You know, I take the sport of opinion forming very seriously. I just feel like if you’re going to take the time to take a stand on something, you might as well go strong or go home.
A. gives me a hard time about it. He says that if I decide not to like something, best lock up the women and children because it’s on like Donkey Kong.
Take potato salad, for instance. I really don’t like it. I really, really don’t like. It’s difficult for me to even sit at a table where other people are eating it.
I can’t help it. I just feel very strongly about some stuff.
The flip side of that is what A. eye-rollingly refers to as my Obsession List. The stuff that I’ve decided to passionately and stalkerishly pursue with 173% of my energy and attention.
I’m currently rocking an Obsession List that’s several pages long. About a third of the way down page 2, you’ll find rice.
I don’t know what it is but I just can’t get enough of the stuff. I fry it, I boil it. I season it and I bake it. I’m -wait for it- obsessed with it.
At the top of page 3? Bay leaves. You really just need to try them in this rice.
But let’s back up.
First we’re going to need to chop up some celery, carrots and red onion. Then we’re going to fry the uncooked rice – it’s a step worth taking. Frying the raw grains for just a few minutes really ‘opens’ them up. The flavors of the seasonings that we’re going to add get down deep and will make you very happy. Trust.
So now we’re ready for the bay leaves.
And saffron! Just a pinch of threads will do. If you prefer, you can use azafrán instead.
Seasonings, rice, and vegetables. Bring to a boil, reduce, cover and wait for it. Things will be looking, and smelling, extremely good extremely soon.
I adapted this recipe from one that I read in this cookbook. It’s on the list.
So when I was reading it in bed the other night, under the covers, my Maglite failing after hours of pouring over the pages, I mistakenly read the title as ‘Tumbleweed Rice’ instead of Arroz Tumbado, which means ‘thrown together rice’. I strongly suggest that you throw some of this rice together today. You’ll be obsessed.
Tumbleweed Rice
adapted from Santa Fe School Of Cooking: Flavors Of The Southwest
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 c. white rice
1/2 c. red onion, diced
1/2 c. celery, diced
1/2 c. carrot, peeled, diced
1 tbsp. garlic, minced
3 1/2 c. water
2 tbsp. lime juice, freshly squeezed
2 bay leaves
1/8 tsp. saffron
1/3 c. cilantro, chopped
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat. Add the rice and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the grains are opaque. Stir in the carrots, celery, onion and remaining oil. Cook for an additional 3-4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the water, lime juice, saffron and bay leaves and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover. Cook for 20 minutes. Finished rice will be fluffy and fragrant.
Give the rice a stir before serving as the vegetables may have settled out. Remove the bay leaves, top with cilantro and serve immediately.
YIELD: approximately 6 servings
Ok, now I get the potato salad fear and who your friend was… I am reading backwards to catch up with the posts I missed. Gotcha!
Hehehe! I think I like your title for this rice much better than the original. I love that something that can taste so fantastic is actually pretty healthy too. Score!
I hate restaurant leftovers!!!! Mrs FG will eat them days later….blechhh
You had me at 1/3 cup cilantro!
Although I have nothing against potato salad (some kinds, anyway) I also love rice and make variations of this recipe a lot. Yours looks wonderful!
Your post cracked me up! I can’t stand potato salad either – I’m very, VERY mayonaise adverse, and the thoughts of mayo touching anything in a 10-food radius of me completely creeps me out. Can’t do it…just can’t do it. In any case, I despise potato salad so much that even if it were made without mayo, I’d still probably dislike it. Phew, thanks for the opportunity to get that off my chest.
Onward and upward, I think your rice recipe looks fabulous. I’ve checked out a bunch of your other recipes and from what I have seen, I really like your baking style! I’m all about Ibara chocolate (uhh…chocolate in general) as well and I like that you incorporate a huge variety of ingredients in your recipes. Happy Easter and look forward to seeing more of your posts!
Feel free to come on over for some mayo-hating venting anytime.
What a lovely name for a rice dish. The Saffron addition sounds great.
Oh, we love rice, too! And I always saute it first, too. I’ll definitely try tumbleweed rice…both because it sounds delicious and because the name is so darn crazy
I’m with you on the love of rice thing. It would make it to my list of obsessions as well. I like the thought of everything thrown together in rice also. Yours looks fantastic. Of course it does, though. It’s rice.
Ah, I am a rice lover and this combinaton is wonderful especially the saffron. Love to try this rice dish.
I love your recipies and have cooked numerous ones. I am really frustrated though. Every time I want a recipie I have to print multiple pages. I don’t like to waste ink and paper on the part I don’t need to have the recipie I want. I can’t see the puter in the kitchen when the puter is in the den, too far away.
CAN YOU PLEASE MAKE IT SO YOU HAVE A PRINT RECIPIE PAGE. You know the ones that many of the bloggers have that say PRINT THIS in red or something. Please help me.
Hi Lisa,
Thanks so much for your comment and for reading and supporting my blog! I am SO sorry for your frustration – I hate not being able to print stuff too. I’m working on getting a ‘print this’ button on my blog as soon as possible, one that will allow you to limit your printing to just the text that you want as opposed to every single thing on the page. Hopefully I’ll be able to get it up soon. In the interim maybe you could try using your cursor to highlight the text that you want to print, right-click on the text and select ‘copy’, and then paste that text into a Word document. This should be a quick work-around until I can get my act together on the print button.
Thanks again, Lisa!
This does sound good (once I got past the title). When I think tumbleweeds, I think prickly orbed spiny things that would clog up roads and fence-lines where my grandparents lived.
I CAN get past this title b/c this rice sounds scrumptious! (Much better than tater salad!)
I find recipe so easy to make. I love the versatility of it. You can literally have it with anything or all by itself.
Who knew rice could look so beautiful? Gorgeous photos! Please link up to Foodie Friday
You’re wrong about the potato salad, but I’m pretty sure you’re right about this rice! I love your writing style, by the way. It’s so fun to read! Great recipe!
Legen -wait for it- dary! Oh you had me with the Saffron. I completely relate to your rice obsession, mine is with Jasmine Rice. I get cravings for it!
Do you think it is possible for a lover of potato salad to find harmony with a tumbleweed rice maker?
Possible. But not likely.
I love rice too!! Like, any kind of it. I like potato salad though…don’t judge!
Looks yummy! And it could go with many things. Thank you, Scarletta.
What a flavorful rice! Love the combination of bay, saffron and cilantro!