Mexican Fiesta Risotto Recipes

MEXICAN RISOTTO WITH SWEET CORN AND COTIJA CHEESE

Steps:

• Simmer chicken stock on low to warm up in a small pot on the stovetop.
• In a large pot or dutch oven, sauté the onion, red bell pepper, and jalapeño pepper in the olive oil over medium-high heat until browned and softened (about 5 minutes).
• Add the rice, salt and pepper, and cayenne pepper. Stir to coat.
• Add 1/2 cup of the stock, stir, and allow all of the liquid to be absorbed.
• Once the liquid is absorbed, add 1/2 cup more of the stock. Keep repeating this process until the rice is almost cooked through (You'll need to taste-test this a lot. Tough life, I know).
• When the rice is almost cooked, add the sweet corn kernels and continue as you were with adding the stock gradually.
• When the rice is completely cooked, turn off the heat and stir in the cilantro and cheese until completely melted.
• Serve with extra cilantro and cheese, if desired.

MEXICAN BEAN AND RICE SALAD

Steps:

• In a large salad bowl, combine the brown rice, kidney beans, black beans, corn, onion, green pepper, jalapeno peppers, lime zest and juice, cilantro, garlic, and cumin. Lightly toss all ingredients to mix well, and sprinkle with salt to taste.
• Refrigerate salad for 1 hour, toss again, and serve.

PRESSURE-COOKER TEX-MEX RISOTTO

Steps:

• Select sauté setting on a 6-qt. electric pressure cooker. Adjust for medium heat; add oil. When oil is hot, cook and stir orange pepper and if desired, jalapeno until crisp-tender, 2-3 minutes. Add rice, cook and stir 1 minute longer. Press cancel. Add broth, chicken and diced tomatoes., Lock lid; close pressure-release valve. Adjust to pressure-cook on high for 6 minutes. Allow pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes; quick-release any remaining pressure. Stir in beans, cheese, corn and cilantro; heat through. Garnish with additional cilantro, if desired.

CREAMY RICE AND BEANS IN THREE CLASSIC FLAVORS

Steps:

• Roast the chiles over an open flame or close up under a preheated broiler, turning them regularly, until evenly blackened and blistered, about 5 minutes for open flame, 10 minutes for the broiler. Place in a bowl, cover with kitchen towel and cool until handleable. Rub off the blackened skin, pull out the seed pod and scrape out the seeds. Rinse briefly to remove any stray seeds and bits of blackened skin. Cut into 1/4-inch pieces.
• Measure the olive oil into a rice cooker and add the onion. Set the lid in place and cook, stirring from time to time, for about 10 minutes or until the rice cooker turns to "keep warm" mode-the onions should be translucent and beginning to brown. If using a pressure cooker, cook the onion in it.
• Add the rice to the rice cooker and stir it with the onion for a minute. Stir in the broth, roasted chiles and salt (1/2 teaspoon if using salted broth, 1 teaspoon if using unsalted broth). If making the smoky red chile version, stir in the chipotle, canning liquid and paprika. If making the garlicky tomato version, stir in the rehydrated tomatoes and roasted garlic.
• For all versions, cover the rice cooker, once again turn it to "cook" and let the rice cook for 10 minutes. Stir the mixture thoroughly, re-cover and cook for 10 minutes more. (For the pressure cooker, set over medium heat, time 7 minutes once full pressure is reached, then do a quick release.) Turn off the rice cooker. The rice will look soupy, but the grains should be cooked through and firm; the creamy rice will thicken considerably as you finish the recipe. (If you're craving a bit more richness, stir in a couple tablespoons melted butter or olive oil.)
• If making the herby green chile version, stir in the herbs (or Green Chile Adobo).
• Stir in the beans and cheese, then taste and add a little more salt if it needs it. Serve in warm, shallow bowls or pasta bowls, sprinkled with a little extra cheese.
• Green Chile Adobo:
• Set a large (10-inch) skillet over medium heat and lay in 1/2 head of garlic (separated into cloves but not peeled) and 4 to 5 fresh serrano chiles (stems removed). Roast, turning regularly, until soft and browned in spots, about 10 minutes for the chiles and 15 for the garlic. Cool, slip off the garlic's husks and give it all a rough chop (no need to remove the chile seeds). In a blender or food processor, combine the garlic and chiles with 1 large bunch cilantro, 1 large bunch flat-leaf parsley, 1 cup olive oil and 2 generous teaspoons salt. Process, stopping to scrape down the sides if necessary, until nearly smooth (it should look a little like pesto).

MEXICAN FIESTA RISOTTO

Steps:

• 1. Coat a small saucepan with cooking spray and sauté peppers. After about 5 minutes, add the corn and season with salt and pepper. I like to cook the peppers until they're slightly charred to resemble veggies you'd receive with fajitas.
• 2. Meanwhile, in a medium sauce pot, cook onion on medium heat with the butter. When the onion becomes fragrant, add the Arborio rice. Stir for 2 minutes. Add in 1 cup of chicken broth. Allow the rice to completely absorb the chicken broth before adding the next cup. Follow this same rule before adding the third and final cup of broth. The final result should be very creamy.
• 3. As your rice is cooking, mix together the canola oil, cumin, chili powder, garlic and lime juice in a small bowl. Set aside.
• 4. Once rice is cooked, mix in beans, cheese, pepper, corn and cilantro in a large bowl.
• 5. Add the dressing and stir until evenly distributed. Season with more salt and pepper if desired.
• 6. Add the dressing and stir until evenly distributed. Season with more salt and pepper if desired.