Pernil al Caldero

This is for all those Arroz Con Gandules recipe lovers out there.  It's a classic Puerto Rican recipe for pot roast with vegetables, known at Pernil al Caldero.  The recipe I used, and slightly modified, is from Puerto Rican Cookery by Carmen Aboy Valldejuli.

Pernil al Caldero

4-pound butt end of leg of pork

Crush and mix the following in a mortar:
4 peppercorns
4 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon whole dried oregano
4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon vinegar

2 cups water
4 cups beef stock
2 bay leaves
2 onions, peeled and quartered
1 pound carrots, peels and cut into 1 inch rounds
1 pound Ukon gold potatoes, quartered


Remove skin and excess fat from meat, this is very important!  Rinse and dry, score top of meat in diamonds.  Rub the crushed seasonings into the meat and set in refrigerator overnight.

In a large caldero or heavy stockpot, brown meat lightly over high heat.  Add liquids, bay leaves, and onions and bring to a rapid boil.  Cover, reduce heat to medium low, and boil for 2 hours (1 hour for bone-in).

Add carrots and potatoes and bring to a rapid boil, reduce heat to medium low and boil for about 1 hour or until meat is well done.

Uncover, remove meat and vegetables, taste and adjust seasonings.  Boil, uncovered, until sauce thickens to taste.

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Arroz con Gandules

This is by far my favorite recipe and it is a staple in our cute little house.  It's a recipe for a traditional Puerto Rican rice and could literally be a commercial for Goya.  Check it out....

It really is served with just about everything in Estevan's family and we cook it pretty often as well.  It's just so dang easy and the flavors come together so well that it could be served with just about anything.  And like nearly every other Puerto Rican dish, it is not spicy in the least... just flavorful!  I've edited the original recipe by taking out a 1/2 teaspoon of salt, the Adobo is plenty salty enough.  I also increased the amount of liquid from 2 cups (water and gandules liquid combined) to a bottle of water and gandules liquid.  Maybe it depends on the type of pot being used but I found that I just kept adding more and more water previously.  Enjoy a taste from Puerto Rico!

Arroz con Gandules

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large, sweet onion, roughly chopped

1 package Sazon

1 tablespoon Recaito

1 tablespoon Adobo

1 can Gandules Verdes, reserve liquid

16.9 fl. oz. (0.5 L or 2 1/4 cups) water 

1 jar sliced pimientos, drained

2 cups rice

In a large skillet or cast-iron pot, sautee onion in olive oil until tender.  Add the water and reserved gandules liquid, Sazon, Recaito, Adobo, gandules, pimientos, and rice.  Bring to a boil and stir for 3 minutes.  Cover, reduce heat to the lowest setting (seriously, I mean it, the heat must be low) and let cook for about 30 minutes.  I try to only stir it about 2-3 times while the rice is absorbing the liquid.

***Tip:  If you need to serve it a little later, take off heat, cover with paper towel and recover with lid.  This helps to catch any of the excess moisture so that you don't end up with mushy rice.

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