Arroz con Gandules

I have a soft spot when it come to Puerto Rican food, I don't know why. 9 times out of 10 I stay away from greasy fried food but when it happens to come from Puerto Rico, I'm all over it. Can we say alcapurrias and tostones? There's just something about the flavor of the food that I just can't get anywhere else, well, especially with where I live now (let's be honest, I'm still searching for a good Mexican restaurant).

Not all Puerto Rican food is fried. In fact, one of my favorite dishes ever is the Puerto Rican version of Arroz con Pollo, which is just a simple rice and chicken dish. Most of the Puerto Rican food I've attempted in the past I've had before, either in Puerto Rico or cooked by my old roommate who is from there. This was a first for me. I'm not sure how I ran across this recipe, or one like it, but it inspired me to go out and buy a can of pigeon peas with the thought that I would make this some time in the distant future.

But that can just sat there and tormented me. Every single time I opened my pantry. I held off though, as my imported-straight-from-Puerto-Rico-through-my-friend-sofrito supply is starting to dwindle. Then came last night. I realized I hadn't checked my dinner recipe close enough and it needed hours for dough to rise. Yeah, not happening. What did I have? Or better yet, what did I feel like? And then there was the can. All I needed was bacon, easy to do as the husband goes right by the grocery on his way home. Done. Totally not a decision I regret.

Arroz con Gandules

Original Recipe

1/2 pound bacon
3 tablespoons bacon drippings
2 cups medium-grain rice
4 cups water
1/2 cup sofrito (green, not red)
1 (15 ounce) can pigeon peas, rinsed and drained
1 packet sazón with achiote and culantro

In a dutch oven (or large pot), cook the bacon over medium heat until done, but not crisp. Remove from pan and crumble. Discard all but 3 tablespoons of bacon drippings. (If you do not have 3 tablespoons of drippings you can substitute with vegetable oil.) Add all the ingredients (including crumbled bacon) to the dutch oven, giving it a quick stir. Do not stir after this point. Turn heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Allow water to be absorbed (no water remaining on top of the rice), give a gentle stir, then cover and reduce heat to low. Cook in 10 minute increments, checking to see if the rice is done after each.

Serves: 6

There are variations upon variations of this recipe, so I just picked and chose the parts I liked. You could easily add capers, olives, onions, or even tomato sauce. Or substitute out the bacon for diced ham or salt pork. Any way works. It's the sofrito, rice, sazón, and pigeon peas that make the basis for this dish. All of the recipes I came across call for vegetable oil to be used in lieu of the bacon drippings, but I decided to go with what I already had going on. I think using the bacon drippings gives the rice and pigeon peas a nice subtle smoky flavor that you wouldn't get otherwise. And let me tell you -- De-licious.

Oh, and don't worry if you get some crispy rice on the bottom of your pan -- it's supposed to happen and can actually be tasty.

I'm not sure I like this dish quite as much as my beloved Arroz con Pollo, but it sure ranks up there pretty high.

Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
Calories 593	Calories from fat 218
% Daily Value
Total Fat 24.2g	37%
Saturated Fat 5.2g	26%
Cholesterol 42mg	14%
Sodium 1228mg	51%
Total Carbs 67.3g	22%
Dietary Fiber 6.4g	25%
Protein 25.6g
Vitamin A 0%	Vitamin C 6%
Calcium 4%	Iron 19%

Adobo Chicken

**Don't forget, today is the last day to vote for the 2nd Challenge in Project Food Blog! Click here to vote!**

Last, but definitely not least in my Puerto Rican line up was the Adobo Chicken. Of the three dishes I made, this was by far the easiest to throw together. Cube the chicken (if desired), sprinkle with Adobo seasoning, sear the outside, then cover with water, add sofrito, and boil until done. Period. The end. That's all folks. Nothing more to it.

I love me an easy-peasy dish. You could easily just serve this with some boxed yellow rice and be on your way.

