Spanish Micheal - a Recipe from the 1930s

I was going through my old cookbook and I found an interesting recipe that I thought I would try.  I had never heard of it before, but when I made it, I really thought it was delicious and it was fairly easy and not expensive.  It will be even less expensive this summer when the harvest comes in and I am buried in peppers, onions, garlic and tomatoes.  A perfect dish for gardeners!
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I have no idea why it is called Spanish Micheal and the cookbook has no explanation as to the name.  This is a picture of the cookbook.  As you can see it's very old.  It has no cover and no information on where it comes from. I found it in my mother's recipes after she passed away and the recipes in it are a lesson in old style cooking.  I love it, and I will be sharing recipes from it for a long time to come.

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Ingredients:
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• 1 pound ground sausage
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 2 cups of uncooked rice (type not specified so your choice!)
• 1 quart of tomato puree
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 bell pepper, diced 
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tomatoes peeled, cored and roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup peas (type not specified, I used English)
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika or chili seasoning (I use smoked paprika)
• 1 cup cheese (type not specified so your choice!)
• ​salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
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1. In a skillet mix sausage and oregano and fry until cooked through
2. Remove meat from pan, leaving drippings
3. Put rice in the pan and fry until it starts to turn brown, then add onion, garlic and pepper
4. Fry all until the onion turns yellow and peppers are softened
5. Add tomato puree, tomatoes, peas, sausage, paprika, salt and pepper if needed
6. Reduce heat to simmer and cook until rice is soft
7. Spoon mixture onto plates and sprinkle generously with cheese
8. Serve as cheese melts with hot bread or biscuits.

The recipe does not say what kind of cheese, so that is a decision you will have to make.  I used a sprinkling of Parmesan because I am not a fan of melted cheese on rice.  
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Experiment with different kinds or you could put a few different kinds on the table and let your family choose the cheese they like best!  Enjoy!

​Have a great weekend!

​Jade    :)

My favorite plates to serve pasta or rice

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