Jollof Rice

Adjust oven rack to center position and preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 13" x 9" baking dish with cooking spray.

In a blender, combine tomatoes, Scotch bonnet pepper, chopped onions, and bell peppers. Blend until smooth.

In a large pan, heat oil over medium heat, and add the sliced onions. Season with salt, and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Add bay leaves, curry powder, paprika, dried thyme, ginger, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper. Cook over medium heat for about 1 minute to let the spices bloom. Add tomato paste, and stir for another 2 minutes.

Add tomato-pepper-Scotch bonnet mixture, stir, and cook over medium heat 10 to 12 minutes, or until mixture is reduced by half.

Add 1 c. stock to the mixture and bring to a boil, 1 to 2 minutes.

Stir in rice and butter. Season with salt to taste.

Transfer mixture to the greased baking dish. (Be careful, it will be hot!)

Cover baking dish tightly with foil, and bake until rice is tender, about 40 to 50 minutes. Check rice after about 30 minutes, and add water or stock if it looks dry or the rice is still hard. Fluff with a fork before serving.