Cuisine Featured: Puerto Rican
The Melting Pot section is where we have placed recipes for cuisines brought to America by the many immigrants to our shores. Over the years these cuisines have been Americanized, i.e., most viewers of our site have probably been exposed to many of these cuisines, either via the dining-out route or, perhaps, directly within our own families due to the multi-ethnic makeup therein. As an example of this multi-ethnicity within a single family, I can cite my own case-- My family consists of the following ethnicities: English, Irish, Scottish, German, Polish and Greek. Is it any wonder then that America is called the Melting Pot?
At the bottom of this page, you will have an opportunity to E-mail us and give us your thoughts on this page. We encourage this. After all, we will be tailoring this "Cooking Around the World" series according to the wishes of our viewers.
½ pound salt pork, finely diced seeded and coarsely chopped, or
2 T annatto oil (see recipe below) substitute 3 c coarsely chopped
3 c finely chopped onions drained canned tomatoes
1 T finely chopped garlic 2 tsp salt
½ pound smoked ham, cut into 2 tsp finely chopped fresh
½-inch dice (about 1 c) coriander (cilantro)
2 medium-sized green peppers, ½ tsp crumbled dried oregano
seeded, deribbed, and finely chopped Freshly ground black pepper
4 large firm ripe tomatoes, peeled,
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In a heavy 10- to 12-inch skillet, fry the ½-pound of salt-pork dice
over moderate heat, turning them about with a spoon until they are crisp
and brown and have rendered all their fat. With a slotted spoon, remove
and discard the dice, and add the annatto oil* to
the pork fat in the skillet.Stir in the onions and garlic and, stirring frequently, cook for 6 to 8 minutes, or until they are soft but not brown. Stir in the smoked ham, the green peppers, tomatoes, salt, coriander, oregano and a few grindings of black pepper. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the sauce for 10 minutes, stirring the mixture from time to time to prevent the vegetables from sticking to the bottom of the skillet.
The sofrito can be stored, tightly covered and refrigerated, for 1 or 2 weeks; it can be stored frozen for several months. Makes about 2 cups).
½ pound (1 c) lard ½ c annatto (achiote) seeds
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Melt the lard in a small saucepan or skillet and stir in the annatto
seeds. Simmer the seeds over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently
to prevent them from sticking to the pan.Strain the annatto oil through a fine sieve set over a heatproof jar. Discard the annatto seeds. Tightly covered and refrigerated, annatto oil can be kept for 2 or 3 months. Makes about 1 cup.
