The Art of The Proper Arroz con Pollo

The Coconut Telegraph ^ | May 10, 2003 | Luis Gonzalez

[TexanToTheCore]

Wine cookies? Do you have the recipe?

[TexanToTheCore]

Friend of the family make Paella. It is very simple, but when she fixes it we break out the wine and celebrate. It is soooo good.

[DeFault User]

Paella can be an art form. I haven't taken the time to make it or arroz con pollo in several years, but this thread has fired up my taste buds. The Valencia native I knew who made it could cook it with most any kind of poultry, meat or seafood or combination.

One good drink with paella is sangria (accent on i). The way I used to do it years ago was get a big jug of cheap red wine (burgundy is good), pour it over a pitcherful of fruit (whatever you've got, let it soak up the flavor for a day or so, then when serving cut it with a lemon/lime soda and add a splash of vodka or brandy if you've got it. Oh, we had some good parties with that stuff.

[Luis Gonzalez]

There's a new restaurant in Sunrise (basically West Ft. Lauderdale) with a young and very creative Spaniard who chef/owner.

I made him a deal.

I am having dinner there for Father's Day. He will make me a rabbitt and partridge paella, if I bring my last bottle of 1948 Grand Duque de Sevilla Burgundy and share it with him.

I can't wait.

[Luis Gonzalez]

Excuse me...Gran Duque de Sevilla...no "d".

[Publius6961]

Thank you Louis.
I'll let you know how it turns out.

[Publius6961]

Oh yeah...
To be filed under Mama Gonzales Arroz con Pollo...

[DeFault User]

I am having dinner there for Father's Day. He will make me a rabbitt and partridge paella, if I bring my last bottle of 1948 Grand Duque de Sevilla Burgundy and share it with him.

Oh, that does sound good. More and more people are starting to appreciate good Spanish wines. While traveling in Spain, we would often economize on lunch by buying a flauta or two of bread still hot from the panaderia, a half kilo of chorizo, some cheese and a bottle or two of the local red wine. Some of that local vino tinto was the best I've ever had.

Another Spanish dish I grew to love was caldo gallego. It appealed to the Southerner in me. Have you tried it?

[Luis Gonzalez]

"Another Spanish dish I grew to love was caldo gallego."

Tried it?

That's my father's favorite!

Spanish Caldo Gallego

• 1/2 pound Dry white beans
• 1 pound Chicken thighs
• 1/2 pound Chorizo, Spanish or Mexican -- cut 1/2" pieces
• 1/2 pound Smoked ham -- cut 1/2" dice
• 1/4 pound Salt pork -- chopped
• 1 medium Onion -- chopped
• 3 Garlic cloves -- crushed
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 drops Tabasco sauce
• 1/2 pound Potatoes -- peeled, quartered, and sliced
• 1/2 pound Cabbage -- thinly sliced
• 3 cups Kale -- tough stems removed, and thinly sliced
• 1/2 pound Turnip -- peeled, quartered, and sliced
• Freshly-ground black pepper -- to taste
• Salt -- to taste

Soak the dried white beans overnight in water. Drain well. In an 8-quart stockpot place 2 1/2 cups water, soaked beans, chicken thighs, chorizo, ham, salt pork, onion, garlic, Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer all , covered, for 45 minutes, or until the chicken is tender. Remove the chicken from the pot. Debone the chicken, chop the meat and reserve. Add to the pot the potatoes, green cabbage, kale, and turnips. Simmer, covered, for 25 minutes. Return the boned chicken to the pot and add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Simmer a few more minutes until all is hot, and serve. The soup keeps well for a few days in the refrigerator.

[Luis Gonzalez]

Mom's thrilled that her cooking has gained such notoriety, even within such a cloised circle.

P.S. I pulled the recipe for Caldo Gallego off the net sometime ago, it's nearly identical to Mom's, but she doesn't use chicken in hers.

Polybius, aruanan, either one of you guys ever try Caldo Gallego?

[Luis Gonzalez]

"...very creative Spaniard whom (is) chef/owner."

[aruanan]

Polybius, aruanan, either one of you guys ever try Caldo Gallego?

Describe it to me and I'll tell you if I've had a Dominican version.

[Luis Gonzalez]

Being in the friggin' business, and knowing the food industry lexicon as I do, I don't understand why that sentence has given me such a problem.

"...very creative Spaniard whom chef/owner."

"...very creative Spanish chef/operator."

[Luis Gonzalez]

Recipe on post #189.

I think Dad used to order at some restaurant in Altos de Chavon.

[DeFault User]

Caldo gallego:

Terrific. I didn't have a recipe for it and have only eaten it in restaurants. I've saved that to my HD and your mother's recipe for arroz con pollo.

Muchas gracias.

[aruanan]

Nope, no Dominican version. There are too many foreign vegetables: cabbage, kale, turnip. But the basic concept sounds a bit like sancocho. I'll try it.

[carlo3b]

Luis my friend here is a recipe that I just bumped into, and it looks wonderful..if you know it, or if you try it..let me know if it's authentic..Carlo Cuban Shredded Beef

This dish is affectionately called, "Ropa vieja" which translates to "old clothes" and refers to the stringy, shredded appearance of the meat in this Latin American classic.

• 1 lb (450 g) flank steak
• 8 cups (2 L) water
• 4-6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper (capsicum), seeded and chopped
• 1 recipe sofrito (recipe below)
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) broth reserved from boiling the meat
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) frozen peas
• 1 2-ounce (56 g) jar chopped pimientos with their liquid
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1) Combine the flank steak, water, garlic, carrot, onion, and bell pepper in a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce the heat and simmer covered for 2 hours.  Remove the meat and allow to cool, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid.  2) Pound the meat with a mallet or back of a large knife to separate it onto stringy fibers.
3) Combine with the sofrito, reserved broth, peas, pimientos, salt, and pepper in a large skillet and cook over high heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Serve with white rice.  Serves 4 to 6.
 

Sofrito

• 1/4 cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
• 2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 green bell pepper (capsicum), seeded and finely chopped
• 1 cup (250 ml) tomato sauce
• 1 Tbs. (15 ml) red wine vinegar
• 1/4 tsp (1 ml) ground oregano
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1) Heat the oil in a skillet over moderate heat and sauté the garlic, onion, and bell pepper until tender but not brown.
2) Add the remaining ingredients and cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Makes about 1 1/2 cup (375 ml).

[JulianMiami]

Hello,

Luis, I red your post from last year about your mother. It was really nice to read it, not much people can be so articulate to express them selves so beautifully. I got melancholic about mine as I was reading.

Someone posted (beautiful as always) in the comments section. Do you have more postings such as this? if you do, how can I get access to them. I would really much like to read them, if any.

If i'm intruding, please disregard.

Regards
Julian

[jimt]

Superb post. My Mom used to make coq-au-vin that was to die for.

[RGVTx]

Geeze, Luis, you brought me to tears. So well written! Thank you for sharing.