Recipe: Sofrito

Iconic in most Puerto Rican kitchens, sofrito is the seasoning mix of fresh ingredients that acts as a delicious base for a multitude of dishes—beans, stews, meat, rice, ANYTHING.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 red bell peppers (cut in half and de-seeded)

• 1 green bell pepper (cut in half and de-seeded)

• 1 medium yellow onion

• 1 head of garlic (peeled)

• 3 bunches of culantro*

• 1/2 bunch of cilantro

• 2

  cups chopped (approx. 1/2 lb) ají dulce peppers**

• 1/2 cup of pimientos***

• 1/4 cup of manzanilla olives (pitted)

• capers to taste

* Culantro - is not the same as cilantro. Culantro, sometimes referred to as recao or broadleaf cilantro, is a long leaf, flat herb with a stronger flavor profile than cilantro.

**ají dulce peppers - these sweet peppers are often simply labelled “aji peppers.” make sure you are getting the dulce, sweet, version of these peppers, as the the other ones (they look like green habañero peppers) are picante!

***you can make your own pimientos, but store bought is easier and tastes just as good. Alternatively, I buy the pimientos, manzanilla olives, and capers separately as I don’t support Goya, but they do have a very well balanced mixture of these ingredients called Alcaparrado that can be used in place of the separate ingredients

instructions

Preheat oven to 475 degrees

1. Clean and and remove seeds/pits from all ingredients

2. Place the cleaned, deseeded bell peppers, cut side down, on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for about 45 minutes: until peppers are soft and the skin is nicely charred

3. Remove roasted bell peppers from the oven and cover with a pot lid or kitchen towel to trap some of the steam. Allow peppers to cool while covered, as this will help loosen the bell pepper skin for easy removal

4. Remove the bell pepper skin (and compost it!)

5. Add roasted bell peppers and remaining ingredients into a food processor, blender, etc. and pulse

6. Adjust to taste, adding dashes of this and pinches of that until you create your preferred balance (everyone in my family is particular about which flavor profiles they like best)

Store fresh in a jar in the refrigerator. Alternatively, pour the sofrito mixture into ice cube trays, allow to freeze, and store in a freezer safe bag for months. to use, heat oil in a pan and thaw frozen sofrito cubes directly in the oil.