uerto Rico - the ‘delicious harbor’

Jeff

COLUMBUS CLAIMED Puerto Rico for Spain in November 1493.

In 1508 Juan Ponce de Leon sailed there and the story goes -thet as he came into port he ex- claimed, ‘*Que puerto rico!’’ (‘What a wonderful port!’’). So the island came to be named.

The marks of Spanish rule are evident throughout the island, especially in the architecture, the language and the food.

The recipes that follow are for traditional Puerto Rican dishes. You can. find plantains, a must for a good Puerto Rican meal, in most large American cities, and all else can be found in. any Latino market.

CHICKEN ASOPAO

(Serves 4 as a main course) > This is not quite a stew, and more moist than a paella. It is thicker than a soup and unusually delicious. . 1 3%-lb. chicken (fryer), cut into 8 serving pieces, the breast cut in half 2 teaspoons dried oregano Ya teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 teaspoons paprika ¥; teaspoon salt 4 tablespoons olive oil 3 cloves gariic, peeted and crushed 1 ounce salt pork, coarsely chop- ped . 2 ounces ham, coarsely chopaed (use real ham, nol that tolled stuff from the deli!) . 1 medium yellow orion, pecied and chopped t medium green bell peppez, cor- ed, seeded and chopped 1 medium tomato, chopped % pound Spanish chorizo sausage

San Juan ~

15 miles —_—_

PUERTO R |

San Luiza José Aldea

CO

John Grimwade

THE ISLAND'S population is over three million with another three million peaple of Puerto Aican descent living in the New York area. .

or Mexican chorizo from a good market, cut in /2-inch pieces

Y% cup pimento-stuffed olives (small ones)

1 tablespoon capers

1 tablespoon Annatto Oil (recipe below)

2 cups Uncle Ben’s converted rice

3 cups water

VY: cup frozen peas

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to iaste

Put the cut-up chicken in a large bowl. Add ihe oregano, pepper, paprika, sali and 2 table- spoons of the oil. Toss to coat the chicken evenly.

Heat a large non-stick frying pan and brown the chicken over medium-high heat.

Heat a large stovetop casserole. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and saute the garlic, salt pork and ham for a few minutes. Add the onion and pep- per and saute for five minutes over medium heat.

Add the tomato, cover and simmer for 10 minutes until the tomato collapses.

Add the browned chicken and chorizo and simmer over low heat for another 10 minutes. Add the stuffed olives, capers, oil, rice and water, then cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the frozen peas, cover and simmer for five minutes more. Add salt and pepper.

Serve right away. This dish

| Name doesn’t do

inquisitive Gook r,

ANNE GARDINER

SUE WILSON

A PURPLE eggplant has an intriguing depth and a gloss to its smooth skin that makes one want to reach out and touch.

Its exotic appearance seems much more suited to its French name, ‘‘aubergine.”’

Indeed, its appearance and its English name seem mismatched. But one of the common early varieties of this vegetable was white, giving legitimate roots to the name eggplant.

Inquisitive readers wonder about eggplant. Today’s recipes commonly suggest salting eggplant and allowing it to drain prior to cooking. Why?

Eggplant resembles a sponge, holding more moisture than watermelon. lts bitterness is due

should be a little bit soupy and the rice tender. ANNATTO OIL . (Makes 2 cups) 2 cups vegetable oil 1 cup annatto seeds (found in Latino markets) :

Place the oil in a two-quart heavy saucepan and heat to about 350°F. Add the annatto seeds and remove pan from the heat.

Allow to cool and strain the oil into a glass jar. Store in the refrigerator.

PUERTO RICAN RICE WITH PIGEON PEAS (Serves 8 as a side dish)

This substantial dish is a staple in the Puerto Rican household, found at the dinner table as often as potatoes are in our country.

Please note that if you cannot find pigeon peas, also called gan- dules, try black-eyed peas. ¥2 cup dried gandules, rinsed 3 cups water . .

