Tostones (Fried Plantains)

I have never had plantains in my life. So when my hubby made these I was a little unsure. But they are really yummy. He fries them not once, but twice and then you dip them in ketchup, weird I know. But they are really good. Don’t knock it till you try it!

You will need 4 green plantains

cut the ends off, each plantain

and then peel the outer skin off the plantain

heat a medium skillet to medium high heat and add about 1/2 inch of vegetable oil

while the oil heats up

cut the plantains into 1-1 1/2 inch thick slices

once the oil is nice and hot add the sliced plantains to the oil

Normy did 8-10 at a time

fry for one to two minutes on each side until they are golden in color,

grab a plate covered with a few layers of paper towels and remove the cooked plantains onto the plate and let the plantains hangout on the paper towels to drain excess oil, while you finish cooking the rest. Drain all plantains on paper towel lined plate.

once they are all cooked and drained, smoosh them flat with a tostonera, or any kitchen utensil that has a large enough flat surface (two plates work)

add the plantains back to the oil fry them a 2nd time until they are crisp and golden brown, on both sides.

once they are cooked, remove them from pan

and place on a paper towel lined plate and sprinkle salt over the plantains and drain.

serve hot and dip in ketchup

 

Recipe

 4 green plantains, cut the ends off, each plantains

and then peel the outer skin off the plantain

heat a medium skillet to medium high heat and add about 1/2 inch of vegetable oil

while the oil heats up

cut the plantains into 1-1 1/2 inch thick slices

once the oil is nice and hot add the sliced plantains to the oil

Normy did 8-10 at a time

fry for one to two minutes on each side until they are golden in color,

grab a plate covered with a few layers of paper towels and remove the cooked plantains onto the plate and let the plantains hangout on the paper towels to drain excess oil, while you finish cooking the rest. Drain all plantains on paper towel lined plate.

once they are all cooked and drained, smoosh them flat with a tostonera, or any kitchen utensil that has a large enough flat surface (two plates work)

add the plantains back to the oil fry them a 2nd time until they are crisp and golden brown, on both sides.

once they are cooked, remove them from pan

and place on a paper towel lined plate and sprinkle salt over the plantains and drain.

serve hot and dip in ketchup

Arroz con Pollo (Caribbean Rice with Chicken)

This is the one Puerto Rican dish I can make! YAY! GO ME! I have made it a few times and every time I make it, I erase the old recipe on here to update it, because my pictures keep getting better and better and I get better and better at making it!

So you all know my hubby Normando or as I call him Normy or Norman, is from Puerto Rico. So the good wifey I am, I wanted to learn how to make the food of his homeland. So I chose Arroz con Pollo (Caribbean Rice with Chicken). Pretty easy dish! So this will be the 3rd time I have made it! I would like to master it and then learn to make more dishes from Normy’s homeland…

I got the recipe from this book:

Normy says that this is the ONLY book I should get Puerto Rican Recipes from as it is his fav. OK BOSS!

So here is what the recipe looks like in the book:

So here is everything listened in A & B

A –
2 ½ pounds chicken thighs (I did boneless, skinless thighs)
(I had Normy cut the fat off the chicken thighs 1st)

B –
2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon whole dried oregano
4 ½ teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Mix all ingredients in B in a small bowl

1. Wash chicken cut fat off and dry with paper towels and rub with seasoning included in B, (fresh ground black pepper, garlic, oregano, salt, olive oil, balsamic vinegar) Set in refrigerator for several hours or overnight.

C-
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 ounce salt pork
2 ounces lean cured ham
(all ingredients in C diced)

D-
1 onion, peeled
1 green pepper, seeded
1 tomato
6 fresh cilantro leaves
(all ingredients in D chopped)

E-
½ teaspoon of salt
10 olives, stuffed with pimientos (green olives)
1 tablespoon capers
¼ cup tomato sauce
2 tablespoon fat or Achiote Coloring
3 cups rice

2. In a caldero or dutch oven,

heat fat

and brown rapidly salt pork and ham.

