Lobster Asopao
(Serves 4)

Ingredients
3 lb. of lobster meat
3 teaspoon annato seed oil (or 1 tsp Bijol-ground annato sold in Latin markets)
1 cup of onion(chopped)
3/4 cup green bell pepper (chopped)
2 garlic cloves(chopped)
1/2 cup of celery (chopped)
1/2 cup of carrot(slice thin)
1 cup of calabaza
1 cups of wine (white dry)
4 tomatoes (medium - peeled, seeded, and chopped)
1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice
3 cups of stock (lobster, fish or chicken) made from lobster shells
1/4 cup of small pimiento stuffed olives well sliced
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon of ground dry oregano
1 tablespoon of capers drained ( I use small cocktail capers)
2 teaspoon of paprika
2 teapoon cumin
1 pinch saffron
2 bay leaves
3 leaves of culandro or 1/2 cup cilantrillo
salt to taste
3 sprigs green scallion slices

If you have Sofrito just add it to the kettle bring to heat and add the celery, carrots, tomatoes, calabaza, wine, stock, etc.

To start from scratch you add the annato seed oil to the soup kettle, bring to heat, saute' onion and green bell pepper until soft, thenadd the garlic, celery, carrots, calabaza, tomatoes, white wine, fish or lobster stock, add the 2 cups of rice.Also add the bay leaves, paprika, caper, olives, cumin salt pepper pinch of saffron, cilantro, oregano add the lobster meat. Cover let to simmer, cook about 35 minutes. Serve in deep bowls, sprinkle scallion and cilantro for garnish. You can substitute shrimps (cleaned & deveined) for the lobster meat.