Arroz con Gandules - Rice with Green Pigeon Peas

The other day I was watching Navidad Utilisima which was the Christmas special for the Spanish-Language television channel Utilisima. In one of the segments, a very charming Puerto Rican  man cooked up some Arroz con Gandules, Rice with Green Pigeon Peas, which is a very traditional Caribbean dish. My mom cooks it but does it very differently. I wanted to learn this version and try it myself. I went on to Utilisima.com to find the recipe but it wasn't there! Good thing I taped the show. I watched the segment again, took notes and tried the dish out. And voila!

Adapted from Utilisima

Arroz con Gandules (Rice with Green Pigeon Peas)

Ingredients:

Pork Broth
1 small package of pork bones
4-1/2 cups of broth
1 whole onion
aromatics (whatever seasonings you want, I used cumin, garlic and oregano)
salt and pepper to taste

Arroz con Gandules

1-1/2 cups of cubed pork loin (I bought a big pork loin and used the rest of the meat for another dish)
1 cup diced all-natural ham (with no nitrates or nitrites!)
1 onion diced
1 green pepper diced
2-3 garlic cloves pressed
2 cans of Goya Gandules (Green Pigeon Peas)
2 cups of uncookeed long grain rice
2 bay leaves
cilantro and chopped plum tomatoes for garnish

Makes 8 servings

To make the Pork Broth, add pork bones, water, onion and aromatics. Cover pot with lid and bring to a bowl. Lower to medium heat and let simmer with the lid partially covering the pot. Cook for about 45 minutes or until broth has some flavor. Season with salt and pepper. Strain and set aside.

Chop up your pork and dice your ham, green pepper and onions.  Season your pork cubes with salt and pepper.

Heat some extra light olive oil in a deep pot until the oil sizzles. Sear the pork cubes.

Add the ham, onion and green peppers to the pork cubes and saute until the onions and green pepper start to break down. Or until the onions begin to be translucent.

Add the pressed garlic, gandules (make sure to rinse them!) and rice.

Cover with 4 cups of the homemade pork broth and add the 2 bay leaves. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if necessary. Stir thoroughly and bring to a boil. If the pork broth is still hot this will happen quickly. 

Bring the heat down to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Check 10 minutes in and stir the rice so all of it gets cooked evenly.  If its too wet for your taste, you can always cook for an extra 5-10 minutes, stirring carefully and occasionally so it dries out a bit.

Top with cilantro and fresh chopped plum tomatoes. Or you can also top with chopped roasted red peppers. The green and red give the dish a great look. This dish is a complete meal!

Buen provecho!

Easy Meatballs and Sauce with Rice

I have been making meatballs for years but always served them with jarred marinara sauce and pasta. The meal was delicious but way too filling and starchy. In fact, I'd almost always get sick because of the pasta! I wanted to try making a meatball dinner which was just as delicious, a little lighter and with a quick and easy homemade sauce. I like how the beef broth cuts the acidity of the tomato sauce. Also the sauce is really good with the rice and I like to dip my green beans in it.

Ingredients
1.5-2 lbs of ground beef
1/2 an onion finely chopped
2-3 garlic cloves minced or put through garlic press
a small bunch of cilantro chopped (or parsley if you prefer)
1 egg
1/4 cup of dry bread crumbs
1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup of beef broth
salt and pepper to taste 
extra light olive oil
rice

Cook rice Raquel Style.

While rice is cooking, heat up a large skillet with some extra light olive oil.

In a big bowl, add the grown beef and season with salt and pepper. Add an egg, breadcrumbs, the finely chopped onion, minced garlic and parsley. Mix well until all ingredients are incorporated. If you have a husband handy, have him mush the mixture with his hands. It's fun!

When the oil starts to sizzle, start forming the meat mixture into small balls and add to the skillet. Do this in batches. I advise doing half first then the other half next. You can transfer the first batch to a plate or push them to the side.

Tip: If you want to check the seasoning of your meatball mixture, test out one very small meatball, cook it up and eat it. If it tastes good, make the rest. If not, adjust seasonings.

Cool the meatballs until they are brown on all sides. I like mine a little crispy. Don't worry if your meatballs are a little pink in the middle. They'll continue to cook in the sauce.

To the skillet add the beef broth and crushed tomato. Lower the heat so that the tomato doesn't spit everywhere!  Stir and let simmer until the rice is done and the sauce is thick.

Serve with some steamed green beans and some cilantro on top. Enjoy!


