Chile con carne II (Chilli con Carne) with Mexican green rice

Chile con Carne with Mexican Green Rice

Sauté the green onion, coriander
and parsley purée

Coat the rice with the green onion
purée 

Mexican Green Rice

As those of you who follow my blog will know, my day job calls for a nightshift every now and then. It has been a while but here we are again but this time, two full weeks of nights......yikes!

To ease the monotony, I have once again offered to cook for my colleagues in work, so it comes as no surprise that Jonny, has asked for the Chile con Carne dish again. He has told me quite a few times that out of all the dishes I have made for the team over the years, this is his favourite. Could this be my signature dish in work? Anyhow, to please the my loyal audience, namely Jonny. I have made the dish again but this time, I have also made a Mexican green rice to go with it. It was very well received indeed, Another round of clean plates.

The secret to the Chile is to use braising steak and to cook it in the oven for at least 3 hours so that it is tender and literally melt in the mouth. Then the meat is pull apart with a pair of forks to form strands and this just give the dish a different texture as oppose to the common mince beef version. As for the green rice, the emerald green from the coriander and parsley just add so much flavour and a glorious colour, it just complement the Chile perfectly. The recipe for the Chile can be found via the link and here is the green rice recipe.

Recipe:

(Serves 4)

400g jasmine or basmati rice

1 garlic clove

1 medium onion

a large handful of fresh coriander

a handful of fresh parsley

Olive oil

600ml vegetable or chicken stock

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs clear.

Preheat the oven to 120°C.

In a food processor, whizz the garlic, onion, fresh herbs, some water and a god slug of olive oil until you get a thick green purée. Heat some olive oil in a saucepan and when hot, add the purée and sauté for 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent burning.

Add the rice and stir well to combine. Pour in the stock and simmer for 15 minutes until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Cover with greaseproof paper and a lid and pop into the low oven for 25-30 minutes to finish the cooking. Once cooked, fluff up the rice with a fork and season to taste.

Serve with fish, chicken or any dish that you fancy.