Rice – Mexican Style
Ingredients
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
½ yellow onion diced
2 stalks of celery diced
1 tbsp of garlic chopped
2 cups of long grain rice (rinsed)
2 cups of chicken stock
1.5 cups of bloody mary mix
1 can of rotel drained OR 1 can of diced tomatoes with 1 small can of diced green chilies
1 tsp of cumin
1 small bunch of fresh cilantro roughly chopped (approx. 1/3 cup)
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Using a large saucepan or any large non-stick pan with a lid, melt the butter and olive oil on medium high heat.
Add the diced onion, garlic and celery and sauté about 2 min, then add the rice.
Stir until the rice is toasted slightly, approx. 4 min
Add the rotel, chicken stock, cumin and bloody mary mix
Stirring occasionally, reduce heat to low, and cover simmering until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked. (if you need to add additional liquid, add water or stock 1/2 cup at a time) Time can vary depending on your type of rice but is approx. 20 min
.
Stir in chopped cilantro, salt and pepper to taste and serve hot
Variations – Want it hot? Add some cayenne pepper or diced jalapeno. You can also place into a dish, sprinkle with your choice of cheese (cotija is wonderful) and bake until the cheese melts for a really delicious side dish. You can even make this in your insta pot, using the same recipe, but it does take a bit longer and there is a higher chance of your rice developing a slight crust on the bottom. If you like this, (I sometimes do as it’s similar to the socarrat on Paella.) you can also use tomato juice as a replacement for the bloody mary mix, I would just add a tsp of chili powder to amp up the spice a bit. You can also replace the celery with some diced carrots or green peppers.
The Story:
It seems a lot of my stories involve Paul and I going to lunch, but this is another one. We used to go out to a Mexican restaurant near work and before we found out they had the best tortilla soup, we got regular entrées which always came with rice and beans. I love Mexican food. I love rice. So, I always enjoyed the rice with my entrée, but every single boxed kind I tried at home just never tasted the same. Mexican rice tends to be a bit dry and long grain while everything else is a little wet, medium grain and doesn’t have quite the same spices. It’s like trying to find the same tortilla chips. Unless you order from a food service place, you probably aren’t going to get it. So, I did some experimenting with various recipes found in my cookbooks and online. Still didn’t have quite the same flavor. Finally, one night, in a fit of either exasperation or inspiration, I threw some leftover bloody mary mix in. Holy smokes! It was like finding the missing link! Now, I’ll tell you a secret. I don’t buy pre-made bloody mary mix. I make my own using tomato juice and Dimitri’s classic bloody mary mix. Zing Zang is a close second for my preferences. Excellent spices. Don’t be afraid to use your own favorite and see what happens! This rice can be a side dish on it’s own or you can wrap it up with some of that leftover pork, grilled veggies, some cheese and make a fabulous burrito!