Recipe: Puerto Rican One Dish Meals - Hello dearest Elma: Here are some

Hello dearest Elma: Here are some Puerto Rican dishes that you can do ahead of time; freeze & serve with a simple white rice & some fried potatoes or tostones, or perhaps over mashed potatoes.

Carne Guisada (using pressure cooker)
I would rather use the 6 or 7 quart crockpot, eventhough I will have to wait longer. If using the crockpot cut significantly the liquid to only 1/2 cup of water or wine or chicken broth. Cook it in high & it will be ready in 3 hours or less.

1 1/2 lbs. stew meat
2 to 3 medium potatoes
1 envelope saz n
1 tsp. adobo
2 to 3 carrots (optional)
1 can petit-pois (peas)
1 tsp. Manzanilla olives (3-4 olives)
1 tsp. capers (alcaparrado)
2 tbsp. cooking wine
1 tbsp. sofrito
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 to 2 laurel leaves
Salt to taste

Season the stew meat preferably the night before or 15-20 minutes before cooking so the adobo can do its trick.

In a pressure cooker*, place the sofrito, tomato sauce, saz n, capers, wine, and meat.

Fill pot half way with water and seal the lid.

Cook for 30 minutes on medium heat.(The 30 minutes start when the vapor starts to escape from the pressure valve)

Meanwhile, peel and cut the potatoes (and carrots) and place them in a bowl of salted water.

After 30 minutes, place the pressure cooker under a stream of running cold water to cool down the pot.

"VERY IMPORTANT":
When ALL the pressure is out of the pot thru the pressure valve, it is safe to open it.

Open the pot carefully and add the potatoes, (carrots), olives and laurel leaves.

Cook (without the lid) for 15-20 minutes on medium heat or
until all the veggies are soft but firm.

Add the petit-poi (peas) 5-10 minutes before the stew is done and stir carefully as to not mash the peas.

Tips
You can also cook the meat the "old fashioned way". Place all the ingredients in a deep pot (except the petit-pois) and cook on medium low heat until the meat is tender.

Serve with white rice and tostones.
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Asopao de Pollo
Source: Vania Valdez

1 1/2 cup short-grained rice
3 garlic cloves, pressed
2 peppercorns
2 medium onions, peeled
2 sweet chili or banana peppers
4 to 6 culantro leaves or 6-8 sprigs of cilantro (fresh coriander)
2 1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons plus one teaspoon olive oil
1 whole chicken cut into pieces
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 cup tomato sauce
8 cups water or chicken stock
1 cup of frozen sweet peas
1 4-ounce can of whole, roasted pimento peppers, sliced
1 can asparagus tips

Rub the chicken with salt, pepper and oregano and one teaspoon olive oil and set aside for 30 minutes. In the blender, pur e the garlic, onions, peppercorns, chili peppers culantro and sweet peppers, with the remaining olive oil. In a heavy soup pot saut the sofrito pur e for 5 minutes over medium-low heat. Brown the chicken pieces to seal in their flavor. Add the tomato sauce and the chicken stock or water to the chicken and bring to a boil.

Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Rinse the rice under cool running water until it runs clear. Drain the rice and stir into the soup pot. Raise the heat and bring to a boil once more. Reduce heat to medium and cook uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the peas and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes or until the asopao is as liquid or dry as you prefer. Heat the sliced pimentos and the asparagus in their juices. Drain and use to garnish each plate of asopao. (Serves 6)

Serve with tostones.
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Asopao de Gandules con Bolitas de Pl tano
Source: El Boricua

Bolitas de pl tano:
2 large green plantains, peeled and shredded in food processor
1/4 tsp. crushed garlic
dash of salt

Asopao
2 cans Goya gandules
2 quarts chicken stock
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
4 aj es dulces - sweet chili peppers, seeded and diced
3 recao leaves, minced, or 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 cup tomato sauce
2 cups short-grain rice
1/2 pound West Indian pumpkin, peeled and diced
1/2 tablespoon salt, or to taste
1/3 cup chopped cilantro

Form dumplings from 1/2 tablespoonfuls of shredded plantain, garlic, and salt. Set aside.

In a large pot or soup kettle, combine the gandules and the stock. Heat until boiling.

While the stock and gandules boil, saute the onion, bell pepper, aj es dulces, recao, and garlic, in the olive oil for about 4 minutes. Add tomato sauce and simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes.

Add the sofrito, bolitas, rice, pumpkin, and salt, to the stock, lower the heat, and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the rice is cooked and the soup has thickened. Add the cilantro just before serving.

Asopao is a thick soup - just perfect for cold temperature.
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Arroz Con Pollo
Source: El Boricua

2 cups uncooked rice
1 lb. chicken parts (you can use chicken thighs, the dark meat has more fat and will taste better) use whole pieces.
1/2 small can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons of sliced Spanish Olives, use a bit of the liquid and the red peppers too.
1 teaspoon alcaparras
1/2 cup sofrito (store bought)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 cups of boiling water

In a large caldero brown the chicken parts in the oil, 5 minutes each side.