Variations:
Add some chopped chipotle en adobo (include the adobado sauce) to the tomato sauce for a smoky and spicy kick!
Replace beef broth with red wine for a very decadent flavor
Replace cilantro and onions with lots of finely chopped scallions

Chicken in a Spicy Coconut Tomato Sauce

This is a very quick low maintenance meal. Serve the chicken with a scoop of white rice and some steamed vegetables on the side. The sauce is good on everything! I made this while having a terrible migraine and I liked that it was easy and quick to make so I could sit and nurse my migraine while the sauce thickened.

Adapted from an Utilisima recipe

Chicken in a Spicy Coconut Tomato Sauce
 
Ingredients:
6-8 chicken cutlets cut into chunks
1 teaspoon of grated ginger
1 tablespoon of chopped pickled jalapeño
3 tablespoons of  tomato paste
1 13.5 oz can of Light Coconut Milk
Cilantro for garnish
salt to taste


Cook some rice Raquel-Style.

While the rice is cooking, heat up a large skillet with some extra light olive oil or canola oil. Don't use a lot or you will make the sauce greasy. If you end up with too much oil, blot some of it out with a paper towel.

Season the cut up chicken cutlets with some salt and pan sear. Once the chicken is cooked and has a nice brown sear, add the tomato paste, grated ginger and chopped pickled jalapeño. If you use fresh jalapeño, put very little unless you like your food super spicy.

Incorporate the coconut milk little bit by little, stirring all the ingredients so that the tomato paste dissolves. Bring the sauce to a bubble, then turn it down to medium-low and let simmer for 10 minutes or so. You just want the sauce to thicken a bit.

Serve with some rice and top with fresh cilantro.  If you don't like cilantro (what's wrong with you?), then substitute with some parsley. You'll want something green on top as the sauce and chicken are not very pleasant to look at on its own.

Chicken in a Spicy Coconut Tomato Sauce is a delicious and easy meal which makes for a great mid-week dinner.

How to Make Tostones

Tostones are pieces of plantain that have been fried, smashed and fried again. Tostones are very commonly found in Carribean, Central American and South American cuisine and are especially popular in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic where my mother is from. To make these double fried plantains you'll need a Tostonera which is a wooden paddle with a flap and an indent in the center. 

You can find these online for very inexpensive. If you live in Eastern Massachusetts, a lot of Market Baskets carry them and place them near the plantains (the Burlington, MA Market Basket is where I got mine). If you don't want to invest in a Tostonera, just use two flat surfaces like a cutting board and the back of a small skillet to flatten the plantains.

How to Make Tostones

Cook these Tostones in batches of 2, 4 or 6. You'll fry 2 plantains at a time so it makes sense to make them in even numbers. Six will give you quite a lot!

Add 36 oz of canola or vegetable oil to a wide pot and heat. In the meantime, prepare the plantains.

First make sure you bought a plantain and not a really green banana. Plantains are have a very tough peel and a starchy smell to them. Or ask your grocer for help. Also buy plantains that are green like the one above and not ones that have ripened. Those are yellow/brown and are too sweet for Tostones but delicious for other recipes.

Cut off the top and bottom of the plantain at an angle. Discard those pieces.

The peel of a green plantain is very tough to remove. It's not at all like a banana. My trick to getting the peel off is to cut open a slit lengthwise down one side.

And then down the other.

Get your thumb underneath the peel and start coaxing it away from the plantain. Discard peel.

Cut each plantain into six even slices at a diagonal. Above there are twelve pieces from two whole plantains.

When the oil is hot, add the chunks of plantains. I do this 2 plantains at a time. You can check to see if the oil is hot enough by testing it out with one piece of plantain and see if bubbles immediately for around it. If they don't, remove the piece of plantain and test a little later.

Cook the plantain for 2-3 minutes with the oil over medium heat. If you are brave, cook for 1-2 minutes over higher heat. Once the plantain starts to become golden brown, it's time to smash!

This process has to be quick so make sure you set up everything before hand. Get some paper towels down and put the tostonera on top. Make sure you have tongs handy too. Add the plantain to the tostonera.

Close the lid and SMASH!

This is what the end result looks like. Scrape off the smashed plantain with your tongs. Be careful not to break the plantain. Then add it back to the oil. Do this to all of the plantain pieces.

Fry for a couple more minutes.

Until they are crispy and golden.

Place them hot tostones on a plate with paper towel and salt them when they are hot. Continue with the other plantains if you are making more. You can add a paper towel over one layer of tostones to add the next batch so they all stay on one plate. Serve hot!

Tostones are great with

1) Ketchup or a Remoulade

2) Tuna (I know this sounds gross but it's really good)

3) Avocado slices or Guacamole

4) served alongside Rice, Salad and Steak or Sautéed Fish.

Buen Provecho!