1 pound boneless skinless chicken (I used chicken breasts, but you can certainly use thighs as well)
1 tablespoon adobo
2 tablespoons sofrito (green, not red)

Cube and trim fat from chicken (or leave whole). Sprinkle all sides of chicken with adobo seasoning. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, sear the outside of the chicken (about 1 minute per side). Pour water into skillet so all of the chicken is just covered. Add in sofrito. Boil on high until chicken is done, about 5 minutes.

Serves: 4

This is one of those dishes that, to me, just sings with Puerto Rican flavorings. And seriously, how easy is this to make? (Although finding the sofrito is a little tricky...)

Nutrition Facts: working on it... as soon as I can find the info for sofrito....

Yuca Fries

What, you really thought I would mention making two other Puerto Rican dishes and not be nice enough to share? Especially since they are SO.good? Think again. (Okay, well maybe I'm a little tempted to keep these for myself.)

Yuca is simple, plain, unassuming brown tuber. Easy enough to walk on by it in the grocery store. If you are lucky enough to have a grocery store that carries it. Which I am not. Oh no, I had to drive half and hour each way out to a Market District just to find these. The first time I made them anyways.


That's right, I made these twice. See, mofongo was actually not my first dish of choice for the second challenge in Project Food Blog. Originally, I was going for alcapurrias, a traditional Puerto Rican fritter with several types of pork and seasonings cooked together then fried inside a batter made from taro root and bananas or plantains. Well. Let's just say it involved a major fail, a slight temper tantrum, and the "oh crap, now what do I make?" realization. That was the actual reason I drove over an hour for groceries (taro root and plantains don't exist at my usual grocery store either).

While perusing the produce section for taro root and plantains, I came across yuca (which is also known as cassava) and all I could think about were these amazing yuca fries we had at La Flor de la Canela, a Peruvian restaurant, when we were living in DC. Good thing yuca is also a staple food in Puerto Rico because this baby was coming home with me and I was going to find a way to incorporate it into my meal.

Well why not fries? I was frying (or at least attempting to) alcuparrias, it wouldn't be too much extra work to throw some fries in. Not to mention I love that I think I'm eating a typical ol' french fry until that oh-so-subtle sweetness hits. Mmmm tasty.

Yuca Fries
From: No recipe used

1 2-pound yuca (cassava) root
2 teaspoons salt

Fill a large skillet with frying oil (vegetable works fine) to a depth of about 2". Attach a thermometer to the pan and bring oil to 375 degrees F (this is assuming the oil will drop to about 350 while cooking).

Meanwhile, peel the yuca, removing all the brown skin. Cut off the ends. Slice the yuca into roughly 3" sections (the yuca is very firm and hard to cut). Cut each section lengthwise into 1/8s (so it resembles french fry wedges). Try to keep the sizing as uniform as possible.

Place all the yuca into a large saucepan. Fill the sauce pan with water until all the yuca is covered. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for 20-25 minutes, or until all the yuca is fork-tender (a fork should easily sink into the yuca when poked). Remove from heat and drain.

Once the oil is at temperature, add about 1/4 of the yuca into the pan with oil. (Be careful not to overcrowd.) Fry for about 5 minutes, or until the outside of the yuca starts to turn light brown. The outside should be crispy while the inside is mushy. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon to a paper-towel lined plate and sprinkle with salt.

Serves: 4

Disclaimer: Yuca contains linamarin and lotaustralin, which are broken down by enzymes in the root producing hydrogen cyanide. Not exactly friendly stuff (read: it can kill you if you eat enough). Don't be scared though! The yuca you typically find in stores is the sweet yuca (the bitter yuca is generally used more for commerical purposes) which contains FAR less of the nasty stuff. AND simply boiling this guy will eliminate the toxicity. Whew! Glad we got that covered. In short -- don't eat this raw.

Of all the dishes I made over the course of attempting my second PFB challenge, I honestly think the yuca fries were my favorite. The light sweetness is really balanced out by the starchiness of the yuca and the salt. Please don't try these first time with ketchup or some other dipping sauce - the sweetness in these is so light it's easy to get covered up. I actually prefer just eating them plain (or with a slightly spicy cheese sauce).

