Arroz con Pollo (Chicken and Rice)

Even though this is a dish that you will find in virtually all Latin American countries, Arroz con Pollo has been adopted in Puerto Rico as a traditional dish. The difference between what you will find in Puerto Rico and in the rest of the world is that Puerto Ricans will traditionally use annato, sofrito (to include the recao plant), and pimentos or red bell pepper in their preparation. I have vivid memories (and can even smell it now) of my grandmother chopping the recao leaves to add to her version of the dish. The thought alone brings me back to the “good old days” of eating my grandmother’s cooking.

Needless to say, there is a special place in my heart for Arroz con Pollo. Most preparations of the dish call for the pieces of chicken to be left on the bone while cooking with the rice. However, I differ from this philosophy because I think the rice cooks better and more evenly if the bones are removed. This is pretty much my grandmother’s recipe (or what I can recall of it), so I hope you all enjoy it!

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: About 2.5 hours, total
Difficulty: Easy
Notes: This recipe will serve 3-4 people, but feel free to double it up if you have more guests or if you want some leftovers.

Ingredients:

1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 medium green pepper, diced
1/2 medium red bell pepper, cut into strips
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp prepared Recaito or Sofrito (Goya is fine, homemade is better)
1 packet Sazón with Achiote (annato)
12-15 pimento-stuffed olives (sliced or whole, your choice)
2 chicken thighs and drumsticks, skin on and bone-in
1 cup uncooked white rice
2 oz tomato sauce
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp olive oil
Adobo, Salt, and Pepper to taste
Chicken stock or water, as needed

Procedure:

Peel back the skin on the chicken and season well with adobo (use salt and pepper if you don’t have the adobo). You should also use about half of the packet of Sazon to season the chicken under the skin. Replace the skin and season it and the other side of the chicken. Set aside.

Place a heavy-bottomed pot (preferably a dutch oven) over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once it just begins to shimmer, add the onions, green peppers, salt/pepper to taste, along with the remaining half of the Sazon packet and allow to saute until the onions turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and the olives and continue cooking 1-2 minutes, then stir in the sofrito, tomato sauce, vinegar, and oregano and cook, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid has dried out, about 7-10 minutes. Remove the veggies from the pot and set aside.

Lower the heat to medium-low and add the chicken to the pot, skin side down. Cover and allow the chicken to cook, undisturbed, for 30 minutes. Add the veggies back into the pot but do not move the chicken around, cover, and cook for another 30 minutes. Turn the chicken so that it’s skin-side up but make sure that it still touches the bottom of the pot, cover, and cook another 45 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove the chicken from the pot, and set aside to cool (about 15 minutes). 

After the chicken has cooled, remove and discard the skin and cartilage (or you can do what I do and just eat the skin while I shred the chicken).  Use two forks to remove the chicken from the bone and shred it.  Set aside.  The pot should have some liquid in it from the vegetables and from the chicken, so you will need to add enough to make about 1 cup of liquid.  In my case, I added about 1/2 a cup of low-sodium chicken stock.  Bring the liquid to a boil, stir in the rice, and allow the liquid to reduce until the rice becomes visible, about 3-5 minutes. Lower the heat to medium-low and stir in the shredded chicken. Place the red bell pepper strips on top of the rice, cover, and allow to cook for 25-30 minutes, or until the rice is cooked.

Buen Provecho!

Weekend in Review – NYC Part II

As I stated in the first part, my wife and I took a short trip to NYC over a weekend. While there, we were able to try a few restaurants. We had both heard great things about The Spotted Pig in Greenwich Village and decided to give it a try.

The Spotted Pig

Not only is Mario Batali a partner in the restaurant (though he’s not the chef), but it was also named one of the 25 best hamburgers in America by Food & Wine Magazine. Due to this, we were led to believe that there would be a long wait for a table but I guess we were lucky (or the popularity of the restaurant is overstated), as we arrived around noon on Saturday and only waited about five minutes to be seated. The restaurant is quaint, with a small downstairs and a bit roomier upstairs (where our table was), but it doesn’t really feel as small as it looks. One downside to the limited space is that you have to sit in stools. If you’re like me, and you have a bad back, you might want to keep this in mind.  After looking over the menu, we both decided on the burger (which, to be honest, was decided the second we started walking towards the restaurant). The burger is cooked to temperature (a great thing coming from NC where all burgers must be cooked to death, according state law) over a grill, topped with Roquefort cheese and served on a toasted brioche bun with “shoestring” fries on the side. I love blue cheeses, but my wife cannot eat them because they’re a terrible migraine trigger for her. We asked the waitress if we could substitute cheddar for the Roquefort (after all, there was a grilled cheese on the menu that featured cheddar) but the waitress said no, we could not. Disappointed, we ordered one burger sans Roquefort.

