Mexican Rice, "Puerco", Broccoli Soup, and Cactus Leaves!

Traditional Mexican Rice

• Normal white rice (enough so that when it has plumped up you have about 6 or 7 cups)
• Vegetable oil, or another good frying oil like olive oil (enough to submerse your rice in once it has soaked…probably 2 cups or so)
• “Jitomate Salsa” (recipes follows)
• Carrots (washed, and chopped into tiny cubes) (about 2 cups once chopped)
• Salt (to taste)

Directions:

1. Let rice soak in warm/hot water for about ½ an hour, stirring every now and then.  (Mi mamá did not let the rice soak on the stove top, instead she heated the water and poured both it and the rice into a plastic container to let it soak.)
2. While the rice is soaking, you need to prepare the “jitomate salsa”, which is just simply a traditional tomato sauce. (recipe follows)
3. Once the rice has soaked you need to drain it and put it in a frying pan/skillet.  Pour enough oil into the pan with the rice so that it almost covers the rice.  This is the part where you “fry” the rice.  Let the rice and oil come to a somewhat hot temperature and let it fry for about 10-15 minutes.  After you have fried your rice you need to drain the excess oil. 
4. Next pour your “jitomate salsa” in the pan with the fried rice and let it simmer away covered for about 30-45 minutes adding extra water as needed to make the rice plump and done.  This is also the part where you need to add your chopped carrots.  Add salt to taste and stir often.
5. Once your rice is plump and has soaked up all the sauce and water and the carrots are tender it is ready to eat! ENJOY!

“Jitomate Salsa”

·         Plum or “Roma” tomatoes (about 7 or 8 chopped, make sure you leave the skin on and use the whole tomato)

·         Garlic clove (1 whole clove, peeled)

·         White onion ( ½ – ¾ of a whole onion peeled and chopped)

·         Clove (1 whole clove, like the ground cloves some people season pumpkin pies with)

·         Salt (to taste)

Directions:

1.      Put chopped tomatoes, garlic, and onion in a saucepan and cover with water.  Let it come to a boil and then reduce the heat to simmer until tomatoes, onion, and garlic are tender. 

2.      Remove from heat and pour both veggies and water into a blender, you may need to add extra water depending on how much evaporated during simmering.  Add whole clove and blend until smooth and salt to taste. 

3.      Use when cooking traditional Mexican rice! ENJOY!

“Puerco”  

*(part of the back of the pig, also has the texture and flavor of pork chops, in case you cannot find “puerco” substitute pork chops)*

• “Puerco” or pork chops (as many as desired)
• Salt (to taste)
• “Pimiento blanco” (this is a white pepper pimento powder/seasoning that may be hard to find in the U.S., but you could easily substitute for any favorite type of pork seasoning or just plain ground pepper.)
• Frying Oil like Olive or Vegetable
• “Jitomate Salsa” (optional, but I preferred with it)

Directions:

1. Rub “pimiento blanco” powder or your favorite pork seasoning onto the “puerco” or pork chops to taste.
2. Rub salt onto “puerco” or pork chops to taste.
3. Pour frying oil into a skillet and let it heat (enough to have about ½ an inch in the bottom of the pan.)
4. Place the “puerco” or the pork chops into the hot oil and let fry until done.
5. This next step is optional.  You can either remove the “puerco” or pork chops from the oil and it is ready to eat or you can add some “jitomate salsa” and let simmer until slighly thick.  This is the way we ate the “puerco” today and I thought it was really good.  Either way, ENJOY!

“Sopa de Bróculi” aka “Broccoli Soup”

• Broccoli florets (washed and steamed, around 4-5 cups)
• White Onion ( ½ - ¾ of a whole onion peeled and sliced and already cooked until tender with broccoli)
• Garlic (1 clove peeled and chopped and cooked until tender with broccoli and onion)
• Salt (to taste)
• Whole milk or mixture of whole milk and heavy cream (I’m not sure how much milk or cream but it needs to be enough so that once blended the soup is the color of a medium green, almost like pea soup.  I would guess a couple of cups.)

Directions:

1. Wash, peel, and chop broccoli, onion, and garlic. 
2. Steam all until tender.
3. Combine all in blender with milk or cream or both.  Add enough milk to achieve consistency and color of pea soup.  A medium green color and very creamy and thick consistency. 
4. Add salt to taste.
5. Re-heat and ENJOY!

“Cacto” aka Cactus leaves

*I don’t know if you can find this in your local store, you might have to go to a hispanic/Mexican food store to find these*

• 4-5 cactus leaves (washed and make sure there are no spikes/thorns left)
• White Onion (cut the top off of an onion, peeling and all)
• Salt (to taste)

Directions:

1. Cut cactus leaves into strips.
2. Add cactus leaf strips and top of the onion to saucepan and cover with water.
3. Let water come to a boil and then reduce heat and continue to simmer for about 10-15 mintues until they are tender. 
4. Add salt to taste.
5. Drain excess water and ENJOY! (to me the cactus tasted and had the texture of green beans)