Cooking with Gloria

On a Friday morning, we helped Gloria Pinette Watson prepare a lunch of stewed chicken and arroz mamposteao for twelve people who live in the streets of San Juan. 

Gloria is a veteran in the world of food advertising in Puerto Rico. If anyone knows how to prepare meals with military logistics precision, it’s her. 

Click here for Spanish version.


Art Papi: Ok, are we ready?
Gloria Pinette Watson: Maybe they won't like rice and beans. They’re from the north of the United States, the ones that like that type of food are from the west. No one can be denied food.

If they are from the north and they don't eat rice and beans, they have to learn to enjoy it because they are here now.
Exactly. They don't just have to learn the culture of where they are living. This is a more balanced meal than they are used to.

Also, you are using fresh produce.
For people who live on the streets and eat maybe once a day, this is the best meal they can eat. Rice and beans is the best protein / carb balanced food you can have. I also thought of making them viandas con bacalao* but I decided not to. Maybe they won’t understand a meal like that yet.  

When I make the beans, I'm really picky with onions. I also bought a green pepper, but I personally don't like it [in my beans]. Pass me that knife.

I hand Gloria the frying pan and the knife. Gloria places the pan on the stove, sets it on high heat, and drizzles it with grapeseed oil. She leaves it warming up as she begins to cut the onions.

This onion was cut differently from the one you used for the stewed chicken.
Yes. For the chicken I cut it Julienne because you get more of the vegetable’s shape and texture. For the beans, I’m dicing it. When I make beans in California [for Parada, her Puerto Rican restaurant in San Francisco], people like to see chunks of onions in it.  

Like Tex-Mex?
Exactly. That is the west coast. For these people I am going to cut them smaller.

I see you cut the onion in half and then cut it lengthwise to make squares.
This is a technique that [my daughter] Margot taught me. It usually cuts faster, but with age I have developed carpal tunnel and arthritis in my hands. The other day I was cutting an onion in a hurry and I cut my finger. I didn't feel it and suddenly the onion was blood red and I had to throw it out completely.

Gloria begins to cut the green pepper. She chops it horizontally, then chops each section in two and starts cutting long pieces and then cutting them into smaller bits.

It’s such a coincidence that Ron [her husband] and I don't like green peppers. But they give a bitter taste that is quite good for the beans. It is more authentic. Get me the sweet peppers from that bag.

How many do you need?
Like 10. Let me check their fragrance. Sometimes they are not so fragrant.

Gloria grabs a sweet pepper in her hands and smells it. She then squeezes it so that the essence of it  comes out.

You have to rinse them well. I think I'm going to put 15 instead of 10.

I rinse the peppers.

They don't smell that strong.
You have to throw  the whole package [to the pot]. I throw them in whole, without chopping them and then take them out. If they are very fragrant, just throw in a couple. Of the ingredients in Latin American cooking, sweet peppers are one of my favorites.

At home, we roast them as if they were piquillos and eat them as is.
I haven't had them like that.

Very yummy.
I used to make a salpicón de mariscos many years ago when there weren't as many products available in supermarkets. It was a recipe they made at my parents' parties. You need red peppers, green pepper, bell pepper, sweet pepper, onion and garlic. You sauté everything with olive oil and add a can of tuna, a can of octopus and a can of sardines.

Canned seafood?
Yes, all of them.

Is this a recipe from the 60s or the 70s? I don't get it, there was no fresh seafood? We’re on an island ...
There were fishermen, but you couldn't get fresh sardines. They used them as bait. There were no seafood restaurants.

Gloria’s prep sheet for arroz mamposteao and pollo guisado for 12.

When did supermarkets start bringing more products?
Sometime in the 80s. There was a change in transportation. I don't know what happened, but the food supply improved. Maybe it was because refrigerated crates were implemented into marine transportation.

I moved in 1979 and when I went to Pueblo [Supermarket] at la Avenida de Diego there weren't as many things as now. I’ve always cooked... My mom had to cook for us but cooking wasn't her thing, but my dad loved to cook and he taught her how. My maternal grandmother did not like to cook. She was very independent and did not want to be a stay-at-home mom. But what she cooked was spectacular.

