10 Years in the Making... Restaurant-Style Mexican Rice at Home

One of the biggest frustrations I've always had is that I couldn't master the technique and style of Spanish or Mexican rice.  Sometimes called "arroz rojo" (red rice), it's  a style of rice you see in any Tex-Mex or Mexican restaurant in this area.  While I've found the flavors to work in many recipes I've tried, I never could get that "dry" (non-starchy) texture just right.  After over 10 years of trying different recipes, I've hit rice nirvana! 

How did I do it?  A LOT of patience and time.  This isn't a shortcut recipe, but I promise, the payoff is rice you would swear came from a Tex-Mex restaurant.  I've summarized several key steps you HAVE to do for success.  The rice will come out non-starchy, a "dry" texture, with a decent depth of flavor.  Vary it up from there with the addition of veggies and serve with your favorite Mexican-style meat.

Success tips:

- Use regular long-grain rice, NOT instant
- Rinse the rice under cold water in a colander or fine-mesh sieve until the water runs clear.  This is a CRITICAL step to wash off all of the extra starch.  It will affect the final texture of the rice if you don't
- Dry the rice on a clean towel or paper towels for 5 - 10 minutes before cooking
- Saute the rice until it starts toasting (the grains start to look translucent and some have some browning)
- NO PEEKING at the rice during the 20 minutes of cooking!!

Here is a basic recipe for the rice.  The recipe is tasty without the Sazon, but feel free to add in a Sazon packet if you like.  Many recipes also use frozen peas, but add after the rice has cooked so that they don't get too mushy.  Pull out the peas from the freezer when you start cooking the rice so that they thaw a bit before adding.  Happy eating!

Mexican Rice

1 cup long grain white rice
1 1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup diced carrot
1/4 cup diced onion (white, yellow, or red)
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
1 1/4 cups chicken or vegetable stock (reduced sodium)
1/2 cup fresh chopped tomato (seeds and all)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh thyme
1/2 - 1 packet "Sazon" seasoning, if desired
1/2 cup frozen peas, optional

Place rice in a colandar or fine-mesh sieve and rinse under cold water until the water runs clear.  (Move the rice around as you rinse to ensure all the grains are rinsed).  Should take 2 - 3 minutes.  Lay the rice out on paper towels or a clean kitchen towel to dry.  Meanwhile, dice the carrot and onion and mince the garlic.  Chop the tomatoes.  Puree the stock and tomatoes in a blender on high speed until smooth.  Set aside.  Heat a skillet or 2-quart saucepan on medium-high heat.  Add oil to coat pan evenly and heat until shimmering.  Add the rice and stir to coat.  Saute the rice, stirring frequently until it starts to look translucent and is lightly toasted.  Once rice is starting to toast, add in carrots, onions, and garlic.  Saute 30 seconds to 1 minute.  Add in the tomato/stock mixture and stir.  Bring to a low boil and add in bay leaf, thyme, salt and pepper, and sazon if using, to taste.  Cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes over low heat (NO PEEKING!).  After 20 minutes, remove from heat but KEEP COVERED another 5 minutes.  Uncover and sprinkle on the peas if using.  Let sit 5 minutes before gently fluffing.

Key Lime Pie Basics

One of the tastiest desserts ever invented was Key Lime Pie.  The dessert is named after the fruit from which it comes, key limes.  These are special limes grown in the Florida Keys and have a slightly sweeter taste than regular limes.  We were in Key West, FL last May and I had a slice of frozen chocolate dipped key lime pie while attempting not to melt in the afternoon heat.  Nothing makes me feel more like throwing on my flip flops and finding a hammock for a nap than eating this rich pie.  It's like a taste of the pie brings back the ocean breezes and sounds of palm trees. 

While a trip to the Keys isn't on my list this year, it's easy to recreate the flavor of the pie I so enjoy.  The recipe is a custard (milk and eggs) with a citrus juice to create the sweet-tart flavor balance.  Other juices could also work (lemon, orange), but the taste may be more or less sweet.  All it takes is a pie crust.  Personally, graham crackers or ginger snaps are a favorite.  For a chocolate twist, crushed Oreos also work really nicely.  The custard itself is just the lime juice, sweetenend condensed milk, and egg yolks.  Topping is traditionally a sweetened whipped cream, but in the quest to cut fat and calories, I use the fat free option of meringue, which is something DH and I both like more anyway.  Fat free sweetened condensed milk works fine in the recipe too.  The pie can be mixed and baked in about 30 minutes, but you have to let it cool before indulging.  Happy Eating!

