Recipe(tried): Annato Seeds - Hello dear Jeanne: Thanks for asking! In Puerto Rico

we use the Annato seeds in the following way:

We take about 2 tb seeds, & about 2 cups olive oil (Before, the housewives used shortening, but not anymore after the discovery of cholesterol). We heat the oil together with the seeds in a skillet or pot. When the oil is red or bright yellow, we pass the oil through a sieve and we keep that oil in the refrigerator for a month or more, to use as coloring, & also to provide a distinctive flavor & aroma (we use covered glass containers). We throw away the seeds after using them because our cooks say that the annato seeds if not very fresh, are bitter. Nevertheless, in Mexico & in some parts of South America they use ground Annato seeds in their natural state to prepare what the Mexicans call the Adobo Yucateco. I have never used them in a ground powder. The bijol (deep orange color) is a product that contains ground annato & other spices. I have used it frequently & it gives a marvelous color to the dishes. But it lacks the aroma & taste of the annato oil.

If you use ground annato with other spices you will obtain a kind of Adobo Yucateco, not Bijol, that is a commercial brand of annato based powder. Green bell peppers are different from our green peppers, but really in the form & texture of the vegetable. Our green peppers are long in form & not very big. They are delicious, specially in the Sofrito & are less expensive than the green bell peppers.

Thanks dear friend & I wish you & your family a very happy Thanksgiving.

Gladys/PR