Last recipe, I plated up my black bean and pineapple enchiladas with some Spanish rice, but I never did explain how to make that. Some store-bought mix would be okay, but you can do so much better than that.
From back to front, top to bottom, left to right: rice (any kind will do, brown rice is healthier for you but I used white because I live dangerously), chimichurri, some kind of butter or butter substitute, pico de gallo, and salsa.
I made the chimichurri and the pico myself, and I've posted the pico recipe already. I'll post the chimichurri recipe when I make some more, but at this very moment I'm full up. You should definitely make the pico yourself; buying it pre-made is a ripoff and you can make your own super-cheap. The chimichurri is also cheaper to make yourself; you get three times as much for the same price, and it tastes better. But if you don't know how, by all means just buy a jar of it.
You should use the amount of each proportionate to the amount of rice you'll be making. Generally, if you put in 1 cup of rice, you need to put in 2 cups of water.
It's like magic. Don't ask me how, it just keeps the pot from boiling over.
Rice takes a very long time. It's not hard to make, but it's annoying. So do this, set your timer and go do something else. But you have to make your rice first.
Also, check up on the rice every few minutes, and give it a stir. Walk away, but do be mindful of its continuing existence.
It should end up looking something like this.
Technically, you could just do the salsa and get away with it. If you're super poor, just do that.
Why I say all three is because when I worked at a college cafeteria, mixing white rice and salsa was what we did for Spanish rice. That seemed too simple, and too boring, so initially I would chop cilantro to throw in there too. That was better, but one day we ran out of fresh cilantro, so I decided I'd make chimichurri to throw in as a substitute. The kids loved the hell out of that, so I kept with it. And one day we had to get rid of some pico that we wouldn't be able to serve, so I decided to throw that in too, and they liked it even more.
So now I do salsa, chimichurri, and pico. There's plenty of cilantro in the pico I make, so it all works out.
Spanish rice isn't really something you eat by its lonesome. I mean, I guess you could, but it's so much better with something else. Tacos, fajitas, quesadillas, whatever. If you have a can of refried beans you can heat up, that takes care of your two standard sides at pretty much any Mexican restaurant. And it helps defray the costs of whatever else you made. Those costs might not be very high in the first place, but a pile of rice with a few flavorings is guaranteed to be cheaper.
As always, if you want an infographic of this to post elsewhere, here you go.
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