Thanksgiving is upon us and there are dozens of turkey
recipes making the rounds (and I did a good number of turkey and side dish
compilations on the Twitter weekend feed #KaliFoodGoddess).
We like turkey but as our household is comprised of two tiny
humans, making a full turkey is insane. We’d be eating for three months. One
year I made a turkey breast and it was still too much.
I love a meal that can be adapted into another or several
meals, but there are limits.
We are going traditional ‘Rican holiday meal – rice with
pigeon peas and roast pork.
Easy Arroz con Gandules
Chop a medium onion and a couple cloves of garlic (I also like to add a small red or yellow pepper). Sauté on medium low heat in a tablespoon of olive oil until the onion is translucent. Add 1½ cups of stock, increase heat to high and cover until it begins to boil. Add 1 cup of medium grain rice, stir for a minute, and decrease heat to low. Cover and let cook for about 10 minutes. Add a can of pigeon peas and reverse the liquid; add about two tablespoons of salad olives with pimentos and a dash of oregano. Add stock if rice becomes too dry and begins to stick to bottom. Stir. Cover and cook for another 10 minutes.
The veggies almost disintegrate into the rice to flavor the oil and the final dish. The oil will help separate the grains and give it a velvety finish. The beans will be soft, earthy, and savory.
Chop a medium onion and a couple cloves of garlic (I also like to add a small red or yellow pepper). Sauté on medium low heat in a tablespoon of olive oil until the onion is translucent. Add 1½ cups of stock, increase heat to high and cover until it begins to boil. Add 1 cup of medium grain rice, stir for a minute, and decrease heat to low. Cover and let cook for about 10 minutes. Add a can of pigeon peas and reverse the liquid; add about two tablespoons of salad olives with pimentos and a dash of oregano. Add stock if rice becomes too dry and begins to stick to bottom. Stir. Cover and cook for another 10 minutes.
The veggies almost disintegrate into the rice to flavor the oil and the final dish. The oil will help separate the grains and give it a velvety finish. The beans will be soft, earthy, and savory.
Roast Pork (Pernil)
pork
shoulder
1 head
of garlic
1 tablespoon
oregano
2
tablespoons olive oil
2
tablespoons wine vinegar
1
tablespoon of whole black peppercorns (to taste)
1 teaspoon
Kosher salt per pound of roast (to taste)
Place all ingredients in a blender to crush and blend
into a paste (it will be slightly wet). If you have a mortar, crush it by hand.
Stab the pernil and making sure you fill the slits with the marinade. Refrigerate
at least overnight before cooking.
Take roast out of fridge at least half hour before
cooking. Preheat oven at 425° F.
Pernil cooks at 350° F 30 minutes per pound or until you
reach 175° internal temperature. If skin starts browning too fast, tent with
foil. Let it stand for 10 minutes before cutting into it and serving.
When I was working I’d buy pasteles from a lady at the
office. I sometimes bought them at a local Dominican restaurant (second
choice). No extra cash this year for that, but might use my last royalty check
and get tamales instead.
Finally, to round off the meal, a lettuce, tomato and
avocado salad with a homemade Italian dressing (or mofongo).
The point is that this year to say thanks, we will say
gracias instead.
It’s been a tough year. We need comfort food and this reminds
us of my great grandmother – the ultimate solace in a cruel universe: a double
gammy!
For more recipes, how-videos, and information about Puerto Rican holiday foods, go to the Pinterest board:
For more recipes, how-videos, and information about Puerto Rican holiday foods, go to the Pinterest board:
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