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Pollo Guisado (Puerto Rican–Style Stewed Chicken)

Chicken

Ingredients

Steps

Nutritional information

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut onion, peppers, and carrots into 1-inch pieces; quarter potatoes. Chop garlic and culantro coarsely. Drain olives. Coat chicken with 2 teaspoons adobo seasoning (wash hands).

Preheat large Dutch oven (or heavy-bottomed saucepan) on medium-high 2–3 minutes. Place oil and chicken in Dutch oven. Cook chicken 3–4 minutes on each side until browned, then remove and cover to keep warm. Stir in onions, peppers, garlic, carrots, culantro, cumin, oregano, and remaining 1 teaspoon adobo. Cook and stir 4–6 minutes until vegetables begin to soften. Stir in wine, water, tomato sauce, and bay leaf; nestle chicken into liquid.

Bring to a boil, then cover and place in oven. Bake 60 minutes, then remove lid and bake 30–35 more minutes until chicken is fall-apart tender and sauce has reduced by one-half. Let rest 10 minutes. Cut limes into wedges. Skim fat from surface of liquid. Serve chicken and vegetables with lime wedges, cilantro sprigs, and rice, if using.

Pork

Tampa-Style Cuban Sandwich

Set butter out to soften. Drain pickle chips, reserving 1 tablespoon brine. Slice onion thinly. Cut pork into 1-inch pieces. Combine mayonnaise, mustard, and pickle brine; set aside.

Preheat large sauté pan on medium 2–3 minutes. Place oil and onions in pan; cook 4–6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions begin to soften. Add pork, cumin, oregano, and complete seasoning; cook 1 more minute, stirring continuously. Add mojo marinade and cook 2–3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until liquid has been reduced almost completely and pork is 165°F. Remove pan from heat and set aside. 

Preheat large griddle (or large, nonstick sauté pan) on medium-low. Halve bread lengthwise. Spread butter on outside of loaf top and bottom, then spread 3 tablespoons mayonnaise mixture on inside of each bread half. Arrange pickle chips on bottom half of bread. Cut cheese slices in half; shingle one-half cheese over pickles.

Spread pork mixture over cheese. Drizzle remaining 2 tablespoons mayonnaise mixture over pork, then top evenly with ham, salami, and remaining half cheese; place top half of loaf cut-side-down on sandwich.

Cut sandwich if necessary to fit griddle, then place sandwich on griddle. Lay piece of foil over sandwich and press (weigh down) with cast-iron skillet. Cook sandwich 4–6 minutes on each side until bread is crisp and toasted and cheese is melted. Cut sandwich into portions; serve.

Mofongo Relleno de Churrasco (Puerto Rican–Style Mashed Plantains with Skirt Steak)

Green plantains

Steps: Mofongo

Steps: Garlic-Cilantro Sauce

Nutritional information: Mofongo

Nutritional information: Garlic-Cilantro Sauce

Prepare churrasco. Juice lime (1 tablespoon). Combine lime juice, cumin, adobo seasoning, and oil until blended. Place steak in shallow dish and coat with marinade (wash hands); let stand 30 minutes (or chill overnight) to marinate. 

Prepare mofongo. Smash garlic cloves. Combine olive oil and garlic in small saucepan on medium. Cook 4–6 minutes until garlic is slightly softened. Juice lime (1 tablespoon); chop cilantro (1/4 cup).  

Heat vegetable oil to 300°F. Peel plantains and cut into 1-inch-thick rounds. Fry plantains 8–10 minutes until softened, but not browned. Remove from oil and mash with potato masher (or large mortar and pestle). Stir in garlic-oil mixture, adobo seasoning, lime juice, and cilantro. Form mixture into 6 (1/2-cup) balls.

Preheat grill (or grill pan) on medium-high. Pat steak dry. Place steak on grill and cook 2–3 minutes on each side until 125°F (for medium rare; warm red center), 130°F (for medium; warm pink center), or up to 170°F (for well done). Transfer to cutting board and let stand 5–10 minutes before slicing; temperature will rise 5–10°F during this time. 

Top mofongo with sliced steak and drizzle with Garlic-Cilantro Sauce; serve.       

Chorizo

Boliche (Cuban-Style Chorizo-Stuffed Pot Roast)

Slice onions thinly; crush garlic. Chop ½ cup olives coarsely and place in medium bowl. Remove chorizos from casings; add to bowl with olives and mix until blended. Cut 3-inch-deep incision lengthwise along side of roast, forming a pocket. Stuff with chorizo mixture; tie roast closed with twine. 

Coat roast with oregano, cumin, and adobo seasoning. Place in zip-top bag (wash hands); add mojo marinade, seal bag, and chill 2 hours (or overnight). 

Preheat oven to 325°F. Preheat large Dutch oven on medium-high 2–3 minutes. Place oil in Dutch oven, then add roast; cook 8 minutes, turning occasionally, or until browned. Stir in onions and garlic. Cook 2–3 minutes until onions begin to soften. Add wine, water, tomato sauce, bouillon base, bay leaf, and remaining ½ cup olives. Bring to a simmer, then cover and bake 2–2 ½ hours until fork-tender and 210°F.

