Green Rice

This one was a little harder than I expected it to be. I didn't want to use a premade green sauce, because for me that wouldn't really "count." I wanted to use real tomatillos. So many of the recipes I found that called for real ones were just recipes to make the green sauce. Either that, or they were for a Mexican casserole that was already pretty similar sounding to the Chilaquiles I mentioned in my challenge post. Eventually I found this recipe for a side dish that sounded pretty good. I made it as instructed, no adjustments. I cooked it a little too long because I was working on chicken enchiladas at the same time, so it kind-of burnt to the pan a little bit.

We gave the rice four stars on flavor. I would probably make it as a side dish with a Mexican meal if I were having guests over to dinner. However, I only give it two stars for ease of preparation. It wasn't hard or complicated, but it was just more work than I want to put into a side dish, and rice of all things. And it wasn't even green! :(

The original recipe can be found here: Green Rice

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Green Rice

6 large tomatillos (about 3/4 lb)
2 tablespoons water
1/3 cup minced fresh cilantro
4 teaspoons minced seeded jalapeno peppers
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/4 cups uncooked long grain rice

Discard husks and stems from the tomatillos. Cook the tomatillos in boiling water in a medium saucepan for 4 minutes or until soft; drain. Combine the tomatillos and 2 teaspoons water in a blender and process until smooth. Pour the tomatillo mixture into a 4 cup glass measure, and add enough water to mixture to measure 2& 1/2 cups. Combine the tomatillo mixture, cilantro, jalapeño, salt and garlic in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Add rice; cover mixture, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, and fluff with fork.
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