Asopao de Longaniza
a sausage and rice stew as bright and vibrant as they come.
This one could be pretty easy, if you already happen to have sofrito (homemade or otherwise) and Sazón on hand. If you don’t, it becomes more complicated .. but fear not!
Sofrito is something I’ll make in large batches, whenever I decide to cook a dish that requires it. I’ll take whatever is leftover and freeze it in an ice cube tray or flattened in a ziploc bag for easy breakage. I typically eyeball this kind of thing based on what I happen to have, so I don’t have much to give you in terms of my own recipe. That being said, here are a couple to point you in the right direction:
Authentic Puerto Rican Sofrito Recipe
I did, however, write down my Sazón recipe. I didn’t make my own Sazón because it is better or healthier this way, but rather because I didn’t happen to have any on hand. If you’ve already got some kicking around, don’t worry about it.
Sazón Recipe:
1 tsp annato seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp msg
1/2 tsp salt
Put everything into a spice blender and blitz until fine. If using a mortar and pestle, pound out the whole spices first before mixing through the garlic, msg, and salt.
Alright, you’re ready for the main event!
Asopao de Longaniza Recipe
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp oil
10 oz package of Dominican-style longaniza sausage, it would be fun to mess with other fresh, highly-spiced sausages here if you have trouble procuring longaniza.
4 cloves of garlic, minced
3 Tbsp sofrito
1 small red onion, diced
1 cubanelle pepper, chopped into large pieces. a green bell or poblano would suffice
1 rib of celery
1/3 cup olives, sliced
2 Tbsp capers
3/4 cup long grain rice, rinsed
2 cups of squash (kabocha, butternut, calabaza), chopped into large chunks
a bunch of cilantro, and very optionally culantro
4 cups chicken stock
1 lime
Sliced avocado for garnish
Grab a relatively large pot and put it over medium heat. Add in the oil, followed by the sausage. Let cook, stirring often, until nicely browned all around.
Add in the garlic and let cook for 30 seconds or so, until fragrant. Add in the sofrito and cook for another 30 seconds. Add the onion, pepper, and celery all at once. Stir and cook for a few minutes, until just softening. Add the Sazón and let cook for 30 seconds or so, we want those spices to touch that hot oil and rendering sausage fat briefly. Now it is time to add the olives, capers, rice, squash, and herbs (if using, wrap your cilantro bunch with a culantro leaf for easy removal and extra flavor).
Immediately add the chicken stock (ideally already heated) and mix all together. Bring up to a hard simmer, turn the heat down a touch and cover to cook for 40 minutes. Check and stir the stew frequently, especially towards the end, to make sure nothing is sticking and you’re not losing too much liquid. Add more stock or water as needed. The final texture should be thick, but not so thick that you could eat it in anything but a bowl. Cut the heat, remove the herbs, and squeeze in the juice of one lime. Garnish your bowl with a few required slices of avocado, and enjoy!