Can anyone give me a recipe for Puerto Rican rice and beams?

Question

Can anyone give me a recipe for Puerto Rican rice and beams?

Answer 1

Honestly, you can choose any of the recipes people listed to follow - but most Puerto Ricans don't measure anything when they cook, it's all by sight or by taste.  I've only ever cooked for LARGE amounts of people ... as in over 30 - this was a dish we made for special occasions ... and I helped my abuelita.  I can tell you the ingredients, and how to make certain things but the rest is up to you.

Arroz con Gandules -

pork butt/shoulder, cubed

fresh cilantro - cut by hand or just "snip" with kitchen shears (we usually added 1 whole bunch)

olives - the ones in the can are fine, your choice whole or chopped, we use whole

bell peppers - the green have a more bitter taste, the "colored" ones more sweet ... we use a mix, diced

Onions - we usually use the sweet or yellow onions, diced (1 whole, big onion)

fresh garlic - diced

tomatoes - canned, crushed or diced

tomato sauce and tomato paste

salt and pepper

achiote (annato) seeds - I know you can buy them in packets, but we grew our own ... heat them in a little oil to make the flavored oil for the rice (also adds some of the color)

yellow food coloring (optional - some people like the yellow color)

medium grain rice - makes the junto (arroz con gandules) more of a sticky rice dish instead of a fluffy rice dish (fluffy, or long grain rice is more Mexican style)

lime juice

some people use the sazon goya - your choice

cumin

oregano

gandules (pigeon peas) ... we used to grow our own, so I honestly don't know how many cans you'd need.

The nice part is, all of that (called metura), before adding the rice or the gandules, is the same stuff that goes into pasteles.  All you need to do is grate some green bananas for your masa, and instead of putting the olives into the mix, just add 1 olive to each pastele ... and the achiote oil would go into your masa mix, as flavor and color, along with garlic powder and salt.

We made pasteles for parties as well ... we'd cook for days before the event to get all the junto and pasteles made and ready.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

mince two cloves of garlic

cut a half of a green pepper

1/2 cup of smoked turkey (most puerto ricans use ham but i don't eat pork)

1 table spoon of olive oil

1 can red kidney beans

1 tea spoon salt

1 can tomato sauce (not sure of oz, smaller can)

adobo seasoning

sazon packets

sofrito

in a large pot sautee the garlic and peppers for 3 minutes

add the meat and continue to sautee for and additional 2 minutes

add the tomato sauce

add two heaping table spoons of sofrito

add one teaspoon of adobo and 1 packet of sazon

add 2 cups of water

drain the beans and add them

bring this to a boil then add 2 1/2 cups of rice

bring to a second boil and then lower the heat to about 2-3 or low

drag your fork across the bottom of the pot in lines so as to make sure the rice is not sticking, careful not to "stir" it.

continue to cook on low until rice is tender

Answer 3

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup sofrito

1/2 cup chopped ham (or cooked pork pieces)

2 cups rice

4 cups water

1 packet sazón

1 15-ounce can Pigeon Peas/Gandules (drained and rinsed)

PREPARATION:

1. Heat olive oil in a 6-quart pot. Saute the sofrito and chopped ham for 1 minute.

2. Add the rice, water, sazón and gandules.

3. Bring to a boil. Let boil for 2 to 3 minutes.

4. Cover, reduce heat to medium low, and cook for 35 to 40 minutes.

Note: Sazon is a seasoning packet sound in any grocery store, it's in a yellow packet.  Also, for a smokier flavor, use a ham hock or smoked turkey leg, then pick the meat off the bone and into the dish before serving.

Answer 4

Okay nena, let's go to the market.

Yellow Rice

1/4 pound salted pork (butcher section)

1 ham steak cubed like a dice, include the bone

8 ounce can tomato sauce

6 ounce jar roasted red peppers (use all)

1 can green pigeon peas (gandules)(discard the liquid)

1 tablespoon capers

1 tablespoon salad olives with pimentos

1 large onion

1 large red or yellow or green bell pepper

6 garlic cloves

1 bunch cilantro

4 cups white rice (long grain)

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2     "         cumin

4-5 tiny petal pieces  saffron

1/8 teaspoon paprika

Sazón GOYA seasoning use anyone but fish

salt to taste start with 1 flat teaspoon

crackled black pepper to taste

4 cups water

1/8 cup cooking oil

You NEED a thick large bottom pot (caldero),

remember that rice is going to double in size, like Lucy's.

Wash all fresh ingredients and either chop as small as a dime or puree in a blender.

Cut the salted pork as small as a dice or smaller and sautee in pot until golden in medium heat. Leave the fat in the pot. Add the cubed ham steak, and stir fry for 1-2 minutes.

High heat:

Add pureed veggies to pork/ham and its fat stiring so it does not stick to the bottom, mix well.

Add everything else, but the rice. Once it  starts to boil, ADD rice, stir well, set heat  to MED/low, cover with lid.

15 minutes later, take lid off and stir rice, the bottom rice should now be on top, and the rice that was on top should be on the bottom. Its not really stiring, it's more like flipping a pancake. Stirring the wrong way will break the rice and make it mushy, and you don't want that.

15 minutes later test the rice, it should NOT be crunchy, if it is give it another  5-10 minutes. Once is cooked remove from heat. Serve with an avocado salad and fried plantains.