Ingredients:
4 small eggplants Note: The firmer and younger the eggplant, the less bitter it will taste.
2 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/3 cup fresh chopped basil
2 tsp fresh chopped sage
2 tsp fresh chopped rosemary
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450. Cut each eggplant into 1/4 inch slices, and then place them on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Brush 1 1/2 tsp oil evenly over the eggplants and bake for 15 minutes. Brush eggplants with 1 1/2 tsp oil and sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper. Bake an additional 10 minutes. Drizzle remaining oil and sprinkle with herbs. Yummy! <3
Spicy Collard Greens
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 slices bacon
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- 1 pound fresh collard greens, cut into 2-inch pieces
- Handful of Green beans
Directions
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add bacon, and cook until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, crumble and return to the pan. Add onion, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, and cook until just fragrant. Add collard greens, and fry until they start to wilt.Then add Green Beans and saute.
- Pour in chicken broth, and season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes, or until greens are tender.
Arroz con Habichuelas
Ingredients
1 lb. raw rice
1 can pinto beans
1/2 cup sofrito
1 envelope sazón seasoning
1 tbsp. Manzanillo olives
1 tsp. capers
1 can tomato sauce
1 can chicken or beef broth
1/2 lb. bacon
salt to taste (only if needed)
water
Directions
In a rice caldero* cook the bacon until it is crispy.
Take out the cooked bacon and chop into small pieces.
In the same bacon fat, stir-fry the sofrito for 2 or 3 minutes.
Add the cooked bacon, the tomato sauce, the pinto beans, the raw rice, and the beef or chicken broth and stir well.
Add enough water to cover the rice, about 1 1/2 inch above rice line.
Let it boil on medium-high until water evaporates.
Cover your pan with aluminum foil (my secret) and cook over low heat for about 35-45 minutes.
Tips
Cover your pan with aluminum foil (my secret), so all the rice pop fast.
Add one envelope of onion soup if you don't like or have bacon but OMIT the salt.
Caldero = pot usually used to make rice
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Arroz con Gandules
2 cups short grain rice (rinsed) - long grain will work too
4-5 cups of hot water - appx.
½ cup ready made sofrito
16 ounce can of gandules (cooked green pigeon peas)
2 tablespoons of alcaparrado (cappers and olives mixed together)
1 packet of Sazon with achiote
1 can tomato sauce
3 tablespoons of oil
Salt & pepper to taste
In a medium size caldero add the oil, tomato sauce, alcaparrado, sofrito and sazon. Cook over medium heat for 4 minutes. Add all other ingredients, and enough water to cover the rice 1" above the rice line. Start with 1 teaspoon of salt stir and keep adding and mixing well until you are satisfied with the taste. Bring to a boil and cook over high heat until most of the water is absorbed. Once the water has been absorbed, stir gently from bottom to top - once or twice only, cover and turn the heat down to low. Cook for 30 minutes or until the rice is tender.
Stirring the rice after it has begun cooking may cause it go get sticky or "amogollao."
Any rice that sticks to the bottom of the pot is called "pegao" and is crispy and tasty and a favorite of all true Puerto Ricans. However, not everyone is skilled is making pegao - it is an art. To make great pegao make sure to use plenty of oil. Cook for about 10 minutes longer so the pegao gets crispy and keep your eye on it. Each time you cook rice - check to see how long it takes to make pegao just the way your family likes it. Finally - if you want a lot of pegao - use a bigger caldero which, of course, will have a larger bottom surface.
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Dirty Rice with Shrimp
Serves
4
1. Ingredients
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1/2 pound ground pork
1 onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups long-grain rice
3 cups canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
1 pound medium shrimp, shelled and halved
2 scallions, including green tops, chopped
In a large saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over moderate heat. Add the pork and cook until the meat is no longer pink, about 2 minutes.
Reduce the heat to moderately low and add the remaining tablespoon oil to the pan. Add the onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cayenne, paprika, oregano, bay leaf, salt, black pepper, and rice. Cook for 1 minute, stirring. Add the broth. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.
Raise the heat to moderate and stir in the shrimp. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let stand, covered, until the rice and shrimp are just done, about 5 minutes longer. Remove the bay leaf. Stir in the scallions.
4 servings
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COCONUT RICE
serv 4
1 1/2 c Rice 1 ea Onion, medium and chopped
1 1/2 c Coconut, fresh and shredded 1 pn Salt
3 tb Butter/oleo 1 ts Cardamon, ground
Soak Rice for 30 mins in 1 1/2 cups water.
At the same time, soak Coconut for 30 mins in 2 cups water.
Drain rice and set aside. Reserve the water.
Blend the coconut, using the water in which it was soaked. Strain and
reserve the coconut milk.
Heat butter/oleo in a skillet. Add onions and saute until golden.
Add rice and fry a few minutes.
Add coconut milk and water in which the rice was soaked. Bring to a boil.
Add salt to taste and cardamom. Lower heat and cook until rice is done.
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