Arroz con Gandules (Puerto Rican Rice with Pigeon Peas)

Why you’ll love it

• One pot: everything cooks together.
• Big flavor: sofrito, sazon and briny olives.
• That pegao: the crispy rice everyone fights over.

Quick facts

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp olive oil or annatto oil
• 4 oz (115 g) smoked ham or salt pork, diced
• 1/2 cup (120 g) sofrito (recaito)
• 2 tbsp tomato sauce
• 1 packet sazon with annatto (achiote)
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 cup (35 g) pimento-stuffed olives, plus 1 tbsp capers
• 1 can (15 oz / 425 g) green pigeon peas (gandules), with their liquid
• 3 cups (600 g) medium-grain rice, rinsed
• About 3 1/2 cups (840 ml) chicken broth or water
• 1 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
• 1 bay leaf

Step-by-step method

1. Brown the ham. Heat the oil in a large heavy pot (a caldero is ideal) over medium heat and cook the ham 3 to 4 minutes until lightly browned.

2. Build the base. Add the sofrito and cook 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce, sazon, oregano, olives and capers and cook 1 minute more.

3. Add the gandules and liquid. Add the pigeon peas with their liquid, the broth, salt and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and taste: it should be slightly saltier than you like.

4. Add the rice. Stir in the rice and cook uncovered over medium-high heat until most of the liquid is absorbed and you see small craters on the surface.

5. Steam. Gently fold the rice once from bottom to top, cover tightly (a sheet of foil under the lid helps) and cook over low heat 20 to 25 minutes without lifting the lid.

6. Fluff and serve. Uncover, fold once more and serve, scraping up the crispy pegao from the bottom.

Tips for the best result

• Medium-grain rice gives the classic texture; rinse it until the water runs clear.
• Do not stir while it steams, or the rice will turn mushy.
• For a vegetarian version, skip the ham and use vegetable broth.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 4 days; reheat with a splash of water. It freezes well up to 2 months.