Not Mexican Food

Years ago I had never heard of Puerto Rican beans and rice. My former brother-in-law and his wife would make the trip to Puerto Rico to minister to the heathens. They came back with this recipe, and a little boy, over 20 years ago. This is a very cheap meal that goes a long way and cooks up in a hurry. It's a great dish to make on a cold, weekday night.

My interest in this recipe peaked when I found Schwab’s boneless smoked half ham at Braum's. If it wasn't for Braum's, Pak A Sak and CVS, I don't think I'd be able to survive. I loathe going to the grocery store and I can find 90% of what I want or need at one of the 3 places where I choose to spend my money. This ham is cooked and ready to use. I usually keep a package in the freezer.

The only other ingredients you may not have on hand are Sofrito sauce and Sazón con Azafrán. 

Both of these are made by Goya and you can most usually find them in the Mexican section of your grocery store. I seldom have trouble finding these two products and they truly are the key ingredients to making this simplistic stunning dish.

If you don't have a rice cooker, please invest in one. You can buy a 6 cup rice cooker for about $20. Do it. You will be surprised at how much better it is. But then again, assess your own situation. When the girls were little and cooking had to be fast because they were hungry little monkeys when I got off work, Minute Rice saved my butt more times than Superman saved Lois Lane. For this amount you'll want to cook about 2 cups of rice. Whatever you have left over can always be made into Spanish rice or Stir Fried rice.

Since I buy smoked ham fully cooked, I skip the part of quick frying ham in olive oil. Instead all I have to do is dice my Schwab's ham. Another area I'm lucky enough to skip is the peeling and dicing of potatoes. My dad and his wife Pam are so thoughtful and kindhearted that they have been canning potatoes for the family for years now. There is nothing like popping the top off a mason jar and draining the liquid to have perfectly cooked potatoes, ready for duty in any recipe. 

Except mashed potatoes. I tried that one time and they simply won't mash properly. I know some people kind of like little bits of potato pieces in their mashed potatoes. Not I. I like my mashed potatoes creamy smooth. But I digress.

In a 3-4 quart stock pot add the diced ham and potatoes. 

Add the entire bottle of Sofrito and one envelope of the Sazón con Azafrán. If you don't have any brown beans cooked ahead of time, open a can. No one will care. Again, I'm so thankful Papa John and Pam also put up brown beans. They cook a huge pot full, then can them. They are a blessing in our life for so many reasons, and the canned food is the least of them, but as much appreciated.

You have all ingredients in the pot. Often I add water to the Sofrito jar and combine it with the rest. I like to have a little extra liquid, but you can skip this step.

Let everything heat until softly boiling. By now the rice should be cooked. 

Put the rice in a bowl and top with the ham-potato-bean mix, adding a little extra liquid for the rice to absorb. Vary the ratio of ham, beans and potato to suit your self. I tend to add more ham and beans and less potato.

This is a pleasingly mild dish. Of course I have to shake a minute's worth of Tobasco to my portion, but you could easily add red pepper or Lawry's seasoned pepper. I'm not sure how different this recipe would be if you added jalapenos or hot green chilies. I might try it once, only pureeing the japs or chilies. I don't want to bite into either and rob the stardom of the ham, beans and potatoes. It's almost a soupy affair on top of the rice.

Let me know how you liked this recipe and what alterations you make.

Happy Cooking!

Puerto Rico Beans and Rice

Ham

Brown Beans

Diced Potatoes

Sazon Goya 

Sofrito

2 Tsp Oil

Hot cooked Rice

In a medium pot, Heat oil. Add ham and fry until cooked. Add remaining ingredients until the sauce thickens. Serve over rice.