Yesterday at Costco I bought some "Roseland" (Arkansas rice) long-grain
white rice.
I washed it, but did not let the rice soak for ½ hour, as I in my haste
forgot to do it.
I had blanched and frozen 3 slices bacon previous. I chopped it up, not
finely, and sautéed it in a little olive oil and butter.
In another pan I was frying ½ Vidalia onion and cumin seeds (no garlic) in
some olive oil and butter.
After the bacon fried up to almost crisp in the larger fry-pan, I removed it
and added 2 cups of washed rice and stirred it until browned.
Into a 4 quart Pyrex, I put a 10 oz. can of Wal-Mart's Great Value "Diced
Tomatoes and Green chilies" and added water to the 3-cup mark. I added
this 3 cup liquid/tomato mix, along with the finished onion/cumin mix, to
the pan of hot browned rice. I let the ingredients come to a low boil, then
put the lid on it for 20 minutes to steam (lowest on my stove).
*(I did not use chicken broth - we get phlegm!) Perhaps if I had on hand
some home-made chicken broth, I might try that.
*Next time since it's summer and tomatoes are good, I will dice like-amount
of tomatoes and jalapeño (perhaps cooking separately) instead of the canned
tomatoes/jalapenos.
The rice lacked no spiciness and had just the right amount of 'heat' to go
with the rest of the meal - fried mahi-mahi fish and lightly fried
red-yellow-orange bell peppers. Trying this recipe out with a dinner of
enchiladas, beans, etc. was just too much cooking for me today.
One thing I liked about the rice was that it did not have an over-powering
RED, RED, RED chili taste or color. I liked the color of the rice when
finished; the red diced-tomatoes showed up nicely against the light-pink
colored rice.
I was afraid the bacon had not been blanched enough (I blanced it 3 minutes
instead of 1) as it still had a smell as I was cooking it, but in the end,
there was no taste of bacon.
Next time, I might use 2-3/4 to 3 cups liquid instead of the 3 cups. I was
afraid it would burn (I have one of those burners that won't cool off.) I
fluffed the rice after 20 minutes, left it on the still-hot burner for about
3 minutes to dry just a little. By the time dinner was over, the rice was
just the right amount of wet-dry.
Thanks everyone for your encouragement and help.
It was the best Mexican rice I've ever made.
P.S. Still have the left-over bacon for breakfast.
Dee