Remove chicken from the pot and set aside. Don't put them on paper towels - we want any grease to back in the pot.
Leave the chicken drippings inside the pot and add all the other ingredients except for the rice, water and chicken.

Mix well and cook sofrito for 5 minutes over medium heat.

Add the chicken and rice to the pot and stir.

Add the boiling water until the water is about 1 inch above the rice, stir once only.

Boil uncovered, over high heat, until water is absorbed.

Once the water is absorbed gently stir from bottom to top. Just a couple of turns only.

Cover and continue to cook over LOW heat for another 30 - 35 minutes or until the rice is tender.

Don't concern yourself with weighing the meat too much. If you are serving 5 people just use 5 - 8 pieces of meat.

Too much stirring causes the rice to become "amogollao" or sticky. Resist the temptation to stir.

It is traditional to cook the chicken with bones and all. People will just pull the meat off the bones with their fork.

Don't let your rice get "ahumado" or smoked from over cooking at too high temperature.

For great pegao just cook a bit longer keeping an eye on it.
Some people prefer to use deboned chicken. Cook the chicken in a crockpot all day with seasonings and when you get home from work debone and use the broth to make the rice.
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Viandas con bacalao
Source: El Boricua

A. Yaut a, pl tano, chayote, malanga, batata, papas, yuca, ame, apio the yellow root one (not celery), bacalao - filete

B. Onions, Olive Oil, aguacate, tomates, boiled eggs, aceitunas.

Choose several of the vegetables listed on A, any combination will do. Boil until cooked in the same pot with the bacalao. (The bacalao will salt the vegetables.) Drain.

Serve on a bed of leaf lettuce. Add fresh onion slices and drizzle with plenty of olive oil. Decorate using any or all items on B.
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Roast Chicken with Potatoes)
Source: Freddies Online Puerto Rican Cookbook

This dish is very low in calories. It goes very well with corn on the cob and a green salad.

One 3 pound chicken (washed)
Dry adobo seasoning
1 packet of Sazon with achiote
1 teaspoon of oregano
1/2 cup of vinegar
4 large Idaho potatoes

Take a knife and make finger size holes on the chicken. Sprinkle dry adobo seasoning, Sazon and oregano all over the chicken. Sprinkle some of the adobo and Sazon into the holes and stick your finger up the holes taking along with your finger some of the adobo and Sazon into the hole.

Place the chicken into a plastic bag making sure the bag doesn't have any holes, and then add the vinegar to the bag. Message the chicken very well, wrap it up and place onto a bowl. Put the chicken in the bag into the refrigerator for 2 hours turning once.

Scrub the potatoes clean and with a fork punch all over making little holes. Wrap them individually with aluminum paper.

When the chicken has been marinating for 1-1/2 hours, at 400 degrees place only the potatoes into the oven. After the chicken has been marinating for 2 hours take it out of the plastic bag and place it breast side down on a baking dish with the marinade. Cover the drumsticks and wings with aluminum paper so they won't overly cook or burn. Lower the heat on the oven to 350 degrees and roast for 30 minutes. Turn the chicken breast side up and roast for another 20 minutes or until golden brown.

You can serve the potatoes with your favorite topping, butter, sour cream onion or gravy. You can also serve chunks or slices of cranberry sauce.

Serves 3 to 4
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Carne con Bollos de Platano
Source: Cocina Criolla
Contributor: Andy Natal, Calirican
Servings: 6-8

2lbs stewing beef
1/2 onion thinly sliced
small batch of cilantro (washed)
1 clove of garlic (fine chopped)
salt and pepper
Sprinkle of adobo
1 packet of sazon goya
1 tablespoon of aceitunas with some juice

After you marinate in fridge for a couple of hours. Take pot and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and when hot add meat with juices. Add 1 can of beef broth and simmer for 1.5 hours.

When done, add Platanos (green plantains) that you
have grated previously (I use the processor with 1 tb of milk) and seasoned with adobo, salt and pepper and made
into small balls and kept in the fridge cold til ready to use.

Add bollos de platano one at a time into pot slowly and make room for each. Cover the pot & cook in medium heat, cook another 20 minutes. Serve with rice.
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Posta de Carne
Source: Cocina Criolla
Contributor: Andy Natal, Calirican
Servings: 10

3-4 pound london broil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon of adobo goya
1 packet sazon goya
2 garlic cloves finely minced
2 cans of beef broth or 2 cans of plain water
2 tablespoon of tomato paste
1/2 onion finely chopped

Wash and marinade meat overnight. Remove meat 1 hour before cooking to get to room temperature.

In a cast iron skillet or a big pan, add a little olive oil
and sautee onion and garlic for 1 minute in low heat. Add tomato paste and 1/2 can of broth and simmer for 3 minutes. Add rest of ingredients and simmer another 1 minute. Add meat and bring to a high simmer then lower heat to low and cook for close to 2 hours.

Remove meat and mix cornstarch and water in a cup and pour slowly over juice to create a gravy. Simmer for 5 minutes
before adding meat back in. Turn off and let sit for about 20 minutes before carving in thin slices. Serve with vegetables and white rice.

Cooking Tips: The meat should be fork tender