Tampa Soul Food

Arroz amarillo con pollo y camarones-- Chicken and yellow rice with shrimp. This is the signature dish of Tampa's Spanish restaurants and it appeared often on our family table, conveyed thither by my father who would pick up a to-go container of the delicious stuff on his way home from work.

The recipe I used is adapted from the cookbook Clarita's Cocina by Clarita Garcia of Tampa's famous Las Novedades restaurant. (It's a terrific cookbook, probably long out of print but worth looking for on used books sites.)

The Recipe

(which could be made with only chicken or only shrimp)

1 large chicken, cut into serving pieces. Reserve the back to make broth. (Or you could use 3-4 lb. of chicken thighs and/or breasts and use canned chicken broth.) 

1/2 cup olive oil

i large onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1 large ripe tomato, chopped

6 cloves garlic, chopped

I lemon, juice of

1 bay leaf

1 tbs. salt

Hot sauce to taste (I used Sriracha)

1 cup hot chicken broth

 

2 packets Goya Sazon (yes, I have boycotted Goya ever since the former guy pitched it but alas, I can't find or make a substitute that give the same taste that is part of this childhood memory.)

1/4 c. dry white wine

2 c. basmati rice

12 or more shrimp, raw, peeled

1 c. thawed frozen baby green peas (I just dump them in hot water and as soon as they've thawed, drain them.)

Pimento strips

In a large skillet or casserole suitable for stovetop and oven cooking, lightly brown the chicken pieces in oil. Set aside. Add the onion and green pepper. Sauté till translucent. Add tomato, garlic, lemon juice, bay leaf, hot sauce, and salt. Mix well and cook till tomato softens.

Dissolve the sazon in the hot chicken broth and add the white wine. Pour on vegetables and stir well. Return the chicken pieces to the skillet, cover and cook about 15 minutes or till tender.

Add rice, stir to distribute then bring to a boil.  Cover and place in preheated oven (325F) for 20 minutes or until rice has cooked. Put the raw shrimp on top of the rice for the last 5 minutes--they just need to turn pink and curl up a bit --no overcooking!

Remove casserole from oven, garnish with the peas and pimentos, recover and let sit 15 minutes.

All you need now is a green salad and a glass of wine. Cuban bread would be great--if you can find any. 

 

Soul Food from Tampa

Arroz con Pollo, aka Chicken and Yellow Rice, is a standard of Tampa cuisine. It's probably the most often ordered of the many dishes in the Spanish restaurants of Ybor City and it was a popular favorite in my home when I was growing up. 

My mother was an excellent cook (for the Fifties, anyway -- there were a fair amount of Jello salads and Cream of Mushroom soup made its stealthy way into more than one casserole,) but she didn't cook Arroz con Pollo.  My father would  stop by one of the Spanish restaurants on his way home from work and arrive with a container of the wonderful stuff. 

Alas, no such convenience here. But I have a cookbook and here's my best shot at duplicating Tampa soul food.

(Claui took the pictures with her phone -- amazing quality, I think!)

                            Arroz con Pollo (6 servings)

 ( adapted from the Las Novedades recipe as found in Clarita’s Cocina)

1 chicken (cut into pieces – breasts, legs, thighs, wings, backs)

½ cup olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1 large ripe tomato, chopped (or substitute about a cup of canned tomatoes or chunky salsa)

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 TB. Lemon juice

1 bay leaf

1 TB salt

Hot sauce to taste

2-3 packets Goya Sazon

1 cup hot chicken broth

¼ cup dry white wine

Parsley

2 cups long grain or basmati rice

2 ¼ cups chicken broth

Green peas and pimento strips for garnish

More dry white wine

Sauté chicken in olive oil in a skillet till just golden. Remove to covered casserole (that can be used on the stovetop as well as in the oven.) To the oil in the skillet add the onion and green pepper. Sauté till translucent. Add tomato, garlic, lemon juice, bay leaf, salt and hot sauce and cook till mushy.

Dissolve Sazon in I c. hot chicken broth and combine with ¼ cup wine. Pour into skillet with mushy mixture, add some parsley, and stir well. Pour this mixture over the chicken in the casserole, cover and cook on medium heat till chicken is tender (about 15 minutes.)

Add rice to chicken and stir to distribute thoroughly. Add 2 1/4 cups chicken broth, stir once, bring to a boil, cover and put in preheated 325 oven for 20 minutes. Do not overcook.

Remove from oven. Garnish with peas, pimento strips, and sprigs of parsley. Sprinkle with dry white wine and let stand 15 minutes before serving.