Last fall, in the Oct. 22 Forum column to be precise, Marysville cook Cece Zimmerman shared a wonderful my-sister-makes-it recipe for Puerto Rican rice and beans, mentioning all the happy family memories of this specialty and telling us at the time, “Don’t let the pressure cooker scare you awa
y from this recipe — my sister always made hers without it.”
Jump ahead to the Dec. 27 Forum, wherein we hear from Anjie Munsee, “I want to make this rice and beans recipe, but I do not own a pressure cooker. Can anyone tell me another way to cook the ham hocks, beans and rice?”
Now Cece Zimmerman answers, “I just got home from moving our son from Fort Lee to Fort Hood, and my mom and sisters told me someone had a question on how to do the rice and beans without a pressure cooker.
“I quizzed my sister and she was kind enough not only to tell me her method, but also made a nice spicy batch.
Here again is the recipe (including Cece’s sister’s additional cooking info, as adapted by me) for:
Puerto Rican rice and beans
4 cups water
8 ounces smoked ham hock
1 cup dried pinto beans, picked over, rinsed and drained
1 cup raw long-grain white rice
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
Dash sesame oil
1/2 onion, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
1 large red bell pepper, diced
2 jalapeno peppers, whole or chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1 can (15 ounces) plum tomatoes, juice reserved, diced
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black peppercorns, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground salt or regular salt, divided
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons capers
Pressure cooker method: Put water and ham hocks in a pressure cooker and cook for 5 minutes. Remove lid and add pinto beans. Cook for 20 minutes. Release the pressure by allowing the hot steam to escape, then remove lid and add rice. Replace lid when it “hisses,” cook for another 5 minutes.
While the beans and rice cook, heat olive oil and sesame oil in a large skillet. Saute the onion and garlic until the onions become translucent. Add red pepper, jalapeno peppers and oregano. Stir in tomatoes, chopping as you go. Add 1/4 cup of the reserved tomato liquid. Season with half of the salt and half of the pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 25 minutes.
After rice and beans have cooked, remove the ham hock, slice 2 ounces of lean meat off the bone and set aside. Stir the cooked rice and beans into the cooked vegetables in the large frypan. Stir in reserved ham hock meat, cilantro, capers and remaining salt and pepper. Spoon into bowls and enjoy.
Stovetop method: Put water and ham hocks in a Dutch oven or large heavy kettle; bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until the ham hocks are tender; transfer hocks to a large bowl to cool, then prepare as directed above. Add beans to remaining liquid, bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until beans are tender, according to package directions. (If desired, cook beans separately, according to package directions, then drain and add to the hocks liquid.) When beans are nearly done, add rice and cook, using the amount of time per package directions. Or, if desired, cook rice separately, then add to cooked bean mixture.
While the beans and rice cook, follow the stovetop directions for cooking and simmering the remaining ingredients. When the beans and rice are ready, stir in the reserved sliced ham as well as the hot skillet mixture. Stir in the cilantro, capers and remaining salt and pepper.
Spoon into bowls and enjoy.
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