REC - Spanish Rice

[mbasiszta]

I cannot wrap my head around beans in Spanish rice

I make other rice dishes where I do add black beans or black-eyed peas, and virtually, have the same ingredients - it's just not called Spanish Rice. I have to call it something else

Of course you are right. I don't call it Spanish Rice either. This is a thread that has been bouncing around for a couple of days, just sharing what we add to the basic ingredients for Spanish (or Mexican) rice. I can't name mine, because it is never the same twice.

 

[kitchenelf]

Marty - don't take what I said the wrong way. I'm ALL about changing recipes around and adding different things. THAT's the beauty of cooking, which we all know so well!!!

 

[Seajaye]

The MAIN process to making flavorful rice is to fry it in oil, and you have to fry it alone until it swells and turns dark brown. You can cook it with onions, if you want to also carmelize them. But you can never cook or fry fresh garlic that long. It gets really bitter. Always add garlic at the very end of the cooking cycle. (My dos centavos.) Fully fried rice will really plump up once 'homemade" stock is added. The other ingredients in this rice dish look fine. Rice is like bread starter: it has its own personality.

I agree with Marty and you must drain the oil from the fried rice before you add the liquid. If you don't it will cause a horrible splatter. A rule of thumb is to use 2 cups of liquid to 1 cup of rice. Just adding in my 2 cents in too.

 

[mbasiszta]

Ahhhhhhhh, you want that fragrant oil; so heat your stock before you pour it in! Yeah. If you want to remove some oil for heart health reasons, by all means: pour some off.

Thanks KitchenElf. I really do experiment a lot. That is why few of my recipies ever turn out tasting exactly the same way. Measurements? Only when making bread.

 

[SierraCook]

Sierra - I too would go with your suggestions. My mother made a very similar recipe, which I still make. The only difference is she would brown ground beef (and I now brown ground chicken or turkey) to make it more of a "meal in a bowl". I'm going to have to make this this week - I've definitely got a craving for it now!.

I have also thought of adding ground turkey or beef to make it a meal. I made this rice last night and added tomatoes in a adobo sauce. It was spicy, but oh so good.

 

[mbasiszta]

That is the idea, cooking up there in the Sierras de Madre. Experiment. How do you think all these wonderful recipies we share came about? Experimentation.