Nutrition Facts - Assumes 10% absorption from 4 cups of oil
Amount per serving
Calories 556	Calories from fat 202
% Daily Value
Total Fat 22.4g	35%
Saturated Fat 4.5g	22%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 1194mg	50%
Total Carbs 86.3g	29%
Dietary Fiber 4.1g	16%
Sugars 3.9g
Protein 3.1g
Vitamin A 1%	Vitamin C 78%
Calcium 4%	Iron 3%

PFB Challenge #2: Mofongo

Alright ladies and gents, grab your suitcase and Spanish-English Dictionary -- we are headed south of the border. No, not Mexico; think east. Project Food Blog Challenge #2 has given us the boot, sending outside the country in search of "an ethnic classic that is outside your comfort zone or are not as familiar with". Well for me, that could be a lot dishes from a lot of places. Or at least that's what I first thought.

Ever since I started this blog, I have frequently tested myself and stepped outside my comfort zone. I try new cuisines and new techniques on a regular basis. Where many home cooks shy away from certain dishes containing strange ingredients or a process they haven't used before, I jump in feet first. Usually into the ignorant-kid pool. But that's how you learn.

So where do I even begin? Obviously a simple hop across the pond to classic dishes from Western Europe isn't really a stretch outside my comfort zone. I'm not even sure it's out of my comfort zone at all. I wanted to find a dish that not only is something I've never made before, but also is so far outside my comfort zone I've never even worked with most of the ingredients. However, the other stipulation of the challenge is to "keep the dish as authentic as the real deal", which means you have to know what you're eating to know if it's authentic or not.

I was over thinking it. What food do I LOVE to eat, but NEVER make? Oh. That's easy. Puerto Rican food. The summer after I moved out to DC, my mom, sister and I went down to Puerto Rico to visit our roommate, Laura and her family. It's one thing to travel places armed with your Frommer's and tour guides, but a completely different ball game to know someone that actually lives there. Of course we did some touristy things, but we also got a behind-the-scenes tour. We went to La Bombonera, a restaurant in Old San Juan with to-die-for sweet rolls and a ham and cheese sandwich with a kiss of powdered sugar, we explored the kiosks at El Luquillo (which is not something we would have ever been brave enough to attempt on our own), and the best part -- Laura's mom made us a Puerto Rican feast full of authentic local foods. Including mofongo. Mmmm mofongo.

Mo-what-o? Mofongo. A quintessential Puerto Rican dish found in few other places, consisting of mashed plantains and chicharrón, sometimes stuffed with various meats, or if not, served as a side dish. (Don't feel bad if you don't know what it is... Guy Fieri didn't either.) In my quest to find the "classic dish" that was outside of my comfort zone, this one fit the bill. I had happily smashed plantains for tostones while Jennifer or Laura fried and poked and prodded them (the actual work), yet I had never made tostones on my own. And chicharrón? Did I even want to know what that is? Not really, but I had to. Chicharrón is also known in the States as pork rinds, yeah, those golden brown crispy bits found on the snack shelves next to the chips. Fried pork skin. Erm...

But I was committed.

Puerto Rican recipes are like any other recipes handed down generation to generation. Measurements and timing are lacking, and depending on who is making it depends on what exact ingredients are found in mofongo. Every recipe I came across (including the ones from Laura's and her husband's mothers) called for 3 green plantains, garlic, and oil. What exactly to use for pork, though, was all over the board. I saw everything from pork skin, to salt pork, to bagged chicharrón, to bacon. Bacon? Yeah, that one doesn't qualify as authentic, sorry. (Not to mention it would completely change the flavor of this dish.) After much searching, and not finding pork skin, I went with the next best option -- salt pork. Salt pork does contain actual pork skin, as well as a layer of fat, meat, fat, meat, fat. Kind of like bacon. But was it authentic? A quick phone call to Laura and I was in the clear, good to go. It qualified.

So mofongo. Let's get started.

