Arroz y Gandules

I grew up with my grandmother making this simple, filling and inexpensive Puerto Rican meal of Arroz and Gandules (rice and pigeon peas).  You can easily make it vegetarian by omitting the bacon and chorizo for a well-rounded Meatless Monday Meal. 

Rice and Gandules

• 2 cups long grain white rice, rinsed (I’ve tried making it with brown rice and it came out a little mushy)
• 4 cups water
• 4 strips thick cut bacon, chopped
• 4 tbs Sofrito
• 1 15 oz can Gandules (Pigeon Peas), drained
• 1 link Chorizo Sausage
• 1 envelope Sazon con Culanto y Achiote
• 1 8 oz can Tomato Sauce
• 1/2 cup Spanish Olives
• salt and pepper

Heat a large pot on medium-high heat, cook chopped bacon until crispy, remove bacon from pot and set aside. 

Add sofrito (stand back it will spatter) to bacon drippings, cook about 3-5 minutes.  Add pigeon peas, sausage, bacon, rice, sazon and tomato sauce to the pot, stir.

Add water and bring it to a boil on high until water evaporates, stir rice over ONLY once*, cover and simmer on low for 35 minutes.  Add olives and stir until heated through.

*It is important not to stir rice more than once otherwise it will come out very sticky.