Friday Night Dinner Blog

The Menu:

Arroz Con Pollo

Garlicky purple broccoli

And for Dessert: banana chocolate mousse torte (our guests requested a replay from last week’s menu) along with store-bought ice cream. 

The Story:

I’m talking about what to feed a carnivorous three-year-old, not mangy, mouldy tins that have been sitting at the back of the pantry collecting dust.  As the mother of this lovely child told me, she’s “not completely averse to new foods, but she’s not completely open to them either.”

Though I was pretty much guaranteed that said toddler probably wouldn’t be partaking in grownup food, I wanted to make sure that if for any reason she chose to be adventurous that night, I would be ready with an appropriate dinner.

Arroz con pollo, me quiero casar… 

People keep asking what my language is.  The question is impossible to answer as different languages have set the stage at different stages of my life.  It started out in Spanish, then English was added and when school started properly, Flemish, French and Hebrew became the mainstay throughout.  In practical terms, what this means is that certain memories are in French while others are in Hebrew and so forth. Unlike most people who learned nursery rhymes in the same language as the books their parents read to them at bedtime, my mother sang to me in Spanish, Charlotte’s Web was in English and later on I read the Little Prince in French.   

My earliest memories, however, remain in Spanish. 

And so too with food -- which is why Arroz Con Pollo remains one of the ultimate comfort foods for me. What better way to make sure that food is approachable for a three-year-old than by keeping it simple?  Throw some roast chicken in with some brown rice, a few herbs and spices and Bob’s your uncle.  Though the concoction is inherently Latin, it was pretty fitting for a cold British winter Friday Night Dinner: hearty, deeply warming and perfect for a child.

Or so I thought.

After nibbling on two crackers and a teaspoon of hummus all the three-year-old cared about was the rebounder.  Amidst the shrieks of “bouncy, bouncy,” the adults nevertheless gobbled up their portions and the song has remained in my head ever since.

Arroz con pollo, me quiero casar…

The Recipe:

(serves 4)

Ingredients:

1 roast organic, free-rance chicken, separated from the bones, meat chopped into small pieces or shredded

Any bones from the chicken (if organic) -- optional

2 cups brown basmati rice, soaked in water for about 3 hours

2 yellow onions, chopped

2 T olive oil

5-7 strands saffron

1 ½ generous teaspoons cumin powder

1 ½ generous teaspoons smoked Spanish paprika

4 cups water + 1/2 cup

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

In a large, deep pan, coat the chopped onion well with olive oil and sauté until they start to go translucent.

Drain and rinse the soaked rice.

Once the onions are the right color, add the rice and coat with the olive oil / onion mixture.  Allow about half a minute to a minute.  Then add 4 cups water and the spices as well as any chicken bones.  Bring to a boil.

Once it is boiling, lower the heat, and cover the rice for about forty-five minutes or until the water has been soaked up and the rice is soft and fluffy. 

Then add another 1/2 cup of water and the chopped chicken and allow to simmer, uncovered, until the water has evaporated. (about another 10-15 minutes) 

Adjust the seasoning.

Serve immediately. 

A note for non-meat-eaters: this rice is also delicious without the chicken – it makes a great side dish and is wonderful cold as part of a hearty salad with chickpeas, beets and leafy greens.  For added flavour, try replacing the water with vegetable stock.