Arroz Verde - Green Rice

I like my dad's comment that he didn't know what a poblano pepper was. He put this recipe in the Carl and Hugh cookbook sometime in the 60's or 70's, when he still lived in the San Francisco Bay Area and hadn't yet been exposed to the variety of Mexican foods that he would encounter when my parents moved to the San Joaquin Valley.4 canned poblano chilies, *or substitute 4 green peppers, each 4 inches in diameter
4 c. chicken stock, fresh or canned
1 c. coarsely chopped fresh parsley
1/2 c. coarsely chopped onions
1/4 t. finely chopped garlic
1 t. salt
1/8 t. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 c. olive oil
2 c. raw long grain rice
*Note(from original author): I don't know what poblano means, but I buy Ortega's or Ashley's canned large green chilies. Never tried this with green peppers.

• Handle the chilies carefully as you wash out the thick white membranes and discard seeds.
• Pat them with a damp towel then let them rest a few minutes.
• Chop the chilies into chunks.
• Combine 1 cup of the chunks and 1/2 cup of stock in a jar of a blender and blend at high speed for 15 seconds.
• Then gradually add the remaining chilies and the parsley, onions, garlic, salt and pepper, blending until the mixture is reduced to a smooth puree.
• Pour the oil into a 2 - 3 qt. casserole and set it over moderate heat.
• When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add rice and stir constantly for 2 - 3 minutes until grains are coated with oil.
• Do not let them brown.
• Now add the puree chili mixture and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring the remaining 3 1/2 cups of stock to a boil in a small saucepan and pour it over the rice.
• Return to a boil, cover the casserole and reduce the heat to its lowest point (I slide the casserole to an electric burner already set on low.)
• Simmer undisturbed for 18 - 20 minutes, or until the rice is tender and has absorbed all the liquid.
• Before serving, fluff the rice with a fork.
• If the rice must wait, remove the cover and drape the pan loosely with a towel.
• Place in preheated 250° oven to keep warm.

Serves