Mama's Arroz con Pollo

My Aunt Marisol's mother, Nora Viana (known to everyone as "Mama"), was a very special woman. Well into her eighties, she always looked beautiful, laughed often, and had a twinkle in her eye. And she was a wonderful cook, which is no surprise, since her daughter (my aunt) is the single best home cook and hostess I know and a frequent source of both information and inspiration.

Back in September of 2001, when I was a nervous wreck and was pretty much camping out at aunt and uncle's house in Nyack, Mama and I spent a lot of quality time together (she lived with them in the final years of her life). I found her presence exceptionally comforting during those weeks and it was during an afternoon at their house that she taught me to make arroz con pollo.

Here's my version of her recipe. I use chicken breast instead of chicken thighs, buy jarred roasted red peppers instead of roasting them myself, and bottled not homemade hot sauce. I've also made it with shrimp instead of chicken and it was delicious.

Arroz Con Pollo

serves 8

4 chicken breast halves, cubed

2 cloves garlic, chopped

3 tablespoons oil (Mama recommended canola)

1 chicken bouillon cube

1.5 cups chopped tomato (Mama recommend Pomi)

1/2 teaspoon oregano

2.5 cups water

2 cups uncooked white rice (Mama recommend Uncle Ben's), rinsed and drained

1 medium onion, chopped

1 packet Goya Sazon "con azafran" - keep looking until you find that kind

1 roasted red pepper, chopped

1 cup frozen peas (no need to thaw them)

20 jarred green olives with pimento, whole

1) Mix raw chicken with chopped garlic and 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper and refrigerate overnight.

2) Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

3) Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in large saucepan. Add chicken and sear. When chicken is beginning to brown, add tomato, chicken bouillon cube, oregano, and water. Simmer over low heat for 20-25 minutes. Remove chicken from simmering broth (DO NOT DISCARD THIS LIQUID) and set aside.

4) Heat remaining tablespoon of oil in a large dutch oven. Add rice and chopped onion and stir to coat. Add Sazon and stir. Add chicken.

5) Pour tomatoey liquid into a large measuring cup. Add as much water as necessary to get up to 4 cups. Pour liquid into dutch oven with chicken. Add olives, peas, roasted pepper and simmer uncovered for 10-15 minutes until little liquid remains.

6) Cover dutch oven and place in oven for 30 minutes. Serve with hot sauce.