On those extra cold winter days, my mom would usually make asopao de pollo. Asapao is a Puerto Rican dish is sort of like a chicken and rice stew, cooked to a creamy, comforting perfection. It sort of reminds me of risotto. I also love paella, the quintessential Spanish dish that features all sorts of meat and/or seafood cooked together with saffron rice. I combined some elements from both of these dishes, and create a delish new one, with this chorizo risotto. It’s almost too good for words! You can use any kind of chorizo-like sausage for this dish, I happened to have Colombian chorizo on hand, so that’s what I used. Feel free to get creative, Linguiça, Mexican chorizo, andouille, kielbasa and more would work perfectly in this dish.
Ingredients
1/2 lb Colombian (or other) chorizo, cooked and sliced into discs
3 1/2 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
¾ cup finely diced onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons achiote seeds
1/2 packet Sazon
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
¼ cup thinly sliced scallions, plus more for garnish
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Salt and pepper
Directions
Pour the chicken stock into a small stockpot and toss in the achiote seeds and the 1/2 packet of Sazon. Heat the stock until it’s simmering. Keep warm.
In a round bottom pot, heat the olive oil and add in the chopped onion and garlic. Saute for 3-4 minutes, until they’re fragrant and translucent.
Toss in the arborio rice, and stir for 2 minutes, until the rice is opaque around the edges.
Add the wine and cook over medium-low heat until absorbed, about 5 minutes.
Ladle 1 cup of the stock over the rice and simmer, stirring frequently, until absorbed. Continue to add the stock a ½ cup at a time, stirring frequently, until the rice is creamy and tender but still slightly chewy in the center, about 20 minutes.
Once the rice is done, lower the heat to a simmer and stir in the grated Parmigiano.
Stir in the thawed peas and scallions.
Finally, stir in the chorizo and cilantro. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with an extra sprinkle of chopped green onions, and a few cilantro leaves.
