Grandma’s Spanish Rice (and Bri’s Stuffed Peppers)

I think every family has their “family favorite” recipes. My family (on all sides) happens to have quite a few. In fact, several years ago my dad’s sister Letty put together a cookbook full of recipes from family and close friends. The book’s title, “How Lovely Cooks the Meat,” references a song that he and his siblings grew up listening too. For a nice little laugh, listen to that song HERE (wow, YouTube has everything).

Included in the cookbook is one of the family’s most coveted recipes: Grandma Davis’ Spanish Rice. In fact,  Aunt Letty included the following note next to the recipe: “Several people requested that mom send in this recipe. She says she doesn’t use a recipe but this is approximate proportions. Mom is known for her Spanish Rice at picnics and get-togethers.” Awww…yes, this dish has graced the table of practically every family get-together I’ve ever been too. From what I understand, it’s a dish my Great-Grandmother Gladys Bailey threw together, probably during “hard times” (I’ll have to go back to Grandma for the full story). It consists of very simple ingredients, but it has all of the “comfort” you could ever want.

To any family members reading this blog, leave a comment and tell me what your “family favorite” is. I’ll make it and blog about it in the future. I just made Aunt Sue’s Slaw Salad last weekend, and I’m thinking it’s time to try Aunt Linda’s Calico Beans. Hmmmm…idea. . .maybe I’ll pick some random recipes from the book, make them, and blog about them too. There are only 600 recipes to choose from. Ok, before becoming overzealous let me share what’s on the table now . . . my version of Grandma Davis’ Spanish Rice.

 

How Lovely Cooks the Meat . . .Brown 1-1/2 to 2 lbs of ground beef, 1 large white onion (chopped), and 3/4 cup of green pepper (chopped). The green pepper is optional.

Grandma’s recipe says the secret is to “brown the hamburger really good and then add the green pepper and onion.” I actually sautéed the green pepper and onion with the meat. I’m not sure it made a real difference. I did make sure the meat was good and brown. Don’t forget to drain the grease. 

An added bonus . . .
Spanish Rice is perfectly fine served by itself, but I’ve always thought it would be really tasty stuffed inside of a green pepper. Here are my green peppers . . . ready and waiting!

Obviously, if you’ve omitted green pepper from the meat mixture, you’re going to want to skip right on over that “added bonus.”

Adding some color . . .
To the meat/onion/green pepper mixture, add 1 quart of tomatoes (or more). I used about 1-1/2 quarts.

I happen to be very lucky that I have parents who have a garden and a mom who loves to can. It’s a treat (literally) at Christmas time to receive a gift of home-canned tomatoes (and green beans, and cinnamon pickles, and salsa and . . .) Where was I? Oh yes. . .home-canned tomatoes. That is what you’re seeing in these pictures. Yum!

And now some texture . . .Add 1 cup of white rice (not Minute Rice).I suppose you could use brown rice, but it may alter the flavor a little bit.

With everything added to the skillet, I let it sit for a bit. Grandma’s recipe doesn’t really say to do this, but I do it anyway.

Ready to bake . . .
Pour meat/rice mixture into a large baking dish. Place in a 350 degree oven for 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Cooking time may vary.

Important Note: Spanish Rice tends to bake on the “dry” side. I add a little water before putting into the oven. After 1/2 hour, you should add some water (or tomato juice) to keep it moist. You don’t want it to be runny, but you need enough liquid so that the rice is completely cooked. You will also want to stir the rice throughout it’s baking cycle.

About them peppers . . .
Here’s what they looked like before going into the oven. I had spooned some of the mixture directly from the skillet into the peppers.

The stuffed peppers right out of the oven.

Now, here’s what I learned about stuffing peppers . . .it’s a bit of a challenge to add additional liquid to the peppers without it seeping out the bottom. Even more challenging is trying to stir the rice so that it cooks evenly. Thus, some of the rice in my peppers (mostly at the top) was a bit on the crunchy side. So, with my next attempt I will place the empty peppers in the oven about 15 minutes after the rice mixture has had time to bake. About 30 minutes in, I will add some of the “cooked” rice mixture to the peppers. Regardless, they stuffed peppers were delicious!

Spanish Rice right out of the oven

Ready to eat . . .

The woman behind the recipe . . . Here I am with my grandma, Marian Davis. Bless her heart!!!

Spanish Rice
Ingredients:
   1-1/2 to 2 lbs of ground beef
   1 large chopped white onion
   1 to 1-1/2 quarts of tomatoes
   1 cup of white rice (not Minute Rice)
   water or tomato juice
   Optional: 3/4 cup of chopped green pepper
Ingredients for Stuffed Peppers:
   Whole green peppers, seeds removed

Directions: 
   1. Brown ground beef, chopped onion, and chopped green pepper. 
   2. Stir in tomatoes and rice. Let sit for a few minutes.
   3. Pour meat/rice mixture into a large baking dish and add some water (about 1/2 cup) or tomato juice.
    4. Place in a 350 degree oven for 1 to 1-1/2 hours. 
    5. After 1/2 hour, add water (or tomato juice) to keep the rice moist. Stir the rice throughout the baking cycle. Cooking time may vary.

**For Stuffed Peppers: Place the empty peppers in the oven about 15 minutes after the rice mixture has had time to bake. About 30 minutes in, add some of the “cooked” rice mixture to the peppers. Continue baking.**  (Disclaimer: I haven’t tried this yet as I mentioned above)

For us, this is a meal in itself. We usually serve with garlic bread and maybe a salad. I hope our family favorite becomes your favorite too.

Side note: I may or may not have listened to “How Lovely Cooks the Meat” about five times while typing this post. :-)