Oven Baked Basmati Rice

The perfect way to cook rice, especially if you're already using the oven for the rest of the meal.

The rice cooks up perfectly every time, it crisps on the edges and is just phenomenal.  It's also very versatile, you can add veggies, or different flavored bouillon cubes to compliment your main dish.

Oven Baked Basmati Rice

Ingredients:
Olive oil
Basmati Rice
2 tablespoons Knorr Chicken Powder
Water



Preheat oven to 400F degrees.

In a baking dish, drizzle a little olive oil on the bottom.  The amount of rice and water is according to how much rice you want to make.  This is a great way to feed a crowd as you can use a bigger baking pan and a lot of rice.

For my family of four, the oven rice turns out very similar to my Portuguese Chicken and Rice, so I make 2 cups because my husband and kids love this rice and will often have second helpings and leftovers the next day.

So into the baking dish, add in your rice, sprinkle on the Knorr Chicken Powder, then pour in the water.  Remember the ratio is usually double the water to the rice, so in my case, 2 cups of rice and 4 cups of water.

Using a fork, stir well and then place the baking dish in the oven.

Bake for 20 minutes, uncovered.  Remove from the oven, stir, then pop back in the oven for another 10 minutes or until the liquid is all absorbed.  Fluff with a fork, and that's it.

Arroz de Forno - Oven Baked Rice

One of my favorite ways to make rice, especially when in big quantities.

I also like the fact that I can pop in a chicken or roast in the oven and put the rice right along with it, have everything cook together.

This is a pretty common Portuguese recipe and the best part is that you can use beef or chicken or even vegetable stock.

Here's how I make mine.

Arroz de Forno - Oven Baked Rice

4 cups water
2 cups rice
1 beef bouillon cube
1 garlic clove, cut in half
salt to taste


In an oven proof dish, add the water, the rice, the bouillon cube crumbled, the garlic and some salt, give it a good stir.

Bake at 375 degrees until done.

Now, sometimes it takes 45 minutes for me, other times it takes an hour, there is no set time for this, just keep an eye on it and remove it when it's cooked to your liking.

What I like the most is that it creates this crust along the sides, it's nice and crispy. Yum!

Note: Some people cover the dish with aluminum foil to help the cooking of the rice. I've done it both ways and they both work, so it's completely up to you :)

Portuguese Rice Pudding

Revisiting an old favorite of ours.

It makes me think of my greatgrandma and makes me miss her even more.  I remember her standing over the stove with her apron around her waist, stirring and stirring the pot, the scent of lemon peel and cinnamon permeating the air.

Love it and when I'm having a day where I am really missing her, I always make this pudding.

My kids love it too which is always a bonus.

Arroz Doce
(Portuguese Rice Pudding)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 quarts of milk (6 cups)
1 1/4 cup of uncooked white rice
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs beaten
1 cinnamon stick

Over high heat, combine cinnamon stick, sugar and milk. When bubbles form at edges, stir in rice and reduce heat to medium-low.
Cook 60 minutes, stirring often, until rice is tender. Do NOT allow to boil.

Remove from heat, remove cinnamon stick and vigorously stir in beaten eggs, a little at a time, until well incorporated. Pour into serving dish, sprinkle with ground cinnamon and serve warm.
Refrigerate the leftovers.

Now, in my family we let it cool down a bit and then eat it warm, but I have to say that the next day, it tastes just as good cold out of the refrigerator.

White Rice with Peas!

Nicholas LOVES rice, this child would live on rice alone if he could. But I get tired of the plain white butter rice, so sometimes I make this variation which gives it that extra little kick and he just loves it even more....besides, there's peas in there so I'm getting some veggies in too right?

White Rice with Peas

olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 cup of frozen peas
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups of rice
3 cups of boiling water


In a pot, add the olive oil, onion, garlic, pease and salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes, don't let the garlic brown.

Add the rice and the 3 cups of boiling water.

Stir well to combine, place the lid on and turn the heat to low. Cook until the rice is tender. Check on it after about 10 minutes to make sure it's not sticking, if it is and the rice is not yet cooked, add a little bit of water.

Fluff with a fork and serve with steaks, chicken or fish.

Arroz de Peixe - Fish Rice

I'm pretty lucky that my kids love fish, we don't eat it as often as I would like because I really don't like the frozen kind and being here in Arizona, it's not like we have readily available fresh fish. For this meal though, frozen flounder or any other kind of fish works just fine. 

