Arrrgh, why can't I have Ro-Tel?

[bicentennial_baby]

I've never seen their products here (Boston area, Stop and Shop, Shaw's/Star Mkt) and I went to their site, but there's no way for me to find out where they are sold around here, if they are at all. :mad:

I'm making Chili tomorrow and wanted to change it up a bit. x(

[grasswire]

1. can't you approximate the ingredients?

I think Ro-tel is just tomatoes, onion and jalapenos or green chiles. Right? I have a can downstairs and can look if you wish.

[bicentennial_baby]

2. That would be great!

I just hear people singing their praises and want to check it out. But yes, I could do that! :hi:

[grasswire]

3. the can I have is labeled "mexican lime & cilantro"

....it contains:

diced tomatoes with juice
diced green chile
lime juice
chopped onion
cilantro
a bit of garlic
salt

So I think you could just add all of that stuff to a can of diced tomatoes. It's mostly tomatoes.

Are you making the King Ranch casserole? That's the only thing I use Ro-tel for.

[NMDemDist2]

4. King Ranch Casserole??? tell me more......

pleeezzzzzzee!

:hi:

[grasswire]

7. here's one recipe

There are a lot of them on the Internet. I think the "King Ranch" is in Texas.


This is a version of the popular King Ranch Chicken Casserole Recipe.

INGREDIENTS:
6 chicken breast halves, cooked and diced
12 corn tortillas, cut into quarters
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup
8 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese
1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles (Ro-tel)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
salt
dash cayenne pepper
2/3 cup chicken broth

PREPARATION:
Pour about 1/3 cup of broth over bottom of a 13x9-inch baking pan. Layer half of the tortilla quarters on the bottom, then half of the chicken, onion, bell pepper, and dollops of about 1/2 of both soups.
Sprinkle with a little garlic powder, salt, and cayenne pepper. Repeat layers. Spread tomatoes over the top and drizzle with remaining chicken broth. Cover with foil and bake at 350° for 45 to 55 minutes, until bubbly.
Serves 6.

If you don't like that soup part, you could make a roux and use it to thicken some chicken broth. Of course, this kind of dish is open to improvisation!

[Arkansas Granny]

8. I've made a casserole very much like this one before, but didn't

know it had a name. I added some sliced ripe olives to mine. It looked good and tasted wonderful.

[sazemisery]

9. I've been to the King Ranch in Texas.

And I have eaten their Chicken casserole. Yummy.

edited for spelling.

[Shakespeare]

14. Yep, King Ranch is in Texas, and that's one of my VERY favorite casseroles.

Good stuff. :9

[Paladin]

15. Like A Lot Of Things......

....it tastes even better after it's been sitting in the refrigerator for a day or so....

[sandnsea]

5. My sis-in-law uses ro-tel

She made some chili and dang, it was really good. She's in Arkansas, she says "well I just threw in a can of ro-tel". lol. We were raised in Cali, real Mexican food, but that ro-tel really is a nice blend of spices.

My son-in-law has a yummy chili spice blend he uses for turkey chili. I can get that for you sometime if you can't figure out the ro-tel.

[mcscajun]

6. The locator is a bit buried on the site, but here ya' go.

http://www.conagrafoodscompany.com/corporate/storelocator/search.jsp

and then...if you're truly desperate...
http://www.foodlocker.com/brands-r-ro-tel.html

[pipoman]

10. Our grocery stores all have

store brand Rotel too. It is usually right with the canned tomatoes and is called something like diced tomatoes, onions and green chilies.

[yellerpup]

11. My Stop & Shop carries it.

Westchester Co., NY. Ask your S&S to order it for you. When approximating the Ro-tel recipe from scratch be sure to add some vinegar for kick. I always squeeze fresh lime juice over the finished product, but white vinegar makes all the other ingredients have that authentic taste. Good luck!

Edited for clarity and to add the vinegar tip.

[Shakespeare]

12. Some stores put them on the canned vegetable aisle, others in the hispanic food section.

I've never seen a grocery store that didn't carry Ro-Tel! :wow:

[Warpy]

13. You might have better luck in an ethnic market

on the south end of Washington Street. Shoot, I used to see it in the big Asian grocery downtown, the one that burned to the ground 18 years ago.

Personally, I've been less than thrilled with Ro-Tel's product line. I greatly prefer to use my own chiles and other seasonings.

[Gormy Cuss]

16. Never found Ro-Tel in Boston either.

Want to change it up? Buy a can of fire-roasted tomatoes and a large can of Ortega green chiles (by large I mean the same size as the big cans of Italian tomatoes.) Those chiles are NuMex greens, not hot like the Jalapenos but with lots of flavor. Take one or two and dice them. Freeze the rest flat in a plastic bag so that you can pop them out of the freezer one at a time.

Mix the diced chiles with the fire-roasted tomatoes and you'll have an approximation of Ro-Tel.

I realize this is probably too late for today's chili, but try it sometime.

on edit: for all the talk of "spices" in Ro-tel, the original is not very robust beyond the chile flavor. IIRC there's a mild oregano flavor too.

[Horse with no Name]

17. If you would like

I could send you some.:)

[pipoman]

18. Hey this gives me an idea for another Smokey and the Bandit episode..

[displacedtexan]

19. I used to pack my suitcase with cans of Ro-Tel.

Edited: spelling. Duh.

Now I can get it here in DC.

I can't, however, get Ranch Style beans. It's a Ft. Worth
brand, and I have to have my brother send me cases via UPS.