RECIPE: Mexican Rice

adapted from recipeezaar.com

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Difficulty:
Taste:

Pros: Recreates the texture and flavor of great, authentic Mexican rice.
Cons: Takes a bit more involvement than the average rice dish.
Bottom Line: Definitely worth it when you are entertaining or have some time to prepare the meal.

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This recipe takes a little bit of investment, but it is worth it! The end product tastes just like the ubiquitous yet delicious side dish found at many great Mexican restaurants. The key here is getting the texture right - the rice comes out fluffy instead of sticky. This recipe is worth the investment when you need a goes-with-everything Mexican side dish.

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Mexican Rice

12 oz. canned tomatoes 1 medium white onion 3 medium jalapenos 2 cups long grain white rice 1/3 cup canola oil

4 minced garlic cloves 2 cups chicken broth 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, minced 1 lime

Adjust your oven rack to the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.

Puree the tomatoes (fresh and cored or canned) with the onion in a blender until the mixture is smooth with no chunks. Measure out 2 cups of the mixture and discard the rest.



Rib, seed, and mince two of the jalepenos. For a kick to your rice, mince the third jalepeno (with ribs and seeds) and set aside to add to the rice at the end.

Put the uncooked rice in a fine mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water until water runs clear - this should take a couple of minutes. Shake the rice to remove excess water. (This is the step that removes the starch from the rice to help create the nice fluffy texture.)

Put the oil in an oven-safe deep sautee pan or Dutch oven that has a lid. Heat the oil over medium high heat for about 2 minutes. Test the temperature of the oil by dropping a few rice grains in to see if they sizzle - if they do, it's ready. Add the rice and stir until the rice is a light golden and translucent, about 6-8 minutes.



Reduce the heat to medium, add garlic and the 2 minced, seeded jalapenos. (We had some leftover bell pepper to use up, so we threw that in, too, and it turned out great.) Cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 1/2 minutes. Stir in the broth, pureed tomato mixture, and salt. Increase heat to medium high and bring to a boil.



Cover the pan and transfer to oven. Bake until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 30-35 minutes. Stir well after 15 minutes. (Don't forget that the handle of the pan will be hot!! We learned this the hard way!)

Stir in the cilantro, the remaining minced jalapeno (if you like it spicier), and the juice of the lime.

REVIEW: El Palmar

123 Gause Blvd
Slidell, LA

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Overall:
Service:
Atmosphere:
Food:
Price:

Pros: Good food at reasonable prices.
Cons: Nothing too exciting about the typical Mexican menu.
Bottom Line: Up to par Mexican food and cheap margaritas.

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The sign for El Palmar, a Mexican restaurant in Slidell, has been up for what feels like years. But finally, after months of a sign with no restaurant, El Palmar has opened for business. On the corner of Gause Blvd. and Front St., the restaurant has a prime spot on a busy corner. So far, the location has seemed to bring them in a good bit of business.

Inside the restaurant is the typical casual and festive Mexican decor. The space, maybe since it's so new, feels open and clean. The service wasn't as smooth as it could be, but the restaurant and the waitstaff are new, so we'll give them a pass for now. Once we ordered, we were brought chips and salsa. The salsa was stored in a carafe and was delivered with individual bowls in which to pour it. While the salsa was a bit liquidy and thin for our liking, it did have a good flavor. We also sampled the frozen lime margarita. We ordered a small, but it was plenty enough for the average person. And at $3.50, it was an incredible deal. The margarita had a good taste, which was perhaps even enhanced by the warm, tingly feeling you get when you know you got a good deal. The sign on the door says margaritas are only $1.50 during LSU and Saints games -- so you can stretch your dollar even farther during these times.

For our first entree, we got a grilled chicken & bean burrito, which was covered with queso and sliced avocado and served with rice and beans. This was pretty good. The chicken was juicy and had a great flavor. The avocado was fresh, and the queso was...well, how can you mess up queso?? In our opinion, the burrito would have been even better if the beans in the burrito were black or pinto beans instead of refried, but that's a small complaint. The rice & beans sides were up to our Mexican standards.

The second entree was the El Burro Loco - "loco" because it's a "huge" burrito, according to the menu description. Sometimes you wonder when a menu claims something is "huge," especially since the first burrito was more expensive and relatively small. However, we had to remove our jaws from the table when this burrito came out. We have never seen such a massive burrito. This was the type of burrito that looked like it should have been free if you could finish it in one sitting, with the victor getting his name up on a plaque. This burrito made Izzo's Illegal burrito look like a petty crime. This burrito was...well, you get the idea. (Notice we had to put a fork with it in the picture, as a point of reference.) Stuffed with beef, shredded chicken, rice, beans, and cheese, this burrito didn't come with sides because, well, there aren't any plates large enough to fit this burrito and sides. In case the filling wasn't enough, the burrito was topped with enchilada sauce, queso, lettuce, tomato, sour cream, and guacamole. This massive dish tasted pretty decent, but, really, do you order this burrito for the taste? Not only was this entree a dollar cheaper than the first, it provided enough leftovers to feed dinner to a family of four.