 

 Arroz de Peixe - Fish Rice

1 lb. frozen flounder, thawed and cut into bite size chunks 

1 medium tomato, chopped 

1 medium onion, chopped 

olive oil 

2 garlic cloves, chopped 

salt and pepper 

paprika 

1 bay leaf 

1 can of corn 

3 cups of water 

1 1/2 cups of uncooked rice 

 

 

In a large skillet, add a little bit of olive oil, onions and tomatoes, garlic and seasonings....cook for a minute or two until the onions are tender.

Add the fish and mix well. 

 

 Add the can of corn and stir. Cook for about 2 minutes, then add 3 cups of water and the rice.

 

Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is cooked through. You may need to add a little more water so it doesn't stick, just keep an eye on it. Remove the bay leaf and serve.

Pork Chops w/ Hollandaise Cheese Sauce

Another great way to use those pork chops that you have NO clue what to do with. I used some Butterfly Pork Chops for this meal. 

 

Pork Chops w/ Hollandaise Cheese Sauce 

 

 

4 Butterfly Pork Chops 

salt and pepper

 garlic powder

olive oil 

1 packet of Hollandaise sauce 

shredded cheddar or mozzarella cheese 

 

 

Season pork chops with salt and pepper and garlic powder. In a skillet, add a little bit of olive oil and fry up the chops until cooked through and starting to brown.

 

Remove from skillet and set the skillet aside for the rice. Make the hollandaise sauce according to the package directions, then add some shredded cheese. I added about 1 cup but you can add more or less, according to your taste. 

 

Pour the hollandaise sauce over the pork chops and serve with fries or rice.

Rice w/ green beans 

2 cups cooked rice 

1 can green beans, drained 

garlic powder 

salt and pepper 

onion flakes 

 

 

Cook rice according to directions. In the skillet that you cooked the pork chops in, add a little bit of water, about 1/4 cup or something, add the green beans and the seasonings....simmer for a 3 to 5 minutes and then add the cooked rice.

Stir until well combined and serve with the pork chops.

Empadao Rapido (Rice Casserole)

It's really hot here, no I mean REALLY REALLY hot, the kind of heat that actually makes you sick to your stomach....makes you try to breath harder.....makes you hate stepping outside the door......makes you wish you were in a pool every minute of the day.....makes you wish you were in Alaska. THAT kind of hot.

So when it comes to cooking I try to stay out of the kitchen as much as is acceptable by society without starving the family or eating out every day (which would mean leaving the house and stepping into the darn heat so it's a no no)

This is a very easy and quick casserole just perfect for these days.

EMPADAO RAPIDO - RICE CASSEROLE

1 1/2 cups of rice
Cheese slices (I used colby jack)
Ham slices (I used honey ham and turkey)
2/3 cup of milk
1 egg
Shredded Cheese
Parsley flakes
Salt
Olives for garnish

Preheat the oven to 375º, grease a pyrex dish with butter or non stick spray.

In a bowl, beat the egg with the milk, add a little bit of salt, then add the rice and mix well. Pour half of this mixture into the pyrex dish and spread.

Lay the ham slices on top of the rice and then cover with cheese slices. Spread the remaining rice on top, sprinkle with parsley flakes and the shredded cheese. Top with olives around the edges of the dish.

Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately!

************************************************


Mix the rice and the eggs and milk together

Sprinkle with salt. I'm sure you've noticed that I don't use measurements for it, I learned how to cook by just eyeballing things so you'll have to do the same LOL


Spread half of the rice mixture in a pyrex dish or other oven proof dish.

Lay the ham slices over the rice, I alternated between the ham and the turkey

Cover the ham with the cheese slices

Spread the remaining rice over the cheese. This is one of those meals that the kids can help with

Sprinkle with parsley and shredded cheese (I know the cheese isn't in this photo, so sue me LOL)


Bake for 20 minutes, serve immediately. YUM!

Portuguese Chicken Rice!

There's nothing like good comfort food, you know the one where you sit at the table and after a bite or two you want to be nowhere else but right there, enjoying that filling yummy stuff and not letting any of the day's problems bother you.

This is one of those dishes for me....flavorful rice with chicken, red peppers and chourico.

Portuguese Chicken Rice

1 large onion, chopped
4 tbsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
1 lb chicken tenders or breasts, cut into strips
1 2/3 cups long grain rice
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup medium-bodied dry white wine, or additional stock
salt and pepper
8 oz. chourico, cut into thick slices
2/3 cup frozen peas
2 tbsp. chopped parsley

Cook the onion in the oil in a large flameproof casserole until softened. Add the garlic, red bell pepper, and chicken, and cook gently for 2-3 minutes.

Add the rice, stock, wine and seasoning. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 12 minutes.

Stir in the chourico, peas and parsley until just mixed, then cover the casserole and cook for a further 6 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender.

Fluff up with a fork and serve immediately.



