Red Rice, Beef and Beans Burrito

My mom used to call me "rice bucket" when I was a kid. In Chinese, that means a person who like to eat a lot of rice. I could have lots of plain rice with just a little amount of other food. Rice was not a side dish to me, it was my main dish. But, this was no longer true.  Having too much rice in the past made me opt for other type of staple food whenever possible. Until one day, I found out that there were so many other ways to cook different types of rice in other parts of the world. The result is usually extremely flavorful rice with distinguished texture depending on the type of rice you use.  Having rice is not boring anymore. And once again, I become a "rice bucket". 

One of my favorite types of rice is Mexican red rice. I love the tomato flavor with a bit of spiciness from the jalapeno. To make a complete meal and also to please N, I usually make the bean and beef burrito. But at anytime, I can just have the red rice by itself.  

The following recipe is coming from Cook's Illustrated.  I have tried a few red rice recipes.  The amount of tomato and onion is just right in this recipe, not too overwhelmed. As usual, the measurement showing is half of the recipe as this was how much I made. I have also modified the cooking method. This is a straightly stove-top method, in contrast with the oven method in the original recipe. But perfect cooking rice turned out every time! 

Red Rice (Mexican Rice)

Adapted from Cook's Illustrated Magazine, September 2004

Serve 3 to 4 as a side dish

Ingredients

1 1/2        ripe tomatoes, cored and quartered

1/2           medium onion, peeled and quartered

1 1/2        medium jalapeno, minced

1              cup long grain rice

1/6           cup canola oil

2              gloves of garlic, minced

1              cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

1/2           Tbsp tomato paste

3/4           tsp salt

1/4           cup minced cilantro leaves

1              lime, cut into wedges for serving

Directions:

1. Process tomatoes and onion in food processor until smooth and thoroughly pureed, about 15 seconds.  Transfer mixture into measuring cup.  There should be around one cup of mixture.  Pour one cup of chicken broth into mixture. Put it aside.
2. Rinse rice through strainer under cold running water for 1 to 2 mins, drains and put it aside.
3. Heat oil in a sauce pan over medium-high eat, about 1. When you put 3 to 4 grains of rice in the pan and the grains sizzle, the oil is ready. Add rice and saute, stirring frequently, until rice is translucent and light brown, about 5 to 6 mins.  
4. Reduce heat to medium. add garlic and jalapeno, saute for a min.  
5. Add the tomato mixture, tomato paste and salt.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Cover the  rice and let it simmer for about 10 mins, until water is mostly absorbed by the rice.
6. Uncover and let it cook under low heat for another 8 mins.
7. Remove from heat, cover and let it stand for 5 mins.
8. Fluff up the rice with a fork, stir in minced cilantro and serve.

The following is a really quick and easy way to make beef with beans to accompany the rice in the burrito.  I am not sure if this is authentic or not, but it certainly taste good.

 

Beef, Bean and Rice Burritos

Adapted from Bon Appetit, found on epicurious.com

Ingredients

1/2      lb lean ground beef

1/2      onion, chopped

2         large cloves of garlic, minced

1 1/2   Tbsp ground cummin

3/4      14 oz can black beans or pinto beans, rinsed, drained

1/2      14 oz can beef or chicken broth

1/2      can diced green chilies

2          green onions, chopped

Red rice, see above recipe

Directions:

1. Heat heavy 10" skillet over medium heat.  Add beef and cook until brown, breaking up clumps with wooden spoon, about 4 mins.
2. Add chopped onion and garlic, cook until onion is transparent, stirring frequently, about 3 to 4 mins.
3. Stir in cumin and cook for 1 min.  Add beans, broth and green chilies. Cook until beans are softened, about 10 mins.  Press and crush beans with back of spoon, continue to cook until beans are creamy and thickened, about 5 more mins.  Mix in green onion.
4. Assemble burrito by wrapping in a tortilla with any combination of beans, red rice, cheese, salsa, gucamole and sour cream.