To Make Tostones You'll Need

36 oz of vegetable or canola oil

a wide pot

a tostonera

2, 4 or 6 plantains

a pair of tongs

paper towels

plate

Steps

1) Heat up 36 oz of oil in a wide pot over medium heat

2) Cut plantain top and bottom at an angle, discard

3) Cut a slit in the peel lengthwise on both sides

4) Coax peel away from plantain with your thumb, discard

5) Cut each plantain into 6 even slices and at a diagonal

6) Test oil with one plantain, if it sizzles it's ready

7) Fry two plantains at a time or 12 slices at a time

8) Fry 2-3 minutes or until it starts to get golden

9) Smash in tostonera and scrape off. Return to pot

10) Repeat with all of the plantain chunks

11) Fry smashed plantains until crispy and golden brown

12) Place tostones on top of plate which has been covered with paper towel

13) Salt while hot

14) Serve while hot

Lomo Saltado

Lomo Saltado (Beef Loin Stir-fry) is a traditional Peruvian dish with an Asian twist. It consists of Beef Tenderloin stir-fried with vegetables and in a sauce made up of vinegar, soy sauce and beef broth. It's served on top of or alongside french fries or fried potato wedges and rice. Top it off with some cilantro for a delicious meal.

Lomo Saltado is one of my husband's favorite meals to eat. Every time we go to Machu Picchu, a Peruvian Restaurant in Union Square Somerville, MA, he always orders it and there are never any leftovers. It's a great dish that never disappoints.

Beef tenderloin can get a bit pricey. I try to buy the smallest package and sometimes I'll get the beef tenderloin in Kabob chunks as the packages tend to be $8 or $9 instead of $15. To stretch the dollar I added some sliced zucchini which is not traditional in Lomo Saltado but adds something extra to make up for the loss of meat. If you are not on a budget, just add more meat to the dish.

To save time I use frozen french fries instead of making them fresh. They'll bake in the oven while you are preparing the rest of the meal.

Ingredients:
2 cups of rice, rinsed

1/2 a bag of frozen french fries

1 package of Beef Tenderloin cut into long strips
1 small onion cut into strips
1/2 green pepper cut into strips
1 or 2 plum tomato cut into strips
1 small zucchini cut into thin strips
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 teaspoon of vinegar
2 tablespoons of beef broth

cilantro for garnish

Preheat your oven according to the directions for your frozen french fries.

Cook your rice Raquel style. Cook frozen french fries according to directions. If you have to take them out before your done, you can always pop them in for a couple minutes later to heat them up.

In a large skillet add some vegetable or light olive oil. Season your beef strips with salt and pepper. Once the oil starts to sizzle, add the beef strips and stir-fry until they are a little browned (no pink is showing). Add first the onions and green pepper strips as they take longer to cook. Once those start to soften then add the tomato and zucchini strips. Stir until cooked (once all the vegetables are starting to get soft).

Add the vinegar, soy sauce and beef broth to the mix. Stir and lower the heat. Let cook for a few minutes. If you are still waiting on the rice and/or fries, cover the large skillet with some foil so that all the sauce doesn't evaporate.

Serve some rice and fries on your plate. Top with the Lomo Saltado and sprinkle on some fresh cilantro.

Buen provecho!

La Casa De Pedro in Watertown, MA

It was the day after my minor surgery and I knew I wouldn't be up for cooking. So Carlos took me to La Casa De Pedro in Watertown, MA near the Arsenal Mall. My experience with the recently closed Pedro's in Bedford, MA was mixed. But our lunch here at the Watertown location blew me away!

The restaurant is gorgeous. It has a large fake palm tree in the center decorated with lights. The walls are covered with framed Colombian art. There are fish tanks, potted plants, ceramics and lots of decorative pieces.

We started off our meal with a couple of iced teas. Very refreshing!

Check out that Palm Tree candle holder!

Add caption

Carlos had a Jalapeno Martini with salt rim. He said it was delicious. I was on medication so I couldn't have any.

My date is very handsome.

Our meal started a plate of Stephanie's Nachos. These multi-colored tortilla chips are topped with shredded chicken and pork, cheese, black beans, guacamole, pico de gallo and a chipotle sour cream sauce. Yowzah! This was so delicious. Most nacho appetizers are enormous but this was just enough to whet our appetite. The chicken was perfectly seasoned and cooked and the pork was amazing. It was divine!

They gave us a little pot of their special Jalapeno sauce. It as super spicy and really nice on the nachos. I asked for some extra sour cream on the side.

