Recipe - Arroz Blanco

Jim Vorheis
1 One half cup Unconverted longgrain rice
1/3 cup Safflower oil, melted
chicken fat, or melted lard
3 tablespoon Finely chopped white onion
1 Garlic clove, peeled and
finely chopped
3 One half cup Light chicken broth,
approximately
1 cup Fresh corn kernels or 1/3
cup carrot rounds
Plus One half cup fresh peas
(optional)
1 Parsley sprig
2 Whole chilies serranos
Sea salt to taste
White Rice

Put the rice into a bowl and cover with very hot water. Stir once and leave
to soak for 10 minutes. Drain, rinse in cold water, and drain again.

Heat the oil in a heavy pan. Give the rice a final shake and stir into the
fat. Fry over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring almost
continuously. Add the onion and garlic and continue frying until the rice
is just turning a pale gold and the onion is transparent about 3 to 5
minutes longer.

Pour in the broth and, if used, the vegetables and parsley or fresh
chilies, add salt to taste, stir once again for the last time, and cook
over fairly high heat, uncovered, until all the broth has been absorbed and
air holes appear in the surface. Cover the surface of the rice with a towel
and lid and continue cooking over very low heat for 5 minutes more. Remove
from the heat and set aside in a warm place for the rice to absorb the rest
of the moisture in the steam and swell ~ about 15 minutes. Dig gently to
the bottom and test a grain of rice. If it is still damp, cook for a few
minutes longer. If the top grains are not quite soft, then sprinkle with a
little more hot broth, cover, and cook for a few minutes longer.

Before serving, turn the rice over from the bottom so that the flavored
juices will be distributed evenly.

The Art of Mexican Cooking From the collection of Jim Vorheis

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini