Quick Simple & Delicious Puerto Rican Foods

Escabeche Sauce Ingredients 1 cup olive oil 1 large yellow onion 1/4 cup white vinegar 4 garlic cloves, sliced 2 teaspoons  peppercorns 6 bay leaves 1 teaspoon salt Procedure 1. In a skillet, heat the oil in medium heat. 2.  Add the onions and the garlic and lower the heat. Cook for 2 minutes. 3. Add the rest of the ingredients and continue to stir for another 10 minutes. 4. When done, take the escabeche off the heat and set aside to cool. 5. When cool pour it over the boiled green bananas.                                                                                        For the Green Bananas Ingredients 8 cups water 1 Tablespoon salt 1/2 cup milk 6-8 Green Bananas Procedure 1. Boil the water with the salt and milk.  2. Cut the ends of the green banan...

                                                                          Pernil is a delicious slow cooked piece of pork shoulder or pork butt. It is usually eaten during the holidays. Puerto Ricans make it for Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve or Christmas  dinners but it is also eaten for celebrations. When I was growing up, my mother made it for Christmas Eve. I make it randomly.  If I have time I make it during the day but if I'm taking it as a dish somewhere, I make it over night in the oven.  Two years ago I was making it for a luncheon at the school where I worked and my oven broke down. I panicked! I didn't know what to do. I took out my two slow cookers and put one pernil in each at about 8:00p.m.  At 5:00 a.m. my pork was completely cooked and totally delicious. (No crackling s...

    Ingredients  2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 medium onion chopped into small pieces 1/2 red pepper  chopped into small pieces 6 garlic cloves minced 1/4 c sofrito 1  pound ground meat (at least 90% lean) 3/4 cup tomato sauce 2 tablespoons cilantro 1 teaspoon Kosher salt 1 teaspoon oregano - OPTIONAL Procedure 1. Heat the oil in a pan.  Add the onion and allow to cook for about two minutes.   2. Then add the red pepper and garlic and cook for another minute.   Add the cilantro and sofrito and mix well.   3. When it boils, add the ground beef and start breaking it apart with a meat chopper.  4. In 2 to 3 minutes time add tomato sauce and salt and oregano. Continue to stir until all the meat is chopped.  5. Lower the heat.   Continue to cook on  low heat for 15-20 minutes. 6. When done, taste it and add additional salt if needed.                       ...

Ingredients for Picadillo  (Meat) 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 medium onion chopped into small pieces 1/2 red pepper  chopped into small pieces 6 garlic cloves minced 1/4 c sofrito 1  pound ground meat (at least 90% lean) 3/4 cup tomato sauce 2 tablespoons cilantro 1 teaspoon Kosher salt 1 teaspoon oregano - OPTIONAL Procedure 1. Heat the oil in a pan.  Add the onion and allow to cook for about two minutes.   2. Then add the red pepper and garlic and cook for another minute.   Add the cilantro and sofrito and mix well.   3. When it boils, add the ground beef and start breaking it apart with a meat chopper.  4. In 2 to 3 minutes time add tomato sauce and salt and oregano. Continue to stir until all the meat is chopped.  5. Lower the heat.   Continue to cook on  low heat for 15-20 minutes. 6. When done, taste it and add additional salt if needed.                     ...

 Ingredients: 6 thick porkchops center cut with bone Adobo to taste 4 garlic cloves minced 1/4 c olive oil 1/2 c sofrito 8 oz. tomato sauce 1/4 c water 1 1/2 lb. frozen mixed vegetables Procedure: * Wash and season porkchops with adobo and garlic . * In a large skillet, heat the olive oil.  When hot, brown the pork chops on both sides, then remove the porkchops from the skillet and set aside. (Remember you are going to brown the porkchops, NOT cook them). * In the same skillet add the sofrito and stir,  add the tomato sauce and the water  Let boil for about 2 minutes. Then add the vegetables. *  When the vegetables are tender put the porkchops back into the skillet.  Lower the heat and let them cook for 15 to 20 minutes.   NOTE: If you are using a thermometer, you will know that the porkchops are done when they reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees. ------------------------------------------- Brown the pork chops In the same skillet as the ...

 Ingredients: Green Plantains (About one per person) Water Salt to taste Oil for fying Procedure: * Put the plantains under hot water in order to make them easy to peel. (Optional) * Peel and cut the plantains into 1/2 inch diagonal slices. * Once peeled, place the plantain slices in a bowl and cover with salt water for at least 20 minutes. * Heat up the oil.  Fry the plantains until they are a light golden brown.  Take out of the oil. * Flatten the plantain by smashing them with a can or a 'tostonera'. * Dry the plantain's  oil with paper towel, then refry them in the same oil for another 3 to 4 minutes or until they are golden brown. * Add more salt if desired.