The sign for El Palmar has been tantilizing us for many, many months. Once the restaurant actually opened, it took us another month or so to finally make it there. But now that we have, we are pleased. While it didn't necessarily knock our socks off, it provided good Mexican food for a good value. It may even be able to compete with the Hippos' favorite Mexican shop in Slidell, Los Tres Amigos (on Pontchartrain, not Gause). We'll have to return to El Palmar soon to sample their non-burrito entrees because so far, so good.

New John Besh Cookbook Available

John Besh, a local favorite and nationally recognized chef, has just published his first cookbook. My New Orleans: The Cookbook includes not only recipes but also the stories behind some of our region's classic dishes. The recipes center around fresh, seasonal, local ingredients - one of the keys to great cooking.

Though the cookbook is a bit pricey, it features a generous 200 recipes with some narrative and, judging by the sample pages, is put together beautifully...we were getting hungry just from the sneak peek! A signed copy of the book is available on Besh's website for about $50, or you can save $20 by ordering an unsigned copy at Amazon.  The book would make a great Christmas present for foodies, aspriring chefs, and home cooks. But don't worry about getting one for us - we just ordered our copy!

REVIEW: Emeril's Delmonico

1300 Saint Charles Ave.
New Orleans, LA

View the website

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Overall:
Service:
Atmosphere:
Food:
Price:

Pros: Awesome food and impeccable service.
Cons: As with other fine restaurants, can get pricey.
Bottom Line: You get what you pay for - a great dining experience perfect for special occasions.

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Emeril's Delmonico, located in the Lower Garden District, is an upscale restaurant with a history that dates back to 1895. Emeril Lagasse took over the restaurant in the 1990s and has done a great job of keeping up the prestige of its name. Known for their steaks, Delmonico is a perfect place for a special event. Housed in a building that resembles an old house, the atmosphere is cozy and elegant. We were seated by a window overlooking St. Charles - not a bad view! And while we ate, we were entertained by a gentleman singing while playing a grand piano. It was a perfect setting for a romantic date or for celebrating an important occasion.

The service at Delmonico, as with all of Emeril's restaurants, was exquisite. The staff does a great job of making sure your every need is covered. You are usually attended to by a trio of waiters, and your plates are presented to the table by multiple waitstaff in one elegant move. There was a decent bit of downtime in between courses, but when you're spending the evening in a fine dining restaurant, you usually are not in a hurry and would rather savor the time. So, we welcomed the slower pace over feeling rushed through the meal. The service here perfectly complements the cozy but upscale atmosphere, making you feel like a special guest throughout your meal.

The menu of Delmonico includes some classic upscale dishes (confit duck leg and spring pea risotto with pancetta, for instance) as well as New Orleans-inspired dishes (from gumbo and barbecued shrimp to Louisiana crawfish stuffed bell pepper). The steaks and seafood on the menu are known for being stand-outs. Though the prices of these dishes can get pretty expensive, Delmonico offers small, medium, and large plates, allowing some flexibility for those watching their budget. For our dinner, we used another "passport", which purchased us a three course dinner featuring cuisine from Brazil. (Unfortunately, this special ended with the end of September.)

For our appetizers, we ordered Bolinho de Bacalhau (salt cod croquettes with lime aoli) and Bolinho de Bacalhau (spicy Brazilian pork sausage with sauteed onions, collard greens, and yucca). The croquettes were delicious, had a slight crunchiness to the outside, and felt rather light. The sausage was nice - slightly sweet and spicy - but it's hard for Brazilian sausage to beat good, old Louisiana sausage.

For our main dishes, we chose Moqueca de Camarao (Gulf shrimp, tomato, coconut milk, sweet pepper, and rice) and Churrasco de Fraldinha (grilled skirt steak, black beans, rice, and molho vinaigrette). The shrimp dish looked similar to a shrimp creole but certainly didn't taste the same. While the flavors of the tomato-based sauce were good, the shrimp were undoubtedly the star of this plate. They were large, plump, and cooked to perfection - tender with just the right texture. We enjoyed the dish overall, but it didn't necessarily have a huge "wow" factor to it. The other entree, the steak plate, was great. The flavors of this dish were delicious. Though the steak itself was a bit tough, the flavors were spot on. It had a nice sear on the outside, was a perfect shade of pink in the middle, and tasted wonderful. Unfortunately, skirt steak just isn't the best cut of meat. But how much more can you expect for a $35 three-course meal??

Dessert was up next. We had Pudim de Leite (a Brazilian style flan with grilled pineapple) and Deep Fried Churros with Chipotle-Chocolate and Caramel Dipping Sauces. These desserts were a perfect ending to the evening. They showcased the flavors of Brazil nicely and were satisfying without being overly heavy. The flan was creamy and smooth, and the pineapple was a refreshing contrast. The churros were cooked perfectly - crispy on the outside and light and airy on the inside. They were rolled in cinnamon and sugar and tasted great on their own. The two sauces that accompanied them were very different - one was a warm caramel that we loved so much we were tempted to lick the bowl, and the other was a cold chipotle-chocolate that we didn't particularly care for. But overall, dessert was an outstanding course.

We both loved the evening we spent at Delmonico. From a great atmosphere to service that treats you like royalty and food that was heavenly, it was a wonderful experience. Delmonico probably isn't a place you'll frequent on a regular basis (unless you have a lot of dough), but it is definitely worth it when you want a delicious, dining experience to remember. We'd say that it was one of the Hippos' favorite meals of late.