Perhaps expecting the red-tinged, tasteless, so-called Mexican or Spanish rice you see in most restaurants, guests at Coyote Cafe are pleasantly surprised as soon as they take a forkful of this rice. This is a real trailblazer of a side dish, with plenty of personality. For best results, use a good, fresh, pure chile powder. The rice will keep for 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator.

　　

Ingredients

makes about 6 cups, to serve 6 to 8

　　4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for finishing

　　2 cloves garlic, minced

　　2 cups long-grain rice, rinsed and drained

　　1/2 white onion, minced

　　4 1/2 cups water

　　1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano, toasted and ground (page 161)

　　1 teaspoon cumin seed, toasted and ground (page 164)

　　1 tablespoon minced fresh marjoram leaves

　　1/3 cup medium-hot red chile powder

　　1 teaspoon kosher salt

　　

Step 1

In a large, heavy skillet, melt the butter over medium heat and sauté the garlic until soft, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the rice. Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the onion, the water, oregano, cumin, marjoram, chile powder, and salt and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the water has just evaporated, 20 to 25 minutes.

　　

Step 2

Remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff up with a wooden spoon, adding a little butter, if desired. The rice can be kept warm, covered, in a very low oven or in a rice cooker, and held for up to 2 hours.

　　Tacos by Mark Miller with Benjamin Hargett and Jane Horn. Copyright © 2009 by Mark Miller with Benjamin Hargett and Jane Horn. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.Mark Miller is the acclaimed chef-founder of Coyote Cafe in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He has started and owned thirteen different restaurants on three continents from 1979 to 2008. He is the author of ten books with nearly 1 million copies in print, including Tacos, The Great Chile Book, The Great Salsa Book, and Coyote Cafe. Mark currently works in International Culinary Consulting and lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.Benjamin Hargett is a travel-loving chef who has cooked in Europe, the Carribean, Mexico, and the United States, where he worked with Mark Miller at the Coyote Café for many years.