Key Lime Meringue Pie

1 (9 inch) graham cracker pie shell
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup key lime juice
4 eggs, separated into yolks and whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar (optional)
4 Tbsp white sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Place pie shell on a cookie sheet.  In a mixing bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk and the key lime juice until blended.  Add in egg yolks and mix until all combined.  Pour into pie shell.  Bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes (center will be slightly jiggly).  Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl or with a stand mixer, whip egg whites until frothy.  Add in cream of tartar if using (helps stabilize meringue) and whip until soft peaks form.  Add in sugar and blend until meringue is in stiff peaks.  Top pie with meringue, spreading to edges of filling and making swirls in meringue.  Raise temperature of oven to 350.  Bake pie 10 minutes, rotating halfway through baking or until top is lightly browned.  Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.  Once cooled, refrigerate pie at least 2 hours before serving.

Chocolate + Puff Pastry = YUM

I have a weakness for most anything chocolate.  From my early start eating Nestle's Toll House Semi-Sweet morsels by the handful to today when I enjoy them alongside the likes of Ghiradelli or Valhrona, I really try not to go a day without chocolate.  I was perusing Food Network magazine (I'm not a subscriber) at the store because their chocolate issue caught my eye.  How could it not, what with nearly every recipe having or centering itself around delectable chocolate!

Honestly, while I enjoyed this foray into food porn, I didn't actually take many recipes from it.  Much like when I was confronted with the gargantuan chocolate buffet on a cruise, the sheer volume of options proved overwhelming and I ultimately went away disappointed.  On the cruise, maybe it also had to do with some really rough seas and nausea... just saying!

But, the one recipe I vowed to make was a chocolate pinwheel.  First, I'm always looking for new ways to make something with puff pastry.  Second, it's CHOCOLATE!  The Food Network treatment of these two ingredients was pretty simple - chopped chocolate, heavy cream, and puff pastry rolled, cut, and baked.  I liked the results, but I thought it needed an even sweeter touch, so I created a glaze of peach jam to provide a fruity punch.  These are great with a cup of coffee, served as a crunchy biscuit with ice cream, or just when you're craving a bit of chocolatey sweetness.  Plus, my modifications make the ingredients even easier to find and less messy (love mini chocolate chips!).  Happy Eating!

Chocolate Pinwheels

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
2 Tbsp heavy cream
1 cup miniature chocolate chips
1/4 cup peach preserves or jam

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Brush puff pastry with 2 Tbsp heavy cream leaving 1/4 inch border.  Sprinkle on chocolate chips to edge of cream.  Roll up puff pastry jelly-roll style.  Trim 1/4 inch off each side with a sharp serrated knife.  Slice into 12 pieces, abour 1/2-inch thick each.  Place on baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for about 10 - 15 minutes or until lightly browned.  Remove to cooling rack.  Meanwhile, microwave peach preserves or jam in microwave for 20 - 30 seconds or until softened and liquidy.  Brush each pinwheel with peach preserves.  (Can also spread with preserves when you eat and leave off as they will soften).

Healthier Springtime Eating - Curried Bay Scallops with Brown Rice

Though Dallas weather certainly isn't reflective of the entire country, toward the end of February spring has sprung!  We still get some random "chilly" days (read: high in the 50's), but our grass greens up from the rain, the weather is generally mild, and we all turn our thoughts to "bikini bodies" for summer.  Ok, maybe a flattering one-piece swimsuit for some of us, but still. 

I've thought for a while that I need a jump start into eating less and eating healthier.  I still love to cook and will always cook a variety of dishes, but there is nothing wrong with adding in healthier recipes or tweaking to make favorites healthier.  I recently subscribed to Eating Well magazine to get more ideas on sophisticated (read: more like Bon Appetit than Cooking Light) yet healthy cooking options.  I've previously subscribed to Cooking Light, so I appreciate the variety they offer and the efforts at mass appeal.  Eating Well pushes the envelope on ingredients a bit more and is a little more aggressive on the health focus.

My sister-in-law is a personal trainer and getting a degree in health promotions, so encouraging all of us to eat better and adopt better lifestyle choices is a mission for her.  She encouraged us to get healthier and, embarking on a 24-day challenge, I sought out healthier recipes.  Copious consumption of butter and sugar aren't the easiest habits to break, but I was going to give it the best try I could.  I saw a recipe in Eating Well for a curried scallop and rice dish and decided to make it my own. 

