Arroz Blanco Recipes

Steps:

• In small saucepan or microwave oven, heat broth or water until steaming.
• Stir in about 3/4 teaspoon salt if using salted broth, 1 1/2 teaspoons if using unsalted broth or water.
• Cover and keep warm.
• In medium (3-quart) saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, heat the oil over medium heat.
• When hot, add raw rice and onion and stir regularly until grains have turned from translucent to milky-white, 4-5 minutes.
• Add garlic and stir for a few seconds, until fragrant. Do not let grains brown.
• Add the warm liquid and lime juice, stir thoroughly, scraping down any grains that are clinging to the side of the pan.
• Cover and cook over the lowest heat for 15 minutes--temperature should be low enough that only the slightest hint of steam escapes lid.
• Remove pan from heat and let stand covered for 5 minutes.
• Uncover and test a grain of rice: if still a little hard, re-cover pan and set over low heat for about 5 min.; if rice has absorbed all liquid and is completely dry, sprinkle on 2 tablespoons water before returning to heat.
• When rice is done, sprinkle on parsley and gently fluff with fork to release steam and stop the cooking.

Steps:

• Heat oil in a shallow casserole and brown garlic. Take it off the heat and remove garlic from the oil. Add water and salt to the oil and bring to a rolling boil. Add the washed rice and stir. Bring to a rolling boil again, cover and cook over low heat for approximately 30 minutes.

Steps:

• In a medium sauce pan heat fat over medium heat.
• Add onion and garlic. Cook until tender.
• Add rice and broth., Bring to a boil and stir.
• Reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 min or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. Fluff with fork.

Steps:

• To prepare the meat, bring the water to a boil in a large stock pot. Add the onions, carrots, garlic, marjoram, thyme, salt, and pork and return to a boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer gently for 1 hour, or until meat is tender. Add the chicken breasts and cook for 15 minutes more.
• Remove the pot from the heat and allow the meat to cool in the broth until lukewarm. Remove the meats and vegetables from the broth. Reserve the broth. Slice the meat thinly and, if you wish, bone the chicken breasts. Place the meats and vegetables in a large cazuela or ovenproof casserole and cover loosely with foil to keep warm.
• To prepare the stew, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the yams, pineapple, and plantains in a ovenproof dish large enough to hold them. Roast them for 1 hour, then peel the yams and plantains and cut them into chunks. Set them aside.
• Remove the veins and seeds of the chiles and wipe them clean. Soak them in hot water for 25 minutes and drain. In a blender, puree the chiles, pine nuts, garlic, tomatoes, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, thyme, marjoram, oregano, and cumin with a little of the soaking liquid.
• In a large saucepan, over a medium high heat, heat the oil. Pour in the chile mixture a little at a time. Add the salt, pepper, and sugar. Cook 5 minutes or until the mixture changes color and thickens. Add the reserved broth from the meats and simmer until slightly thickened. Add the thickened sauce to the reserved cazuela with the sliced pork and chicken breasts. Bake for 20 minutes. Add the yams, pineapple, plantain, apples, and prunes. Bake for another 10 minutes.
• Serve piping hot from the cazuela, accompanied by freshly made tortillas and Arroz Blanco.
• The Original Manchamanteles (Stew that Stains the Tablecoth):
• Take some ripe tomatoes, and remove the seeds. Grind them with soaked toasted dry chiles, cinnamon and pepper. After grinding, fry in lard, mix with warm water, add the chickens or pork, cooked sausages, olives, vinegar, salt, a lump of sugar, yams or peanuts.
• Pour hot water over the rice and let it stand for about 10 minutes. Drain the rice and rinse well in cold water. Let the rice drain for a few minutes.
• In a medium size saucepan with a tight fitting lid, heat the oil over a medium low heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until translucent, stirring constantly. Add the rice and cook just until the grains are coated with the oil.
• Add the water and cook, uncovered, over a medium heat until the liquid has been absorbed and small air holes appear on the top of the rice. Do not stir.
• Wrap the lid of the saucepan with a small terry cloth dish towel. Place the lid tightly over the saucepan so that none of the steam can escape. Set aside in a warm place for about 20 to 30 minutes, so that the rice can continue to cook and the grains expand.
• Stir the rice well before serving.

Steps:

• Cover the rice with hot water and let stand for 10 minutes. Drain the rice in a sieve or colander and rinse until the water runs clear. Shake the sieve vigorously to remove excess water.
• In a blender, combine the onion, garlic, salt, and 3 cups of water and process until puréed (use caution when blending hot liquids).
• In a medium saucepan over moderate heat, heat the oil until hot but not smoking. Add the rice and sauté until it crackles when stirred, about 3 minutes. Add the onion and garlic mixture, bring to a boil, and cook for 3 minutes. Add the cilantro or parsley and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until small holes appear in the rice, about 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork and remove the herb sprigs. Keep covered until ready to serve.