I started making my own soups a couple of years ago and I’m pretty sure I’ll never buy canned soup again. Opening a can or packet of soup is quicker to be sure, but this way you can make it to your own liking, experimenting with ingredients, making it as mild or as spicy as… Continue reading Chicken Tortilla Soup
Tag: Latin American
Spanish Rice with Pigeon Peas (Arroz con Gandules)
Arroz con gandules, or rice with peas is a staple in most Puerto Rican and Caribbean households. It’s one of my favorite dishes to order in Spanish restaurants and I finally decided to try making it on my own. It came out so good I ate it as a main dish instead of a side!… Continue reading Spanish Rice with Pigeon Peas (Arroz con Gandules)
Recaíto (Puerto Rican Sofrito)
This green, herbaceous cooking base is one of the most essential ingredients in Puerto Rican cuisine. It is basically sofrito without the tomato sauce and so is an excellent substitute for any recipe calling for sofrito. They are so similar that some Puerto Ricans use the words as synonyms (see Sofrito Eggs). Recaíto contains culantro… Continue reading Recaíto (Puerto Rican Sofrito)
Sofrito Eggs
This recipe does not actually contain (tomato-based) sofrito, but instead calls for recaíto (Puerto Rican cilantro-based sofrito). Perhaps, I should have named it Recaíto Eggs, but I learned this recipe from my husband’s side of the family and this is what they call it, so it’s fine by me too. This dish is cooked quickly,… Continue reading Sofrito Eggs
Sazón (Puerto Rican Seasoning)
The counterpart to adobo seco, sazón is another Puerto Rican seasoned salt – the difference being that while adobo is primarily used to flavor meat, sazón is primarily used to flavor vegetables. Traditionally, sazón contains ground annatto (achiote molido) for color, but I can only find whole annatto seeds in my area. I’ve learned the… Continue reading Sazón (Puerto Rican Seasoning)
Adobo Seco (Dry Marinade)
Adobo seco is a Puerto Rican seasoned salt. Sprinkle generously on meat before cooking, to add a distinctive Latin flavor to your meal. Most basic recipes also include onion powder, but I modeled mine after a certain beloved store brand, which omits onion entirely, so now I prefer it that way. I’ve also added a… Continue reading Adobo Seco (Dry Marinade)
Pollo Guisado (Chicken Stew)
I grew up in a diverse neighborhood in New York City, and as it happens, my best friend, nephew, son-in-law and grandsons are of full or half Puerto Rican descent. As a result, I’ve been fortunate enough to have enjoyed some fabulously delicious Puerto Rican dishes. I’m still learning but I’ve been able to get a few of them… Continue reading Pollo Guisado (Chicken Stew)
