Popular Recipes from Puerto Rico

We bring to you some of the popular and mouth-watering recipes from Puerto Rico. They are not only simple to prepare but tasty to eat. So next time when you plan a party at home, do include these recipes to surprise your guests.

Mofongo Arroz con pollo
It is an immensely popular dish also called Arroz con Pollo. It is prepared with chicken, rice, onion, tomatoes, corn and fresh mint. 

Ingredients

Method
Remove skin from chicken and discard excess fat. Rinse chicken after washing and pat dry. Rub chili powder all over pieces.

Set a 12-inch frying pan over medium-high heat and add oil when hot. Add chicken in a single layer and turn as needed to brown on both sides. Transfer to a plate.

Add onion, garlic and jalapeño chilies to pan and stir until onion is limp. Reduce heat to medium and add rice stirring until rice is opaque. Add broth, tomatoes including juices, corn and 1/4 cup mint. Bring to a boil over high heat.

Lay chicken pieces slightly apart in pan. Reduce heat to low, cover pan, and cook until rice is tender to bite and chicken is no longer pink at the bone.

To serve, sprinkle with remaining mint and add salt to taste.

Arroz Con Habichuelas
It is one of the favorite recipes of the Puerto Ricans and is a vegetarian staple. It is also called Rice and Bean Dish because of its two main ingredients.

Ingredients

Method
Place the water and ham hock in a pressure cooker and cook for 5 minutes. Add pinto beans and cook for 20 minutes. Add rice and cook for another 5 minutes.

While the rice and beans cook, heat the oil in a large skillet and sauté onion and garlic until onion becomes translucent. Add red and jalapeno peppers, oregano and tomatoes, stirring and chopping as you go.

Add 1/4 cup of the reserved tomato juice, half of the salt and half of the pepper. Lower the heat and simmer 15 minutes.

After the rice and beans have cooked, remove the ham hock; slice off 2 ounces of lean meat and reserve.

Add the cooked rice and beans to the pepper-tomato mixture in the skillet. Stir in the reserved ham hock meat, cilantro, capers and remaining salt and pepper.

To serve, spoon into bowls and garnish with the remaining cilantro.

Brazo Gitano
It literally means "Gypsy's Arm." Puerto Rican filled sponge cake is also called Jelly Roll as it is filled with cream.

Ingredients

Method
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 9x15-inch sheet pan with vegetable shortening. Place the parchment paper on the baking sheet and grease well. Set aside.

Beat the egg whites until stiff. Mix in the egg yolks little by little and then mix in the sugar. While the eggs are beating, scald the milk and cool briefly. Fold in the sifted flour gradually into the egg mixture. Add the scalded milk and blend thoroughly. Spread the batter evenly onto the parchment-covered sheet pan. Bake for 8 minutes or until lightly browned.

Remove the cake from the pan by lifting the paper. Let it cool on a rack for 5 minutes. Spread the marmalade evenly over the entire surface of the cake.

Gently loosen the cake from the parchment paper and roll it tightly from the short end. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar before serving.

GOWEALTHY.COM © 2009
For comments: editor@gowealthy.com