tortilla Archives - Poor Man's Gourmet Kitchen

Spanish Rice

Secrets for Spanish Rice!

Spanish Rice is loved, it’s adored yet often underrated. I remember asking some idiot once how he made his Spanish Rice and his answer was ridiculous. But, first let me tell you why I asked him and how I came to the conclusion he was an idiot. This guy was a coworker and there were a lot of other employees that came in Monday mornings, always raving about his weekend barbecues. Oh, and I should probably mention that he’s Mexican. Anyway, that and the fact that he “Apparently” cooked all the time, this convinced me that he was probably the man to talk to about his recipe for Spanish Rice. His answer was, “Tomatoes and Seasoned Salt”! So long story short, that’s when I decided he was an idiot because his answer was just ridiculous.

So all B.S. aside, here’s what you really need to know about Spanish rice. Rice needs to be constituted, and much like pasta, the water going into it should be seasoned. The reason is, most of the flavor found in Spanish Rice is absorbed into the rice itself. So it’s important that all the liquid going into the pot, be exactly how you want your rice to taste in the end. It’s that simple. Yes it needs to be a tomato base but it should have some spice and a little bit of a kick. That’s why I use my salsa recipe. CLICK HERE if you want that. but you don’t want to water down the flavor by topping it off with water. That’s why you should use Chicken Stock, or chicken Bouillon. I use Knorr!

Spanish Rice Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Long Grain Rice
2 cups Chicken Stock (or Bouillon)
1/2 chopped Onion
1 cup Salsa
Oil for cooking

Rinse your rice with water 3 times before cooking. Add 2 tbsp of oil to a hot pan and saute the onion. Next add the rice and stir frequently until you lightly brown the rice. Add your Salsa and Chicken Stock, bring to a boil and cover with a lid and turn the heat down to a simmer for 20 minutes. Then serve. If you like a more flavorful rice, I highly recommend trading out one cup of chicken stock and adding one more cup of salsa instead. Enjoy your Spanish Rice!

Corn Tortilla Chips

White or Yellow Corn Tortilla Chips!

When I go to any Mexican or Tex Mex Restaurant, I expect Corn Tortilla Chips and salsa. I want my chips hot and salty, like they just came out of the fryer. Then I eat at least an entire bowl for myself before the help even has a chance to bring me my food. It’s kind of funny. Aren’t the Corn Tortilla Chips and Salsa food? No, that’s the food before you get the food. The food before the food! Though it usually fills me up, its still just Chips and Salsa. But, don’t you crave this at home?

First things first. If you don’t already have a Deep Fryer, go get one. They’re only $30 bucks and they really go a long way. Now, when you’re deciding what kind of tortilla you want to use, it’s really simple, because there’s only a few choices. Sure you could get all exotic and go for the Blue corn, but most likely, all you’re going to find at your local grocer are the basic yellow and white corn tortilla’s. So, all of you got to do is choose your favorite. I personally like a lighter corn taste, so I go with the white corn tortilla’s for that reason, and that reason alone. This video will show you how easy it is. Fry the tortilla slices at 350 degrees for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes and salt heavily. Then sit down and enjoy your fresh Corn Tortilla Chips with my Fresh Salsa recipe.

Corn Tortilla Chips Ingredients:

1 Bag of Yellow or White Corn Tortilla’s
Oil for frying
Salt to taste

Slice the Fresh Tortilla’s into fours and fry for 2 minutes at 375 degrees F and then salt the Corn Tortilla Chips to taste.

Fried Crisp Bean Burritos

I Love These Crisp Bean Burritos

Crisp Bean Burritos are the best when I feel like I’m starving. I use to get these from a copy cat version of Taco Time that only charged 79 cents a piece. So I’d hit the drive through after a hard days slavin’ at work and pick up a 6 pack of Crisp Bean Burritos. I’d usually make it through 3 and sometimes 4 before I had to give up and store the rest away. But, you know just as well as I do, we always get hungry again.

So if you’ve got some Refried Beans and at least a half decent Tortilla, we are well on our way. I recommend 2 pieces of advice that will ultimately up the quality of the Crisp Bean Burritos with no extra cost to you.

1) Use dehydrated Refried Beans and a fresh batch of tortillas.
2) Cook the refried Beans with a piece of Bacon.

Be Sure to let the beans cool before you load your tortillas. You need the beans to be thick so they don’t bleed out in the Fryer. Oil temperature should be 375 degrees and the Crisp Beans should be fried until they are golden brown(2 to 3 min).

Crisp Bean Burritos Ingredients:

Bacon
Refried Beans
Scallions
Tortillas
Oil

1) Cook Bacon in the bottom of a pan then add your Refried Beans with Scallions.
2) Wait 10 minutes to cool, then add desired amount to each tortilla.
3) Roll and pin the last tortilla flap with a tooth pick.
4) Fry at 375 degrees until golden brown.
5) Enjoy your Crisp Bean Burritos.