Puerto Rico’s Top Chefs Share their Recipes

Arroz con Pollo 

Rice, beans, chicken… how about you mixed them all? Another family favorite is brought to you by Chef Juliana González, the executive chef at Caña restaurant at luxurious Fairmont El San Juan Hotel. Combine these ingredients with these easy to follow steps for a delicious meal.

Ingredients

½ cup of sofrito

2 cups of uncooked white rice, medium grain 

5 chicken thighs (you can substitute with drums, wings, breast, or a mix of all)  
1 chicken bouillon cube

3 cups of water (water and bouillon cube can be substituted by chicken stock)  

1 packet of sazón (can be substituted with a combination of species like turmeric, paprika, cumin, salt, oregano or coriander seeds, achiote, ground black pepper, garlic powder) 

½ cup of sofrito (see recipe above)

Salt to taste 
 

Garnish:  

4 slices of roasted red pepper (canned or freshly charred at home) 

½ cup of green peas 

Season the chicken (with adobo preferably) and cook it through in a pan. Take the chicken off the pan and reserve.  In the same, add the sofrito and cook until translucent at medium heat. Add the bouillon cube, sazón, and rice. Mix everything and sear the rice. Add the precooked chicken and water and turn the heat to high. Let the water evaporate until the rice is almost dry and turn the heat to low. Cover and let it cook for about 20 to 30 minutes.  Top the rice with the roasted red peppers and green peas. 

Serve the rice with beans and a slice of avocado.    

Puerto Rican style beans

Ingredients:  

1 can of red beans (can be substituted for pink beans) 

1 ounce of smoked cooking ham (can be substituted for hickory-smoked ham) 

4 tablespoons of sofrito 

½ packet sazón 

1 cup of pumpkin, cut into medium-sized cubes (can substitute or add potatoes)

1 leave of fresh culantro 

¼ of fresh coriander, chopped 

Salt to taste 

 In a saucepan, at medium-high heat, cook the ham for one minute.  Add the sofrito and cook until translucent, then add the sazón, beans, pumpkin, and salt. Cook for 15 minutes at medium heat. Add the chopped coriander before serving.  

Funche with Chickpeas and Salted Cod

Chef Juan José Cuevas leads the kitchen at the upscale Restaurant 1919, but with his recipe for Puerto Rican polenta, you can be a fine-dining chef as well. Be sure to have your mise en place ready before you start.

Chickpeas 

Ingredients:  

9 ounces of dried chickpeas 

½ an onion each portion

½ a cubanelle pepper each portion

5 ajíes dulces (perennial sweet peppers) 

1 garlic clove 

1 celery stick each 

½ a carrot each portion 

½ a tomato each portion

2 culantro leaves 

2 ½ quarts of water

A pinch of salt 

Chickpeas prep

Allow the chickpeas to soak in cold water overnight, drain, and rinse. In a large saucepan, combine the chickpeas with 2 1/2 quarts of water and bring to a boil, then add the rest of the ingredients. Reduce the heat to low and let simmer for about two hours, until chickpeas are tender. Remove from the heat and remove the vegetables but leave the chickpeas with the liquid and set saucepan aside.  

Chickpeas and salted cod stew

Ingredients: 
1 pound of salted cod  

9 ounces of cooked chickpeas

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil 

2 ounces of onion 

2 ounces of cubanelle pepper 

4 ajíes dulces, red if possible (perennial sweet peppers) 

3 garlic cloves 

10 ounces of crushed tomatoes 

1 pinch of chili flakes 

1 pinch of Spanish saffron thread 

1 spring or large leave of fresh oregano 

1 teaspoon of ground cumin 

Additional ingredients:  
1 garlic clove 

Coriander 

Black pepper 

2 tablespoons of sherry or red wine vinegar 

Sea salt to taste 

In a large bowl, cover the cod with water and refrigerate for 36 hours, changing the water at least three times to remove the salt. When changing the water, save about 1/3 of the soaking liquid so the fish will keep some of the salty flavor. Drain the cod and cover with water, bring to a boil and let simmer for about 15 min, set aside.

Note: The soaking time may vary depending on the thickness of the fish.

In a small sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook for five minutes or until they are softened. Add the peppers, ajíes dulces, and cook for about two more minutes, then add garlic, chili flakes, cumin, saffron, and let simmer for another five minutes.  Add the tomatoes and let them cook for a few minutes. If fresh oregano is available, add one sprig or large leave. Let all the ingredients cook for about 20 minutes. 

In a mortar, crush garlic, coriander, and black pepper into a thick garlic paste. Return the chickpeas to the stove and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the pimentón mixture and the garlic paste. The liquid should become a thick, stew sauce. Simmer for five minutes.  Slice the cod into one-inch-thick pieces and add them to the stew. Simmer for about six minutes or until cod is cooked through. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add the two tablespoons of sherry or red wine vinegar, proceed to serve immediately.  

Tartine Toast by Chef Juan José Cuevas

Looking for an easy-but-fancy brunch recipe to impress? Juan José Cuevas teaches you one of his go-to breakfasts (or lunch) dishes just like at the restaurant at the Condado Vanderbilt Hotel.

Ingredients

4 eggs, boiled for six minutes

4 slices of country bread  

100 grams of fresh goat cheese, semi crumble 

200 grams of cooked pigeon peas

8 round radishes  

4 slices of avocado 

1 scallion  

8 cherry tomatoes 

Olive oil for drizzling  

Salt and pepper   

Ingredients for arugula pesto: 

1 garlic clove 

1 anchovy fillet 

2 cups of arugula leaves 

½ cup of parmesan cheese 

1 teaspoon of salt  

1 cup of extra virgin olive oil  

In a food processor, combine the anchovy, garlic, arugula, parmesan, and salt and pulse to blend. With the machine running, pour in the olive oil through the food tube in a slow, steady stream and process until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Taste and adjust the seasonings. 

