Arroz Amarillo Con Gandules

Total Time: 1 hr 25 mins Preparation Time: 25 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 1 cubanelle pepper, seeded and chopped (italian frying pepper)
• 5 small fresh sweet peppers, halved and seeded
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 -1 1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
• 1 plum tomato, chopped
• 1/4 lb piece smoked ham, diced or 1/4 lb canadian bacon or 1/4 lb bacon
• 1/4 cup annatto oil
• 1/3 cup chopped pimento stuffed olive
• 1 tablespoon drained bottled capers
• 2 cups long-grain rice or 2 cups valencia rice or 2 cups basmati rice
• 15 ounces pigeon peas, rinsed and drained
• 3 1/2 cups water

Recipe

• 1 make sofrito:.
• 2 purée all sofrito ingredients in a food processor.
• 3 make rice:.
• 4 cut out a round of parchment or wax paper slightly larger than diameter of a wide 4- to 5-quart pot.
• 5 pat ham dry and cook in annatto oil in pot over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until starting to crisp, about 4 minutes.
• 6 add sofrito, olives, and capers and cook, stirring, until liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes.
• 7 add rice and cook, stirring, until it sizzles, about 2 minutes.
• 8 stir in peas, water, and 1 1/4 teaspoons salt and bring to a simmer.
• 9 simmer, uncovered, over medium-high heat until almost all of liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes, reducing heat to medium once water is below level of rice.
• 10 gently stir from bottom to top, then smooth top of rice.
• 11 place parchment round directly over rice and cover pot with a tight-fitting lid.
• 12 reduce heat to low and cook, undisturbed, 30 minutes.
• 13 remove from heat, then discard parchment and gently fluff rice with a fork.
• 14 cover with lid and let stand 10 minutes.