allspice

2 -3 tbsp finely chopped parsley or dill or coriander

method:

heat oil and add orzo.

brown the orzo until it is a golden brown. browning the pasta adds a nutty flavour and colour.

immediately add the rice and cook for about a minute. the rice needs to stay white, so turn down the heat.

carefully add the stock or water and seasonings. stand back a bit as it will splatter when you first add the water.

stir and bring to a boil.

cover and lower heat to minimum. cook for 20 minutes without peeking.

remove from heat and let sit, covered, another 10 minutes for the rice to firm up or it will break more easily.

add the chopped parsley, dill or coriander, if using. stir carefully and serve.

enjoy!

island flavours

jamaican "rice and peas" is something i especially enjoy on freezing cold days like we have been having lately, to remind me of hotter climes. having tried many different variations of this dish over the past several years, i am most happy with the following version which is an amalgamation of several recipes.

peas are the common lingo of jamaica for beans. therefore you will see kidney beans referred to as peas. the original pea used in this dish is called the gungo pea or pigeon pea. they can be bought dried or canned. i use kidney beans instead.

i have made many attempts to cook dried kidney beans the traditional way with an overnight soaking and then long stovetop cooking. i've also tried pressure cooking them. unless i have only ever gotten 30 year old reserves of dried kidney beans, the results have always been more than disappointing and resulted in not well cooked, pasty and dryish beans. using a reliable brand of canned kidney beans is, in my opinion, a better choice for always successful results.

using a jamaican scotch bonnet pepper is traditional for this dish but something to be done with care, if you aren't experienced with them. they are one of THE hottest peppers known to humankind but used in whole form, they do not impart a horribly fiery flavour. in fact, i do not find it hot enough so i usually either poke holes in the pepper or make a slit through it. just make sure you wash your hands carefully after touching them. you may use other kinds of hot peppers if you cannot use this kind.

two more things before we get cooking — make sure to use fresh thyme for this dish [you can, of course, replace the fresh with the dried herb but it is not the same] and parboiled rice. note that the amount of liquid used in this particular recipe is for parboiled rice. you may have to adjust it if you use a different kind. i happen to like the resulting texture and sturdiness of this kind of grain.

if you haven't ever had this, it is a must try.


jamaican rice and peas

ingredients:

1 1/4 c parboiled (converted) rice
1 can red kidney beans

1/2 c reserved water from kidney beans
1/2 c water
1 1/2 c coconut milk

2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 onion, chopped small
1 1/2 inch chunk of ginger, peeled and smashed

2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground allspice, heaped
10 black peppercorns
1 large tbsp margarine or oil
1 packed tsp brown sugar

1 scotch bonnet pepper, intact or slit for more heat

method:

open can of kidney beans and drain and reserve the liquid.

measure 1/2 c of the bean liquid and 1 c of the beans. place the beans in a small bowl. add 1/2 c water to the 1/2 c of bean liquid. measure out the 1 1/2 c of coconut milk. set these aside for later.

measure out the rice and set aside.

prepare all your your ingredients: mince the onion and garlic. peel and smash the ginger. measure out the spices and aromatic ingredients.

over medium low heat in a pan which has a lid, add the margarine or oil and sauté the onion and garlic until the onion becomes translucent. it should not brown.

add the rice and stir well.

cook the rice for a few minutes until it turns translucent and is glassy.

add the salt, peppercorns, brown sugar and allspice. mix it in and cook for about 30 to 45 seconds only.

add your kidney beans and mix.

raise the heat to medium high and add the liquids. bring it to a boil while stirring and then add the aromatics (thyme, ginger and scotch bonnet).

lower the heat to minimum. cover the pan with the lid and cook the rice for 25 to 30 minutes. check it around 20 minutes. remember if you are using a different kind of rice, you may need to adjust the amount of liquid. at the end of cooking there should be no liquid left or almost no sign of any.

remove the pan from the heat and let the rice sit for 15 minutes for the rice to firm and settle. remove the springs of thyme, hot pepper and ginger [and peppercorns, if you want] and mix the rice. serve hot.

enjoy!