Cookbook:Arroz con maiz

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoon achiote (annatto) seeds
• 1½ cup Sofrito (recipe below)
• 2 tablespoons of Alcaparrado (manzanilla olives, pimientos, and capers)
• 1 tablespoons of salt
• 1 teaspoon of fresh cracked black pepper
• 1½ teaspoons of cumin seeds or ground cumin
• 1½ teaspoons of coriander seeds or ground coriander
• 1 five Ounce Can of Vienna sausage sliced and save liquid
• ¼ cup of Frozen corn, canned corn or fresh corn. If using fresh corn, cook and remove corn from cob ahead of time
• 3 cups of medium grain rice (do not rinse)
• Beef, chicken, turkey or vegetable broth. Home made is best but you can use store bought or water (about 2 cups)
• 1 cup of dry white wine
• 2 bay leaves or avocado leaves
• 1 banana leaf or plantain leaf (optional)

For the Sofrito

• 2 medium yellow onions, cut into large chunks
• 3 to 4 Italian frying peppers (also know as cubanelle peppers)
• 16 to 20 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 large bunch cilantro, washed
• 10 to 12 ajices dulces (sweet chili peppers)
• 10 leaves of culantro (recao), or another handful of cilantro
• 3 to 4 ripe plum tomatoes, seeded, cored and cut into chunks or roasted then skin and seeds removed
• 1 large red bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into large chunks or roasted first then seeds and some skin removed

Procedure

1. Chop the onion and add to blender. Bend until liquified.
2. With the motor running, add the remaining ingredients one at a time and process until smooth. Remove 1½ cup of sofrito for rice. The sofrito will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze in ice trays and it will last a month.
3. Heat the oil and annatto seeds in a small skillet over medium heat just until the seeds give off a lively, steady sizzle. Don't overheat the mixture or the seeds will turn black and the oil green. Once they're sizzling away, pull the pan from the heat and let stand until the sizzling stops. Strain as much of the oil as you can into a heavy pot or Dutch and let it stand for at least 5 minutes.
4. Lightly toast the cumin and coriander seeds in a small skillet over low heat for a few minutes before grinding them releases flavor and aroma. Keep an eye on them, they turn dark fast. Grind in a little spice grinder or coffee mill.
5. Re-heat oil over high heat until rippling. Stir in vienna sausage and brown. Add sofrito, alcaparrado, salt, bay leaves, coriander, cumin, & pepper. Cook until sofrito stops boiling and sizzles, about 5 minutes.
6. Stir in the rice until everything is mixed together and rice is coated with oil all over. Stir in wine, liquid from vienna sausage and enough broth or water to cover the rice by the width of two fingers. Top with banana leaf (or pan lid), folding it up as necessary to fit over rice or can cut what ever sticks out pot. Bring to a boil & boil without stirring until the level of liquid meets the rice. Remove the banana leaf, give the rice a big stir, and put leaf back on top. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot with lid, and cook until the water has been absorbed and the rice is tender. About 20 minutes. Once rice is fully cooked mix in corn and cook with lid for an additional minute.