Arroz con Pollo, a phrase I remember from high school
Spanish class. Rice and Chicken came to mind this week. I have a jar of
Classico Alfredo Sauce that I just discovered is one year beyond the expiration
date, alas. Before I noticed that, it had inspired me to a dish that I’m
planning to make for dinner making. I've decided to go ahead with my dish and
make the Alfredo sauce from scratch. (I just looked up a simple recipe ¼ cup
butter, 1 cup cream, 1 garlic clove and 1 ½ cup grated Gruyere cheese and parsley which I'm omitting.) Anyway,
on with my dish, I’m boiling some rice, Basmati because I have it, and I’m
crockpotting on a whole chicken seasoned with Johnny’s Seasoning to be ready in 6
hours. Toward evening I’ll sauté an onion and some celery, cut chunks of chicken and mix it into the onion and celery sautéing in
butter, then I’ll mix together my Alfredo sauce, sautéed onion, celery and
chicken, and the rice. It’ll be a basic savory chicken and rice dish, rare for
me to make.
Savory rice dishes are anomaly amidst our favored cuisine. I can hook my husband with the Alfredo sauce (and some shredded,
toasted Gruyere on top) but it’s an iffy dish for him. Why? Because
neither of our mothers ever made a savory dish including rice. We both remember
rice with milk, sugar and raisins and, once in a while, rice pudding. I've wondered why with all the casserole, gravy type dishes so popular in the 1950’s and 1960’s. We
both wonder why our mothers had never discovered the meal-extending potentials
of rice. Once for high school home economics class I remember making Spanish
Rice. My adventure stood out in my mind so much because, first, I never cooked,
and second, it was a savory rice dish.
So, high school came to mind on two accounts, Arroz con Pollo from Spanish class and my actually cooking something in the early years of my life.
My late found love of cooking documented in this blog is a testament to the inspiration of my husband who shared his love of food and cooking and to special friends from India who helped me think of food in terms of a cuisine and of cooking as interesting food adventures rather than merely having food for sustenance.
So, high school came to mind on two accounts, Arroz con Pollo from Spanish class and my actually cooking something in the early years of my life.
My late found love of cooking documented in this blog is a testament to the inspiration of my husband who shared his love of food and cooking and to special friends from India who helped me think of food in terms of a cuisine and of cooking as interesting food adventures rather than merely having food for sustenance.
