Arroz Con Tocino

Ingredients

• 2 cups white rice
• 1 pound salt pork, or thick cut bacon, diced
• 1 cup white onion, minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 heaping tablespoon recaito seasoning base
• 3 3/4 cups water
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Cilantro, to garnish
• 1 large egg per serving, if desired

Directions

1. Put the rice in a fine mesh colander or strainer and run cold water over it until the runoff looks clear. Let the rice sit in the colander so it can drain well.
2. Add the pork to simmering water and cook it for 15 minutes. Drain it, rinse it, and let it cool before you keep going. If bacon is what you are using, leave this step out.
3. Set a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, add the diced pork, and cook until the fat melts out and the pieces turn crisp and golden, 4 to 6 minutes. Scoop the pork from the pot with a slotted spoon and transfer it to paper towels.
4. Pour off the fat, leaving 2 tablespoons behind in the pot. Add the onions and cook for 2 minutes, until they look glossy. Stir in the minced garlic and recaito, then cook for another minute, just until fragrant.
5. Tip the drained rice into the pot and stir it through the onion mixture so every grain gets a little shine from the fat. Keep stirring and toast the rice for about a minute. Add the water and pepper, then bring everything to a boil.
6. When the water reaches a boil, turn the heat to low. Lay aluminum foil over the pot with about 2" hanging past the rim. Put the lid on top and press it down so the foil helps close up any gaps. Give the rice twenty minutes on low, with the lid left alone. Check the rice; if it needs more steaming, cover it again and let it continue. When the rice is fully cooked, take off the lid and loosen the grains with a spoon or large fork.
7. Fold the reserved pork into the cooked rice. Finish with cilantro, if desired.
8. When you are ready to eat, fry an egg however you like it and set it over a generous scoop of the rice.