Goal 1: Dramatically reduce the cost below the $25+ it would cost for the large scallops plus other ingredients
Goal 2: Add in more veggies to up the nutrition
Goal 3: Make dinner in 30 minutes or less

To meet the first goal, I changed jumbo scallops to bay scallops, though shrimp is an excellent substitute.  Buying frozen scallops or shrimp also cuts down on the cost.  Second, the recipe didn't have any added veggies.  Spring means fresh asparagus.  Since asparagus can be hit-or-miss, I went for frozen green beans, which is available year-round, is very nutritious, and has a low cost.  Third goal is best met with "fast cooking" brown rice.  "Fast cooking" brown rice is partially pre-cooked so that it cooks up faster, in about 10 minutes.  Beyond that, though the original recipe calls for lemon juice, I'm a huge fan of Chipotle's cilantro-lime rice, so I did a riff on those tastes to create... curried bay scallops and green beans with cilantro-lime rice.  Happy Eating!

Curried Bay Scallops and Green Beans with Cilantro-Lime Brown Rice

2 cups (uncooked) of quick-cooking brown rice, such as Minute Rice, prepared according to package directions
1 lb bay scallops or shrimp, patted dry with paper towels
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp curry powder
1 tsp salt, divided
1/2 tsp black pepper, divided
1 bag frozen green beans, microwaved according to package directions
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 - 4 scallions, thinly sliced
Juice of 1 lime

Begin cooking rice according to package directions.  While rice is cooking, pat scallops dry and sprinkle both sides with curry powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper.  Heat butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until sizzing.  Add scallops and cook until browned, 1 - 2 minutes per side.  (They will cook quickly).  Remove to a plate.  Can cook in two batches if your skillet is small.  Add the green beans to skillet and saute 3 minutes.  Add cilantro, scallions, lemon juice, and remaining salt and pepper.  Mix, then add in rice and cook, stirring until heated through, about 1 minute.  Add in scallops or serve on top.

Tasty Crackers... from Won Ton Wrappers?!

I love eating crackers and chips with different dip options.  From childhood, we always had chips and usually French onion dip on hand for snacks.  I love making homemade pita chips, but I was looking for something different to try.  One of the best shortcuts to "homemade" pasta is to use refrigerated won ton wrappers (usually found in the produce section of the grocery store), but when I use them to make ravioli I always have way more wrappers than I do filling.  What to do....

Fried won ton strips (like they serve with hot and sour soup at Chinese restaurants) are always yummy, but the fat and calories aren't ideal.  I started searching the web for recipes involving baking won ton wrappers.  I found inspiration at Sam the Cooking Guy's website.  His recipe doesn't specify any seasonings, so I played around with some options.  I modified the recipe slightly and added some bbq spice to a batch, salt and pepper to another, and a third included garlic powder and parmesan.  Here's the basic recipe:

Won Ton Crackers

1 package won ton wrappers
Non-stick cooking spray
Salt, pepper, and seasonings of choice (bbq, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, etc.)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  Slice won ton wrappers in half lengthwise to form rectangles.  Place in a single layer on a baking sheet.  To help crisp them and adhere the seasonings, spray with cooking spray.  Sprinkle with seasonings of choice (salt, pepper, Italian Seasoning, etc.).  Bake for 12 - 15 minutes or until browned and crispy.

Pre-baking

The cracker was important, but so is the dip.  I had lemons and lemon juice handy, so I whipped up a dip with light sour cream (Greek yogurt is a great sub), creamy prepared horseradish, and lemon juice and zest.  The result?  A light and tasty dip with crunchy, thin crackers.  I know my snack for this week! PS - this dip could be a great twist to serve with prime rib.

Lemony Horseradish Dip

1/2 cup light sour cream or Greek yogurt
1/2 tsp - 1 tsp prepared creamy horseradish to taste
2 tsp lemon juice, preferably fresh
Zest of 1/2 - 1 lemon (depending on size)

In a small bowl, combine sour cream, horseradish, lemon juice, and zest.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  If desiring more horseradish flavor, may add more to taste.

Got a cast iron skillet - you got great pizza!

Last year, I fell completely in love with grilling up a pizza for a quick, light meal.  Crispy, slightly charred crust underneath, any pre-cooked toppings you can imagine, and crazy, wonky shaped dough - yum!  Even though this winter is abnormally pleasant and we could probably grill most any night, typically, pizza in winter would mean a call to Papa John's.  I've tried so many pizzas in the oven and just can't really groove on most of the deli and frozen pizzas out there. 

