Spanish Style Beef and Rice

Ingredients

• 2 cups beef stock
• 1 3/4 cups water
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 cups white enriched rice
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
• 1 2/3 pounds ground sirloin
• Salt and pepper
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 1/3 palmful, twice
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, a couple of handfuls
• Spicy Chopped Salad with Tortillas, recipe follows

Directions

Heat beef stock, water and butter to a full boil. Add rice, reduce heat and cover pot. Cook 20

minutes, until tender and liquids are absorbed.

Heat a large, deep skillet over medium high heat. Add oil and beef and season with salt and pepper. Brown meat, 2 or 3 minutes. Add onion, garlic, bell pepper, Worcestershire. Cook together 5 to 7 minutes, until veggies are just tender. Add tomato sauce, cloves, cumin and parsley. Bring mixture up to a bubble and reduce heat to low.

Combine cooked rice with meat mixture and serve with Spicy Chopped Salad wit and Taco Dressing, recipe follows. Reserve 1/2 of the beef and rice and freeze for stuffed peppers for another meal. Recipe follows.

* Please note: You can also choose to make the stuffed peppers in their entirety, then freeze and microwave when ready to serve for 12 to 15 minutes on high. Reheat with loose plastic over the dish to keep the peppers from splattering. If you do not have a carousel microwave, rotate peppers once during the reheating of your peppers.

Stuffed Peppers with Beef, Rice, Spinach and Cheese:

4 long, mild to medium chile peppers, such as moderate heat poblano or mild Italian cubanelle

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling

1 clove garlic, cracked

10 ounces triple washed spinach, stems removed and coarsely chopped

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup beef broth or chicken broth

3 cups leftover Spanish style beef and rice

1 cup tomato sauce

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack, smoked cheddar or pepper jack cheese

Preheat a griddle or grill pan. Seed chile peppers. Drizzle peppers with a little oil and grill over medium high to high heat 3 or 4 minutes on each side, until tender. Transfer peppers to a broiler pan or baking sheet, hollow side up.

Place a small skillet on the stove top and add 1 tablespoon, 1 turn of the pan, olive oil and a crushed clove of garlic. Heat over medium flame and add spinach in bunches until it is all wilted and is giving off liquid. Season greens with salt and pepper. Remove spinach and drain. Set aside.

Preheat broiler to high.

Defrost beef and rice in microwave oven. Combine 1/2 cup broth and defrosted rice in the skillet you cooked the spinach in and reheat over medium flame. Add 1 cup tomato sauce and heat through.

Pile spinach and hot beef and tomato rice into peppers, mounding them up in the center of each pepper. Top liberally with grated cheese and melt cheese under broiler 3 to 5 minutes, then serve.

Yield: 4 servings

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 15 to 20 minutes

Ease of preparation: easy

Spicy Chopped Salad with Tortillas

2 hears romaine lettuce, chopped

3 tablespoons canned or jarred sliced jalapenos, drained

3 tablespoons salad olives, Manzanilla with pimento, drained

1 vine ripe tomato, seeded and chopped

1/2 red onion, chopped

1 cup broken tortilla chips, any variety

2 tablespoons taco sauce

1 lime, juiced

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro or flat-leaf parsley

1/4 cup olive oil, eyeball it

Salt and pepper

Combine salad ingredients in a bowl, toss with tortilla chip pieces. In a second bowl, combine taco sauce, lime juice, cilantro or parsley. Whisk in olive oil in a slow stream until dressing is combined. Toss salad with dressing to combine and coat ingredients evenly, then serve.

Yield: 4 servings

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: none

Ease of preparation: easy