Thursday, August 26, 2010

Savory Rice Squares with Poblano Peppers and Pepper Jack Cheese



It's been a deadly quiet day. The last of our visitors left this morning and it is, once again, just the Silver Fox and I sitting at this large round table. By late tomorrow I'll appreciate the perfect order of our home, but right now I'm missing squealing babies, errant Legos and the sometimes probing questions of our older grandsons. I treasure each of these summers and especially my daughters who care so much about sharing family with their own children. I am blessed. Tonight's recipe was developed on the fly, years ago, when I had more impromptu guests than food and had to do the cook's version of loaves and fishes. It wasn't a miracle but it was more than passably good food. The recipe is really easy to prepare and I used to make it as an entree for myself when I was alone for dinner. The only trick to this recipe is properly roasting the peppers. I've found the easiest way to do this is to rub the peppers with olive oil and roast them at 500 degrees for 20 minutes before transferring them to a paper bag to cool before peeling. It is also important to serve the rice squares while they are still warm. This will probably involve sacrificing the first square that is cut, but I always view that one errant slice as food for the kitchen gods. I do hope you'll try this recipe. I think you'll enjoy it. Here's the recipe.


Savory Rice Squares with Poblano Peppers and Pepper Jack Cheese
...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup uncooked basmati rice
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 fresh poblano peppers, roasted, peeled , seeded, deveined and chopped
1 bunch small green onions
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1-3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1-1/2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a shallow 1-1/2 quart baking dish. Set aside.
2) Heat oil in a large pan set over medium heat. When oil shimmers add rice. Cook and stir until rice turns opaque. Stir in onions and cook for 1 minute. Add Chilies, green onions, garlic, salt and cumin. Cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds. Stir in broth. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Remove pan from heat.
Add cilantro and 1 cup cheese. Toss to combine. Transfer to prepared baking pan. Top with remaining 1/2 cup cheese.
3) Bake, uncovered, 15 minutes or until rice is tender and cheese topping melts. Let sit 10 to 15 minutes. Cut into squares and serve. Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Risotto Veronese:Rissoto with Ham - Karista's Kitchen
Peanuts and Brown Rice with Asian Dressing - eCurry
Quick and Easy Pilau Rice - Deb Cooks
Honey Rice - Malaysian Delecacies
Rice with Chutney - Ruchii
Coconut Rice - Edible Garden

71 comments :

Susy @ The Feathered Nest said...

I love your recipes because they're simple yet unusual. Thanks for all the good ideas.

Bakericious said...

this dish is nice, sure very tasty and with cheese, double yummy

Mary | Deep South Dish said...

It does sound wonderful!

Angie's Recipes said...

That square looks so cheesy, rich and heavenly!

Jeannie said...

This does looks good! My boys would love it!

giorno26 ¸¸.•*¨*•. said...

Questo "Savory Rice Squares" deve essere veramente ottimo.
Spero che mi riesca bene nella preparazione !!!
Grazie e buona giornata a te Mary :)
Ciao Myriam

Unknown said...

It always feels like a big empty space when my family leaves or I leave them...it goes away, sort of, but those first few days are always rough!!
This recipe sounds so wonderful! We love rice and I am always looking for new ways to make it! Thanks for sharing.

Nina Timm said...

What a clever way with rice. Great for Meatless meals..

Ana Powell said...

You never stop to impress me, so beautiful and delicious.
Lovely introduction to your post ♥

Unknown said...

I hope your family will come and visit you again sometime soon.
The rice squares look utterly delicious. No doubt I'll enjoy this.
Have a great day. Michael

Priya Suresh said...

Very interesting dish sounds fabulous..

Inspired by eRecipeCards said...

Mary, FABULOUS! Great idea, great tip on the roasting pepper!

Lynn said...

This looks great, I'll probably try it this weekend! Thanks for the tip about roasting peppers, I find that to be a daunting task, this will help!

From the Kitchen said...

This dish sounds like a delicious way to stretch the food budget without sacrificing taste.

What a lovely time you've had with your family. I'm sure all of you, youngest to eldest, are basking in happy memories. You'll probably be finding Legos for sometime to come.

Best,
Bonnie

Anonymous said...