Reduce heat to medium, add chicken pieces, and cook for 5 minutes.

3. reduce heat to low, add ingredients included in D, (onion,

green pepper,

tomato,

cilantro leaves)

and saute for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally

4. add 2 ½ cups of water to pan,

if regular rice is used or 3 ½ cups, if long grain rice is used. (I used regular rice, so I measured out 2 ½ cups of water)
5. Add to kettle ingredients included in E salt,

10 green olives,

1 tablespoon capers, ¼ cup tomato sauce,

2 tablespoon fat or Achiote Coloring (I used 2 packets of Sazon by Goya)

3 cups rice

and mix over moderate heat for 2 minutes.

6. cook, uncovered, over moderate heat, until rice is dry.

7. with a fork, turn rice from bottom to top.

8. Cover pan and cook over low heat for 40 minutes. Halfway during this cooking period, turn rice over again.

9. Serve nice and hot

 

 

Recipe

• A –
• 2 ½ pounds chicken thighs
• B –
• 2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 teaspoon whole dried oregano
• 4 ½ teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• Mix all ingredients in B in a small bowl
• C-
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 ounce salt pork
• 2 ounces lean cured ham
• (all ingredients in C diced)
• D-
• 1 onion, peeled
• 1 green pepper, seeded
• 1 tomato
• 6 fresh cilantro leaves
• (all ingredients in D chopped)
• E-
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• 10 olives, stuffed with pimientos (green olives)
• 1 tablespoon capers
• ¼ cup tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoon fat or Achiote Coloring
• 3 cups rice

• 1.Wash chicken cut fat off and dry with paper towels and rub with seasoning included in B, (fresh ground black pepper, garlic, oregano, salt, olive oil, balsamic vinegar)
• Set in refrigerator for several hours or overnight.
• 2. In a caldero or dutch oven, heat fat and brown rapidly salt pork and ham. Reduce heat to medium, add chicken pieces, and cook for 5 minutes.
• 3. reduce heat to low, add ingredients included in D, (onion, green pepper, tomato, cilantro leaves) and saute for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally
• 4. add 2 ½ cups of water to pan, if regular rice is used or 3 ½ cups, if long grain rice is used. (I used regular rice, so I measured out 2 ½ cups of water)
• 5. Add to kettle ingredients included in E salt, 10 green olives, 1 tablespoon capers, ¼ cup tomato sauce, 2 tablespoon fat or Achiote Coloring (I used 2 packets of Sazon by Goya, see picture in post), 3 cups rice and mix over moderate heat for 2 minutes.
• 6. cook, uncovered, over moderate heat, until rice is dry.
• 7. with a fork, turn rice from bottom to top.
• 8. Cover pan and cook over low heat for 40 minutes. Halfway during this cooking period, turn rice over again.
• 9. Serve nice and hot

Arroz con Pollo (Caribbean Rice with Chicken)

So my hubby Normando or as I call him Normy or Norman, is from Puerto Rico. So the good wifey I am, I wanted to learn how to make the food of his homeland. So I chose Arroz con Pollo (Caribbean Rice with Chicken). Pretty easy dish! So this will be the 2nd time I have made it! I would like to master it and then learn to make more foods from his homeland…

I got the recipe from this book:

Normy has explained to me when trying to find Puerto Rican recipes that I am to not look online! He told me what I need to know about Puerto Rican food is in this book!

So here we go…

I copied what was in the book…

So I went through the recipe and picked out what I needed so I could do my usual display of ingredients…

A- 2 1/2 pounds chicken pieces (I used thighs) (Normy says he has had it with drumsticks and thighs, but I did just thighs because that’s what I like, dark meat)

B- 2 peppercorns (whole black pepper) I just used fresh ground black pepper

2 cloves garlic, peeled, and then I minced them

1 teaspoon dried oregano,

4 1/2 teaspoons salt,

2 teaspoons olive oil,

1 teaspoon vinegar or fresh lime juice. (I used balsamic vinegar)

(Crush and mix in a mortar) (using a mortar is the best way to do this, but I don’t have one so I just mixed it in a bowl)