I came across a recipe for a pizza cooked in a cast iron skillet and was intrigued.  Cast iron is a magical tool in the kitchen - an absolute must-have item.  I received a cast iron skillet as a wedding present - probably a $20 gift, but perhaps one of my most treasured kitchen items.  It pretty much can go anywhere and cook anything... except in the microwave.  Anything that uses the cast iron skillet intrigues me since it's easy to use and easy to clean.  Plus, a recipe that's ready in 30 minutes with minimal fuss is even better.

A few hints about making skillet pizza:
- pre-cook your toppings - the crust will burn before raw sausage is cooked in this type of recipe
- think outside the tomato sauce box - add pesto, or use olive oil, parmesan and garlic powder to make a "white" pizza
- use less cheese for a healthier option - I love using little fresh mozzarella pearls.  They spread out as they melt covering more of the pizza for far less calories
- Living gluten free?  Making your own pizza lets you control the crust, toppings, and prevent gluten issues

For this recipe, I just used store-bought pizza dough in a can, but you can get dough from a pizzeria, frozen dough, or make your own.  Since we love mushrooms, I sauteed some with some shallots before starting the pizza.  I went mediterranean with chorizo, fresh mozzarella, and olive oil.  The interesting part of how to cook the recipe is that it actually cooks on the stove in the skillet part of the way and then finishes in the oven.  It's rustic and homey comfort food.  Try this recipe with your favorite toppings and you can have fresh pizza in 30 minutes for the whole family.  Happy eating!

Cast-Iron Skillet Pizza

1 tube of refrigerated pizza dough
Cornmeal, for dusting skillet
Toppings of choice - veggies, cheese, meat, etc.

Heat oven to 500 degrees.  Heat cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.  While skillet is preheating, sprinkle cornmeal on counter and roll out to 12-inch circle.  Once heated skillet is heated, sprinkle cornmeal in skillet and place dough in skillet.  Spread out dough to edges of skillet.  Brush crust with olive oil, sauce (tomato sauce, pesto, etc.) if using, and top with items of choice and finishing with cheese.  Cook over medium-high heat for 6 - 8 minutes periodically turning crust slightly to prevent sticking and burning.  Finish cooking in oven for 6 - 8 more minutes or until crust is golden and cheese is melted and beginning to brown.

What a Top Chef Taught Me....

I had the pleasure last week of reading Tom Colicchio's cookbook, "Think Like a Chef."  As I've explored new culinary realms, I keep coming back to the same message in so many cookbooks - learn the basics.  What does that really mean?  In case you're not sure, boiling water is probably the most basic!   The idea is that if you learn a technique, say sauteeing, you can saute anything.  Same for roasting.  If you can roast beef, you can roast pork, chicken, fish, etc.

The other idea is to cook for the season with veggies.  Start planning a meal with the veggies and add in the protein and starch from there.  I'm not quite at that point, but I have friends participating in veggie co-ops that definitely have that technique mastered!  This is really a contrast to complicated recipes like those in "The Silver Palate" Cookbook.  I re-read the book after TC's tome and my head was spinning at the level of complication to most every recipe.  While I'm sure the food is faboo, recipes with so many ingredients and complicated steps are not the way to cook most days and have dinner on the table at a reasonable hour!

The idea that stayed with me from the books was to jazz up something simple with a special touch.  It goes back to the basics - use a technique to cook, then add something special to elevate the dish.  I was inspired to try pasta with truffle butter.  What, you ask, is truffle butter?  It is, admittedly, a luxury ingredient.  Pieces of black truffle are mixed into butter adding a rich, intensely mushroomy musky flavor.  A little bit goes a long way, so even though it's a pricey buy, it lasts a while.  In the recipe below, for example, they call for a whole carton.  I used about a Tablespoon and enjoyed a subtle, mellow flavor.

Reading Colicchio's book re-inspired the desire to make a simple dish with great flavor.  I originally saw the recipe for a truffle butter pasta on "Barefoot Contessa" and was dying to try it.  And the taste?  Mushroomy, earthy, cheesy, and a nice touch of onion from the chives!  Here's a pic of Ina's dish and a link to the recipe.  Happy eating!

Ina's Truffle Butter Pasta

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/tagliarelle-with-truffle-butter-recipe/index.html