Arroz con Palmitos (Rice with Hearts of Palms)

Arroz con Palmitos is a simple side dish that’ s perfect for a weeknight dinner. This dish is from the department of Amazonas located in the south of Colombia. The department is part of the South American region of the Amazon Forest, the largest forest area in the world that is shared by Venezuela, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Guyana, Suriname, and Bolivia.

Heart of Palm (palmito) is a vegetable harvested from the inner core of certain palm trees. This ingredient is very popular in the Amazonas department of Colombia. In the United States canned hearts of palm are packed in water and can be found in gourmet markets and many large supermarkets. This Arroz con Palmitos would be a great side to chicken, beef or fish, or you could serve as a vegetarian main dish as well.

Buen provecho!

Ingredients

(4 servings)

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1cup onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon of cumin
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup rice
• 1 3/4 cups of vegetable stock
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• Salt and pepper
• 1 (14 oz) can of hearts of palms, sliced

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a medium pot, add the onion, cumin and garlic, cook for about 2-3 minutes on medium heat.
2. Add the rice and mix well until the rice is coated with the onion mixture. Add the stock, bring to boil and reduce heat to low.
3. In the meantime, melt the butter over medium heat in a sauté pan, add the peppers, palmitos, salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often.
4. Add the sautéed vegetables to the rice, which should still be cooking, and continue cooking on low heat until the rice is tender.