Mary, I just cooked with poblanos the first time last weekend. They are very difficult to find here in Toronto (nearly impossible) but I finally found them at Whole Foods. What a wonderful flavour!!! I'm looking for more recipes to use them and this one is perfect. Thank you for sharing and have yourself a lovely Thursday!

Diane said...

This is on my menu for dinner tonight with the slight variation of having the rice already cooked. Left overs! I am sure it will work just fine I will add the rice a bit later. Thanks for the idea Diane

Martha said...

This looks yummy -- I know husband Jim would love it!

Enjoy your peace and quiet -- they'll be back!

Ginny Hartzler said...

This looks wonderful and I'm going to print it and make it!

Barbara said...

What to do with left-over rice is no longer going to be a question in my house! I love what you've made, Mary!

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

Mary, you had me won with the Pepper Jack Cheese. This sounds easy and my kind of comfort food. Sometimes going back to quiet adult life is good. It makes me appreciate guests and grandchildren more.
Sam

Ciao Chow Linda said...

Sounds like a delicious recipe Mary. Hope you can relax a little before your big trip, but isn't it nice to have all that family around occasionally?

Anonymous said...

Have been looking for something exactly like that. Might add some chorizo. 'Cause out here, a day without pig is like a day without sunshine. Cheers!

Sweet Southern Prep said...

You had me at pepper jack cheese! YUM! :)

Biren said...

This sounds absolutely delicious! Rice and cheese definitely works for me.

Victoria said...

What a good idea! It sounds delicious!!! And with pepper jack cheese...yuummm!!! Thanks for sharing and have nice day!

Jamie said...

Empty Nest Syndrome all over again? Well, this rice dish looks as soothing and comforting as delicious. I love anything made with these tex-mex flavors and this is such a nice meal for two.

Keeley said...

Yum, yum! I need to buy some basmati rice.

I have several poblano peppers growing in my garden and I was looking for a way to use them. This looks great! I may even be able to get my husband to try it, even though he claims to dislike peppers.

Houdini said...

Your nice recipe gives me another way for risotto leftovers. I could put the risotto in a gratin dish and bake it with cheese as you did yours.

A SPICY PERSPECTIVE said...

What a rich and savory dish! I know my family would love this!

Cooking Gallery said...

Oh...What a great and rich looking combo!

The Fajdich Times said...

Great recipe! Sounds very tasty:)

Lynne said...

Do you think this would freeze? Living alone I have a big issue with leftovers. I hate waste and try to freeze whenever possible, and then I have meals I can take to work instead of having to buy.

Alessandra said...

CIao Mary,

Another good recipe for me, :-), I just need to use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth, and them my kids love rice and 'cheesy' food!

Thank you for sharing and have a great day.

Alessandra

Kath said...

I've been a bit obsessed with poblano peppers since I brought some home from California a couple of weeks ago. I charred them on the grill, but I'll try your method next time. If I can find some. They weren't available at a couple of my regular stores when I checked.

Your recipe with them looks great! I'm bookmarking for future use.

Susi's Kochen und Backen said...

Since my family leaves so far away, visits are treasured immensely. I always feel a little "lost" and sad after they leave, takes me a good week to get back into the groove. Great idea for a rice dish, we would love eating it :o)

Eileen said...

Sounds delicious. My sweetie would absolutely love this.

StephenC said...

What a nice useful recipe!

Gloria Baker said...

This recipe soun amazing Mary, tummy have a lovely day, gloria

T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types said...

I would eat this up! It's a good idea to rub the peppers with olive oil - it must assure a much more even result.

Cheah said...

This dish is very well presented and looks so appealing!

Jen_from_NJ said...

This looks like great comfort food which I will need - my daughters are both leaving for college this weekend... I am glad that you had such a nice time with your family and I understand how hard it is when they leave.

Kelly said...

Clearly I am not in the right frame of mind today because when I saw the post title pop up in my google reader the first thing I thought was you would be making savory rice crispy treats. In my defense though I did see a casserole recipe in a church cookbook once that called for rice krispies as the "secret ingredient"

Suman Singh said...

everytime I visit your site, I get to see something unusual and great yet delicious looking dishes..love that cheesy square rice..Thanks for sharing!