1 ounce salt pork, chopped smait

2 ounces kam, chopped small

2 cloves garlic, pecled and crushed 1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeGed und chopped small

! medium green bell pepper, cor- ed, seeded and chopped small

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped small

1 medium tomato, chopped small

i tablespoon annatto oil

1 cup Uncle Ben’s converted rice Freshly groumd black pepper to

taste 2 cups culd water Salt to taste

In a ‘small pot bring the gan- dules and 3 cups of water to a boil. Cover, turn off the heat and allow to stand for one hour. Drain the peas, reserving the water.

In a six-quart pot saute the salt pork, ham and garlic in the olive oil for a few minutes. Add both bell peppers and the onion, cover and cook over medium heat until the onion begins to turn transpar- ent.

Add the tomato, drained gan- dules and 1% cups of the reserved water. Simmer, covered, over low heat for 15 minutes until the peas are almost tender and most of the Siquid is gone.

Stir in the annatto oil, rice, black pepper and 2 cups of cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Add salt if needed.

PUERTO RICAN CALDO GALLEGO (Serves 6-8)

This spicy, hearty soup is a gift to the island from the Spanish.

Ye pound dried white beans, soaked overnight in ample water and drained

I pound chicken thighs

Y% pound Spanish chorizo sausage or Mexieait chorizo from a good market, cut in ¥2-inch pieces.

Y pound hain, chopped

% pound salt pork, diced .

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and chop- ped

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce Few shots of Tabasco 242 quarts water

“% pound potatoes, quartered and sliced .

Ya pound green cabbage, sliced — thin : 2 cups kale (tough stems remov- — ed), sliced thin

¥z pound turnips, quartered ang sliced Salt and freshly ground black . pepper to taste . GARNISH: Chopped fresh dill (optionai)

Place the beans, chicken, chorizo, ham, pork, onion,: gartic, | Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco and water in a six- to eight-quart soup pot. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a sitnmer. Cook, covered, for 45 minutes.

Remove the chicken pieces from the pot and debone. Set the meat aside and discard the bones.

Add the remaining ingredients except the salt, pepper and chicken to the pot. Simmer, covered, for 25 minutes, then add salt and pepper. :

Return the chicken meat to the pot and simmer for a few more minutes. Top with the optional dill.

peeted,

peeled,

justice to exotic eggplant

to the presence ef astringent com- pounds called tannins. Salting draws out water and some of the water-soluble tannins.

Consider your recipe before automatically salting eggplant. If it’s a stow cooking stew using young eggplant, you may not want to bother salting. Let evaporation carry away the excess moisture. But for casseroles such as moussaka, it's best to salt as excess water makes it sloppy to serve,

The removal of water aiso makes eggplant more dense so it won’t absorb as much fat when fried or sauteed.

To salt eggplant, slice it, lay it on paper towels, sprinkle with salt and jet drain for 20 minutes. Pat dry, and repeat the process on the other side.

For quick-cooking dishes, con- sider leaving the skin on. That color is too special to be pared away when thick slices are brush- ed with oil, sprinkled with herbs, and grilled or broiled. But for purees, and dishes like ratatouille and vegetable chili, remove the skin, since it tends to pucker and wilt during slow cooking.

Eggplant also loses color during lengthy cooking since antho- cyanins, the pigments responsible for that magnificent purple, are both water-soluble and sensitive to heat.

Here’s another reason for salting: peeling or cutting aubergine releases an enzyme that reacts with tannins in the tissues, turning them brown as they’re ex- posed to air. A potato that turns brown after peeling undergoes the

same reaction. Salting inhibits this browning enzyme, so salted egg- plant is Jess likely to turn brown.

Egeplants should be firm but should give slightly under pressure. An extremely hard egg- . plant is underripe. Look for taut, glossy skin and a fresh-looking stem. Small eggplants are the sweetest and most tender, As egg- plant ages, its skin toughens and the flesh becomes bitter.

Watch for narrow-necked and Striated varieties, for different nuances of flavor. Keep only four or five days, refrigerated in a plastic bag.

Color, texture and astringency make eggplants intriguing anomalies in the vegetable world. Use them to add body, flavor and a touch of the exotic to winter menus.