Baked Spanish Rice
September 7, 2007 by top8free
Ah, Spanish rice. A dish that evokes church potlucks of my childhood. One of my favaorite church games (along with counting the number of times the minister said “uh” or “um” during the sermon) was trying to guess the number of Spanish rice casseroles that would be laid out side by side, each in its own cosy straw basket, at the potluck after the service. The average was around seven.
I rediscovered this dish while on vacation this summer. Far from a grocery store, one night I flipped through my Fannie Farmer cookbook looking for what I could make with the remaining contents of my pantry. The results were surprisingly good, as well as simple to throw thogether.
Forget Mrs. Brady and the potlucks of your childhood. Here is a Spanish rice for the new millenium — low fat, whole grain, and yet still simple, satisfying comfort food. It takes a while to bake, but most of the cooking time is completely hands-off, allowing you to grill some chicken breasts, have a glass of wine, and enjoy some conversation while it cooks. This dish can also stand alone as a one-dish family dinner.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 medium zucchini, sliced into half-moons
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika
2 large tomatoes, chopped or 1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup brown basmati rice
1/2 teaspoon salt
Few grinds of black pepper
2 cups chicken broth (can substitute vegetable broth to make it vegan)
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil a 3-quart casserole dish.
Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet and add the onions. Saute’ until translucent, about five minutes. Add the green pepper, garlic, zucchini, celery, cumin, and paprika, and saute’ for another five minutes, or until the zucchini begin to become translucent.
Dump vegetable mixture into casserole. Mix in tomatoes, rice, salt, pepper, chicken broth, and pinto beans. Cover tightly and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover, stir, cover again, and bake for another 30 - 40 minutes, until rice is tender. Serve hot.
Note: Smoked Spanish paprika adds a complex undertone to this dish. If you can’t find it, by all means substitute sweet paprika. If you want to try it and don’t know where to look, Penzey’s sells it.
