Arroz Tapado (Rice on Top)
Prep time: 30 minutes || Cook time: 35 minutes || Serving: 4 || Rating 10/10
Recipe may varied with what ingredients is on hand and personal preference. It up to the cook to decide the ratio of proteins, vegetables or herbs are added.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 sweet onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 lbs proteins (ground beef/chicken,
- 1/4 cup of fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/4 cups green peas
- 2 large carrots, diced
- 4-5 tomatoes, optional (to make a sauce)
- salt and pepper
- white rice, cooked
Optional:
- vegetables: black olives, corn, sweet potato, fried plantains
- protein: hard-boiled eggs, ground/finely chopped beef, chicken or tuna, portobellos, sausages
- other: raisins, cumin, paprika, oregano
Instructions
- Cooked white rice according to package instruction.
- Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
- Sauté the onion until soft and translucent.
- Sauté garlic for 30 seconds. Then add tomato paste and stir for a few minutes.
- Add ground beef and cook for about 15 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring every now and then.
- If the mixture looks dry, add some water, about 1/2 cup.
- Add vegetables and cook for about 7 minutes.
- Optional: When ready, add raisins, black olives, hard-boiled eggs, and parsley. Turn off the heat.
- Make the sauce: In a blender put in the tomatoes and then pour it in a pot over medium-high heat. You can add to the sauce some honey, maple or cane sugar to make it slightly sweeter.
To Serve:
In the bottom of a ramekin or bowl, make a layer of rice, pressing with a spoon. Over this make a layer of the ground beef mixtures, and cover with more rice. Put a plate over the ramekin and turn up-side-down. Take out the ramekin. IF using a sauce, put some sauce over the arroz tapado. Serve with a green salad.
Note: You can cook the vegetables with the rice instead of with the meat.