what are YOU cooking?..........

i was reading one of the threads yesterday and Deb Hall mentioned that she had spent three hours making stuffed shells.....my first thought was awesome.....i love it when someone loves to cook and takes the time to make wonderful tasting food.......my mother always tells me that i take too many steps to cook or it takes too long.....but i always tell her it is worth it.......(my family agrees !) ......

well today i am making Puerto Rican carne guisada........which is puerto rican stew........it is cubed beef that i season with Adobo and then brown with sofrito.....i brown it in batches since i am making five lbs of it......after it is browned i place it all back in the pot....add water and cook until its tender....this takes a long time.....the water cooks down...then add more and cover until it cooks up nice and tender.....this takes a couple of hours......then i add some carrots.....potatoes.....some olives if you like....tomato sauce....add water again.....and then simmer until all of the veggies are cooked......serve it with some white rice........whew......awesome....

this is such an awesome dish.....everyone in my family loves it.....we grew up on it......i cant wait till dinnertime.....

sooo......what are YOU cooking?........

Hey Beth,

I don't spend 3 hours cooking all the time, but if I'm in the mood ( and have the time), it's something I love. Tonight is a simple Pasta di Ceci soup, with Greens & Cannellini Beans ( got to use up some those greens from the Farmer's Market).

Deb

mmmm.....both of those sound good.....i just bought chicken breasts......and the chicken cacciatore sounds good.....but yours would probably be better....lol.....mine is kind of like a Latin chicken cacciatore.....lol.... i was actually thinking of stuffing them with some spinach and blue cheese and baking them......might make that tomorrow......

[Robin Garr]

I made an arroz con pollo last night - the Spanish kind, not the Latino kind, or in other words, no green chiles but plenty of sweet smoked Spanish paprika and some saffron.

Pretty simple: Sear chicken parts (I used thighs), skin on and bone in, in olive oil in a heavy dutch oven til browned, then set aside, and in the same fat saute chopped onions and chopped green peppers until soft. Stir in 2/3 cup long-grain rice, stir briefly, then add 2 cups chicken stock, about a cup of chopped tomatoes and their juice (it's out of season, so I used Red Gold canned), salt and pepper and 1 tsp smoked paprika and a few threads of saffron. Put the chicken pieces back on top; cover tightly, and bake at 350F for a full hour. I know that sounds a little crazy, but we're not looking for al dente rice here. After all that time it turns into something almost like a porridge, with all the flavors infused into the chicken and rice.

It was great last night, and the leftovers made a super soup for lunch today.