Abuelos Mexican Rice Recipes

MAMACITA'S MEXICAN RICE

Steps:

• Cook and stir rice and oil in a skillet over medium heat until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Add onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Pour chicken broth into rice mixture and bring to a boil; stir tomato, cumin, saffron, salt, and black pepper into broth and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until rice is cooked, about 20 minutes.
• Stir peas and carrots into cooked rice; garnish with cilantro.

CILANTRO LIME RICE

Steps:

• Heat up a dollop of oil in a saucepan on medium-high heat
• Saute 1 cup of rice in the saucepan until lightly browned
• Add 2 cups of stock and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the rice
• Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a light simmer
• Let simmer until the liquid is absorbed
• Turn off heat and cover, letting rice sit in its own steam for a few minutes
• Rinse 1/2 bunch of cilantro and twist off the bottom stems, chopping roughly
• Add to a blender along with 2 Tablespoons lime juice and 1 garlic clove
• Add a couple tablespoons of water (or oil) and blend the ingredients together
• Add the lime cilantro mixture to the cooked rice and mix thoroughly
• Taste for salt
• Add additional cilantro if desired

ABUELO PELáEZ'S FRIJOLES NEGROS (BLACK BEANS)

Steps:

• In a large pot, soak beans overnight in 10 cups of water.
• Add 1 tablespoon oil, the onion, bell pepper, garlic cloves and bay leaf to beans, and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium and simmer for 1 hour, checking regularly and skimming the foam that forms on top.
• Meanwhile, make the sofrito. Warm remaining 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the half onion, 1 bell pepper and 3 garlic cloves and sauté for about 5 minutes until soft. Add 1 bay leaf, cumin, oregano, black pepper and salt, and cook for 2 minutes more.
• Add the sofrito to beans. Stir in sherry vinegar, wine and olives, and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook, covered, for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened and cooked through. Remove both bay leaves, and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and add sugar. Serve as soup or a side dish, or over white rice.

ABUELITA'S SPANISH RICE

Steps:

• 1. In a large saucepan, cook bacon until fat is rendered. Use a bit of olive oil if necessary to crisp up the bacon or salt pork.
• 2. Stir in oregano, garlic, salt, pepper, and vinegar, and cook a couple of minutes over medium heat until fragrant. Add in tomatoes and cook until their liquid is released.
• 3. Stir in the rice mix until rice is well coated, then stir in the chicken stock or water. Bring to a boil.
• 4. Stir well. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover pot, and cook very slowly without lifting lid for 20 minutes. Then, remove lid, stir well, and allow to cook uncovered until rice dries out slightly, stirring occasionally.
• 5. Top with sliced green olives, if desired. Another option is to stir in 1 cup peas, or chickpeas, or pigeon peas and heat through.
• 6. NOTE: My mother-in-law used to make this with plain rice and real saffron. But the cost of real saffron has skyrocketed, and she is OK with using the rice mix. She sometimes also adds 1 packet of the Goya Sazon Azafran. I usually leave that out because it is mostly MSG.