“Extremely Slow Cooking Movement”
Jonathan and I went on a Caribbean cruise for our Honeymoon back in July of 2007. Our cruise disembarked from Puerto Rico. Upon going there, Gerardo printed us a map and numbered all the places in San Juan that we had to visit and eat at! He recommended that we eat at La Bombonera. I remember ordering a Pina Colada and Arroz Con Pollo. Jonathan ordered a steak omelet. The chicken and rice was delicious and I have been craving it for the past year! The restaurant made the chicken and rice dish with little chicken wings. They served the dish with all the chicken hidden under the rice. I just remembered how delicious it was and how little chicken there was. I kept digging into the rice trying to find more chicken.
Gerardo finished remodeling his gourmet kitchen so he was able to hold his first cooking class (many more to come I hope!). This cooking class is dedicated to his mother who lives in Puerto Rico - doña Carmen, a lifetime member of the traditionist, extremely slow cooking movement.
His friend sent him some avocados a few weeks ago from her garden in Puerto Rico. Gerardo made sure that this one ripens just in time for our cooking session. The avocados are huge! The best I’ve ever eaten too!
This cooking class was about 4 hours long. (This does not include the hours Gerardo spent pre-boiling the beans, ham hock, and salt.) The results were definitely worth the time!
The class started out with a lesson on “Sofrito”, basic Puerto Rican base for stews. The sofrito was the base for the Habichuelas Coloradas Guisadas. Carmen made this for Gerardo back in December of 2002. It consists of mainly pumpkin, smoked ham hock, beans, onions, green bell peppers, tomatoes, cilantro, and garlic.
We then moved on to the chicken rice dish. I couldn’t believe all the ingredients that went into it. Olives, oregano, cumin, paprika, apple cider vinegar, pimientos, onions, green bell peppers…(the list goes on). The flavors were sautéed wonderfully together.
Here is the final product:
Arroz Con Pollo y Habichuelas Coloradas Guisadas
Close-up of the rice…
Pegao – The crispy rice at the bottom of the pan. Supposedly people fight over this part.
Muy delicioso!