C- 1 tablespoon lard or vegetable oil, 1 ounce salt pork, 2 ounces lean cured ham (for salt pork and ham- washed and diced)

D- 1 onion, peeled, 1 green pepper, seeded, 3 sweet chili peppers, seeded, 1 tomato, 6 cilantro (culantro) leaves (chopped)

E- 1/2 teaspoon salt, 10 olives stuffed with pimento, 1 tablespoon capers, 1/4 cup tomato sauce, 2 tablespoons fat or Achiote Coloring, 3 cups rice

F- 1 can (1 pound 1 ounce) green peas (I did not add)

G- 1 can (4 ounces) pimento (I did not add)

1- Wash chicken and divide each chicken piece in two. Dry and rub with seasoning included in B. Set in refrigerator for several hours or overnight.

(side note –  I didn’t let it marinate, I just rub it on the chicken and then just started cooking it, I forget this step when I make this dish and I need to plan ahead and let it marinate overnight, so plan ahead and I HIGHLY recommend letting the chicken marinate)

2-In a caldero

or heavy kettle, heat fat (I used vegetable oil)

brown rapidly salt pork

and ham.

Reduce heat to moderate, add chicken pieces, and cook for 5 minutes.

3- Reduce heat to low, add ingredients included in D,

onion, green pepper, 3 sweet chili peppers, 1 tomato, 6 cilantro leaves (chopped)

Normy approves!

and sauté for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4- Meanwhile, drain liquid from can peas into measuring cup and add enough water to measure 2 1/2 cups, if regular rice is used, or 3 1/2 cups, if long grain rice is used. Reserve peas. Heat liquid and reserve. – For this step I skipped the peas – I just added the water

5- Add to the kettle ingredients included in E and mix over moderate heat for 2 minutes.

1/2 teaspoon salt,

10 olives stuffed with pimento, (I LOVE green olives so I added more than the recipe called for)

1 tablespoon capers,

1/4 cup tomato sauce,

2 tablespoons fat or Achiote Coloring, (I used two of these packets, you can get them at king soopers, wal mart or spanish/latin grocery store)

3 cups rice

6- Add reserved hot liquid to kettle, mix well, and cook, uncovered, over moderate heat, until rice is dry.

7- With a fork, turn rice from bottom to top.

8- Cover kettle and cook over low heat for 40 minutes. Halfway during this cooking period, turn Rice over again.

9- Add peas, turn rice once more, cover, and cook for 15 minutes over low heat. (again I skipped this part and did not add the peas)

10- Spoon rice into a serving platter.

11- Heat pimento in their juice, drain, and garnish the rice. Serve at once. (I skipped the pimento part as well, I was going to add them, but there was already pimento in the olives, so I felt that was enough).

 

Here is that recipe for you again from the book:

Chicken Fricassee (Pollo en Fricase) – Normy Cooks!

My husband is Puerto Rican and his FAVORITE dish to make from his homeland (as he calls it) is Chicken Fricassee. He makes it from his favorite Puerto Rican cookbook “Puerto Rican Cookery” by Carmen Aboy Valldejuli. He told me this is the only book that I am to use if I want to make any Puerto Rican Recipes.

Here is the Recipe

Page 62

2 1/2 pounds chicken pieces, washed and dried -Normando uses chicken thighs (Dark meat is the BEST)

1 tablespoon lard or vegetable oil

1 oz salt pork – diced

2 oz lean cured ham – diced

1 teaspoon whole dried oregano

2 cloves garlic, peeled – Normando uses 4 – diced

1 onion, peeled – chopped

1 green pepper, seeded – chopped

Normy also adds in Roasted Red Bell peppers (1 Jar)

Chopped

C – 12 olives with pimientos

1 teaspoon capers

1 tablespoon vinegar

2 bay leaves – Normando uses 4

1/2 cup tomato sauce

3 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 pound potatoes, peeled and cubed – Normando uses 2 pounds

In a caldero or heavy kettle, heat fat and brown rapidly the salt pork,

and ham,

stirring occasionally.

