Arroz Maria-Isabel com Pequi

📜 Ingredients

• 🥩carne-de-sol, cut into small cubes400 g (14 oz)
• •uncooked white rice2 cups
• •preserved pequi, with pulp around the stone6 pieces🔁 roasted kabocha squash, cubed — The swap adds color and softness but does not replicate pequi’s singular aroma.
• •pequi oil or vegetable oil3 tablespoons
• •chopped onion1 medium onion
• •chopped garlic3 cloves
• 🌶️chopped pimenta-de-cheiro2 peppers, seeded
• •dried fine herbs1 teaspoon
• •hot water4 cups, or enough to cover the rice by about 1 cm (3/8 in)
• •chopped parsley and scallions1/3 cup
• •black pepperto taste
• •saltonly if needed, after tasting

👨‍🍳 Preparation

1. 1

   Taste a cube of carne-de-sol. If it is very salty, soak it in cold water in the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes; drain and pat dry. If it is moderately salty, simply rinse it quickly and dry it.

   Carne-de-sol varies from cure to cure; brief desalting preserves its flavor without turning the dish into characterless meat.

2. 2

   Drain the preserved pequi and set it aside whole. Do not cut or bite into the stone: in traditional pequi from the Brazilian savanna, the pulp is carefully scraped from around very fine spines.

   Keep the stones visible on the plate so everyone at the table remembers to eat them carefully.

3. 3

   Heat the pequi oil over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the carne-de-sol and fry for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring until its sides brown and toasted bits form on the bottom of the pan. Remove the meat and set aside.

   The fat left by the meat helps build the rice’s flavor; do not wash the pan.

4. 4

   In the same pan, sauté the onion for 3 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic, pimenta-de-cheiro, and fine herbs; stir for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the uncooked white rice and stir for 2 minutes, coating every grain in the aromatic fat.

   Sautéing the rice before adding water makes the grains more flavorful and helps them hold their structure.

5. 5

   Return the carne-de-sol to the pan, distribute the pequi, and pour in hot water until it stands 1 cm (3/8 in) above the rice. Once it comes to a boil, lower the heat, cover partially, and cook for 18 to 22 minutes, until the rice is tender and nearly all the liquid has been absorbed.

   Do not stir during cooking; if the rice is still firm, add a little hot water and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes.

6. 6

   Turn off the heat, stir in half the chopped parsley and scallions, cover, and let the Arroz Maria-Isabel rest for 8 minutes. Fluff with a fork, finish with the remaining herbs, taste, and only then adjust the salt and black pepper.

   Serve with fried plantains and green salad, a pairing recorded in a G1 Tocantins recipe.