Lightly oil the slices of bread and place them under the grill or the toaster. While the bread is toasting, wash and cut the tomatoes in four. Coarsely spread the slices of bread with arugula pesto.  Marinate the pigeon peas with the scallion and a touch of vinegar. Cut the radishes into thin strips and spread them over the bread. Add the quartered boiled and seasoned eggs, the tomatoes, avocado, and the marinated pigeon peas to each toast. Drizzle with olive oil and add salt and pepper on top. 

Chef's tip: make a garden salad to go with the sandwiches to complement your meal.  

Green plantain mofongo and skirt steak encebollado in malt glaze

A visit to Puerto Rico is never complete without trying mofongo and chef Mario Pagán knows that. With his recipe, this traditional dish takes a lavish turn worthy of any fine-dining restaurant. The best part, you can recreate it at home.   

Ingredients:  

3 green plantains for each mofongo

3 to 6 ounces of skirt steak cut in strips  

 3 peeled garlic cloves each

1/5 cup of chicken stock 

5 ounces of extra virgin olive oil 

1 bag of pork rinds or bacon  

4 ounces of malt or dark beer 

2 tablespoons of brown sugar 

1 teaspoon of adobo 

1 tablespoon of minced coriander  

1 green onion cut into ½ inch pieces 

½ medium yellow onion (julienned)  

2 cups of soybean or vegetable oil for frying  

Kosher salt to taste  

Peel the plantains, cut them into 1 ½ -inch slices, soak them in salty water for 30 minutes, drain them and dry them before putting them on the hot skillet with oil at 350°F.  Fry the plantain for about 12 minutes until they turn into a light golden color. Make sure to turn them if in skillet. Do not brown them too much, so they are easy to mash. You can stick a fork in them to check if they are soft enough. With a pinch of salt, mash the garlic well in a mortar to create a paste-like consistency. Add the fried plantains and keep mashing, adding slowly the chicken stock and two ounces of the olive oil, the minced cilantro, and salt to taste.  Once you have mashed all the plantains, mold them into the shape of half sphere using your hands or a container and set aside. 

Making the skirt steak

Season the skirt steak strips with the adobo and marinate adding one ounce of the olive oil.  In a pan over medium heat add the remaining two ounces of olive oil, add the yellow onions and cook until translucent, then add the malt and brown sugar stirring it well in the liquid and reduce.  Once reaching a glaze-like consistency, add the green onions and remove from the heat. Taste the sauce and adjust with salt if necessary. 

 Place the skirt steak on top of the mofongo and finish with small pieces of the pork rinds or the bacon. ¡Buen provecho!  

Guava and bacon panatela

Doesn’t everything with guava come straight from heaven? This cloud-fluffy, sugary treat is always a crowd pleaser and Spoon puts a savory twist to make it, even more, brunch friendly. Get a taste of this panadería favorite.

Ingredients

1 stick of unsalted, melted butter (add a little extra for greasing the pan)
1 cup of sugar

2 eggs

1 tablespoon of vanilla

2 tablespoons of coconut oil

2 tablespoons of aged rum

2 teaspoons of baking powder

1 teaspoon of kosher salt

2 cups of all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon (optional)

1 pound of crispy bacon, chopped finely

18 ounces of guava paste, chopped into small pieces

Confectioner’s sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350°F. By hand, combine the melted butter with the sugar. Incorporate the eggs, vanilla, aged rum, and coconut oil and whisk until you achieve a creamy texture. Add the baking powder, salt and stir using a wooden spoon. Then, add the flour and stir until combined. Divide the mixture in two. Butter your pan (preferably a 11”x 8” baking mold) and spread half the dough, pressing down with your fingers to make it even.

Over medium-high heat, set a pot with two tablespoons of water. Melt the guava, stirring until it reaches a jam-like consistency. Remove for the heat and incorporate the chopped bacon and cinnamon. Spread the bacon-guava jam in an even layer on top and top with the remaining dough. Bake for 30 minutes and wait for it to cool down, cut into squares and dust it with confectioner’s sugar.

DoubleTree by Hilton Cookie Recipe 

The DoubleTree by Hilton is known for their chocolate chip cookies, and their property in San Juan is not the exception. Follow along to bake these signature cookies that pair perfectly with a cup of Puerto Rican coffee.

Ingredients:  

½ a pound of softened butter (2 sticks) 

¾ cup + 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar 

¾ cup of packed light brown sugar 

2 large eggs 

1 ¼ teaspoons of vanilla extract 

¼ teaspoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice 

2 ¼ cups of flour 

½ cup of rolled oats 

1 teaspoon of baking soda 

1 teaspoon of salt 

A pinch of cinnamon 

2 2/3 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips 

1 ¾ cups of chopped walnuts  

Cream the butter, sugar, and brown sugar in a bowl and mix on medium speed for about two minutes. Add the eggs, vanilla, and lemon juice, blending with mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Then, up the speed to medium for about two minutes, or until light and fluffy, scraping down the bowl. With a mixer on low speed, add flower, oats, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, blending for about 45 seconds. Don’t overmix! Remove the bowl from mixer and stir in chocolate and walnuts. Portion dough with a scoop (about three tablespoons) onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper about two inches apart.  Preheat oven to 300°F and bake for 20 to 23 minutes, or until edges are golden brown and center is still soft.  Remove from oven and cool on baking sheet for about one hour. 

Cook’s note: You can freeze the unbaked cookies, and there’s no need to thaw. Preheat oven to 300°F and place frozen cookies on parchment paper-lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake until edges are golden brown, and center is still soft.