Fry the onions in the olive oil

Add the garlic and red bell pepper

Next goes in the chicken....aaahhhh I tell you there is nothing like the smell of olive oil, garlic and onions frying....goodness.

Add the rice, salt and pepper to taste


Then in goes the chicken stock and the wine. If you can, please use the wine, it gives the food such a great taste.

Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 12 minutes

Stir in the chourico, peas, olives, and parsley until just mixed, then cover the casserole and cook for a further 6 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender.

Serve immediately!

Galinha no Forno com Arroz (Portuguese Chicken & Rice)

Many of you requested the recipe, so I'm sharing it today. Like I said before, this is one of my younger brother's favorite chicken dish, it does take a bit of time to make, or rather, there's a few steps involved, but the result is worth it. 

 

 

PORTUGUESE CHICKEN AND RICE 

 

1 whole chicken, cut up  

1 medium onion, cut into chunks  

5 slices of bacon  

3 cups of water  

1 1/2 cups of rice  

1 chicken Bouillon cube  

1 bay leaf 

salt and pepper to taste 

 

  For the mixture that is going to be rubbed on the chicken: 

olive oil  

margarine  

paprika  

salt and pepper  

crushed garlic 

 

 

In a large pot add the water, chicken, onion, bouillon cubes, bay leaf and bacon. Cook for about 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken, onion and bacon, add the rice to the broth and cook for 20 minutes or until rice is done. Spray a 13 x 9 inc. baking dish with nonstick spray. 

 

Spoon the rice into the dish. In a separate bowl, combine the olive oil, margarine, paprika, salt and pepper and crushed garlic. (I don't measure, I just eyeball it to create a paste).....

 

Rub the cooked chicken with the paste making sure to cover all of it....arrange the chicken over the rice, arrange the bacon and onion around the chicken. 

 

Place in oven at 375º for about 20 minutes or until everything is heated through and the chicken is looking golden brown. 

 

ENJOY!!! As always, if you try one of the recipes, let me know how it went I would love to know if you enjoyed it or NOT and if there is something you don't understand or doesn't make sense, just let me know ok??? 

 

PS....I will post a pic of the chicken when I make it tonight.

Sausage Rice!!!

Now this is one recipe that I remember from my childhood. When I was going to school in Portugal, I had afternoon classes, so every day my greatgrandmother would make us lunch, which was always yummy stuff.

This rice dish was by far one of my favorites, it was good but also filling. It's one that I make nowadays and my kids enjoy.

So here goes, now remember though that I'm not a chef and I don't like cooking according to specific measurements and methods etc....I cook from the heart and I would say with my eyes....hence the eyeballing of ingredients at times :)

SAUSAGE RICE

2 tbps olive oil
1 bay leaf
1 tsp garlic, crushed
salt and pepper to taste
1 small can tomato sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 lb sausage, sliced (now here you can use ANY sausage you like even sliced hotdogs)
1 1/2 cups of rice
3 cups of water

In a pan over medium heat, add oil, bay leaf, garlic, salt and pepper, tomato sauce and onion. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes or until onion is tender....add the sausage and cook for another 5 to 6 minutes.

Add the rice and the water to the pan, reduce the heat to low and cook for about 20 minutes or until rice is done.

I usually check often to make sure that there is still enough water or if needed I add just a little more, I want the rice to be cooked but I also want a bit of the sauce to stay, so I don't want it completely dried up.

Remove the bay leaf and serve, along with a salad or some veggies.

ARROZ DE TOMATE - TOMATO RICE

Growing up I can remember that everytime we had Fish Fillets or some other sort of fish, we usually had this side dish. It's especially good served with "Pataniscas de Bacalhau". Cod Fish cakes...I will post the recipe one of these days, along with "Peixinhos da Horta", which is green beans fried in batter, sometimes with a little chopped onion too.

Now here's the thing, I'm not a tomato fan, actually you could say that I really dislike them. I will often pick them out of my salad or hamburger, though I do eat them in sauces, jams etc. Go figure!!!

This rice is delicious and makes a great side dish, it's also a great way to serve rice instead of just the usual plain way.

ARROZ DE TOMATE - TOMATO RICE

1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup vegetable oil
4 plum tomatoes, peeled and seeded
1 teaspoon salt
1 bay leaf
1 cup white rice


Place the chopped onion and the minced garlic in a skillet with the peanut oil over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is transparent. Add the tomatoes, salt and the bay leaf. Simmer 5 minutes or until the tomatoes are almost puréed.

Stir in the 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Add the rice; stir; cover, and cook for 20 minutes or until all the water is absorbed.

Serves 4.

Optional: I also like adding some spinach leaves to it, it adds some color and is really tasty too.