Nowadays, you should not be purchasing food from other countries. We should consume most of the island’s products. Demand for it must be increased. The best thing would be to be able to exchange food between Cuba and Santo Domingo. Instead of buying from the United States, buy from our sister islands. A lot of food products are imported from California — bananas, papayas, everything — or from Costa Rica, like cassava. Almost everything we consume should be fresh, from the land.

We are not using spaces as well as we should. The resources are not good. Here we have a better climate for things like coffee, cotton and sugar… Puerto Rico's cotton was one of the best in the world. Suddenly, they bring in industrialization and put an end to the needlework industry. The government ends everything that brings us wealth — the sugar industry, rice, coffee, cotton ... The coffee industry ended because they wouldn't let us export it to the United States because they negotiated to buy it from Brazil and Colombia.

For the United States, that was a way to infiltrate those in power. It is quite a power chess game. It works like, "I am going to buy from you, I am going to pay you with money and you are going to support me in my decisions and strategies."

Puerto Ricans have not learned to be nationalists and it’s a shame. Most of the people in this country want to imitate someone who’s a nationalist. The United States is such a country.

Ok, let's put the potatoes and carrots in the chicken. Throw it in there.

I add the potatoes and carrots into the pot. Salsa splashes everywhere and in the bowl — surprise!— a whole carrot falls standing up in the pot. We both laugh.

How phallic!

You told me to throw it in ...
Oh my God!

I clean up the area. Gloria takes the carrot and starts cutting it.

This reminded me of something I learned from Petra [the woman who Gloria considers to be her second mother]. It makes a lot of sense but I don't know if it's true. She told me that when you cut root vegetables, don't do a clean cut. Instead, put the knife in and when there is resistance, tilt it. Look ...

The knife appears to be stuck three-quarters away from the carrot. Gloria continues to twist it around a bit until she cuts off a sharp piece that creates a breaking sound.

Did you hear it?

Yes.
The torn part releases starch when you boil them, it’s a thick but soft piece of root vegetable. I cut all of them like this.

And do you notice the difference?
They look divine. Ok, habichuela time.

Gloria tosses the onions into the hot pan and begins to stir them with a silicone spatula.

For a little ham flavor, I bought this [Goya Cooking Ham Flavor Concentrate]. This product is actually vegetarian.

But it is ham flavored ...
It is made from natural products. It has no meat. It has a "smoked ham" flavor. I'm going to add a little to it so that it has that country ham flavor for them.

How do you feel about the world of seasonings - i.e. sazón or adobo - that are used so much in Puerto Rican cuisine?
I don't like them and don't use them for my personal cooking. But, when I'm cooking for other people, I might throw it in. At Parada we don't use them. For some people, if you don't add that, they feel like they are missing something. I bought [the seasonings] in auto-pilot mode and then I thought, "wait, these beans are for people who don’t know Puerto Rican cuisine." 

However, if I have leftover beans and I want to make mamposteao rice, I add a little of this [Sazón Knorr coriander, achiote and oregano]. The oregano refreshes the flavor and the achiote adds color. I add a bit of water in the pan, a little seasoning, stir it so that it takes color, add the beans, mix it, a little butter and add the [leftover] rice.

You are cooking for twelve people. I imagine you will do a few rounds of this. 
I think it will be done in three rounds. I love bay leaves. It complements the flavor that the sweet peppers are lacking. I am going to put in three large ones.

After the onions have caramelised, Gloria adds the mixture of olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and dried oregano that she prepared in the hand blender. The kitchen is scented immediately.

Wow, that scent! Delicious! Is this the base for the beans?
Yes. Then you build on top of that. Now we add the green pepper. Again, I could live without it. Also, let’s add a jar of canned bell peppers.

With its liquid?
No. Strain it. We are also going to put in the olives.

2 ounces bell pepper?
Imagine it's like a small red pepper. Now we are going to put the bay leaves so that they warm up and release flavors. Can you add the olives to the skillet?

These two pounds of beans feed a battalion.
We’re supposed to eat ½ cup of beans and a cup of rice, although I prefer 1 cup of beans and a half of rice.

The mixture of onion, green pepper, olives and bell pepper has simmered. The pot where the beans were soaked and boiled is returned to the stove. The stewed chicken continues to simmer.

