THE BASICS

The inspiration for this blog comes from a friend who is trying to please the palate of a fella from the south -- waaay south! A traditionalist who is looking for the flavor of home cooking from his abuela (Grandmother) wants to taste the real thing. I'll add adjustments that can be made for the American who wants an updated version.

Mexican Rice

2 cups rice
4 cups liquid (water, broth or combination) (I usually use chicken broth, but a traditionalist will want only water (If he knows!! You can sneak it in and he’ll like the rice anyway!)

1/8 cup Lard (You can use oil, but real lard gives the flavor! it's in a plastic bucket called “Manteca” at the Mexican store)

1 clove garlic - minced

Achiote -- There’s no translation that I know 0f. It’s a red spice kind of like paprika. It gives the rice the redish color. (Americans sometimes use tomato or tomato juice, but the real thing is achiote)(Get the powdered achiote if you can…the bean one has to be soaked in hot oil for awhile to get the flavor and color)

DIRECTIONS

In a heavy sauce pan, melt the lard, add the achiote, mix until blended.
Add the rice and the garlic.

Stir occasionally (Watch it, it burns fast) until the rice turns golden brown and begins to crack or “pop” almost like popcorn.

Immediately add all of the liquid. (Don’t burn yourself, it will sizzle and steam up)

Cover and cook for 35 minutes or until rice is dry. If you want the crunchy rice on the bottom, let it cook until it browns slightly. Maybe 5 more minutes.

I always use “Uncle Ben’s” white rice (Which the Mexican store doesn’t carry). It doesn’t get “gooey” even if it is overcooked a bit. Some of the mexican rice can be a bit sensitive. (Oh, hide the bag. what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. Leave out the Manteca bucket!) So if you use another brand, watch it closely the last few minutes so it doesn’t overcook.

For more the quantity of rice and liquid is always 1 to 2 and the oil – it’s just a guess. I cover the bottom of the sauce pan so it will brown nicely.

VARIATIONS

AMERICAN Version
Use oil instead of LardUse 1/4 cup of tomato sauce, reduce water by 1/4 cupadd 1/2 cup shredded carrots, green peppers and onions
For a very modern touch, add 1/4 cup sliced black olives during last 5 minutes
For the Hillbilly Version use shortening! (Yes! They still sell it)
Add 1 can of stewed tomatoes (with onion and garlic), chop the tomatoes; reduce liquid by 2/3 cup

Re-Fried Beans

1 lb Dried Pinto Beans
½ lb bacon, fried & Chopped or 1 ham hock, or any other pork available for flavor
Salt (depending on the meat added)
Water
Chopped fresh onions (if you like them)

Cook for…OH…Several hours. (3 maybe?) until soft. Or put in crock pot on low all day. Or just have your mom make some good southern Pinto beans and ham (Or is it Aunt Loretta who does that??)

In large Deep skillet

Melt 1/3 cup (or so) Lard (Yep, again!)
Add approx ¼ cup flour
Mix together until it foams and turns very slightly yellow. (Don’t get it brown)

Add Beans (With Juice). Maybe three cups or so if your skillet is large.

Then, depending on the texture you want and the “doneness” of your beans, stir together or mash slightly. Most people want some whole beans and not just paste.

The flour and lard with the bean juice makes your basic Veloute’ (Almost like gravy (white sauce), but made with bean juice instead of milk). The amount of flour depends on the “juicyness” of the beans. It’s like gravy or cream soup, almost everyone likes a particular consistency. If it gets too thick, add juice. (If you get desperate because it is really really thick add some chicken, beef or vegetable broth – I always have that on hand…it fixes almost anything!)

Serve with ANY and ALL Mexican food. It's an obligatory side dish. Fancy it up with grated Chihuahua Cheese on top (Or Monterrey Jack or feta if you can't get the Mexican cheese)

Refried Beans

(The cheater version – your forgot to cook them ahead)

Buy canned Pinto beans – but the WHOLE ones. (2 large cans if you eat many). Rinse them well. Get rid of all the canned “Juice”. ALL of it. It’s nasty.

Add 1 or 2 cups of chicken or beef broth and heat. If you have more time, fry a few pieces of bacon, chop, and add to the bean pot. And if he tolerates onions at all, add chopped onions to cook. It gives a nice “Just Cooked” smell!

Then follow the recipe for frying them. (If he doesn’t see the can . . . and you add the bacon, ham, etc…he’ll never know the difference!!) Just be sure you use the Lard. (Manteca!) (I keep mine well hidden for the health conscience. My kids don’t even know I have it!)

But DO NOT ever buy the canned refried beans. . . They taste like paste and stick to the palate like peanut butter. A native eater will spot them in a Guadalajara second!

Oh and be sure you leave stuff out on the counter – like the flour container, the lard container, etc. Then the assumption is that it’s from scratch. BURY the cans.

Note: These directions are for those trying to entice a native palate to believe it is truly Abuela's recipe. For the rest of you, skip the lard, use shortening (Hillbilly style), or vegetable oil (American version), or even Olive Oil (Really goin' Yuppy here!). On the other hand, if you decide to try the lard just to see how it tastes -- hide the can. (Watch it!! The tastiness the lard adds can be addictive!) Put it on the back of the lazy susan in your cabinet!

COMING SOON

A Hillbilly's guide to Mexican cuisine and culture.