Arroz Con Pollo + Black Beans

¡Soy así que excitado; amos a Puerto Rico! (Translation: I'm so excited; we're going to Puerto Rico!)

Looking as pale and pasty as could be (short of laying on a gurney with a tag tied to my toe), and seriously needing a break from Ice Melt, 4-wheel drive, and Thinsulate, we just booked a little getaway to Old San Juan. For those who have never been there, Puerto Rico is a bubbling stockpot of excitement; the weather is pretty much perfect every day of the year, the music makes even the most buttoned-up wallflowers start tapping their toes, and the food is...well, where do I begin? Puerto Rican food is sassy, and flavorful, and exciting, filled with warm, earthy spices, and loads of garlic and onions. Like all my favorite foods, it gets its roots from simple, filling, peasant fare. Rice, beans, pork, chicken, fish, plantains, and fresh vegetables make up the typical Puerto Rican menu; there are blissfully no anxiety-inducing cream sauces, no expensive cuts of meat, and no complicated preparations. Puerto Rican food is food for the soul, that you roll up your sleeves for, and dig into heartily, stopping only to take a sip of a cold cerveza, and maybe let out a sigh, and close your eyes in utter delight.

In anticipation of our trip, I am making Arroz con Pollo with black beans tonight for dinner. I've been cooking the black beans with two ham hocks, and a handful of seasonings for about two hours now, and the smell is so amazing, that my mouth is watering like I am Homer Simpson in a Krispy Kreme shop. Clearly, it's time to roll up my sleeves, and start digging in.

Black Beans
16 oz. bag of dried black beans
1 or 2 ham hocks
6 cups chicken stock
6-8 cloves of garlic, whole
1 heaping teaspoon, cumin
2 bay leaves
Salt + Pepper, as needed

Soak beans in cold water for 2-4 hours, then drain and rinse. Throw all the ingredients into a stockpot, and simmer for 2-3 hours. Beans should be tender, and still inside their skins when ready. Season with salt and pepper if needed. Remove ham hocks and bay leaves, and serve beside white rice, or arroz con pollo.

Arroz Con Pollo
Chicken
3 lbs of chicken thighs, skin on/bone-in
1/2 cup flour, seasoned with a bit salt and pepper
Olive oil

Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Dredge chicken in flour, then cook chicken in batches in the pan, turning once (and adding more oil if necessary), so until the chicken is browned on both sides. Remove pieces from pan and drain on paper towels.

Rice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups long-grain white rice
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 red pepper, sliced into thin strips
1 green pepper, sliced into thin strips
2 heaping tablespoons diced tomatoes (canned or fresh)
4 cups chicken stock
1-2 cups cooked peas (optional)

Heat oil in stockpot over medium-high heat, add rice, and stir to coat. Cook rice, stirring only occasionally, until golden brown. Add onion, garlic, peppers and tomatoes, and continue cooking for 5 or so minutes. Add chicken stock and chicken pieces to the pot, then cover and simmer for approximately 20-25 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through, and rice is tender. Stir in peas if you'd like, season with salt and pepper, and serve.

Serves 4-6

Suzanne Brown 1.17.08