Baked Poblano-Tomatillo Brown Rice
08Tom did some grilling recently (from Rick Bayless’s cookbook – shocking, I know!) and for one of those meals, I made the arbol chile salsa as an accompaniment to some pork tenderloin. I ended up having extra tomatillos and wasn’t sure how to use them, but eventually settled on rice. Originally, I was going to do something similar to a Spanish rice with chunks of tomatillos, but decided to sear and puree them, much like the salsa calls for, and use that puree as part of the cooking liquid.
I adore poblanos in general, but I really love them with tomatillos. Tomatillos are sweet and sort of tart, and I like how the earthy and just a teeny bit spicy poblano balances those flavors. Add that and some of your standard pilaf ingredients like garlic, onions, and chicken broth, and you’ve got a Mexican twist on your boring brown rice side. This is really tasty and healthy, too!
I took a picture of the brown rice in the baking dish but it didn’t look very appetizing, so the one on the plate will have to do. 🙂
Baked Poblano and Tomatillo Brown Rice
1 poblano pepper
1/2 Tbsp. canola oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 lb. tomatillos, husked and cut in half
chicken broth
1 cup brown rice
salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 350.
Directly over a gas burner or under your broiler, char the poblano. Cook, rotating, until all sides are blackened/blistered. Put in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Once cool enough to handle, peel the skin off and discard. Coarsely chop the poblano and throw into the food processor.
In a heavy skillet (preferably cast iron and something with higher sides) over medium heat, add the oil until shimmering, and then cook the onion until tender. Spoon the onions into the food processor, and then wipe out the skillet.
Set the skillet over medium-high heat and add the tomatillos, cut side down, and garlic. When the tomatillos are well-browned, about 3-4 minutes, flip everything and brown on the other side. Add to the food processor, along with 1/2 cup chicken broth, and pulse until everything is combined and as smooth as possible. Pour into a measuring cup, and add enough chicken broth to equal 2.25 total cups of liquid; season to taste with salt and pepper. (Place in processor and pulse again if necessary.)
Pour the liquid back into your pan and bring to a boil. Place rice in a 1.5 qt baking dish, and pour hot liquid over the top, or just add rice to skillet. Cover with a tight-fitting lid or aluminum foil and bake for one hour. Fluff with a fork before serving.
This rice sounds like an excellent accompaniment. A little heat packs a lot of flavour Elly!!
Oh Yum! I love poblanos and tomatillos together too – I’m definitely making this next time we grill Mexican food!
I’m a rice freak. Ever since I was little I adored rice so this dish is right up my alley.
What can I use though instead of poblano pepper? I don’t think I can find it in Holland.
Magda
Hi Magda. I’m not sure what peppers are easy to find in Holland. The poblano is pretty mild, as far as peppers go. Spicier than a bell pepper, but nowhere near a jalapeno. If you have something called pasilla peppers, that would work, or you could just do a combo of bell and maybe half a jalapeno or serano. You could also do a different green chile like anaheim.
Love baked rice……have never tried it with these ingredients though,,,so the hunt begins for them…This meal is certainly packed with flavor!!
What a yummy side dish – the peppers sound perfect in it!
Poblanos are a delight to eat, love the touch of heat and likely delish in this rice dish.
this looks absolutely delicious!