The ingredient list is simple: 3 green plantains, 1/2 pound of salt pork, a couple cloves of garlic, and oil.

Cut the ends off the plantains, slice the skin lenthwise, and submerge in a bowl of hot water for a few minutes. This will make peeling these bad boys MUCH easier.

Slice the plantains into 1" pieces, then soak in a bowl of salted water for about 15 minutes.

Cut the salt pork into 1/4" - 1/2" strips, then divide those into thirds. Careful, the skin is very tough to cut through -- we ended up using a kitchen shears.

Meanwhile, bring a pan of oil to 375 degrees F. Once at temperature, add in 1/4 to 1/2 of the plaintain pieces. You want bubbles, kind of like a fizzy drink to come up around the plaintains. We're not going for the jacuzzi on super high jets here -- that means the oil is too hot.

The plaintains are cooked when the top is crisp, but the insides are still mushy. You should be able to tap the top and the fork doesn't sink in, about 5 minutes. Repeat with the remaining plantains.

While the plantains are frying, mash together the garlic and oil in a pilón (you can also use a mortar and pestle). Remove to another bowl when finished.

Place the cooled plaintains in the pilón and start mashing. In the meantime, bring the oil back to temperature and start frying the salt pork. Fry for 5-7 minutes -- it will resemble bacon when it is done. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper-towel lined plate and allow to cool.

Remove the plantains from the pilón and replace it with the salt pork. Mash it well. Take out those anger issues. Once the salt pork is mashed, you are ready to begin combining. If you have room in your pilón, add in all the plantains and salt pork and mash together, adding in the garlic mixture to taste. If you are like me and simply have a small mortar and pestle, add in a healthy amount of plantains, followed by mashed salt pork. (This dish highlights plantains, not the salt pork, so keep that in mind with how much you add of each.)

Form mofongo into a ball and serve. Or, you can use a fancy mofongo maker (thank you for buying random souvenirs Jen) to hollow out the center to stuff with meat.

Serve with your other favorite Puerto Rican dishes -- I went with adobo chicken and yuca fries. Yum.

Mofongo
Adapted from: Laura's mom, Juan's mom, and Cocina Criolla

3 green plantains
12 ounces salt pork with skin
3 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon oil (can use the oil from the frying pan)

In a large skillet bring vegetable oil to 375 degrees F.

Cut the ends off the plantains, and slice the skin lengthwise once. Place in a bowl of hot water for several minutes. Peel plantains and cut them into 1" slices. Place in a bowl with salted water (4 cups water to 1 tablespoon salt) for 15 minutes. Fry plantains in the oil for about 5 minutes, or until the outsides are crispy and the insides are still soft, allowing the oil to return to temperature between batches. Remove the plantains from the oil with a slotted spoon or strainer to a paper towel-lined plate.

Cut the salt pork into 1/4" to 1/2" slices. Cut the slices into thirds. Fry the salt pork in the oil (at 375 dgrees) for 5-7 minutes. It will look like bacon does when it is finished cooking. Remove with the strainer to the paper-towel lined plate.

In a pilón or mortar and pestle, add a tablespoon of oil from the frying pan and the garlic. Mash well. Remove to a small bowl.

Add the plantains to the mortar, mash well. Remove and repeat with the salt pork. Once everything is mashed, place all the plantains in the mortar and some of the meat. Add a little bit of garlic and mash everything together. Taste the mix and add in more garlic or meat if necessary.

Form small balls from the mix and serve. Or make slightly larger balls, form a well in the center and stuff with your favorite kind of seasoned meat. Cover meat with extra mofongo mix to finish forming a ball.

Makes: about 9 2" balls

I just love the salty/sweet combination of this dish. But I will admit, this did take me a while to make. Amateur. So totally worth it though. And I definitely appreciated the challenge to finally force myself to make this.

Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
Calories 328	Calories from fat 241
% Daily Value
Total Fat 26.8g	41%
Saturated Fat 9.1g	46%
Trans Fat 0.3g
Cholesterol 31mg	10%
Sodium 273mg	11%
Total Carbs 19.4g	6%
Dietary Fiber 1.4g	6%
Sugars 9.0g
Protein 4.2g
Vitamin A 14%	Vitamin C 19%
Calcium 2%	Iron 3%

Note: This is my entry post for Project Food Blog Challenge #2. Voting begins on September 27th and closes on September 30th.

Arroz Con Pollo & 200 Posts!

Woohoo! So I have officially made it to 200 posts. Who would have thought? 2 1/2 years and it's been quite a journey. Prior to starting this blog my cooking repertoire was slim to almost none and consisted primarily of baked goods. Well, and some blue box blues. I think about 190 recipes later I've made a bit of progress. Not only have I learned how to properly cook chicken in the oven and on the stove-top (rather than in the microwave) but I've also tested my comfort zone by making my own homemade pasta and even marshmallow fondant without a stand mixer (what was I thinking??). I've gone from having to follow every recipe to a "T" and measuring everything out precisely to being comfortable switching out ingredients and measuring things out by sight. I have to admit though, it also helps to have a very forgiving taste-tester, as I've definitely had my fair share of doozies.

For my 200th post I figured I wouldn't just share any old recipe with you, but one of my very favorite meals. When I was living down in DC with my sister, our other roommate Laura taught us how to make a traditional Puerto Rican Arroz con Pollo. And it is SO.GOOD. I am totally craving this right now just looking at these pictures. It's really difficult to describe the flavor of this dish, with it's mixture of traditional Puerto Rican flavors of sofrito, adobo, and pimientos except for the word delicious.

Arroz con Pollo
From: Laura Fuentes

1 package boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
Adobo seasoning
1 jar fancy pimientos
2 cooking spoonfuls* sofrito, heaping
2 cubitos de pollo con achiote
Vegetable oil
3 cups medium grain rice

Season thighs on both sides with adobo; place into a dutch oven. Add pimientos (with liquid), sofrito, and cubitos. Add just enough water to cover chicken. Place over high heat and let boil, uncovered, for approximately 45 minutes or until thighs are tender and cooked through. Add water if necessary to keep thighs submerged. Remove thighs from liquid and set aside (DO NOT DRAIN).

Add 1 cooking spoonful of vegetable oil and the rice to the liquid. Stir. Cook over medium-high heat until water is absorbed. DO NOT stir. Once water is absorbed, stir rice gently. Turn heat to low and cover. Cook in 10 minute increments until rice is correct texture; stir every 10 min.

*A "cooking spoon" refers to the large nylon spoons used for cooking (not from your typical silverware set).

So there are LOT of side notes about this recipe. If you can't tell by the measurements and directions, it's definitely one of those recipes that have been passed down (which just supports how good this is).

First, you can use chicken breast for this recipe, and as much as I am not a fan of dark meat... it really makes this dish. White meat just gets too dried out.

Second, I cheat with the sofrito. Laura is an absolute gem and brings Jen and myself back huge containers of sofrito that one of her neighbors makes. However, if you are looking for it in the store it is the GREEN sofrito NOT the red. (The green sofrito does not use tomatoes.) Or you could make it at home using a recipe such as this: Green Sofrito.

As for the cubitos de pollo con achiote, the achiote part is very important. And very impossible to find out here in Pittsburgh. Unable to hold out for the actual thing, I combined 2 packets of Goya Chicken Bullion with 2 packets of Sazon Goya - Con Culantro y Achiote and it was almost spot on. So if you can't find the cubitos de pollo con achiote, this would also work.

Finally, if you're like me and feel that rice has a mind of it's own, stick with medium grain rice. It's a little harder to find (I had to go to a specialty store for it), but it will ensure the proper cooking time and you won't have to fight with crunchy or mushy rice. As for the whole not stirring part, yes there will be burnt crispy rice at the bottom. Don't worry, it's supposed to be that way (it's actually Laura's favorite part).

I know, I know, sounds a little complicated. But I swear, once you have it, you will crave it like none other.