The Mexican feast I was preparing should also include refried beans and rice, as they are staples in Mexican cuisine. For the rice I based my preparation on Irene’s recipe on her Slice of Mexico. Mexican rice is enriched with tomato, carrot, peas, onion, and garlic. The secret to giving the rice extra flavor is to fry the raw rice until golden brown before boiling it. It gets even better if you use lard (pork fat) instead of oil and chicken stock instead of water.

Ingredients

For 2-3 servings

200 grams (1 cup) long grain rice

50 grams (1/3 cup) diced carrot (about the same size as the peas)

50 grams (1/3 cup) peas

50 grams (1/3 cup) minced onion

1 garlic clove, minced

100 grams sieved tomatoes (passata, puree; not paste)

1/2 tsp salt

400 ml (1 1/2 cups) chicken stock (or water), hot

3 Tbsp lard (or olive oil)

Instructions

Heat the lard or oil in a pot and add the onion. (You may also start with the rice if you really want to brown it.)

Stir over medium heat until the onion is translucent.

Then add the rice.

Stir the rice over medium-high heat…

…until it is golden brown. Then lower the heat and add the garlic.

Stir briefly until you can smell the garlic (do not allow the garlic to get brown) and then add the tomatoes.

Stir to mix.

Add the preheated stock or water, in which you have dissolved 1/2 teaspoon of salt. (Add only salt to the stock if it was unsalted.)

Add the peas…

…and carrots…

…and stir to mix. Bring to a simmer…

…then cover and allow to simmer gently for 15 minutes.

After those 15 minutes the rice should be cooked and should have absorbed all of the liquid…

…which you can check.

Fluff up the rice with a fork or a rice paddle…

…before serving.

Flashback

A seàda is a typical dessert from Sardinia. It is a large ravioli that is filled with unaged local sheep’s milk cheese, then deep-fried in olive oil and served with honey (or powdered sugar).