Chile Chapter’s Spanish Rice

¼ cup olive oil
½ chopped onion
2 cups Uncle Ben’s converted long grain rice
2 teaspoons seasoning salt
¾ teaspoons each of white pepper and garlic salt
¼ cup Lipton Onion Soup Base
½ of 28 oz. tin diced tomatoes
¼ cup chile purée
3 cups water
½ bunch celery, washed and sliced in 1” diagional slices

Sauté ½ chopped onion in ¼ cup olive oil for 5 minutes on low heat, stirring frequently. Add 2 cups rice and stir until grains are all coated with oil. Add 2 teaspoons seasoning salt, ¼ cup Lipton Onion Soup Base and ¾ teaspoons each of white pepper and garlic salt. Stir.
Add ½ tin tomatoes, ¼ cup chile purée and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil. This is the step that determines the success of Spanish rice as over cooking at this point will result in mushy rice. Once rice has come to a boil, remove from heat, add sliced celery and let sit until rice has softened, usually about 30 minutes.