Meaty Arroz Con Gandules Recipes

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, cook Sofrito in oil over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add rice and sazon; cook and stir until rice is lightly toasted, 3-4 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until rice is tender, 15-20 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Steps:

• Place green peppers, onion, garlic and cilantro in a blender or food processor, puree. This mixture is called soffrito, it is your seasoning base. It can be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 2 weeks or frozen for up to 6 months.
• Place 3 tablespoons olive oil and 6 tablespoons soffrito in an 8 quart saucepan. Cook for 3 or 4 minutes to release oils.
• Pour one can of tomato sauce and the Spanish seasoning packet into the saucepan, mix well. Add 3 cups rice to the mixture and stir until the rice is coated.
• Stir pigeon peas into the mixture and add boiling water. Cover the pot with aluminum foil and a pot lid. Reduce heat to simmer and cook 45 minutes or until rice is tender.

Steps:

• Lay 1 banana leaf (or more, if needed) flat on a large cutting board, then set the lid of a large Dutch oven or similar pot on top. Use a paring knife to trace around the lid, and cut the leaf (or leaves) so that they will fit properly inside the pot. Cover with a clean dishcloth and set aside.
• In a small saucepan, cook the neutral oil and annatto seeds over medium heat, allowing the seeds to infuse the oil. After 2 to 3 minutes, when the oil begins to bubble and the seeds start to crackle, turn off the heat and allow the oil to cool completely. Pour the cool oil through a fine-mesh strainer, reserving seeds for another round of infusing, if desired.
• Make the sofrito: Use a food processor or high-speed blender to pulse the onion, red and green bell peppers, cubanelle pepper, garlic, cilantro, scallions, ají dulce peppers (if using) and culantro (if using), adding 1 to 2 tablespoons of water if needed to achieve a smooth, salsa-like consistency. Stir in 3/4 teaspoon sazón and set aside. (The sofrito makes about 2 cups. Refrigerate it for up to 5 days or portion it into ice cube trays or plastic containers, and freeze up to 6 months.)
• Set the large Dutch oven or similar pot over medium-high heat. Add 3 tablespoons annatto oil and the ham or fatback. Sauté until crisp and most of the fat has rendered, about 6 minutes. Add 1/4 cup sofrito, the olives and 1 tablespoon sazón, stirring until sofrito is fragrant, about 3 minutes.
• Next, add pigeon peas and sauté for another 3 minutes. Season with adobo, salt and black pepper to taste.
• Reduce heat to medium. Add rice, stirring until grains are all coated, seasoned and starting to toast. If there isn't enough oil to generously coat all of the rice and peas in the pot, add the remaining tablespoon of annatto oil. This will help form a delicious golden bottom crust called pegao.
• Once the rice is toasted, stir in the beer and cook for about 3 minutes, then add the reserved pigeon-pea liquid (or 2 1/2 cups water) and roasted red pepper brine. Taste the cooking liquid and adjust salt as needed; it should be pleasantly salty.
• Gently stir rice, then spread about half the thinly sliced roasted red pepper over the rice. Drizzle with olive oil. Cover rice with prepared banana leaves, then cover pot with its lid and cook for 22 minutes.
• Once the time has passed, remove the lid, open the banana leaves and gently fold the rice onto itself from the outside in to form a mound in the center of the pot. Reduce heat to medium-low, replace banana leaves and lid and continue cooking for 20 to 25 minutes to allow pegao to form at the bottom of the pot.
• To serve, spoon rice atop a platter layered with fresh banana leaves. Garnish with remaining sliced roasted peppers. Use a metal spatula to scrape pegao out of the pot and serve on a separate plate. Be careful, because everyone will fight over it!

Steps:

• In a large pot, brown sauage in olive oil with Adobo.
• Add all remaining ingredients except rice; bring to a boil.
• Stir in rice and cook uncovered until a metal spoon rested on top slowly fills without sinking (technical instructions I know, but this is how it was taught to me.
• Stir rice and cover; lower heat and simmer 20 minutes.
• Stir, recover and cook additional 15 minutes.

Steps:

• Heat oil on medium heat.
• Add in onion, red pepper, green pepper, garlic and ajicito (aji) and 2 tablespoons of vinegar. Saute for 10 minutes on medium heat stirring every minute or so. (Do not cover until last step).
• Drain dry pigeon peas and reserve liquid. Add in dry pigeon peas and cook for another 5 minutes on medium heat.
• Add in tomato sauce and 1 tablespoon of vinegar. Bring to a boil.
• Add in rice, reserved dry pigeon pea liquid, water and salt. Boil on high heat until water cooks down and bubbles are popping on the surface of the rice.
• Break cilantro stalks in half and mix into wet rice. Cover and cook on low heat for 15 minutes or until fully cooked.

Steps:

• Rinse the rice with cold water, drain and set aside.
• Heat the oil and sofrito in a 6-quart Dutch oven or caldero over medium-high heat, 2 minutes. Stir in the gandules with liquid, tomato sauce, olives, sazón, adobo and black pepper to taste then bring to a simmer. Stir in the rice, add 2 cups water and bring to a boil until the water begins to evaporate. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the rice is tender, about 25 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit for 20 minutes.
• Before serving, fluff the rice and add the cilantro.

Steps:

• Heat a large pot over medium heat.
• Add bacon(ham), onions, green pepper and cook for 3 minutes.
• Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes longer.
• Add remaining ingredient, except rice and bring to a boil.
• Stir in rice; cover.
• Simmer for 2 minutes or until rice is tender.