Trip to Spain

As mentioned before, some blog posts write themselves. Others, I struggle to come up with an interesting opening. As I was writing up this post, my wife walked by and this conversation transpired:

Me:  “I need an opening for the Spanish Rice Recipe.”

Wife:  “You could write about the time you took me to Spain and we ate it there.”

Me: (dumfounded) “Um, I’ve never taken you to Spain. Mexico, but not Spain.”

Wife: “So take me to Spain and then write about it.”

Nuff said.

A great side dish. As I am always challenged for interesting sides, this will make a return appearance.

I decided to sub in some of adobo sauce in place of some of the water and adding some diced chipotle peppers. It was appropriately spicy!

Cooking up the rice.

Authentic Spanish Rice

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Makes: 6

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon bacon drippings (use an alternate for vegetarian cooking)
• 3/4 cup long-grain white rice
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3 small canned tomatoes, diced (or 1 large fresh)
• 2 tablespoons tomato juice (or use mini can and reduce water)
• 2 cups hot water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Can add chipotle peppers and adobo

Directions:

In a skillet, heat bacon drippings on medium-high. Add rice; cook and stir until rice is golden brown. Add onion and garlic; stir and cook 3 additional minutes. Add all remaining ingredients. Cook, uncovered, on medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring only once after 10 minutes. Check rice for doneness by tasting a few top grains. If rice is firm, add a little water; cover and cook 5 minutes more. Yield: 6 servings.

Nutritional Info:

Nutritional Facts 1 serving (3/4 cup) equals 117 calories, 2 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 2 mg cholesterol, 219 mg sodium, 21 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 2 g protein.

Source: http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Authentic-Spanish-Rice