Reduce heat to low, add rest ingredients oregano,

garlic, onion,

green bell pepper

And roasted red bell peppers

and saute for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

add chicken pieces,

mix and cook for 2 or 3 minutes over moderate heat.

add ingredients: olives,

capers, vinegar,bay leaves,

tomato sauce,

salt,

and potatoes, (he drained them first)

and add 2 1/2 cups of water.

Bring rapidly to a boil.

Reduce heat to moderate, cover and boil for 45 minutes.

Taste and adjust seasonings.

Normando serves this over white rice.

Arroz con Gandules – Rice & Pigeon Peas, A Puerto Rican Feast for Fawn

On November 11, 2012 I celebrated my 35 years of life

So my friend Fawn was flying in from Kansas to spend my birthday weekend with me. She was flying in Friday the 9th. So I decided that I wanted to make her a Puerto Rican Dinner for her first night here! Because you know how I am, I HAVE to cook for whoever is staying at my house! So I made her: Roasted Pork Shoulder (Pernil) and Normy made Rice with Pigeon Peas – Arroz con Gandules and Fried Plantains (Tostones)

for the pork I use a LOT of garlic

just wanted to share a few photos of how I made it

and now for the Pork Shoulder! The best PORK!

So on the way home from the airport from picking Fawn up, we stopped at the Liquor store

Let’s get this party started!

Fawn was REALLY excited to be in Denver!

Look at my pork shoulder!

and now for the recipe for Normy’s Arroz con Gandules – Rice & Pigeon Peas

1 tbsp. GOYA® Extra Virgin Olive Oil

¼ lb. country ham, cubed

½ green bell pepper, chopped (about ½ cup)

½ yellow onion, chopped (about ½ cup)

2 packets Sazón

1 tbsp. Minced Garlic

2 tsp. finely chopped fresh cilantro

1 tsp. Oregano

1½ cups Medium Grain Rice

1 can (15 oz.) Green Pigeon Peas

4 oz. Tomato Sauce

1/4 cup Manzanillas Olives Stuffed with Minced Pimientos, sliced

1. Heat oil in a medium, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat.

Add ham to pan;

cook until brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in peppers and onions; cook,

stirring occasionally,

scraping up brown bits from bottom, until vegetables are soft and translucent, 10 minutes. Add sazón, garlic,

cilantro and oregano. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

2. Add rice to pan.

Cook, stirring frequently, until coated in oil and toasted, about
1 minute.

Stir in pigeon peas,

tomato sauce,

olives

and 1½ cups water;

using a wooden spoon, stir once and bring rice mixture to a boil. Cook, uncovered, until water is evaporated, about 10 minutes. Gently stir rice from bottom up.

3. Lower heat to medium low and cook, covered, until rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat. Gently fluff rice with fork. Cover pan and let stand 5 minutes.

Don’t forget the Fried Plantains (Tostones)

and now Normy will slice the Pork

Dinner is served!

Fawn can not WAIT to try her first Puerto Rican meal!

Authentic Mexican Rice

So this recipe right here, this very one will be my 1,000 post I’ve done on my blog!

WOOOOO HOOOOO!

So last Wednesday we had my mother in law Evelyn over for dinner. I was making Pernil which is pork butt/or shoulder Puerto Rican style.

So I seasoned the pork shoulder with salt, Pepper, Oregano, lots of garlic, olive oil, Balsamic vinegar, little bit of lime juice

Let it marinate overnight, then threw it in a pot and baked it for a few hours!

Then I made this rice to go with it:
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil or vegetable oil
1 cup uncooked long grain white rice

2 cups warm water
1 1/2 tsp Caldo de Tomate (I use Knorr brand)
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp chili powder

In a mixing bowl whisk together water, Caldo de Tomate,

onion powder,

garlic powder, black pepper

and chili powder,

set aside.

