Arroz con Gandules with Pork Bits

Ingredients

• For the Pork Bits:
• 0.5 lb pork belly or pork shoulder, diced into small cubes 🐖
• 1 tsp olive oil 🫒
• 0.5 tsp salt 🧂
• 0.5 tsp black pepper ⚫
• 0.5 tsp smoked paprika 🌶️
• For the Arroz con Gandules:
• 2 tbsp olive oil 🫒
• 0.5 small onion, diced 🧅
• 3 cloves garlic, minced 🧄
• 0.25 cup sofrito 🌿
• 0.5 tsp salt 🧂
• 0.25 tsp black pepper ⚫
• 0.5 tsp cumin ✨
• 0.5 tsp sazon seasoning (optional) 🌿
• 0.25 tsp dried oregano 🍃
• 0.5 tsp smoked paprika 🌶️
• 0.5 tsp adobo seasoning ✨
• 1 can (15 oz) gandules (pigeon peas), drained 🫘
• 2 ½ cups long-grain rice 🍚
• 3 cups chicken broth or water 🍲
• 0.25 cup tomato sauce 🍅
• 0.5 cup green olives with pimentos 🫒
• 1 bay leaf 🍃

Instructions

1. 11️⃣ Prepare the Pork Bits
2. 2Heat olive oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Add diced pork, season with salt, black pepper, and smoked paprika, and cook until crispy and golden brown (about 5-7 minutes). Remove and set aside. 🐖🔥
3. 32️⃣ Sauté the Sofrito Base
4. 4In the same pot, add more olive oil if needed. Sauté onion, garlic, and sofrito for 2 minutes until fragrant. Stir in salt, black pepper, cumin, sazon, oregano, paprika, and adobo seasoning. 🧄🌿
5. 53️⃣ Toast the Rice
6. 6Add gandules, rice, and tomato sauce to the pot, stirring well to coat. Let the rice toast for 1-2 minutes before adding the chicken broth and bay leaf. 🍚✨
7. 74️⃣ Simmer to Perfection
8. 8Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 25 minutes until the rice is fluffy. Halfway through, gently fold in the crispy pork bits. 🍲🔥
9. 95️⃣ Final Touch & Serve
10. 10Remove the bay leaf, fluff the rice with a fork, and garnish with green olives. Serve warm and enjoy! 🍛✨