First, the good: the burger was cooked to a perfect medium-rare, and the bun was nicely toasted but remained nice and soft. The meat was also packed tightly (though some might find this as a negative) and the seasonings didn’t interfere with the flavor of the meat. Also, the Roquefort cheese is a great complement to the meat. Secondly, the bad: the “shoestrings” are more like Potato Stix than fries. They just don’t have a soft, fluffy interior like a good french fry should. Don’t get me wrong, they’re not bad per se, but they shouldn’t be considered french fries. Finally, the ugly: Why won’t the kitchen do any substitutions, especially if it’s just the cheese? If you have the product on hand, why not make the customer happy? Also, what’s with the no mayo policy? I was given ketchup and dijon mustard, but God forbid I want to add mayonnaise to my burger or “fries”. It comes off as pretentious since it seems that they don’t allow customers to customize their food because “the chef knows best!”

All-in-all, it’s not a bad restaurant or experience. However, I don’t think I could put this burger in my top 5 (it’s definitely no Ray’s Hell Burger), nor do I think I’ll ever bother coming back. I just don’t think the burger is worth the hassle.

Rosa Mexicano

My wife and I had our first date at Rosa Mexicano in Washington, DC, and try to make it back on our anniversary whenever we can.  We just happened to be in NYC two weeks after our anniversary this year, so we made a reservation and delayed our annual dinner out until then.  While it’s true that RM hold a dear place in our hearts, we return because we like the food and the atmosphere.  On this occasion, we had one of the best waiters we’ve ever had, so that made our experience even that much better.

We started with an order of the guacamole, which is made fresh at your table, and served with two salsas: a tomatillo-based salsa and a smoky (chipotle?) red salsa.  It was perfect, and a great way to start our dinner.  After we licked the molcajete clean, we ordered our entrées; I chose to go with the Tablones (braised short ribs) while my wife ordered the Carne Asada tacos.  The short ribs are braised, then grilled, and served over a tomato and chipotle sauce and topped with slowly-cooked pepper strips and, as always, rice and beans are served on the side.  The rib meat is fork-tender and rich, with a deep beefy flavor that’s just what the Dr. ordered.  The beans were also very good, but I found the rice to be a bit undercooked for my taste.  No matter, with 18 ounces of beef and a guacamole appetizer, there was barely enough room for rice, anyway!

The Carne Asada tacos are grilled skirt steak, cooked to temperature, and served in a cast iron mini-skillet with melted cheese and a side of corn and the same salsas that were served with the guacamole.  The cheese was surprisingly mild, and doesn’t dominate the dish.  Instead, you actually get to taste all the ingredients together and the flavors balance well.  If I had to pick one thing that stood out, though, it would be the corn.  I could eat a bucket of it all by myself.

Needless to say, we were stuffed after our dinner.  I was ready to just ask for the check but I guess the waiter overheard our conversation about coming to RM every year for our anniversary because he brought us two glasses of champagne and a Tres Leches dessert.  The Tres Leches is served with fresh blackberries and strawberries, and topped with meringue.  I’m not much of a dessert person, but even I couldn’t stop eating it.  The cake was moist and flavorful, and the fresh berries added the perfect amount of bitterness and sweetness to the dish.  It was a great cap to an amazing dinner (and weekend)!

Weekend in Review – NYC Part I

My wife and I took a short trip to New York City this weekend for reasons other than pleasure, but we were able to sneak in a few good meals while we were there (hey, we’ve got to eat sometime, right?). We arrived on a Friday afternoon for a short three-day visit, anxious to try some of the restaurants we’ve been hearing/reading about lately. Our first stop was Empanada Mamas in Hell’s Kitchen.

Empanada Mamas

The restaurant is located on 9th Avenue, between 51st and 52nd streets in Midtown Manhattan. The first thing you notice (after you claw your way through the crowds standing outside the restaurant at dinnertime) is that it’s very cozy (i.e. small), but the atmosphere is quite electric. Expect to hear good Latin music (Salsa, Merengue, Reggaeton) over the speakers while you dine, but it’s not loud enough to interrupt your conversations. Our wait was a bit over an hour, having arrived around 9pm on a Friday, but it was well worth it! One of the best things about Empanada Mamas is that it’s like going to a Tapas restaurant; the empanadas are small (3-4 inches long), which means that you end up ordering 3 or 4 per person and sample quite a few. Our favorites were the Brazil (seasoned ground beef), Reggaeton (roast pork and piggeon-pea rice), and the incomparable Viagra (seafood). The latter was so good that we ended up ordering delivery from Empanada Mamas on Saturday evening just to satisfy our craving (I’m not kidding when I say that I dreamed about this empanada).

The smell and flavor of the Viagra empanada brought me back to my days in Puerto Rico. One of my favorite places in the world is (literally) a hole in the wall called Antojitos del Mar (Cravings from the Sea) in San Juan. I usually drive straight there from the airport, get my seafood empanada fix, then continue on to my father or grandmother’s house whenever I visit the island. The Empanada Mama’s version is as good as I can ever remember Antojitos being, so if you’re ever in Midtown Manhattan, make sure you take a few moments and stop by.