Drizzle oil into a non-stick saucepan and heat over medium high heat. Add rice

and cook several minutes, stirring constantly

until rice is slightly puffed and golden. Add water mixture to rice

then stir and cover pan with lid. Reduce heat to low and allow rice to simmer for 20-25 minutes until water has been absorbed (you’ll notice water bubbles stop coming to the surface). Remove from heat, fluff rice with a fork, cover with lid and allow to rest 5 minutes. Serve warm.

I added some chopped onion and cilantro to the rice

then I asked normy’s mom for help on making the Tostones (fried Plantains).

Then there is the pork all finished and shredded up

normy’s mom also helped with the beans too!

Let’s EAT!

 

Puerto Rican Style Chicken A La Jamie

So my hubby, Normando Luis… OR as I call him: Normy and Norman. Well his family does this amazing rub on pork roast that they make for Christmas every year. You can find the recipe here: Recipe I have made it before and well It’s Good stuff!

So I decided one night to do it on chicken. You could probably use it on any kind of meat or heck even fish too. But I went with a whole chicken.

So I did this all on taste. I added in the stuff it says in the book, but added more than what it would normally call for, cause I am Jamie and I am intense and I like my food to be intense and flavorful!

So for mine I did Garlic (8-10 cloves)

Minced

added it to a bowl and then added fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Then added in Salt (1/2 a tsp) and Oregano (1 tsp) and 1/4 tsp garlic salt

Then added in the juice of one lime

and then balsamic vinegar (1/4 cup)

and last Olive oil (about 1/3 cup)

Mix everything together, set aside.

Then grab a whole Chicken, Almost 6 pounds.

Remove anything from inside of the chicken (Gross part), and then wash it with cold water, and then dry very well with paper towels, and throw it in a big bowl and pour the bowl of olive oil, garlic and goodness over the chicken…

make sure to rub the chicken down with all the stuff that was in the bowl, even underneath and the legs and everywhere, just rub that meat! Show it some LOVE!

So then cover the chicken and put it in the fridge and let it sit. I did mine one evening after dinner and let it marinate that night and all day the next day and ate it the next night. The longer you let it sit and marinade the better it tastes

So then take it out of the fridge and preheat the oven to 250 and put the chicken in a roasting pot uncovered

Bake for 5 hours, uncovered, low and slow or to a minimum internal temperature of 180 degrees F (85 degrees C). Let the chicken stand for 10 minutes before carving.

This chicken is  SO juicy and tasteful that you will be saying MMMMMMMM at each bite you take! Make it TODAY!

Served mine with Ranch dressing roasted potatoes and Glazed Pearl Onions and asparagus

Puerto Rican Beans

recipe

1 (16 ounce) can black beans
1/2 teaspoon adobo seasoning (a flavored salt used in latin cooking)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 slice cooked ham or 1 slice salt pork or 1 slice Canadian bacon , cubed

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 (5 g) packet sazon con azafran seasoning (comes in envelopes in a box, gives color and a distinct flavor to latin dishes)
1 1/2 tablespoons sofrito sauce (comes in a jar, a necessary ingredient in Puerto Rican cooking)

In saucepan, heat oil on low-medium heat and put in the ham, salted pork, or Canadian bacon.

once it starts to sizzle, add the garlic powder and Adobo seasoning.

Then add the Sofrito and Sazon con Azafran seasoning, stir.

Next add beans (drain most of liquid, just a little bit is needed to pull the sauce together).

Mix and serve.

Normy Cooks

In our house, It’s a rare occasion that Normando gets to cook. He really does enjoy it. But he knows I like…no wait…LOVE it! So he just lets me do my thing. He’s been wanting to cook for the past few days and well he decided to make his Chicken Fricassee (Pollo en Fricase) from his homeland Puerto Rico.

He’s so cute because he sees me cook all the time and watches what I do.  I make some pretty good stuff, so he’s always nervous about cooking for me, because I am a food snob…

So check it out: Here’s what Normy made us: Recipe

Got his apron on! (I taught him well)

Don’t forget the salt!

This is pretty to me, Pretty colors!  Onions, Sweet Red peppers, Salt Pork, and Ham…

Chef Normando!

I LOVE Green Olives!