Julie said...

Mary - What a great dish! My husband would want this with hamburger added. He's a meat guy from Minnesota where they are famous for their hot dishes.

Always hard to see family leave but great to look forward to the next time!

Renée said...

I love this kind of comfort food! This looks so yummy, Mary. Thanks you for all the great recipes you share.

The Blonde Duck said...

Cheese and peppers is my kind of ricey treat!

Monet said...

This would be great to take to work as leftovers. I would also love to add some black beans for extra fiber and protein. What a great idea...you can't go wrong with peppers and cheese!

Joanne said...

This looks like comfort food to me! Everyone loves a good cheesy casserole, especially one like this that is made even better with the roasted poblanos!

M. said...

this sounds like a perfect bite, comforting with such great ingredients combined, love poblano peppers.

La Bella Cooks said...

This looks like a decadent rice dish that would be a instant hit with me. Love this.

Diane said...

Mary thanks for a wonderful dinner. I made a couple of changes because my rice was precooked. I fried the vegetables in a little oil and then rather than use chicken stock I threw in a few chopped tomatoes (I have fridge full). When it had cooked down I added the rice and the other ingredients. No pepper Jack cheese as I don't know what it is, but I used emmental which I had in the fridge. I thought I had enough for two days but somehow it just vanished:-) Diane

RamblingTart said...

SO scrumptious, Mary. :-) I love casserole-ish dishes like this, cheesy, savory, wonderful.

Kim @ Two Good Cookies said...

I'm forever looking for ways to make rice a main dish rather than a side. This sounds fantastic. Thanks for sharing!

Patti said...

Sounds delish!! I'll definitely be trying these.

Thank you for sharing the recipe.

Blessings,
Patti

PS I'm in a very different season of life than you are, but I can imagine that you are feeling a bit blue today. Hope they can come to visit again soon.

pigpigscorner said...

Love cheese baked rice! I tried it once and loved it but my hubs thought it was weird so I never made it again =(

The Words Crafter said...

That looks delicious. I'm glad your family is close and gets to spend some time together. Guess what? I'm making the black bean burritos this weekend!!!! I'll let you know how they turned out.....

Melinda said...

Great recipe since rice is one of my favorite foods right now.

Melinda

scrambledhenfruit said...

So glad you had a nice visit- it's always too quiet when everybody leaves, though. I love the sound of this rice dish. Peppers, cheese and rice sound delicious!

Unknown said...

The flavours are telling the tatse will be delicious...I have never used jack cheese yet....bookmarking this recipe to try it....

Faith said...

I'm so glad you got to enjoy your time with your family! It's always sad to see them go...I remember only too well living across the country from my family so I know how hard it can be. This looks like a wonderful meal though! The components look like they come together deliciously!

penny aka jeroxie said...

rice squares look so yummy!

Jennifer (Savor) said...

The first word that popped into my mind was: AMAZING!
BTW: I have a new URL http://www.savoringthethyme.com/

Create. Snap. Eat. said...

YES, YES, YES! What a fantastic idea! Cheese and rice?! Excellent.

Allie and Pattie said...

Mary, I've been away for a couple days and just catching up. I do so understand how you miss them. The holidays are SO chaotic, but I always cry when they're gone.
This looks like just the kind of dish I love- tasty, filling, and comforting. Have a wonderful day!
xoxo Pattie

Cathy said...

What a delicious rice dish, Mary. I'm saving this recipe until the pepper vendor shows up at the farmers market. He roasts a variety of peppers over a flame and we can take them home warm.

ann said...

looks like a great recipe to bring to a pot luck! Thanks - ann

Samantha @ The Savvy Soybean said...

This looks soo yummy... such vegetarian comfort food!!

Chats the Comfy Cook said...

This is an original way to make rice. The cheese is such a good mix, with it.

Karen said...

This sounds so good, Mary. I used to work at a hospital and the cafeteria would serve a green chile, cheese and rice casserole. This recipe reminds me of it and it was very good!

Melissa and Zack said...

those look yummy! I want you to make those next time we come !!we miss your cooking

FOODalogue said...

Well, add me to the 70 people who commented before...yummy!

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