Santi’s Special Spanish Rice
We love tex-mex foods in this house… A dream of mine is to find some kitchen-loving abuelita and apprentice under her for a while until I learn how to really cook Mexican foods, but until then, I press on in my Anglo ways.
This recipe is one that a dear friend of mine perfected. It is quick, easy, and cheap to make and super-simple to freeze and reheat for later use. If you like things to be a little less fiery, use a milder Rotel (I do).
Ingredients: (up your numbers accordingly to up your servable portions)
1 c. rice (brown or white, just adjust your cooking times)
2 (10 oz. each) cans Rotel or store brand diced tomatoes w/ green chiles
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 (8 oz.) can-ful of tapwater (use the tomato sauce can!)
Directions:
(optional) Some folks like sauteed rice best. I think this tastes fine whatever you do to it. If you want to saute, first add rice and about 1 T olive oil to your pot over medium heat and scoot that rice around until it starts looking a smidge browner than it was. This is also fun to do with additions like orzo or vermicelli, Rice-A-Roni style, but not all that necessary.
1. Dump everything into a saucepot and heat over medium/medium-high until you get a nice bubble.
2. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until liquid cooks down. Stir up real good and serve.
*freezes fantastically in a ziploc freezer baggie for a couple of months, just make sure the rice is cool before putting it in the bag. To reheat, simply dump out of the bag into a pot and heat, covered, over medium until warm, stirring and breaking up frozen chunks occasionally while cooking. Tastes great topped with cheese!