Pass me the tomato paste. When you buy it and open it at home, if it is a brownish red, throw it away. It’s been sitting on the shelves for too long. If it's bright red, it's too fresh. The best choice is if it’s a neutral red. I don't use tomato sauce, it has flour. Tomatoes have an acidity that overpowers everything. I like tomato paste better because it is made from dried tomatoes.

Gloria slowly moves around the tomato paste to mix all the flavors. It is created as a kind of bridge between the paste and the other ingredients until the tomato paste has taken over the pan.

Ok, now let's add diced tomatoes. If you’re cooking kidney red beans, they are the main protagonist of the dish. It’s all all about them. Since I am going to use them tomorrow for the mamposteao, I’m not going to add pumpkin or potatoes to them. Before adding the diced tomatoes, let me add some chicken broth to soften the tomato paste.

You know what? We are going to add capers too. Let's see how the beans are [that were boiled during the morning].

We try the boiled pink beans. Dense but soft.

I love them like that.

Me too.
Let's put that in there.

Oh, you’re going to put the sauce directly in the water where the beans were boiled.
Yes.

Wow! Beautiful. Gloria, what is the process of boiling the beans?
I wash them first. You have to wash them super well. They don't do that in restaurants. Dried beans come with a lot of dirt. To soften them, I leave them in a well sealed pot overnight so that no birds or anything else enters it. Then, I boil them without salt for about an hour and a half to two hours. The salt comes with the sauce.

We pour the sofrito into the pot and taste it.

They are not yet where they need to be. They lack the recao and the cilantrillo. I was supposed to have put the cilantro in the sauce, but that's okay, it doesn't really matter. It is usually put at the beginning with the onion, because it gives an extra flavor to it. Dios sabe lo que hace. Maybe if we had put so many minced green things on it, they wouldn't like it. My great-aunt used to say, "cilantrillo is good but not that good." Their stalks can be frozen and then used in soups or stir-fry.

Ok, let's do  this. Are all the peppers here?

Yes, all of them.

Whole recao leaves (culantro), cilantrillo and whole sweet peppers are placed in the pot. Each sweet pepper is popped a bit to bring out its aroma.

You know what? I'm going to add a little more of the chicken broth, I'm going to let it evaporate a little and I'm going to add a little bit of the seasoning powder, I think they will like that saltiness.

Most people cook for themselves. You gotta know that when you're cooking for other people, it's not necessarily your taste. That is very important.

Can I try the beans?
You must! They need to boil a little more for the flavor to come out. All those flavors explode right now. By not adding so much artificial seasoning, it takes longer for the flavor to come out.

Puerto Rican cooking hasn't changed that much. Everything has been done and evolved but here traditional food continues. Get me the salt, let's add a little to the beans. Measure out 2 teaspoons of it. Salt is interesting because some are very salty and some are not. Now there are so many that you don’t know which one to use.

Gloria tries the beans.

It's getting there. They also need to thicken.

Do we cover them or leave them uncovered?
I cover them but I leave them a little open for steam because the peppers have to cook. The steam makes them float and release the flavor. As soon as the peppers take on more flavor, we lower the heat.

The other day we were having lunch at a bakery and I saw a legislator. We have to go after them, they are the ones who make the laws. Not the governors or the senators. 

It was a sad scene ... he was there alone. There he was with his tail between his legs. To begin with, he ate like a toad. I don't like talking about people, but that guy is really nasty. He was with his driver. He stood in line [for the legislator], ordered the food, and served it.

What!?
Yup. The chauffeur brought him his food and then went to eat at another table. These people think they have butlers. The first time I saw that man having lunch was in Compostela, with a bunch of politicians, drinking $300 bottles of wine at lunch. That jig is up. 

I'm going to put out the beans to let them cool.

Are the beans ready when the peppers have lost their color?
Yes, but they keep flavoring the beans. I’m going to make a small batch of rice in the rice cooker. It’s simple.

I arrived at Gloria’s with the fantasy of learning how to make rice "en el caldero" but the reality is that rice cookers are a secret weapon in Puerto Rican cuisine. I’ve never had one because they’re not asesthetichally pleasing. But, when Gloria pulled out her compact Cuisinart rice cooker it was love at first sight.

