3-8-2011 Latin Dinner take 2

Last night my father in law came over for dinner. I knew he would love arroz con pollo, so I decided to make a Latin themed dinner. The arroz con pollo is beyond delicious, arroz con pollo translate chicken with rice. It is a lot of work with lots of steps, but well worth the effort. I highly recommend giving it a shot, you will not be disappointed. I also made patacones (fried plantains), and a spinach salad with mango and avocado to round out the meal. It was just perfect!

I posted the Arroz con pollo recipe in a post about a month ago (why I am calling this post Latin Dinner take 2), here it is again:

 Arroz Con Pollo

• 1 (3 to 4-pound) chicken, cut in 8 serving pieces
• 1 medium yellow onion, quartered, plus 1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 4 cups chicken broth, homemade or canned low-sodium broth (can use veggie broth)
• 1 cup light beer, such as lager
• 3 tablespoons Adobo Seasoning, (I found it at Whole Foods, prob have it at Fiesta too)
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce ( if you don't have parve use 1 T. soy sauce instead)
• 1 cup fresh chopped cilantro leaves
• 6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 3 cups white rice
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 2 medium carrots, finely diced
• 8 ounces green beans, trimmed and quartered
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons margarine
• 1/2 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, ribbed and thinly sliced
• 1/2 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, ribbed and thinly sliced
• 1 cup pimento stuffed olives

Place the chicken, quartered onions, 1 cup of chicken broth, beer,  adobo, Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 of the cilantro, and garlic in a large pot or skillet over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, 30 to 45 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside to cool; once cool shred and set aside. Strain the broth into a bowl through a fine-mesh sieve discarding the onion pieces.

Pour the broth into a measuring cup and add water to make 4 cups of liquid. Return it to the pot or skillet and add the rice, peas, carrots, green beans, ketchup, and salt. Stir well and bring to a boil. Let the liquid evaporate to just below the level of the rice, about 10 minutes, and then reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the rice is tender and fully cooked, 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the peppers and the remaining sliced onions and cook until they're tender, 8 minutes. Shred the cooked chicken meat discarding the skin and bones, and add the chicken to the vegetables. Cook until it is heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork and add the chicken and vegetables to the rice mixture. Stir in the olives, sprinkle with the remaining cilantro and serve.

Patacones

1 plantain cut into 1.5 inch pieces (I bought mine at Wal Mart)

peanut or vegetable oil

kosher salt

Using a skillet, pour enough oil to come up about 1/2 inch on the sides. Heat oil over medium heat for about 8 minutes. Place the plantain pieces into the oil carefully. Fry on each side for about 3 minutes per side, until golden. Remove to a plate covered with paper towels. Smash each piece with the bottom of a glass. Return smashed piece to oil and fry 1 minute on each side until golden. Remove and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with kosher salt.

Serve immeadiately. Serve with green salsa (salsa verde) or sour cream, could use parve sour cream

Spinach Salad with Mango and Avocado and Honey Lime Dressing

1 5 oz. package baby spinach

1 mango, diced

1 avocado, diced

dressing:

juice of 1 large lime or 2 small,

1/2 T. yellow mustard

1 T. honey

1 T. canola oil

2 T. mayo

pinch salt and pepper

Mix the dressing ingredients until emulsified.

Place spinach, avocado, and mango in a salad bowl. Pour dressing over and toss with dressing.

Today is my brother's birthday. We are going to celebrate with him tonight at one of my favorite restaurants, the Mint. It is a Vietnamese/Thai restaurant. The owner and chef of Mint is a girl who I went to Culinary School with. Always fun to see fellow classmates become succesful.

They have the best Pad Thai, veggie eggrolls, and many other dishes I am in love with. They also have a sticky rice dessert that is out of this world. Can't wait to eat there tonight!

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