Spur of the Moment Mexican Rice

I don't usually have frozen hamburger patties in my fridge, but when I got back from my trip, I grabbed a box of them from +Sam's Club .  I wasn't sure how I would be feeling and if I wasn't able to cook, then at least hamburger patties would be easy.  I figured I could just add them to meals or cook them like that for a simple meal.   If anyone else was interested in cooking they would be able to throw them in an iron skillet, add some cheese, onion or a vegetable and have something good to eat rather quickly.

I had tried many times to make Mexican rice from ancient days ago to even a few years back.  I tried everything.  Someone told me just to add extra oil when cooking the rice and then add orange food coloring!  I wanted to make an authentic Mexican Restaurant style rice. Finally, a Puerto Rican woman revealed the secret and said to me rather matter-of-factly, "Use a little annatto."  Annatto? I had never even heard of it. So my search for annatto began.  Turns out, I found it very easily at the Supermarket across the street.  It's bright red and looks like beautiful little clay pieces.  They are very uniform in size and they taste very earthy, how I would think clay might taste. Sometimes I pop a few into my mouth and eat them just like that.

I did finally learn how to make a good Mexican rice, but now when I make it I add stuff to it.  I mean plain Mexican rice IS great just like that, but when I make it as a meal, I add meat, veggies and lots of spices.  This time I left the cumin whole for some added texture.  I left the bay leaves whole as well and removed them when it was done cooking.

Delicious Mexican Rice

Ingredients:

• 5 Frozen Hamburger Patties
• 1 Quart Mason Jar White Rice
• 1 1/2 Quarts Water
• 5 Bay Leaves
• 4 Dried Whole Red Chilis
• 1 Onion
• 1 Tbs. Spicy Steak Seasoning
• 1 Tbs. Granulated Garlic
• 1 Tbs. Powdered Annatto
• 1 Tbs. Whole Cumin
• 1 Tbs. Chili Powder
• 1/2 Tbs. White Pepper
• 1/2 Tbs. Salt
• Carrots and 1 Jalapeño from a can of whole Jalapeños

Brown hamburger patties and cut them up into bite size pieces as they thaw.  I used my iron dutch oven which is very nice and heavy and makes rice very well. Cook meat thoroughly until nicely browned.  Add rice and water.  Chop up the onion rather coarsely and add to the pot.  Turn the heat very high to get it simmering nicely.  

Breaking Up the Hamburger Patties

Add all the spices, carrots and jalapeños.  Stir gently so as not to breakup the bay leaves and peppers.  Immediately when it begins to simmer turn the temperature down to warm and place the heavy lid on top.  Set a timer for 20 minutes.  DO NOT lift lid or stir.  After it has been cooking for 20 minutes, remove lid and gently fluff rice.  Remove the bay leaves and serve.  Delicious!

Indian Fry Bread

Lupton, Arizona - Best Ever Fry Bread

 I have never made Indian Fry Bread.  I have eaten it, and the most memorable one was in a +Speedy's Truck Stop/Travel Center in Lupton, AZ.  It was Mother's Day.  The waitress was very sweet and gave us chocolate dipped strawberries and told us, "Happy Mother's Day!".  But before she did that, she gave us the most delicious Navajo Taco I have ever eaten.  I am not sure what most people look for in a fry bread, but this was the ultimate.  My mouth is watering remembering it.  The edges were chewy and yet somewhat crispy.  The center was more crispy and went perfectly with the chili beans, lettuce, cheese and tomato piled on top.

We were told by the little shop down the way that this place was the best place for the BEST Navajo Tacos. We should have known it was a good place to eat by all the trucks stopped out front.  I have heard that the truck drivers know all the great spots, and in this case, it was very true.  The iced tea was delicious and went perfectly with my food.  The people were all very nice, including the patrons.

I asked how they made their fry bread, expecting a mysterious answer like, "Oh, it's secret." or "It's an ancient family recipe and I am not at liberty to reveal it."  But we were told it was flour, baking powder and salt fried in Manteca in a blue container.  I had thought that it was a yeast bread.

My mother used to make stuffed fry bread called empanadas but she used frozen Bridgeford bread and vegetable oil.  She would stuff the dough with browned hamburger, walnuts, plumped raisins and a little sugar.  She would then fry them up and somehow kept them from opening up while frying.  I have tried her method and only met with disaster.  Mine fall apart in the hot oil and I end up burning myself.  My mother's empanadas were delicious.  She called them mince meat.  The mixture doesn't sound great, but believe me IT IS!  She would always have bits of dough left over and she would fry it up in odd shaped little pieces.  We loved those almost as much as her fried empanadas.

So this Indian Fry Bread (that was the best ever) was fried in what I believe to be tallow or beef fat.  I have used lard, which is pork fat, many times for frying and for making tamales.  This fat that they used did not have that distinctive lard flavor at all.  Also, the french fries they served were fried perfectly and deliciously beyond description, as they come from a heavenly realm, and reminded me of how fries used to be when I was a kid, before everyone started using politically correct oils.

I failed to ask them if they used water or milk in their recipe (the recipes I looked for online used either water or milk).  So, I will have to try both ways to see which comes out tastier.  I will let you know.  First I have to find some beef tallow.  I used to get it at a local supermarket, but can't seem to find it anymore.  I know you can get grass fed beef tallow online though, so I may try that.

I am excited to try making some Indian Fry Bread, even though I really detest frying things.  I always end up getting burned, and I hate getting burned!  I will post more when I make some and in the mean time if anyone has a good fry bread recipe, please comment.