Arroz verde-authentic green rice

With all the rumpus surrounding my recent coronavirus post and having been on the receiving end of the vented wrath of an extremely upset lady in Horsham UK, I thought I better post something plainer. Plain rice is just that: plain. I think it sometimes needs a little push and some TLC to transport ones tastebuds from the land of the bland to a place where rice's true potential shines through? 
This Mexican Green Rice is the perfect counterpart to the Portuguese Arroz de tomate malandrinho.  They use similar techniques; once you’re familiar with one of them you’ve always got the option of making the other one just by swapping out the puree.
Of course, this batch also comes with the alluring smell of roasted poblano peppers infiltrating your house. This can be reason alone to make the recipe, but ending up with a delicious, authentic batch of green goodness helps too.Lets face it how many of us are racing through those jars of rice in our store cupboards these days?

The poblano peppers are the key to this recipe. I also added  a handful of spinach  but you can consider that optional if you are making it for the first time.
Start by roasting the two green beauties.
These poblanos will need 20-25 minutes in a 400F oven.  You can flip them halfway through the roasting period if you want.
You’ll need to add a few tablespoons of the stock to get the blender contents rolling.
Combine well but it’s okay to leave it just a little chunky.

Arroz verde malandrinho

1 cup arroz malandrinho rice
2 poblano peppers
10-15 sprigs cilantro
1 handful spinach (optional)
1/2 onion
1 garlic clove
2 cups good quality stock
1/2 teaspoon salt
olive oil

Roast the poblano peppers in the oven for 20-25 minutes. You can flip them over halfway through the roasting period if you want.
De-stem and de-seed the poblanos. Add them to a blender along with 10-15 sprigs of cilantro, a handful of spinach, 1/2 onion, and 1 garlic clove. Combine well.
Add a dollop of oil to a saucepan over medium heat. Add 1 cup of rice and cook until opaque and starting to turn golden brown, stirring regularly. This should only take a couple minutes so keep an eye on it to prevent burning.
Add the blender puree to the rice and cook for a couple minutes, stirring regularly. Add 2 cups of stock and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Stir well, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and let cook until all of the liquid is absorbed, approximately 15-20 minutes.
Remove from heat. Give a stir and cover the rice, letting it sit in its own steam for a few minutes.
Take a final taste for salt level, adding more if necessary. Serve immediately and store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.