We were guests in the home of Dominican friends. 3 weeks passed without incident, until one day Mr. Rivera took ill and went to the hospital with who-knew-what stomach ailment. His wife stayed by his side morning and night, and I was thrust in the role of “Ama de Casa”. I decided right away that cooking Dominican food would be very hard as I had no experience. My first big lunch would be a traditional New England style roast chicken with herbs, including roasted vegetables and a salad.
Things did not go right from the start. The maid found my preparations insulting, especially as I left the chicken in big pieces. The grandmother constantly checked the progress of said chicken, so I “locked” the oven, something I often do to my old oven in the States so that less heat will escape.
Little did I know that this oven had never been locked and would not unlock, either. We had to physically take the door off the oven. Also during this time, I overloaded the washing machine and it cut off. After my husband and young Dib fixed the oven, they lifted the full washing machine to flick a switch on the bottom. They laughed at me while all this was going on and, flustered, I became confused at the actual timing of the cooked chicken.
The chicken was pink in the middle. The boys not-so-secretly fed it to their dog. The vegetables were hard as rocks. The salad was more like onion and tomato soup. Amidst my tears we ordered pizza.
On a side note: Mr. Rivera had kidney stones and recovered.
As I include more recipes in our collection I am adding the more obscure ones (although not unknown to Dominicans), such as this recipe. Unlike many places, where gizzards, along with other viscera, is considered an inedible byproduct, in the Dominican Republic it is a delicacy.
Unless you are a talented masticator, take aside enough time for cooking this, gizzards are the toughest muscles in poultry.
Time: 45 minutes Serves: 4 people
Before starting to cook: Clean the gizzards of excess fat. Boil with salt, pepper and oregano until they are very tender. A pressure cooker will help speed up the process.
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs of chicken gizzard
- 4 cups rice
- 7 cups water (includes the water in which you boiled the gizzards)
- 5 tablespoons oil
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/4 cup green peppers, chopped
- 1 pinch oregano
- 1 teaspoon crushed garlic
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 1/8 cup chopped, pitted olives
- 1/4 cup celery, chopped
- 1 teaspoon parsley, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon coriander, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon of thyme leaves
- Salt
Preparation:
- In an iron pot, heat 3 tablespoons of oil, reserving 2 tablespoons for later use. Add the gizzards (drain all the water and pat dry with a paper beforehand), being careful with splattering oil. Brown slightly and add green peppers, oregano, garlic, black pepper, olives, celery, parsley, coriander, and thyme. Simmer over low heat until the vegetables start to wilt. Add tomato paste and stir to combine. Add water and bring to a boil. Adjust salt to taste.
- Add the rice and stir often to avoid excessive sticking. Once all the water has evaporated, cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer over very low heat. Wait 15 minutes, uncover and stir, before adding remaining oil. Cover and wait another 5 minutes. Taste rice for “doneness”; it should be firm but tender inside. If necessary, cover and leave another 5 minutes over very low heat.
Aunt Clara's Kitchen is a collection of traditional Dominican recipes, recipes inspired by Dominican flavors, as well as the chronicles of the Aunties' adventures in the kitchen and outside.
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