Puerto Rican Rice And Beans (Arroz Con Habichuelas)

Tish's Note:

The recipe is very flexible in the type of chiles used. Blend a couple of types for complexity. The dish is also great for splashing on your favorite hot sauce too. You can also add beer instead of water when things are looking a bit too dry. It also can be fun to mix in a few different types of beans, like black beans and pintos. It isn't a requirement to use a pressure cooker, but it is fast and the flavor from the ham hock to the beans is greater. From: the First Bay Area Chile Heads HotLuck

• Total Time: 1 hrs 5 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 1 pot full

• 4 cups water
• 8 ounces smoked ham hock
• 1 cup dried pinto bean
• 1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 dash sesame oil
• ½ onion , peeled and diced
• 2 cloves garlic , smash and chop
• 1 large red bell pepper , seeded and diced
• 2 jalapeno peppers , seeded and diced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
• 1 (15 ounce) can peeled plum tomatoes , drain reserve juice
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground pepper
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons capers

Directions:

1. Place the water and ham hock in a pressure cooker, check to make sure the steam release holes are clear and cook for 5 minutes.
2. Add the pinto beans and cook 20 minutes more.
3. Add the rice, and when the pressure cooker"hisses," cook for another 5 minutes.
4. While the rice and beans cook, heat the oil in a large skillet and saute the onion and garlic until the onion becomes translucent.
5. Add the red pepper, jalapeno peppers, oregano and tomatoes, stirring and chopping as you go.
6. Add 1/4 cup of the reserved tomato juice, half of the salt and half of the pepper.
7. Lower the heat and simmer 15 minutes.
8. After the rice and beans have cooked, remove the ham hock, slice off 2 ounces of lean meat and reserve.
9. Add the cooked rice and beans to the pepper-tomato mixture in the skillet.
10. Stir in the reserved ham hock meat, 2 Tbs of the cilantro, the capers and the remaining salt and pepper.
11. To serve: Spoon into bowls and garnish with the remaining cilantro.

Reviews

[Diana A]

I read this recipe but did not even try it. I have been married to a puerto rican for more than 35 years and have been to Puerto Rico many, many times and have never seen rice and beans prepared in any way even close to this....

[Shining Star]

Hi, guys, We'd been using fresh green jalapeño peppers in Puerto Rico for the last several decades in our "racaíto". We also use "ajicitos" (habanero pepper's cousins) for basically all our beans, stews, sofritos, etc. It's a milder version of common habanero. We also use caballero hot peppers for "cuajitos" (stew), morcillas, rabo encendido, and other dishes. We add the caballero peppers to the pots while cooking those dishes. For all other dishes that are not cooked with "chiles", we have two different options ("piques"): 1. Pique de botella (pique criollo) 2. Pique verde boricua Greetings!

[LuzMaria63]

Linda is correct, puertoricans don't add jalapenos to their rice and beans. They do however make their own hot sauce from pineapples and hot peppers which they bring to the table and can be added to the bean dish for those people that like "pique". They also typically add ham or salchichon to the beans.