Remove from oven and let stand covered 30 minutes, then uncover, skim fat from surface of liquid, and remove bay leaf. Cut roast into 1-inch-thick slices; serve with braising liquid, white rice, black beans, and maduros, if using. 

Pastelón (Puerto Rican–Style Plantain Lasagna)

Sweet plantains

Chop onion, cubanelle peppers, and olives coarsely. Remove and discard casings from chorizo (wash hands).

Preheat large sauté pan on medium-high 2–3 minutes. Place 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in pan; add ground chuck and chorizo. Brown 5–7 minutes, stirring to crumble meat, until no pink remains and meat is 165°F. Stir onions, peppers, tomato paste, and sazón into pan. Cook 3–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften. Stir in wine and bring to a boil.

Add olives, garlic powder, oregano, tomato sauce, recaito, stock, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce to pan; stir until blended. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook 18–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until liquid has reduced by three-fourths. Remove pan from heat and let stand to cool.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place remaining 2 cups vegetable oil in large, heavy-bottom stockpot (or Dutch oven) and heat to 350°F. Peel plantains and cut in half widthwise. Slice each half lengthwise into 3 (¼-inch-thick) planks. Fry plantains (in batches) 3–4 minutes until browned. Season with salt.

Grate cheese (3 cups), chop culantro, and beat eggs. Coat 13- x 9-inch baking dish with spray. Arrange one-half plantains in bottom of dish. Top with one-half each meat mixture (about 3 ½ cups), cheese, and culantro. Repeat with remaining half each plantains, meat mixture, and culantro. Pour eggs over mixture and tilt pan to distribute evenly; top with remaining half cheese.

Bake 30–35 minutes until edges are bubbling and top is golden. Let stand to cool 20 minutes. Cut into 12 squares.

Shrimp

Mojo Shrimp

Juice grapefruit and limes (1/4 cup each). Slice green onions thinly; chop cilantro finely (1/4 cup). Combine in large bowl: grapefruit juice, lime juice, olive oil, cumin, oregano, garlic paste, and adobo seasoning until blended; reserve ¾ cup mojo. Place shrimp in medium bowl; add remaining ¼ cup mojo and stir to combine. Let stand to marinate 30 minutes.

Melt butter in large, nonstick sauté pan on medium 2–3 minutes. Add shrimp and cook 3–4 minutes, flipping occasionally, until shrimp are pink and opaque. Serve over Garlic-Onion Yuca; top with green onions, cilantro, and reserved mojo.

Chef's Tip

Multicooker Carnitas Street Tacos

Halve orange. Cut pork into 1 1/2-inch cubes; coat with salt (wash hands). Place pork, orange halves, cola, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, garlic, and 1 teaspoon cumin in multicooker. Close lid and seal following manufacturer’s instructions. Cook on HIGH 40 minutes (or place in slow cooker and cook on HIGH 4 hours) until pork is 185°F. Let steam release naturally 10 minutes, then release remaining steam carefully. Transfer pork and cooking liquid to wide roasting pan and chill 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop onion and cilantro finely. Juice 2 limes (2 tablespoons); cut remaining 2 limes into wedges. Heat lard in large Dutch oven to 325°F.

Remove cooled pork from braising liquid (reserve braising liquid for cooking rice or beans if desired); pat pork very dry. Fry pork, in batches if needed, 3–4 minutes until golden. Transfer fried pork to paper towel–lined baking sheet to drain. Place drained pork in medium bowl and shred coarsely. Stir in lime juice and remaining ½ teaspoon cumin; toss to coat well.

Warm tortillas following package instructions. Separate tortillas into 12 stacks of 2 tortillas each. Divide pork mixture among tortilla stacks; top with onions and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges and hot sauce.

Fish

Escabeche-Style Fish with Rice

Cook rice following package instructions (using listed water, 2 tablespoons oil, and ½ teaspoon salt). Slice onion thinly.

Meanwhile, preheat large sauté pan on medium-high 2–3 minutes. Season fish with ½ teaspoon pepper and remaining ½ teaspoon salt (wash hands). Place ¼ cup oil in pan, then add fish; cook 2–3 minutes on each side until centers of fillets flake easily and are 145°F. Transfer fish to large serving platter.

Place in same pan: onions, vinegar, garlic, bay leaves, olives, and remaining ½ teaspoon pepper and ¼ cup oil; cook and stir 7–8 minutes until onions are soft and sauce has reduced slightly.

Stir in orange juice; cook and stir 2–3 minutes. Remove bay leaves; spoon pan sauce over fish. Serve with rice.

Beef

Steps 

Carne Mechada

Peel carrots; cut celery and carrots into 4 pieces each. Quarter 1 onion; chop bell pepper, garlic, and remaining 1 onion finely.

Bring large saucepan of water to a boil; add steak, celery, carrots, and quartered onion. Cover and simmer 1 1/2–2 hours until steak is 190°F (for shreddable). Remove from heat and let stand to cool.

Heat oil in large sauté pan on medium 2–3 minutes. Add chopped onions; cook 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden. Add garlic, bell peppers, salt, pepper, and cumin.

Remove beef from liquid (discard solids) and shred with 2 forks. Add shredded beef to sauté pan with vegetables; cook and stir 2–3 minutes. Stir in water, tomato sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes for flavors to blend; serve.