Lowcountry Red Rice
By Jeremy Blankenship of Crossroads Chapel Hill
“This is a side dish that is very popular along the coastal region of North Carolina and South Carolina. I learned to make it while living in Charleston 20 years ago and still make it all the time. It’s a great side dish for pork and fish, or you can be like me and just eat it on its own!”
Makes 4 quarts
- 10 bacon slices cut into small ribbons
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 large green bell pepper, diced
- 4 celery stalks, diced
- 1 Tbsp. chopped garlic
- 1 Tbsp. Tabasco
- 1 pint Alta Cucina tomatoes, chopped
- 1 qt. tomato juice from canned tomatoes
- 1 qt. water or chicken stock
- 1 qt. parboiled rice
- Salt to taste
Render the bacon until crispy and add in the vegetables and garlic. Cook until tender. Add the Tabasco, chopped tomatoes, tomato juice and stock. Bring to a simmer, add rice and stir. Bring back to a simmer and cover on low heat for 20 minutes. Take off heat and let it steam for 5 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork into a pan and season with salt.
