I had a lovely visit with my Aunt Dot this weekend. We spent a couple of hours catching up and chatting. Before we parted, she handed me a piece of paper and wrote down a simple recipe she often prepares as a side for beef or pork. She also told me she usually triples the quantities so there’s enough for leftovers to enjoy for lunch the next few days.
Charleston Rice
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 tbsp butter
1 cup uncooked rice (Uncle Ben’s or similar)
1 can (10 oz) beef broth
1 can (10 oz) beef consommé
In a skillet over medium heat, brown the chopped onion and green pepper in the butter. Cook until the onion begins to caramelize and the pepper is tender, then remove from the heat. In a casserole dish, combine the uncooked rice with the beef broth and beef consommé, stirring briefly to distribute the rice. Spread the cooked onion and green pepper evenly over the rice mixture.
Bake in a preheated oven at 325°F (160°C) for about 45 minutes. Begin checking at 40 minutes and then every 5 minutes until the rice is tender and fluffy. Baking time will vary slightly depending on your oven and the depth of the casserole dish; if you’ve tripled the recipe, expect a longer baking time.
This is one of Aunt Dot’s family favorites. She’s so fond of it that when she wants leftovers she skips doubling the recipe and goes straight to tripling it.
I asked how the dish came to be called “Charleston Rice,” since she lives in Texas. She laughed and said she was given the recipe while they lived in Charleston — that explained it perfectly.
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