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1
Cook the rice, with the salt, till the liquid is absorbed, this will be a dry rice at this point.
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2
Let stand till partially cooled While the rice is cooking, saute/fry the grnd meat with the spices, onions,peppers, garlic and warm peppers till the meat is browned.
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3
Drain excess fat from the meat, add in the herbs and mix together.
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4
Let stand till partially cooled You have a choice of mixing rice and meat together or possibly creating layers in a casserole dish.
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5
Once the mix is in the casserole, try not to pack it down too much, add in the canned tomatoes and let this work its way down and in for 5 %96 10 min while you preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
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6
At this point you can add in cheese on top if you wish, a good old cheddar is great.
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7
Cover the casserole dish and bake in the oven for 30 %96 45 min, or possibly till all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.
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8
***NOTE*** Don't forget which the rice is not fully cooked so which, as it absorbs the liquid from the tomato, it WILL expand.
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9
So, leave a little expansion room in your casserole dish.
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10
As a final touch, if you are using cheese and want a brown top, uncover the dish, after cooking is complete, and broil, not too close to the element, till desired colour is achieved.
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11
Allow to cold for 5 %96 10 min and serve.
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12
Makes a great centre piece on the dinning room table.
