Dish 1: Puerto Rico- Asopao

Asopao; :ah-so-POW:
In Spanish the word "asopao" means soupy.

What brings back memories of your childhood? Mama's home made soup? Grandma's cookies? Father's barbecued chicken? For most Puerto Ricans, if you ask them what their childhood heartwarming dish was, they would tell you "asopao." As said in the name, asopao is a soupy like dish...but it isn't a soup. It is more of a soup, stew, meat loaf mix. It is slightly like the Spanish paella in Spain and other Hispanic nations.

Asopao was the recipe that inspired me to start this little blog. I was assigned a project for my Spanish class where I had to find a recipe from a Spanish speaking country and translate the recipe, and a little bit of history into Spanish. It came to me that it would not be fun if I didn't MAKE the food, so why not make it? And furthermore, why not even write a blog not just about Puerto Rican food, but about food from everywhere in the world. It would help me try new things and expand my mind. Aside from all that, it also gives me a history lesson about different countries, although Puerto Rico is technically not a country.

A Quick History Lesson
Asopao first appeared in the 1800s in restaurants in Puerto Rico. From there it has been a great phenomenon in most Puerto Rican restaurants, big and small. Most chefs even have their own recipe for asopao. It can even be found in Cuba.

With this first recipe, I had a blast. I took the Julia Child's method of well, no one is looking, so go ahead and use your hands. Of course my hands were clean, but it didn't keep me from getting onion in my eyes, and gooey chicken all over my hands. With minimal preparation, the recipe took about 3 hours to make, but that's okay since it was delicious in the end.

In order to start making asopao de pollo (of chicken), you require the following ingredients

• 3/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1/2 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 cup uncooked long-grain rice
• 1/2 cup chopped bottled roasted red bell peppers
• 1 tablespoon capers
• 3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated Manchego cheese (Romano or Parmesan works just as well.)

Next follow these simple instructions in order to prepared your meal.

1. Sprinkle chicken with oregano, black pepper, and salt.
   
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
   
3. Add chicken; sauté 4 minutes or until lightly browned.
   
4. Remove chicken from pan; cover and keep warm.
   
5. Add onion, green bell pepper, and garlic to pan.
6. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook 10 minutes or until tender.
   
7. Add broth, paprika, and tomatoes; bring to a boil.
   
8. Stir in rice.
   
9. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 18 minutes or until rice is almost tender.
10. Stir in chicken; cover and cook 4 minutes or until chicken is done.
    
11. Stir in red bell peppers and capers.
    
12. Sprinkle each serving with cheese.

Recipe and Ingredients found at MyRecipes.com.

If you are a vegetarian or do not like chicken, do not fret! You can also make asopao with beef or fish or many other types of protein. There are hundreds of original recipes out there.

My entire family enjoyed the meal, and was happy that I did not set the house in flames. It was a wonderful meal, despite some unwanted circumstances during the meal. It was a good first dish to choose, despite how exotic some ethnic dishes can become.