I still remember my high school Spanish teacher, Senor Turner. Interesting guy. I don't recall learning a lot of Spanish, but I do remember some of his mannerisms. He spent a lot of time talking about his travels abroad, and told us to spend our money on travel, instead of cars and clothing while we were young. Good advice. Where was I going with this? Maybe I was wishing I was in Mexico...
One of our family favorites is chicken enchiladas, which we ate at a family dinner on Sunday. I tried out a new recipe for Mexican rice to go with the enchiladas. It was different than most rice recipes I've cooked in the past. This was similar to a Cafe Rio or Costa Vida style rice. If you live in Utah, you know what I'm talking about. I made a double batch on Sunday, then another quad batch on Monday for a school luncheon. After a few variations of the original recipe, I found a version that's a keeper. The Cilantro dressing totally sets this rice apart from other rice dishes. Muy delicioso. Gracias Senor Turner.
Mexican Rice with Cilantro Dressing
Rice:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large white or yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 small can chopped green chilies, mild
2 cups long grain white rice
3 1/2 cups chicken broth without MSG
salt to taste (I used about 3/4 teaspoon)
1/2 to 3/4 cup Cilantro Dressing
Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and green chilies. Cook until onion is soft, about 5-10 minutes over medium heat. Mix in rice, stir about 2 minutes. Mix in broth. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook until rice is tender and broth absorbed, about 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let rice sit, covered for 5 minutes. Transfer rice to serving platter or bowl. Let rice sit for about 5 more minutes to cool slightly. Pour dressing over rice, tossing gently together. Season with salt and pepper. Can be prepared ahead. Let stand at room temperature.
Cilantro Dressing:
1 1/4 cups packed chopped cilantro (about 1 small bunch)
3/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon minced seeded Serrano chile
Combine all dressing ingredients in blender or food processor, blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Can be made one day ahead. Chill.
Love it! Looks really good and I very much like your site design, it's cool and calming!
ReplyDeleteHow many people would you say this fed for your school luncheon? I need to scale the recipe to about 400 for cafe rio-style salads, insane as that sounds, and can't seem to figure out how much rice I'll need. Everyone's recipes seem to feed about six people. :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Laura, I think this recipe feeds approximately 12-15 as a side dish ( about 1/2 cup servings each) . Hope this helps!
Delete