Orange-Fennel Beef & Rice

Today's post is brought to you by the color orange!

...Also the fruit, orange. I started out with with vague idea of orange & beef and rice-based one-pot meals like jambalaya or paella. I was also excited to use these super flavorful, extremely colorful carrots we got at the farmers market!

On the stove, I began by browning some ground beef.

Then I added onions, carrots, and garlic. Sauteed these all together until they were beginning to brown. I quickly added a cup of rice, stirred it in, and de-glazed the pan with two cups of water. Then I added both juice and zest from one orange... 

And some freshly grated nutmeg.

I let this all simmer until the rice was tender and the liquid was nearly gone (As it cooked I keept an eye on it to make sure it always had plenty of liquid, adding water as needed). When the rice was tender, the flavor still wasn't quite right. So I grabbed Alex to get his opinion. He had the brilliant idea of dried fennel, maybe a teaspoon or so. Then we added a dash of cumin, salt, and cilantro and ended up with a fruity delicious beefy rice dish!