Lobster Place – Chelsea Market

We had a bit of time to kill on Saturday, so we decided to walk around Chelsea, SoHo, and Greenwich Village. Walking around really helps to work up an appetite, and we just happened to be walking around Chelsea Market when a hunger-attack snuck up on me so I decided to grab something at The Lobster Place. The first thing that jumped out at us was that you could buy a whole lobster (1.25 pounds) for $10! Plus, for an additional dollar, they would even steam it for you (now that’s a bargain!). However, I was not in the mood to get too messy, so I looked over the menu and settled on the Tarragon Shrimp Roll (sweet shrimp, fresh tarragon, capers, cornichons, parsley, chives & mayo). The sandwich is made fresh when you order it and served on a buttered-and-toasted lobster roll with a side of cole slaw, house-made potato chips, and a lemon wedge.

The shrimp roll was packed with shrimp and it was hard to eat it without a few of them jumping overboard. The shrimp were perfectly cooked, but I would’ve liked a little less mayo in my mix. The tarragon was noticeable and really went well with the shrimp, but I didn’t taste the capers or cornichons, to be honest. The potato chips were delicious and a perfect compliment to the shrimp roll. The cole slaw, on the other hand, actually tasted fishy so I didn’t eat it. All in all, the sandwich is a solid choice, and a great value at $7.95.

Stuffed Peppers

This is my first experience making stuffed peppers. I’d only had stuffed peppers once, that I can remember, and even that dish wasn’t all that memorable. But, since I was in the mood to try something new, I decided to go ahead and experiment with this dish. However, being who I am, I have to make everything difficult and decided to use ground turkey breast instead of ground beef in order to make it healthier (and more figure-friendly).

I also decided to serve with a vodka sauce instead of a red sauce. I think the creaminess of the vodka sauce really adds a gread depth of flavor and brings it all together. It was a definite winner! This is a dish I wouldn’t mind having a few times a week.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: About 60 minutes, total
Difficulty: Easy
Notes: This is an easy “make ahead” dish. You can also freeze the meat/rice mixture and just thaw right before stuffing the peppers.

Ingredients:

4 green peppers
1 cup cooked white rice (about 1/2 cup uncooked)
1/2 lb ground turkey
6 oz tomato sauce
1/3 cup low-sodium chicken stock
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tbsp feta cheese
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp each ground cumin and smoked paprika
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp toasted bread crumbs
1 cup vodka sauce

Procedure:

Place the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the onion and a pinch of salt, then saute until translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and continue to cook for 1-2 more minutes. Stir in the ground turkey, along with salt, pepper, cumin, and paprika, making sure to break it up with the back of the spoon. Cook until the turkey is cooked through, about 5-7 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and the chicken stock, then allow to cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5-6 minutes. Stir in the cooked rice and allow to cool to room temperature (or refrigerate/freeze until ready to use).

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees when you’re ready to make the peppers. Cut the tops off the peppers and set aside while you remove the seeds from the inside. Stuff the peppers about half-way up with the turkey/rice mixture, then place one Tbsp of feta into each pepper before topping off with the turkey/rice mixture. Place the tops back on the peppers (this will prevent the rice on top from drying out) and cook in the oven for 35 minutes. Once the peppers are cooked, place 1/4 cup of vodka sauce on the bottom of the plate, then place the pepper on top, and top with some toasted bread crumbs. Serve immediately.

Buen Provecho!

Arroz con Cebolla (French Onion Rice)

I grew up in my grandmother’s kitchen. Since my family used to gather at her house for all holiday meals, I usually got to see/help with these dishes. One of my grandmother’s most famous dishes is her French Onion Rice. It’s basically French onion soup, beef consome, onions, garlic, mushrooms, and rice. Yeah, that’s it! Most recipes I’ve found do not include the mushrooms, but my grandmother always added them so my rendition of this dish will include them. The beauty of this dish is that it’s made from pantry staples that are easy to find, inexpensive to purchase, and keep for a relatively long time in your cupboard. MMMmmm…

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: About 35-40 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Notes: I call for butter in my recipe, but I’ve also seen it done with bacon/bacon fat. Feel free to experiment.

Ingredients:

1 large onion, chopped into rings
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 10-12oz can each, French onion soup and beef consomme (I use Campbells)
1 8oz jar sliced mushrooms, drained
2 cups white rice
1 tbsp butter
Pinch of salt

Procedure:

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed pot (I use a Dutch oven) over medium heat. Add the onions and a pinch of salt and allow them to sweat until they’re softened and transluscent (about 7-8 minutes). Add the garlic and the mushrooms and cook another 2-3 minutes, then remove the onions, garlic, and mushrooms from the pot.

Increase the heat to high and add the cans of French onion soup and consomme. Once they come to a boil, add the rice, reduce to medium-low, and stir for 1 minute. Return the onion/garlic/mushroom mixture, stir, and cover. Let it cooked, undisturbed, for 25-30 minutes, or until the rice is cooked. Fluff with a fork and serve!

Buen Provecho!