J.M.
Hi ES.
Our nanny (Rosa)has taught me to cook authentic mexican food and I've gotten pretty good at the seasoning. It takes practice but I find this to be an easy recipe and it is delicious. Our nanny likes to throw in a handful of corn or peas, I like to use rotel. Use your own taste to create a dish you love. Also, I called out MILD on the rotel because the longer you cook something, the spicier it gets. If you like it spicy, you can use regular but if you're serving kids, you might use the MILD (if using rotel at all).
Mexican Rice:
2T oil
½ c. diced onion
2 c. rice (minute works well but I use regular).
2 cloves garlic, chopped or minced
1 15oz can tomato sauce (only use about 10oz)
4c. chicken stock (Rosa uses water)
1T ground cumin (or to taste)
cilantro to taste (I use about 1t dried or 1T fresh)
salt to taste (more if your using unsalted chicken stock)
**OPTIONAL: I like to put in a can of MILD rotel.
Use a skillet with a tight fitting lid.
In the skillet, heat oil on med-high. Add onion and sauté until almost tender. Add rice and continue sautéing until rice is golden brown; add garlic, tomato sauce and chicken stock, and **OPTIONAL rotel; combine and add cumin, cilantro and salt. Bring to a boil, (taste the liquid at this point for flavor, make sure it has enough, but not too much salt). Lower the heat to a simmer, put a lid on it and leave it alone for 20. NO PEEKING! After 20 minutes, take the lid off and DO NOT STIR. Make a well in the center of the rice, put the lid back on and turn off the heat. Let sit for about 10 minutes. If your lid loses steam, you may need to add more stock and increase your cooking time.
***To make a meal of it, I put 10-12 chicken legs with skin on top of rice. I season the chicken with cumin, salt, and garlic powder and put the lid on and let it all cook together. My family loves it! I have not tried this with breasts. I'm afraid it would take longer for the thicker breasts to cook which might end up burning the bottom of the rice...
Refried Beans:
4T oil
2-3c pinto beans, cooked
Salt to taste
Cumin to taste
Cilantro to taste
In a skillet, heat oil on med-high heat until very hot. While oil is heating, use a potato masher and smash the beans. Add beans to skillet (be careful, the grease is going to pop!). Stir until beans are desired consistency. Season to taste. Put a small amount of cheese on top when serving.
Fresh beans are best. If you need a quick method, use canned pinto or Ranch Style beans. If you need an even quicker method, use the Rosita brand refried beans straight from the can or you can put them in the hot oil to give them a fresher taste. Just remember to season well.
**I cook up a big batch of beans on the weekend to use during the week. In a large stockpot with a tight fitting lid, I use 4-5 cups of dry pinto beans and enough water to cover about 3 inches over the top of the beans. On Med-high heat, with the lid on, bring beans to a boil and continue boiling for 10 minutes. Without removing the lid, turn off the heat and let beans stand for 1 hour. Without removing the lid, turn beans back on med to med-low heat and simmer for about 2-3 hours (you may need to add more HOT water while they cook). When beans are almost done, add your seasonings. I add chopped garlic, onion, cilantro, cumin, salt and pepper.
Fresh cooked beans will keep in the fridge for about 5-7 days.
Sorry about the length but I wanted to give you enough detail to get you started. You might want to copy and paste to word and save under recipes...Just a thought...
J.
