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.
4 T lard 2 quarts water, or 2 quarts of
¼ pound smoked ham, cut into chicken stock, fresh or canned
¼-inch dice (½ c) 2 T salt
1½ c finely chopped onions 2 pounds shrimp, peeled and
1 c finely chopped green pepper deveined
3 medium-sized tomatoes, finely 1 pound green peas, shelled
chopped (2 c) 1 T capers
1 T finely chopped garlic ½ c pitted olives
½ c tomato purée ½ c pimientos, finely chopped
2 c long-grain white rice (not
the converted variety)
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Heat the lard in a heavy 2½- to 3-quart casserole and, when it is very
hot but not smoking, stir in the diced ham. Tossing the dice constantly,
cook them over moderate heat until they are evenly browned, then stir in the
onions, green pepper, tomatoes and garlic. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring
frequently, until the vegetables are soft, then stir in the tomato purée,
rice, water (or stock), and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover
the casserole, lower the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the rice
is tender; the mixture should still be soupy by the time the rice is cooked.
Add the shrimp and peas to the casserole, cover it again, and cook for
another 5 minutes, or until the shrimp are pink.Stir in the capers, olives and pimientos, cover and simmer for 1 or 2 minutes more. Taste for seasoning and ladle the asopao into a large heated tureen or individual soup plates. Serves 4 to 6.
