Our Creative Cooking Crew took December 2013 off for the holidays.
Here we are starting 2014 with a great challenge: Let’s tackle some internationally known ethnic dishes – and present them in new, creative and exciting ways. The star this month is “dumplings“.
An old Puerto Rican dish that packs a lot of flavor and can be described as “comfort food”.
I know it’s not pretty, but I have never had luck photographing brown and green foods. Just believe me when I say it is absolutely “delicioso”.
Ingredients for Gandules:
1 14 oz. bag of frozen gandules (if using fresh, frozen or dried, boil until softened)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 cup sofrito
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 packet Sazon Goya
1/2 cup smoked cooking ham, chopped
6 cups chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon cumin, ground
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
1 bay leaf
Bollitos:
2 green plantains, peeled and grated (using smallest holes on hand grate. If you have a food processor it would be best…you would get a smoother batter).
Salt and pepper to taste
1 packet Sazon Goya (see picture)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Instructions for gandules:
Heat oil in pot over medium high heat. Add ham, sofrito, tomato sauce, and sauté two or three minutes until fragrant. Add sazon, cumin, oregano, and bay leaf and continue to cook for another two or three minutes then add gandules and chicken stock, bring to a boil.
Once you gandules are tender, drain and put aside. Bring stock to a boil.
Meanwhile, mix ingredients for the dumplings (bollitos). With a tablespoon or ice cream scoop carefully add dumplings into stock. Lower heat to medium low and cook covered for about 15 minutes the add gandules and cook for another 15 minutes or until dumplings are firm.
Serve with white rice and if available a slice of avocado.
BUEN PROVECHO!
platanosmangoes.com 
what a unique dumpling – sounds delicious
Would love to try some time! Sounds delicious.
I can’t tell you how this recipe resonates with me, Norma. In fact, I will be making a sort of mofongo with chicken this week in class–with plantains, of course! I will be looking for you and Joan in 2014. Plan on it!
What a different dumpling recipe! I would love to try them too.
My mouth is watering, i haven’t eaten that since I was a child…
Yummy, just luuuuuvv DUMPLINGS, any kind!
Great choice….
Bless those hands!!
Bollitos de platano make ANY soup better. Stay warm, amiguita!
Norma, this is delicious, looks so home made and perfect for cold nights.
nice – the plantain dumpling is such a classic and so tasty!
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Flavor packed dish. Perfect for this time of year.
Well done.
Funny, I just put leftover sweet potato in with leftover chili and loved the combination –– even had avocado with it (and pickled onions, I love them with chili). I can imagine a plantain dumpling would be great together. Next time I see plantains I’ll give it a try.
I had no idea there were Puerto Rican dumplings. And they do look delish!
This looks awesome! My brother-in-law is half Puerto Rican and made us some rice with pigeon peas recently and they were really yummy. This looks like such a fun dumpling dish to try 🙂
This is just packed with flavour Norma!!
This sounds very interesting, I’d be curious about the texture seeing as green plantains are so starchy. Love the Sazon! Are the dumplings dense like mine? Looks like a yummy, hearty meal for wintertime, Norma. Now come and make it for me, please! x
I love your food combinations and always feel like I’m on vacation when I read your posts!
Andy maybe next time you should come and take the picture.
And I will keep in mind your suggestion
Gandules con bolitas de platanos, no other way to make them! This has been a long standing recipe in my family. My German-American hubby eats very little veggies/fruit. He won’t eat any type of bananas and turned his nose up when I first bought platanos at the marqueta. I made this dish and just told him they were “Spanish” dumplings. He ate it with such relish and after his third serving I told him what they were. He now goes out and buys the platanos whenever he wants me to make the dish! In my family we don’t add tomato sauce but rather use finely chopped plum tomatoes and add an additional garlic clove as well as that in the sofrito. Also, my mami used a 1/4″ slice of tosino instead of oil; she said the porkbelly bought out the flavor in the ham(?). Love, love, love your blog!
Thank you so much. My mom also used the tocino. Thanks for your comments and appreciate your visit.
I enjoy your recipe