Cilantro-Lime Rice
Weekends here at Casa Scalzitti are almost always low-key. Peter drives all over town during the week and if you live or have visited Houston, you know what a big, sprawling city it is. Needless to say, he's pretty tired by the end of a long work week and looks forward to re-charging his batteries. Since I am home full-time, I take care of the majority of the household errands during the week so that Peter and I can do more fun and relaxing activities on weekends. We have a standing "date night" every Saturday {and sometimes Friday's too}, we'll meet friends for dinner or a movie, we take Sienna on walks in our neighborhood, we'll laze on the couch in the living room and read on our iPads, and I am always trying to get caught up on my blog and food magazine reading {a "problem" I'm very happy to have!}. Occasionally, we'll spend a weekend runing errands together {mostly of the Home Depot variety}, but most weekends, we make it a point not to have a to-do list or a schedule so that we can relax and recharge together.
Peter and I are both big homebodies, so being at home is a source of great comfort for us, even if it means having to do housework or repairs. We enjoy living in and taking care of our home. A couple of weekends ago, we did some Spring cleaning in the garage and back patio. The weather here in Houston is getting warmer and we are enjoying the fleeting Spring days while they last, so it's the perfect time to spruce up our outdoor spaces. While Peter cleaned the garage, I cleaned the back patio and the grill. I began by happily yanking off the grill cover, gave it a good scrub and let it dry out in the sun before packing it up in a big plastic bag and storing it in the garage closet. Then me and Barkeeper's Friend scrubbed the grill back to a high shine. Peter got the propane tank filled and hooked up and we were back in grilling business.
We grilled one of our favorite dinners: marinated jumbo shrimp, fresh zucchini and bell peppers. It was simple, quick and flavorful. To complement the herbed marinade used on the shrimp and vegetables, I made my own version of Cilantro-Lime Rice. We love to eat rice whenever we have a light dinner like this because it's a lighter starch. The flavor of this rice is perky and bright from freshly grated lime zest, lime juice and cilantro, and it was the perfect side dish to round out the herb flavors of the grilled shrimp and vegetables. Saturday couldn't have ended more deliciously.
Cilantro-Lime Rice
2 T. unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
1 1/4 cup water
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1 T. lime zest {from 1 small lime}
1 T. finely chopped cilantroMelt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. When the butter is completely melted, add in the minced garlic and sautee for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Adjust the heat to make sure the garlic does not burn and the butter does not start to brown. Add in the rice and stir to coat it thoroughly with the butter. Stir the rice over medium heat for about 1 minute to lightly toast it. Add in the water, lime juice and salt and stir to combine. Cover tightly with the lid and reduce the heat to medium-low. Let the rice simmer steadily until all the water is absorbed and steam holes appear on the surface. Remove from the heat and add in the lime zest and cilantro. Use a fork to fluff the rice and incorporate the lime zest and cilantro Serve hot.
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This would be a perfect side to the tacos I posted today. We love grilling too.
Looks deliciouis! Love the roasted veggies and shrimp!
That sounds so good, Flavia!