Arroz con Gandules
This simple combo of pigeon peas (gandules), rice, sofrito, and ham is one of the classic dishes of Puerto Rico.
Servings: 10 People
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ tablespoon annatto seeds (achiote; optional)
- ½ cup sofrito
- 2 tablespoons chopped pimiento-stuffed olives
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¾ pound smoked pork neck bones (or 1 smoked ham hock)
- 3 cups long-grain rice
- 1 (15-ounce) can pigeon peas (drained and rinsed)
- 1 bay leaf
- About 5 cups less-sodium chicken broth
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot with a lid over medium heat until shimmering. Add the annatto seeds, if using, and stir until the seeds begin to sizzle. Remove the skillet from the heat and let sit until the oil comes to room temperature. Strain the oil, discard the seeds, and pour the infused oil back into the pot.
- Heat the oil over medium heat until hot (whether you sautéed the annatto seeds or not), then add the sofrito, olives, salt, pepper, and cumin. Cook, stirring often, until the liquid evaporates and the mixture starts to sizzle, about 5 minutes.
- Add the smoked pork and the rice and stir to blend the rice with the sofrito mixture. Add the pigeon peas, bay leaf, and enough broth to cover the rice by 1 inch.
- Increase the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil over high heat without stirring. Let the liquid boil until it evaporates to the level where you can see the rice peeking out above the liquid. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 20 minutes without opening the lid.
- Fluff the rice with a fork and serve.
Notes
If you are a big pan of pigeon peas there is no reason you might not want to add two cans — traditionally there is a lot of rice, dotted with a small amount of pigeon peas, but if you like them lots and want to bump up the protein in this dish, feel free to double the amount.
If you can’t find pigeon peas for some reason you could sub in pinto beans, pink beans or red beans.
Nutrition
Calories: 359kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 362mg | Potassium: 269mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 6IU | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 1mg