I convinced Carlos to get this as his entree. It's Carne a la Parilla and features shredded beef on top of rice, a side of black beans and sweet plantains. For $1.50 more, you can ask for two fried eggs on top. Needless to say, Carlos devoured that plate.

I got the Tilapa dish which was Tilapia topped with peppers and onions in an orange ginger sauce. It came with fried yuca topped with cilantro sauce, sweet plantains, and black beans and rice. Delicious! The sauce was so-so while everything else just blew me away. The fried yuca was hot and crispy and the sweet plantains were soft and buttery. 

We weren't going to order dessert. The only have two options: flan and cold rice pudding (I'm not big on cold rice pudding). However, they treated us to one of their flans and it didn't disappoint. It was creamy and not too eggy and the perfect balance of smooth and sweet. I think the powdered sugar wasn't necessary. The caramel sauce makes the plate pretty enough.

I would definitely go back to La Casa de Pedro in Watertown!

Muchas gracias to Pedro for treating us to a magnificent lunch!

Chile Olive Oil #ChileEVOO Event hosted by David of Cooking Chat

My friend David from the blog Cooking Chat (he can also be found on multiple Twitters including @CookingChat) invited me to attend a Chile Olive Oil dinner he was hosting at his home. The dinner was sponsored by ChileOliveOil.com -  The National Association of Manufacturers of Olives and Olive Oil in Chile (ChileOliva) and Whole Foods Woburn. David was kind enough to let me bring along my husband and my father-in-law, who happens to be from Chile! At the event were some social media experts including @BostonFoodFan @clownface3 and @eric_andersen. It was a wonderful time and David and his wife Jodi did a great job as hosts!

All the food at the #ChileEVOO event was prepared using Chile Olive Oil in either Smooth or Bold flavors.

Appetizers included this Roasted Red Pepper Dip made with Chile Olive Oil and David's secret ingredient: pomegranate molasses!

Next up were Pesto Crostinis made with Chile Olive Oil. I'm usually not a big fan of pesto but these were delicious!

There is my husband Carlos @fastefelson enjoying a Pesto Crostini.

We all enjoyed Chilean Red and White Wines while we were waiting for the main course.

The third appetizer was a Caprese Salad served with the Bold version of the Chile Olive Oil. What's not to love about this salad? It's so light and refreshing and fulfilling. The smooth Chile Olive Oil over the top made it all come together.

While we waited for the main course, we were able to check out some pamphlets about Chile Olive Oil and where in Chile the olives were harvested. Carlos' dad talked a lot about Chile and his experiences with olives from the Northern region. The olives used in these oils were from the central region.

Next up was an Olive Oil tasting. I have never drank straight olive oil before! It was quite an experience. David poured Smooth and Bold flavors of the Chile Olive Oil in these little square cups and we got to taste them separately to note the differences in flavor. We cleansed our palates in between oils with some slices of Granny Smith Apple.

The smooth was by far my favorite. I primarily use Extra Light Olive Oil in my cooking versus Extra Virgin Olive Oil which to me is too heavy in taste. The smooth Chile Olive Oil was just like my favorite olive oil but a deeper yellow in color. It also had a peppery aftertaste. The bold was quite heavy and the peppery taste is something you can tell right away. The smooth is a great cooking oil while the bold would be better for dressings and dips.

Here David is sauteeing some red and white onions for the main course.

Carlos waiting for the food.

Another glass of Chilean wine!

And here was the main course! On the right is a mixed green salad with walnuts and tomatoes topped with Bold Chile Olive Oil and Balsamic dressing. On the right was Honey Chicken with Onions and Yukon Potatoes cooked with some thyme and Smooth Chile Olive Oil. The meal was absolutely delicious! Good work David!

David's son has a Egg allergy so this was a Chocolate Olive Oil cake sans eggs. It was delicious! Almost brownie like in texture. Since I've been dieting for my wedding in July, it had been a VERY LONG TIME since I had chocolate cake. So I savored every bite.

The other dessert was courtesy of Whole Foods Woburn. An Angel Food cake with whipped cream frosting and fresh berries. It was quite delicious. Carlos isn't even a cake person, he hates overly sweet and dense cakes and fake frosting, and he had two slices!

It was a wonderful evening of good food, good olive oil, good wine and good conversation. We took lots of photos, tweeted with hashtag #ChileEVOO and generally had a great time. David sent us home with little gift bags with Chile Olive Oil samples and some more information about the product.

I really like this type of event. David wasn't a sales person, just a host, so we didn't feel a lot of pressure to buy anything and it didn't feel like we were being pitched. The casualness of it allowed for independent exploration of a product which I think worked very well. Thank you to David, Chile Olive Oil and to Whole Foods Woburn for a great night!