Gandules Guisados Easy Stew Pigeon Peas Made To Order Chef Zee Cooks Recipes

GANDULES GUISADOS | EASY STEW PIGEON PEAS | MADE TO ORDER | CHEF ZEE COOKS

Steps:

• Add a tiny bit of water to half of the gandules and mash with your hands, food processor, hand mixer, or blender
• Heat pot on medium to high flame and add olive oil
• Add diced onions & peppers and saute
• Reduce flame to medium-low if needed
• Add minced garlic & chicken bouillon cube and then mix
• Add mashed and regular gandules. Saute for 2 minutes
• Add water, orégano, tomato paste, thyme, recao, and auyama. Mix together
• Simmer for 20 minutes until it thickens. Add more water if necessary
• Remove big pieces of peppers & thyme sprigs
• Taste test & add adobo, salt, or seasoning salt if needed
• Add brown sugar, vinegar, and mix
• Simmer for 3 more minutes
• Let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving

GANDULES GUISADOS (STEWED PIGEON PEAS)

Steps:

• Prep Yellow Onion (1/2), Red Bell Pepper (1/2), and Green Bell Pepper (1/2) by chopping or slicing - you want about ¼ cup of each. For the size, it's really all about your preference.
• In a medium saucepan, add the Corn Oil (2 tablespoon) and heat over medium heat.
• Add Adobo Seasoning (1 tablespoon), Lime Juice (2 tablespoon), Distilled White Vinegar (1 teaspoon), Tomato Sauce (1 can), and Fresh Cilantro (1/4 cup). Stir well. Bring to a slight simmer.
• Once hot, add Garlic (1 tablespoon) and cook for 15 to 30 seconds. Immediately add onions, peppers, Green Olives (2 tablespoon), and stir.
• Add the Pigeon Peas (2 can) and one can full of water. Set heat to high and bring to a boil.
• Once at a boil, lower heat to low. Cover and cook for about 25 minutes.
• If you'd like to have the gandules a bit thicker, once done, crush some of the gandules right in the saucepan with a fork or a strainer making sure you put those crushed gandules right back in the saucepan. Raising the heat will also evaporate more of the liquid and help make it thicker.
• Serve warm with Long Grain White Rice (to taste) - this is the preferred rice for Latin cooking.

PIGEON PEA RICE (ARROZ DE GANDULES)

Steps:

• Put the pigeon peas and bay leaves in a large pot, cover with 3 quarts of cold water, and place over medium heat. Cover and cook the beans until tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Check the water periodically; add more, f necessary, to keep the peas covered. Drain the pigeon peas and reserve 4 cups of the cooking liquid.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Coat a large Dutch oven or other ovenproof pot with the achiote oil and place over medium heat. When the oil begins to smoke, add the onion, garlic, and peppers. Cook, stirring, for 10 minutes, until the vegetables have softened, without letting them brown. Pour in the chicken broth and continue to cook until the liquid is evaporated. Stir in the cumin, coriander, and cayenne. Mix in the rice and reserved pigeon peas. Pour in the reserved 4 cups of pigeon pea cooking liquid, lime juice, and salt; stir everything together. Cover and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed.
• To make the achiote oil, pour the oil and achiote seeds in a pot or skillet. Cook over medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes; the oil will be reddish-orange from the achiote. Strain the oil, discard the achiote seeds and set aside to cool.

GANDULES CON BOLITAS DE PLáTANO (PIGEON PEAS WITH PLANTAIN DUMPLINGS)

Steps:

• Prepare the gandules: Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high. Add sofrito and sauté 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated and mixture darkens. Add gandules, vegetable stock, bay leaves and salt, and increase heat to high. Once boiling, lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
• While gandules are cooking, prepare the plantain dumplings: Grate or blend plantains in a food processor until smooth or shred them finely on a box grater. Put grated plantains in a medium bowl and add cumin, garlic powder, annatto and salt. Mix well with a fork to incorporate. The mixture will be thick and a little sticky, but the natural starch of the plantain will set up quickly.
• Return the gandules to a rolling simmer. Standing over the pot, scoop out about 1 tablespoon of plantain masa and put directly into the pot. The dumplings will rise immediately to the top. Repeat with the remaining masa, careful to avoid putting fresh dumplings on top of others, until you've used up all of the plantain masa, stirring occasionally to prevent dumplings from sticking to one another.
• Once all the plantain dumplings have been added, lower heat and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring gently a few times. Remove from heat, and adjust salt to taste. Serve as a soup, accompanied by white rice, with avocado slices on the side.