I never thought it was necessary but it's a really good gadget to have in your kitchen. The rice is cooked to perfection and it tells you when it's done. I'm going to make medium grain rice.

What are the differences when cooking different types of rice?
What varies is the starch content between each grain.

Do you clean the rice?
I wash it until the water runs clear. Rice is a grain that grows weevils (gorgojos) when it gets old. Rice is harvested in large quantities and stored. It is a laborious process. In order for it to last, they add some talcum powder that is anti-weevil. You don't want to eat that!

That powder makes the rice stickier, if the rice is very amogollao it is because it has too much starch. You did not wash it well and that talc was left there. When I cook the rice, I add the same amount of water and a little more. If I am going to make 1 and a half cups of rice, I put 1 and a half cups of water and a bit more. Today almost everyone cooks rice in a rice cooker.

Don't you have a caldero?
No. I gave it away. I didn't think I would ever cook for so many people again.

What is the classic method of making white rice?
You put water to boil with salt and a little bit of flavorless oil like vegetable, avocado or grapeseed oil. I always do it without measuring it, but if you are going to make 2 cups of rice, add 2 cups and ¼ more of water. It is supposed to be 1 teaspoon of salt per cup of rice and 1 tablespoon of oil.

Why not olive oil?
It is better to use the others because the olive oil gives a particular flavor to the rice. 

I've been making basmati rice lately and adding chives and lemon zest to the end. Also, if you want, after it is ready, you can add a little butter but it is not necessary.

Brown rice has another method.
Every grain has a different quality. You have to follow the instructions. Almost every food product comes with very specific instructions. They’ve been analyzed in kitchens with nutritionists and developers. They do a lot of testing and consumer inquiries. 

Nowadays Goya owns almost everything, they make Casera as well as Supermercados Econo and Supermax’s store versions. They have different grades of beans and from different regions. It's the same with pasta, Goya bought Excelsior.

They want to keep everything.
At the expense of workers and suppliers who are being held prisoners. These people live like kings. I don't want to be like that. I don't want to hang out or eat with people like that, or have friendships or conversations. In order to move forward, these people screw the others. They do not honor their beginnings — their founders, the great-great-grandparents.

Going back to the rice, when do I cover it, uncover it, shake it ...?
When the water, salt and oil are boiling, you add the rice. You shake it and leave it uncovered until it evaporates in medium high. When it evaporates, stir it, put it on low heat and cover it. After 20 minutes, lift the lid, fork it, and that's it.

Look, the rice is done. Serve yourself some beans, potatoes, and carrots [from the stewed chicken]. The beans are not so thick but tomorrow they will be.

When serving the beans, remove the recao and cilantro leaves and the sweet peppers that have been flavoring the beans. If you’re feeling adventurous, eat a boiled sweet pepper, they’re delicious. Since the beans were not cooked with many artificial products, they’re not as thick as usual, they are lighter and you can appreciate the flavor of them. If you want to thicken them, use a hand blender and mash a little from the bottom of the pot. Also, you can take out a portion, mash it separately and add it back to the pot. Gloria taught me that tomato-based foods, such as pasta sauces, are best cooked the day before to allow them to rest and concentrate the flavors.

Gloria, why do you think we eat such heavy food year-round, which in other countries is usually eaten during the fall or winter?
It's a way to kill bacteria and it was a way to protect ourselves. Before there was no refrigeration, everything was fried or stewed to kill bacteria. That is what I think. Heat is great for creating bacteria, but at the same time, when you cook food, it kills them.

Besides the mamposteao rice with the stewed chicken, what else are you going to serve them?
I'm going to make a salad with local romaine and iceberg lettuce, tomato, purple cabbage, carrots, and purple onion. I'm going to make a dressing of olive oil, rice and wine vinegar, onion and granulated garlic, salt and pepper. Light, with some flavor. No mayonnaise or sour cream. Also a bread roll, a bottle of water and a banana. They can save the banana or bread for later.

Oh look ... there's a fly out there lurking. She will die.

By the way, who is the Papi of Art Papi?

Me? You? Everyone.