Pernil without arroz con gandules is like turkey without stuffing—the arroz completes any holiday meal in the Greater Antilles (especially Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic). This Puerto Rican version uses many of the same ingredients from our pernil, with the addition of smoked ham hock. If you have more time, keep the ham hock simmering for another hour or longer for even more flavor and super-tender meat. We call for canned gandules because they’re easier to find, but if you can find frozen, use those; they will have better flavor and texture. Simply let them thaw before proceeding.
Ingredients
6–8 servings
Sofrito
2
1
2
1
1
1
Rice and Assembly
1
3
¼
2
4
1
2
¼
1
Preparation
Sofrito
Step 1
Purée tomatoes, onion, Cubanelle peppers, bell pepper, cilantro, and garlic in a food processor until smooth. Scoop out ½ cup sofrito and set aside. Reserve remaining sofrito for another use (you can use it for the pernil).
Step 2
Do Ahead: Sofrito can be made 3 days ahead. Transfer to an airtight container, cover, and chill, or freeze up to 3 months.
Rice and Assembly
Step 3
Bring ham hock and stock to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, cover, and cook until ham hock is tender, at least 1 hour or up to 2.
Step 4
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high. Cook reserved 1 cup sofrito, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown and most of the liquid is evaporated, 5–8 minutes. Add Sazón, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add rice and olives, pimientos, and capers and cook, stirring often, until some grains are translucent, about 3 minutes. Add ham hock and stock (you should have 3 cups; if not, add water or more stock to get you there). Scatter pigeon peas over. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover saucepan and simmer until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, 20–30 minutes.
Step 5
Remove pan from heat, transfer ham hock to a plate, and fluff rice with a fork. Cover pan and let sit 15 minutes. Shred meat from ham hock, cover loosely, and let sit until ready to serve.
Step 6
Transfer rice to a platter. Top with reserved ham hock and cilantro.
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Reviews (4)
Back to TopThis turned out great! Now I have to get creative with all the leftover sofrito.
Anonymous
Chicago, IL
11/17/2020
I'm going to completely agree with the previous comment. What makes a dish truly Puerto Rican are the inclusion of culantro (typically known as "recao" amongst Puerto Ricans or "Chinese coriander" in Asian markets) and ají dulce, the small sweet chili peppers. The steaming of the rice with the banana leaf adds great depth. Anatto seeds are steeped in lard or oil for color and flavor, sazón packets in this application are lazy. Also, these types of rice dishes in Puerto Rico always utilize short or medium-grain rice, never long grain. Puerto Rican recipes are hardly ever written about on these platforms, so it's important that it's represented accurately.
Anonymous
Santurce, Puerto Rico
4/26/2020
As with the recipe for pernil, the sofrito is missing two key ingredients. Add 6 - 7 sweet chili peppers (capsicum chinense), seeded and finely chopped and 3- 4 culantro leaves (eryngium foetidum), coarsely chopped. These two DO make a big difference. Also, if you have access to a bodega or any other Latin American market, try to get a plantain leaf to place over the rice before covering the saucepan. This will add a nice layer of flavor.
Alex Ithier
Ponce, Puerto Rico
12/15/2019