Rice With Roasted Poblano Spinach And Fresh Cheese Recipes

CHEESY SPINACH RICE CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Cook rice according to package instructions.
• While rice is cooking, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• In a small pan, melt the butter and add the onion. Cook for a couple of minutes to soften.
• Scrape onion and butter into a large mixing bowl. Add spinach, mustard, and salt. Mix to combine.
• When rice is cooked, add to the bowl along with the cheese. Mix well and pour into an 8 x 8-inch casserole dish.
• Bake, uncovered for 30-40 minutes.

MEXICAN GREEN RICE

Steps:

• Roast the poblano peppers in the oven for 20-25 minutes. You can flip them over halfway through the roasting period if you want.
• De-stem and de-seed the poblanos. Add them to a blender along with 10-15 sprigs of cilantro, a handful of spinach, 1/2 onion, and 1 garlic clove. Combine well.
• Add a dollop of oil to a saucepan over medium heat. Add 1 cup of rice and cook until opaque and starting to turn golden brown, stirring regularly. This should only take a couple minutes so keep an eye on it to prevent burning.
• Add the blender puree to the rice and cook for a couple minutes, stirring regularly. Add 2 cups of stock and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Stir well, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and let cook until all of the liquid is absorbed, approximately 15-20 minutes.
• Remove from heat. Give a stir and cover the rice, letting it sit in its own steam for a few minutes.
• Take a final taste for salt level, adding more if necessary. Serve immediately and store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.

SPINACH RICE CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350F degrees. Lightly mist a casserole dish with nonstick spray. I usually use a pretty oval dish, but you could use an 8- or 9-inch square dish if you like.
• In a large bowl, add cooked rice, spinach, butter, onion, salt and cheese. In a 4-cup measure, pour milk and add eggs. Whisk to combine. Pour into the bowl with rice-spinach mixture and stir well to combine.
• Pour into prepared casserole dish and bake for 45 minutes.
• Remove from oven and serve.
• Serves 6.

POBLANO RICE

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a medium, heavy nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the poblano chiles and saute, about 8 minutes. Mix in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Season with the salt and pepper. Add 1 cup broth and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and let cool.
• Transfer the mixture to a blender and process until smooth, about 1 minute. Measure the liquid yield from the blender, adding more chicken broth if necessary to yield 2 total cups of poblano liquid. Adjust seasoning to taste.
• Meanwhile, clean the skillet, place over medium heat and add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Fry the rice until slightly golden. Pour the poblano puree into the skillet and bring to a simmer. Turn down the heat to medium-low and cover tightly. Cook for 30 minutes, turn off the heat and let rest for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.

RICE WITH SPINACH AND FETA CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until onion is tender, about 6 minutes. Add rice and stir until rice is translucent, about 2 minutes. Add broth and wine and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook until rice is almost tender, about 15 minutes. Mix in spinach. Cover and cook until rice and spinach are tender and all liquid is absorbed, about 8 minutes longer. Mix in tomatoes and cheese. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

ROASTED POBLANO CHEESY RICE

Steps:

• Roast the poblano peppers. Like the author of this recipe, I hold them over the flame on the stove using tongs (or just a fork!) and keep turning them until they're blackened. I put them into a paper bag and fold it over and wait for them to cool. Then I peel the skin off which is usually not too difficult if they're fully cooled.
• Dice the poblanos.
• Preheat oven to 350. In the meantime, melt butter in a large pan. When hot, saute onions until caramelized. Add poblanos and saute 2 minutes more, until peppers and onions are well mixed.
• In a large bowl, mix the cooked rice with the onion/poblano mix. Add cottage cheese, sour cream, and 1 1/2 c shredded cheese.
• Put seasoned rice in a buttered, oven safe casserole dish. Top with remaining 1/2 c shredded cheese. Bake until rice is warmed through and the cheese on top has melted and turned light brown.

RICE WITH ROASTED POBLANO, SPINACH, AND FRESH CHEESE

Steps:

• See p. 180 of Mexico one plate at a time.