I am always looking for ways to bring my basic recipes to another level. Definitely, this time I consider I have accomplished it by taking a great recipe and turning it into, simply put… an AMAZING recipe. The twist? Adding shredded green plantain to my Arroz con Gandules. The first time I heard about Arroz…
Category: Rice
Brown Rice with Vegetables
There are certain things we can only learn through our own experiences. Countless times I told my children as toddlers not to touch the stove top because it was hot and they both disregarded my commands and burned the tips of their fingers at least once. I’m an innate caretaker and am always sharing advice…
Fried Rice
Recently PF Chang’s opened its first restaurant in Puerto Rico in Plaza las Américas, the Caribbean’s largest shopping mall. This event has caused a huge furor among Chinese food lovers and followers of the PF Chang’s brand which created long waiting periods and lines for patrons to have a taste of what the casual dinning…
Pumpkin and Asparagus Risotto
During the beginning of the summer I received an e-mail from a social club we belong to promoting a culinary event called the Caparra Iron Chef. Participating members of Caparra Country Club would become the main attraction cooking for the judges and public in attendance during that night and compete among 4 different categories: rice/pasta…
Paella Marinera- Free Giveaway
I am enamored with traditional Paella! The first time I actually attempted to make a Paella was in 2000, a couple of years into our marriage (about 11 years ago). We were still childless and had recently moved to a house in a nice neighborhood filled with young couples with little or adolescent children. …
Delicious Brown Rice
I know what you are thinking…. DELICIOUS+BROWN RICE shouldn’t be in the same sentence. JA! It is a fact that every time you read about modifications to make for a healthier and wholesome diet, the words brown rice are always included. I have vowed many times to switch solely to brown rice, but I admit…
Arroz con Garbanzos y Chorizos
One of my favorite combinations is Garbanzo (Chickpeas) and Chorizo. The flavors just go so well together. I like them sautéed with some garlic and onions, stewed with tomatoes or in stewed rice like in this recipe. Make sure you use cured Spanish Style Chorizo which has Spanish Sweet Paprika that gives its distinctive color….
Arroz con Gandules
The Holidays are here and in Puerto Rico this means having a weekly overdose of Arroz con Gandules, pasteles (ground plantain patties filled with stewed pork or chicken), lechón (bbq whole pork), Tembleque (coconut custard) and Coquito (Puertorrican eggnog spiced with rum) in every celebration. Here, we make any excuse to have a party, so…
Rice Pilaf
Rice Pilaf is rice boiled or steamed in a broth of seasoned vegetables and spices. The word pilaf has its origins in some mediterranean, oriental and middle eastern languages like turkish (pilav), indian (pulao), greek (pilafi) and persian (pilaw) and farsi (polo). Sometimes, I find a mixture of basmati and wild rice in the supermarket,…
Arroz con Salchichas
My grandmother Ita always says an “arroz guisado” (stewed rice) is as good as the “sofrito” you make. In Puerto Rico, sofrito refers to a blend of oil, onions, garlic, aji dulce (sweet peppers), bay leaf, tomato sauce, “alcaparrado” (a blend of manzanilla olives and capers), cubanel and bell peppers, culantro (recao) and sometimes, ham,…