Arroz Verde (Green Rice)

Tip: Read instructions completely before preparing.

Ingredients: 

2 cups long grain rice
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup finely minced onion
2 clove garlic, minced

3 Anaheim chilies

1/2 cup firmly packed fresh cilantro sprigs (about 1/2 oz.)
1 cup firmly packed fresh stemmed spinach leaves (about 1-1/2 oz.)
2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon

Directions:

Roast and peel the chilies. You can use your broiler and broil the chilies for about 6 minutes on each side or until brown and toasted. Let cool and remove the skin, stems and seeds.

In a blender add chilies, cilantro, spinach, and broth and blend until puréed. Add the milk, salt, chicken bouillon and blend a bit more until well combined.

In a 5 1/2 quart heavy-based pot, over medium heat, heat the olive oil and butter. Wait until the butter is melted, then add the rice and sauté, stirring every 30 seconds, until it just begins to brown, 4 to 5 minutes.

Add the onion and garlic and cook 1 minute, continuously stirring. Add the contents of the blender, stir well, turn the heat to high, bring to a boil, then lower the heat to low. Cover the pan. Cook for 10 minutes. Stir the rice slowly and carefully once, cover, and cook another 15 minutes. Serve hot.

Servings: 8

Tip: There are many versions of Arroz Verde (Green Rice) in Mexico. Many recipes call for Poblano chilies, which add speciness to the rice. You can use poblano if you like. This rice dish goes great with any Mexican dish!