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Sofrito

Name: Sofrito
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 16 servings
Cuisine: Puerto Rican
Ingredients: 2 medium (450 g) yellow onions, roughly chopped; 1 head garlic, about 12 cloves, peeled; 3 (300 g) cubanelle peppers, seeded and chopped; 15 ajíes dulces, seeded; 1 bunch culantro (recao), about 20 leaves; 1 bunch cilantro, leaves and tender stems; 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped (optional)

The green, fragrant base that starts the rice, the beans and the stews. Make a big batch once and freeze it.

Sofrito

TiempoTime20 min

TrabajoHands-on20 min

NivelLevelEasy

PorcionesServes16

If you only make one thing from this kitchen, make this. Mami Bruny keeps a freezer bag of sofrito cubes the way some people keep ice. One or two cubes in hot oil and the whole house smells like home.

Every family argues about it: red pepper or not, how much garlic, whether a tomato goes in. This is the green version most people grew up with.

De dónde viene:Where it comes from: Spain brought the idea of a slow-cooked aromatic base. The island made it its own with ají dulce and culantro, both native to the Caribbean and the Americas.

IngredientesIngredients

2 medium (450 g) yellow onions, roughly chopped
1 head garlic, about 12 cloves, peeled
3 (300 g) cubanelle peppers, seeded and chopped
15 ajíes dulces, seeded
1 bunch culantro (recao), about 20 leaves
1 bunch cilantro, leaves and tender stems
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped optional

UtensiliosTools

Blender or food processor
Ice cube trays

PasosSteps

Rinse the culantro and cilantro well; grit hides at the base of the leaves. Shake them dry.
Put the onions and garlic in a blender or food processor first, so they release liquid and help everything else turn.
Add the peppers, ajíes dulces, culantro and cilantro in batches. Pulse until it's a coarse, spoonable paste, not a smoothie.
Keep a jar in the fridge for the week. Spoon the rest into ice cube trays, freeze, then pop the cubes into a freezer bag.

Bueno saberGood to know

How much to use: One frozen cube is about 2 tablespoons. Most recipes here call for 2 to 4 tablespoons.
Keeping: About a week in the fridge and a few months frozen.
Recaíto: Many families use "recaíto" for a version heavy on culantro. Some use the two words for the same thing.

Pregúntale a Mami (o a tu abuela)Ask Mami (or your abuela)

Did your family put red pepper or tomato in the sofrito?
Who made it in your house, and how often?