Portuguese Rice

Recipe courtesy of Emeril Lagasse

1/4 cup canola oil
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups long grain white rice, washed and drained
4 cups boiling water
1 bay leaf
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation:

In a 4-quart pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and stir-fry until golden. Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, until slightly toasted and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the water, bay leaf, tomatoes and salt and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat so that the rice just simmers. Cook undisturbed until tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand covered without stirring for 10 minutes.

To prepare greens for cooking, Remove the large thick stem from the middle, and roll the leaves up and slice into ribbons. I like to cook the greens in boiling water for about 10-15 minutes before adding them to a sauté pan of garlic and onion. They are often cooked with some kind of pork product, such as bacon, or pancetta. They would also be delicious served with mashed potatoes.

Bok Choy is super easy to prepare. It does not require much cooking at all and when the bok choy is young like the ones in your bin, you can use almost all of it. Just trim off the end at the bottom. I like it best in a stir-fry, with soy sauce and sesame oil but it can also be added to soups. It’s really great in anything with Thai spices or coconut milk.

Sweet!