Arroz Con Gandules (Rice and Pigeon Peas)-A Puerto Rican Fav

This is NOT an authentic recipe for Puerto Rican arroz con gandules or rice with pigeon peas. One should NEVER use sazon flavor packets, as they mostly contain MSG and other chemicals including artificial colors. It is best to use fresh cumin, black pepper, salt, powdered garlic and oregano instead. The base for this recipe is the "sofrito". Two tablespoons in not enough for 2 cups of rice. Sofrito is green peppers (preferably cubanelle peppers, onions, lots of fresh garlic, ajis (Italian sautéing peppers), recao (coriander) or lots of cilantro. All of these are put into a food processor and made into thick sauce and then sautéed in oil infused with annatto coloring at the start of the recipe. Capers, roasted red peppers and stuffed green olives are also added to the pot along with the tomato sauce.

Love this recipe! I am half Puerto Rican, but grew up with my mother who is not, so I am just now learning as an adult how to cook the things I remember from my childhood with my father's side of the family. I've been looking for a rice recipe for years that reminded me of my Uela's and Titi's, and this is it! The only change is that I add 5 slices of diced bacon in the pan with the oil before the rest of the ingredients. I drizzle some oil, add the diced bacon to my Bass Pro Shops cast iron pot, fry it up, then make the rest of the recipe as listed, including the 5 minutes on low at the end for the crispies, which is the perfect amount of time! This recipe never fails, and I'm excited to be able to have my own rice and beans recipe to pass along in the future!

This is fourth recipe for Arroz con Gandules I have tried and the only one with the correct method. I love this dish and have been trying for over a year to get it right. The only thing preventing me from giving it 5 stars is the omission of the meat (pork, ham or bacon) and the Spanish olives. I used vegetable stock instead of water bullion and of course added 1 lb cubed, browned pork (the cheaper cuts are more tender and have more flavor) and a 15oz jar of drained Manzinella (Spanish) olives without pimento. I drained the pigeon peas and I don't think I should have done that so I added some extra veg stock to the can of peas before pouring it into the mixture. The problem I have had in the past was that the finished product was too wet. Stay away from recipes that have a 2 to 1 liquid to rice ratio. The 2C rice to 2C liquid plus pea liquid was perfect. I also believe that using a pot might be a no-no as well. I used a wide chicken fry type pan, 12" wide and deeper than a standard fry pan. No peeking or mixing after you put the lid on! I've finally found it! thank you, thank you, thank you!

I used this recipe to help me on my long awaited attempt at making this rice and it turned out great! Thanks! I only used Recaito a green sauce instead of the Red Sofrito sauce...same ingredients though! LOVE THIS RICE!!!

For truly authentic Arroz con Gandules: 1) Cook in an aluminum "Caldero." 2) Use this Sofrito (http://m.blogher.com/authentic-old-world-puerto-rican-sofrito). Real Sofrito is actually referred to as "Recaito." It's green, and there's no tomatoes (Boricuas don't use fresh tomatoes in their cooking). 3) Chopped green olives and capers ("Alcapurrado") should be used in base. 4) Pork fat always goes in the base ("Tocino," Toçihno, or Spanish-style chorizo *not* the crumbly Mexican kind). I've even used leftover German "Scheinswaxe." 5) Just two tablespoons of Goya Tomato sauce for color. 6) Seal the caldero with aluminum foil while cooking. Pro tip: Replace one cup of the water with your favorite beer for truly off-the-charts flavor.