Saturday Dinner III: Mexican Tomato-Colored Rice (With Fresh Vegetables) (Arroz a la Mexicana (con Verduras))

So, I'm finally back. It's almost enough to make one wonder, Fan (if you exist), why a person with a fairly grueling occupation and an infant child would start a blog. Well, Fan (if you exist), it's really a somewhat Quixotean task, admittedly. Moreover, I haven't had the type of travel that allows me to spend time on the blog lately (not that there has been no travel). Anyway, here's the latest post. For those who have forgotten over the last month, there are four posts about a Saturday dinner I made. We've seen the soup and the dessert (cajeta, for which, if you must know, a second batch is completely gone, and I got to eat some of it!). Now for the main course (well, its side...):

This dish got off to a very bad start. I started it early, thinking it would be nice to finish it and be able to reheat it according to the book's directions while spending time with my guests. Needless to say, it didn't quite work out that way. The first time I made it, the rice was, well, just wrong. I mean, very wrong. It was kind of like risotto on the outside, but completely undercooked on the inside. The more I cooked it, the worse it got. I eventually threw it out and started over. So much for time with the guests...

Anyway, it all starts with some onions and rice. The recipe calls for them to be toasted in oil, but I, of course, toasted them in pork fat. That's the way I roll...

I love the way rice tastes when toasted, and that's what I do now with risotto (which we eat just about weekly) before I cook it. It adds a great dimension to the flavor, and I don't know how I lived without it before, quite frankly. The only problem is the tendency for it to burn before the onions are ready, but I think I have that down now. Or maybe that has something to do with the rock-hard risotto garbage. You be the judge.

Once the rice and onions were lightly browned, I added some minced garlic. Meanwhile, I pureed some canned tomatoes (no, it was not -- and frankly is not -- tomato season yet), heated them up, and added them to the rice and onions. I also heated up some chicken broth in a separate pot. You'll notice that the pot appears to have been used. That's what happens when you have to throw out your first batch and start another one, at least when you're me. You'll also notice that there has been a blue ray of deliciosity in the background of the last two pictures. What delights does the Le Crueset hold? You'll have to wait (ideally, not another month) to find out...

Also part of the mise was some carrots and peas, which I had previously cooked:

Who's up for some pot pie?!? Sorry, but that's what I think when I see this. Not to mention the Swanson TV dinners from my youth. But seriously, these taste good. Pay no attention to the infant behind the curtain (who eats these sorts of things all of the time...)!

Anyway, that's pretty much it for the mise, and the final plating picture will have to wait for the Le Creuset to reveal its delights. For those of you who haven't lost interest in the last month -- I'm talking to you, Fan (if you exist) -- another potentially long wait should be nothing!

Sources:

Pretty much just our pantry, which is almost exclusively from Central Market