Arroz Gordo Recipes

ARROZ GORDO

Steps:

• Place raisins, 1/2 cup of the vinegar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, remove from heat and set aside. Toss croutons with 3 tablespoons duck fat in a skillet on medium heat until lightly browned. Set aside.
• Heat oil in a heavy shallow saucepan that has a cover. Add onion, bell pepper and a teaspoon of salt, cover and cook on low about 20 minutes, stirring from time to time, until vegetables are soft. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables start to caramelize, another 20 minutes or so. Add garlic, tomato paste and paprika and continue to cook 30 minutes more, until oil starts to pool in pan. Deglaze pan with 1 tablespoon vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
• Place duck confit in a large pot, add 12 cups water, the scallions, ginger and 1 tablespoon salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and cook 1 hour. Remove duck, strain broth and reserve, discarding scallions and ginger. Finely chop duck meat and fat and set aside.
• Bring strained duck broth to a boil in the original pot, add rice, stir and cook 4 minutes. Drain well, discarding liquid. Spread rice on a sheet pan to cool 30 to 40 minutes.
• Transfer rice to a large mixing bowl. Drain raisins and fold in, along with duck and the onion and bell pepper mixture. Use rice immediately to continue recipe or refrigerate up to 3 days.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a large, heavy casserole, at least 6 quarts, with the remaining duck fat. Add the rice, flattening the surface. Make a 2-inch hole, down to the surface of the pan, in the center of the rice. Place pan on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, until rice starts to sizzle. Pour chicken stock into the opening, cover pan, cook just 5 minutes, then place in the oven for 30 minutes. Rice should be steamed, fluffy and crisped around the bottom and sides. Remove from oven and keep covered.
• Reduce heat to 300 degrees. On a baking sheet or two, spread basted pork, basted chicken and sliced sausage. Bake meats about 10 minutes, until heated through. Remove from oven and cover sheet with foil.
• Shortly before serving, uncover the rice. If you plan to serve the dish from its cooking vessel, scatter the croutons on top and arrange the pork, chicken and sausage over the rice. Otherwise transfer the rice to an ovenproof serving platter, add the croutons and arrange the pork, chicken and sausage on top. Place in the oven 10 minutes to reheat.
• Remove from the oven and place the shrimp, clams, eggs, olives, lemons and scallions around the rice. Drizzle the pan sauce from the shrimp on top. Dust a little chile powder on the eggs and lemon wedges and serve.

FAT RICE

Steps:

• For marinated chicken:
• Whisk garlic, lemon juice, paprika, curry powder, and turmeric in a medium bowl; add chicken and toss to coat. Cover and chill at least 6 hours.
• DO AHEAD: Chicken can be marinated 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.
• For raisins:
• Bring raisins, vinegar, and 2 tablespoons water to a boil in a small saucepan, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid evaporates, 8-10 minutes.
• DO AHEAD: Raisins can be prepared 3 days ahead. Let cool, then cover and chill.
• For soffritto:
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add bell peppers and onion; season with salt. Cook, stirring often, until softened, 8-10 minutes. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are caramelized, 45-60 minutes.
• Add garlic and tomato paste to skillet and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until tomato paste begins to darken, 10-15 minutes longer. Mix in vinegar and paprika; season with salt and pepper.
• DO AHEAD: Soffritto can be made 3 days ahead. Let cool, then cover and chill.
• For rice:
• Remove chicken from marinade; season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a heavy 5-6-quart pot with a lid over medium-high heat. Cook chicken, skin side down, until skin is brown and crisp, 10-12 minutes; transfer to a plate. (You can remove bones at this point, if desired.)
• Reduce heat to medium. Add chorizo to pot and cook, stirring often, until crisp, about 2 minutes; transfer to a small bowl.
• Add soffritto to pot and cook, stirring constantly, until sizzling, about 1 minute. Add broth, scraping up any browned bits; season with salt (salting liquid adequately here is important for flavorful rice). Add rice, sausage, chorizo, and raisins. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, arrange chicken on top, cover pot, and simmer gently, until rice is tender, 20-25 minutes. Uncover; increase heat to medium-high. Drizzle remaining 2 tablespoons oil around edges of pot and cook, undisturbed, until underside of rice is crunchy, about 5 minutes longer.
• For prawns and clams:
• While rice is cooking, mix garlic, fermented beans, if using, cilantro stems, and chiles in a small bowl. Peel prawns, leaving heads and tails on. Devein, stuff cut side with garlic mixture, and set aside.
• Combine clams and wine in a large skillet, cover, and cook over high heat, stirring often, until clams open (discard any that do not open), about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer clams to a large bowl.
• Reduce heat to medium-low. Lightly season prawns with salt and cook in same skillet until opaque in the centers, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer prawns to bowl with clams; pour pan juices into a small bowl.
• DO AHEAD: Prawns can be stuffed 1 hour ahead. Cover and chill.
• For assembly:
• Mix gochugaru, cayenne, and salt in a small bowl. Dip cut sides of lemon wedges into seasoning mix.
• Top rice with prawns and clams and drizzle with reserved pan juices. Top with lemon wedges, eggs, olives, pickled chiles and peppers, and scallions.

ARROZ CON POLLO

Steps:

• Prepare the adobo by whisking the ingredients together in a bowl, or blending in a small food processor, pilón or mortar and pestle.
• Pat the chicken dry, then place in a large bowl or zip-top bag. Pour prepared adobo over chicken. Toss well to combine, then cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap, or seal the bag, and let the chicken rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. If you have the time, marinate for several hours or overnight to make the chicken extra tender and flavorful.
• Prepare the sofrito: In a large food processor or blender, blend the peppers and garlic until smooth. Add the onion and blend until smooth, then add the culantro and cilantro and blend until smooth. (The preparation may produce more sofrito than needed for this recipe, but you can store additional sofrito in the fridge for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.)
• Add the rice to a medium bowl, then rinse with several rounds of cool water, pouring through a fine-mesh strainer until water runs out clear.
• Once chicken is marinated, heat olive oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high. When the oil is simmering, working in batches if necessary, add chicken in one layer and brown for 7 to 10 minutes per batch, turning several times to evenly brown.
• Meanwhile, bring chicken broth (or water) to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce to a simmer until ready to use.
• Add sofrito, bay leaves and annatto or paprika to pot with chicken and stir well. Reduce heat to medium, and sauté until liquid is mostly evaporated and sofrito thickens to a paste, about 7 to 10 minutes.
• Add tomato sauce and cook for 3 to 5 minutes longer, until the sauce darkens. Add the rinsed rice, olives and capers (if using), and salt and pepper, and fold in to ensure that the rice is fully coated and the chicken is evenly distributed.
• Pour in hot stock, then simmer, uncovered, over medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring only 2 to 3 times and shaking the pot every few minutes to keep rice level. (The liquid surrounding the rice will lower by about 1 inch.) Watch the rice very closely: The window between just right and overcooked is small, and difficult to predict, but you'll become an expert at this over time.
• Once you start to spot lots of little bubbles on the surface but see no more pronounced liquid on top, top with the lid, reduce heat to low and cook until the rice is al dente, about 15 to 20 minutes, shaking pot a few times. Once liquid is almost entirely evaporated, sprinkle thawed peas on top.
• Working directly in the pot, using 2 forks, pull apart chicken thighs until shredded. Gently fluff the rice, bringing grains from the bottom to the top. Return the lid and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
• Garnish with lime wedges, and serve with salted avocado and tomato slices (or a simple green salad). The dish keeps well in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.