Pigeon Peas
5 recipes found
Arroz con Gandules (Puerto Rican Rice With Pigeon Peas)
Every step and ingredient adds something important to this recipe from the Puerto Rican-born chef and writer Reina Gascón-López. Annatto seeds steeped in oil give the rice its signature marigold hue. The banana leaf imparts a subtle tropical aroma to the rice as it cooks. Olives, ham, beer and peppers with their brine offer salt, fat, acid, umami and a bright pop of color. The sheer number of flavors layered into this dish make it a delight to unpack. The most exhilarating layer is the last one: pegao, the crisp, glassy shards of rice at the bottom of the pot. Gandules (pigeon peas) make this version of rice and beans distinctly Caribbean. Ms. Gascón-López prefers to start with dry gandules, which her family sometimes ships to her from Puerto Rico, then flavors the pot with some sofrito, a bay leaf or two and a smoked pork neck. If you have trouble finding dry pigeon peas, they are often labeled as toor at Indian grocery stores.
Gandules con Bolitas de Plátano (Pigeon Peas With Plantain Dumplings)
Good cooks need good eaters, and preparing food for people I care about brings me tremendous joy. This dish is among those I’ve shared with others, and one that I share here in honor of my dear friend Liyna Anwar, who died a year ago. We were colleagues, and, because she was Muslim and ate strictly halal, I often brought her vegetarian dishes to sample. This was among her favorites: a deeply earthy dish that is sumptuous and nourishing. Green plantains are finely grated, mixed with simple spices, formed into balls with a spoon, and then dunked directly into simmering pigeon peas; the natural starch of the plantains sets up without added flour. Liyna once prepared this dish alongside me, delighting in the experience of forming the buoyant dumplings. The memory of her happiness blends now with my own memories of eating it.
Pigeon Peas and Rice
Dee Dee Dailey's Pigeon Peas and Rice
Coconut Rice With Pigeon Peas
In 2002, Florence Fabricant spoke with Mark Militello, the chef and owner of the now-closed Mark’s Las Olas in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., who brought this recipe to The Times. The chef uses Uncle Ben’s converted rice here on the advice of his cooks Pascal Dieumeme and Orenus Olean. It’s parboiled, and less sticky, to yield firm, separate grains, a nice counter to the earthy pigeon peas. You can start the peas from from scratch, but it’s also fine to use canned or frozen. The whole dish is finished with scallions, bell pepper, thyme and more coconut milk. As tempting as it may be, don’t rush the rice to the table: Let it rest off the heat. It’ll help its texture and flavor.