green rice

I learned to make this rice at AOC, and the exact recipe can be found in Sunday Suppers at Lucques. I of course tend to use it as a way to use up lots of herbs, and what I have determines how much I use. You can use a variety of herbs in this recipe. I usually use some combination of parsley, mint, cilantro, dill, and chives. I use around ½ cup parsley, ¼ cup mint and cilantro and ⅛ cup of dill and chive. Pick the herbs off their stems and place them in a blender. What it really looks like when I make this dish is that I pick all my herbs and throw them in the blender. Add 3 cups of liquid (a combination of chicken stock &/or water) to the blender along with a pinch of salt and blend until you've got a vibrant green broth.

Meanwhile, dice ½-1 small red onion and ½-1 fennel bulb.

Put your favorite rice pot over medium heat and add some olive oil, half of an arbol chili if you have it, and the diced onion and fennel. Sweat the vegetables until translucent, season them with salt and pepper and then add 2 cups of basmati rice. Stir to coat the rice with the oil and toast it a bit. Add your green broth and bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cover for about 15-20 minutes or until almost tender. I like to try to catch my rice just before it's done, turn off the heat, throw in a pad of butter, and then let it sit covered for 5-10 minutes to finish steaming.