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Green Rice

3 1/2 cups
Arroz Verde, Recipe courtesy Tamara Belt

Ingredients

For the rice:

  • 3 cups water
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped white onion
  • 1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
  • To taste kosher or coarse sea salt
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
  • 1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice
  • 1 whole serrano chile

For the green sauce:

  • 3 cups packed baby spinach, washed and drained
  • 1 jalapeno chile, coarsely chopped
  • 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil or chopped cilantro, or both
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • kosher or coarse sea salt, to taste

To Prepare

To make the rice:
  • Combine the water, onion, garlic and salt in a blender and puree until smooth.
  • Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
  • Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, until it is translucent. (There should be an occasional crackle and sizzle, but don’t let your rice color and pop. This means you should lower the heat.)
  • Pour in the onion/garlic puree and add the whole chile. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked though.
To make the green sauce:
  • In a large saucepan, put enough water to cover the bottom, approximately 1/4 cup, add the spinach and set over medium heat. Cover and let cook until the spinach is wilted, about 2-3 minutes, checking to make sure the spinach looks bright green. If it turns a deep green, it has cooked for too long.
  • Put the spinach and water into a blender and add cilantro or basil, jalapeño and garlic cloves. Puree until smooth.
  • When you are ready to serve the rice, pour the green sauce over the rice and mix thoroughly, so all grains are coated in the sauce.