Snow's Writing for 2019, 2020, & Beyond

Spanish Rice, My Way

Spanish Rice Recipe

1 lb. ground beef
2 cups rice (either short grain or long grain)
1 16 oz. jar of salsa verde (green) or salsa roja (red)
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook rice the way you normally cook it. Once the rice is done, you are ready cook the meat.

Crumble ground beef into a frying pan. Cover and cook over low to medium heat until meat is done. When meat is done, drain excess grease off the meat and pour the meat into the cooked rice. Mix thoroughly or as thoroughly as you can.

Once the meat and rice is mixed to your liking add the salsa and mix thoroughly. If you want spicier dish pick a spicier type salsa.

After the meat, rice, and salsa are combined it is ready to serve. It can be served with salad or some type of vegetable.

Serves two to four people.

I can remember my grandmother fixing, what she called Spanish rice. Grandma's recipe was slightly different from mine. Instead of adding salsa, Grandma used either tomato paste or sauce. It depended on whether she had cans tomato sauce or paste in the pantry. I know Grandma used small cans, but I do not remember how many ounces they were. At the time, I was more interested in how she cooked it then the exact recipe.

Grandma would serve, my three siblings and me, Spanish rice every couple of Saturdays. Grandma served six people her recipe. In addition to the Spanish rice, she would serve a couple of different types of vegetables, and a homemade desert of some kind. All of us loved Grandma's cooking, and there never was any leftover Spanish rice.

When I moved to Las Vegas, I decided to fix Spanish rice the way Grandma fixed it. The first batch I made, I used both tomato sauce and tomato paste. That was the last time I used either of those in my Spanish rice. The reason I stopped using them is that I like salsa better than tomato sauce.

I put Salsa roja in the next batch of Spanish rice I made. Salsa gives the Spanish rice a different taste than tomato sauce or past. After trying the salsa roja, I tried the salsa verde. Each type of the salsa give the Spanish rice a slightly different taste, which is alright with me. I do not like boring food and my recipe for Spanish rice is not boring.

I smile each time I remember Grandma serving Spanish rice. Grandma would put the Spanish rice dish in the center of the table, with dishes of vegetable on either side of the Spanish rice. My Grandfather would say a prayer before the meal. Next Grandpa would take a helping of Spanish rice and each of the vegetables.

After Grandpa filled his plate, my brothers were next followed my sister and I. Grandma would be last. I never understood why she choose to go last. Once Grandma was served we would all eat. One of my brothers was so particular that he would eat one food item at a time. He began with the Spanish rice, once he finished it he would eat a serving of vegetables followed by the other.

I, on the other hand, was never that particular. I usually mixed both of my vegetables together. Sometimes, I even mixed my vegetables with my Spanish rice serving. This amused one brother and caused the other to shake his head and glare at me.

Author's Notes: ▼

Word Count: 152 recipe Story 434.
Prompt: Regular Recipes
Recipe Format: Regular Format
Recipe Notes: This is the only one of my Grandmother recipes I edited to my taste.