Chicken Fajitas and Guacamole

Sometimes I am reluctant to try new recipes, especially if I have a recipe that I like and approved by N.  Anytime I try a new recipe, I have to have a backup plan. What if the picky eaters in the family do not like it? They will have nothing to eat. So, I buy more bread, or prepare a second dish, just in case. If it is a complicated recipe, it has to be coming from a trusted and reliable source. One of the reliable sources is the Cook's Illustrated Magazine. I have several of their cookbooks, I subscribe to their magazine and their website and I watch their TV shows.  I like that they tell you why something works and something does not work. And the outcome after you put in so much effort, is very good and approved by everyone in the family most of the time. But, the downside is that, their recipes usually involve a lot more steps than other recipes of the same dishes.  They are definitely not 30-mins meals, although they do come up with a cookbook just for quick meal.

The chicken fajitas I made yesterday was from one of their recipes. Since I found this recipe, I have given up the very short-cut way of making fajitas with bottled salsa. The flavor is just incomparable.You can taste the freshness of the veggies and the marinated chicken is just as good by itself.  Although I usually serve it with home-made guacamole and sour cream, I can just have it without any accompaniments. Here, I will try to simplify the recipe.  Please subscribe to the Cook's Illustrated website if you want the original recipe.

Kitchen notes: 

•  When preparing the chicken, do not forget to pound the chicken to 1/2" thickness. That is the key to efficiently absorb the marinade and cook the chicken in the time according to the recipe. If chicken is too thick, the time to cook it through will be much longer. It may result in the outside being overcooked while the inside is undercooked.    
• This is an indoor cooking recipe.  Of course, you can always grill the marinated chicken.

Recipe:  Chicken Fajitas

Adapted from Cook's Illustrated

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

1/3    cup lime juice

6       Tbsp vegetable oil

3       medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed thru garlic press (about 1 Tbsp)

1       Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2  tsp brown sugar

1        jalapeno pepper, minced (seeds and ribs removed if you want less heat)

1 1/2  Tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, minced

          salt & pepper

3        boneless, skinless chicken breast (~1 1/2 lbs), trimmed of fat, pounded to 1/2" thickness*

1        large red onion, peeled and cut into 1/2" thick rounds (do not separate rings)

1        large red bell pepper, quartered, stemmed and seeded

1        large green bell pepper, quartered, stemmed and seeded

8 - 12plain flour tortillas (6")

Directions: 

1. Make marinade for chicken, save some for later use - Whisk together lime juice, 4 Tbsp of oil, garlic, Worcestershire, brown sugar, jalapeno, cilantro, 1 tsp salt and 3/4 ts pepper.  Reserve 1/4 cup marinade and set aside. Add another tsp of salt to remaining marinade and put the chicken in. Marinade chicken for 15 to 30 mins.
2. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position. Heat broiler.
3. Prepare veggies for broiling - Brush both sides of onion rounds and peppers with 2 Tbsp oil and season with salt and pepper.  Arrange veggies (peppers skin side up) in single layer on baking sheet.
4. Cook chicken - Take chicken out from marinade, pat dry chicken, discard marinade.  Heat 2 Tbsp oil in nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium high heat until just beginning to smoke.  Coat pan with oil, arrange chicken in single layer on the pan, smooth side down, brown chicken, about 3 mins. Flip over the chicken and brown the other side, about 2 mins. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook 3 to 5 mins longer, turning occasionally, until thickest part of chicken registered 160F.  Set aside chicken and let it rest.
5. Broil veggies - while chicken is cooking, put veggies in oven.  Broil until veggies  are spottily charred and peppers are crisp-tender, about 10 to 12 mins.  Flip over onion rounds once half way through broiling. Take out peppers first if onions need longer to cook.
6. Cut chicken and peppers into 1/4" strips. Break apart onion rounds. Toss the veggies and chicken with reserved marinade. Serve with tortilla, and condiments such as sour cream, guacamole, salsa and cheddar etc.).
7. As for the flour tortilla, you can heat it up in oven or microwave according to package instructions. I usually heat it up in a dry stainless steel pan (not non-stick) over low heat for about 1 to 2 mins per side.

Recipe:  Gucamole 

Ingredients:

1   tbsp of minced red onion

3   tbsp of minced fresh cilantro

1  small glove of garlic, minced 
1  jalapeno pepper, minced (remove seed and ribs if prefer less heat)

2   medium size ripe avocado, seeded, cubed and scoop out the inside

1 to 2 tbsp of lime juice

salt

Directions: 
Mix everything together.  Mash the avocado with a fork to the consistency, whether mushy or chunky, of your preference.  Adjust taste with salt.