2-2-2011 Latin Night Ay Caramba!

Hi! Let me introduce myself, I am a cook, a creator in the kitchen, a critic, a food lover, mother, and a wife all balled into one.
Ok, the thought to create my own food blog has crossed my mind many times. Tonight I am going to take the plunge. Here goes:
Tonight I'm calling it Latin Dinner Night. I have had a new beautiful, vibrant cookbook (Simply Delicioso by Ingrid Hoffman) for about a month now, and have anxiously waited for the right time to try recipes from it.
The weather here is cold and icy, so I thought some Latin heat would warm us up.
I made the Arroz Con Pollo (Chicken and Rice), Plantains (Patacones), and Red Cabbage and Mango slaw.
The Arroz con Pollo was outstanding, the other two recipes fell short.
I feel like I have a new addiction, Arroz con Pollo. I am permenantely adding this recipe to my repetoire. Its a mix of Chicken, Rice, and Vegetables all in one, topped with olives and cilantro.
There were some problems with tonight's dinner that do not happen very often. The rice on the bottom of the pan stuck and burned a little bit, but didn't affect the end result. The kitchen was extremely messy as all of these recipes required many pots, pans, and steps. Lastly, I dropped a whole bottle of vegetable oil on the ground and the cap broke spilling half its contents all over.
The cabbage slaw was pretty good, but the hubby didn't like it, and his vote is important in this house.
Although, 1 out of the 3 recipes I tried from that book were actually good, I still am wanting to try some other recipes: Guava Chicken, Pollo Pendejo, Brocolli Brava just to name a few. Ingrid Hoffman I'm going to give you another chance!
Gotta go now, I have to brainstorm what I am going to make for Friday night dinner. I will keep you posted.
Here is the Arroz Con Pollo Recipe:

Ingredients

• 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
• 1 cup light beer, such as lager
• 3 tablespoons Adobo Seasoning, (I found it at Whole Foods, prob have it everywhere)
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup fresh chopped cilantro leaves
• 6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 3 cups white rice
• 1 cup fresh or 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

Directions

Place the chicken, quartered onions, 1 cup of chicken broth, beer, Delicioso 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 35 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.

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