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Arroz con queso cruceño
Creamy baked cheese rice
Arroz con queso: Santa Cruz's creamy baked cheese rice
Lunch tables in Santa Cruz and Beni regularly carry a dish of arroz con queso next to the grilled meat: rice cooked soft and stirred with milk, butter and plenty of crumbled lowland cheese, then baked until the top turns golden. Cruceño cooks serve it with fried plantain and a tomato salad. Local cheese is usually made with animal rennet, so use a vegetarian mild Cheddar or a feta-style cheese if you need one. The most common mistake is draining the rice; it needs its starch to turn creamy. Chef's tip: hold back a third of the cheese and scatter it on top just before baking, so you get a melted core and a browned crust.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 10 ½ oz long-grain white rice
- 3 cups water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 ⅜ oz butter
- 1 small onionfinely chopped
- 1 cup milk
- 9 oz fresh white cheese or mild Cheddarcrumbled or grated; vegetarian rennet if needed
- 1 eggbeaten
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 375°F. Melt half of ⅔ oz butter in a saucepan over a medium heat and soften 1 small onion for 5 minutes without browning.
5 minStep 2: Add 10 ½ oz long-grain white rice, stir to coat, then add 3 cups water and 1 tsp salt. Bring to the boil, cover and cook over a low heat until the water is absorbed and the rice is soft, about 18 minutes.
18 minStep 3: Stir in 1 cup milk and simmer, stirring, for 3–4 minutes until creamy and loose, like a thick risotto.
4 minStep 4: Off the heat, stir in the rest of ⅔ oz butter, two-thirds of 6 oz fresh white cheese or mild Cheddar and 1 egg until evenly mixed.
2 minStep 5: Spread in a buttered ovenproof dish, scatter over the rest of 3 oz fresh white cheese or mild Cheddar and bake until bubbling at the edges and golden on top.
15 minStep 6: Rest for 5 minutes before spooning out.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 20 g
- Carbs
- 66 g
- Fat
- 23 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does arroz con queso cruceño take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of long-grain white rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
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