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| Wash veggies in Vinegar Water |
The following recipe makes about 4 cups of Sofrito, or in my case 3- 3.5 ice cube trays. Using the ice cube trays is super simple for cooking...just pop out as many cubes (1.5 tablespoons each) as you need!
I used five green bell peppers, 5 Roma tomatoes, 1 bunch of cilantro, 1/2 bunch of parsley, 9 SWEET Mexican peppers, one large head of garlic and one ginormous yellow onion.
I always give my fruits and veggies a 15 minute vinegar water soak to help remove dirt, chemicals and all around crud. To a sink full of veggies and water (as seen above), I add around a cup and a half of white vinegar. After the soak, rinse and cut up the veggies.
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| Onions, Garlic and food processor of choice |
I de-seed the peppers, chop and throw them all into my Ninja Master Prep
and take them for a spin. I follow the peppers with the onions, then the garlic, then the cilantro and parsley. I finish off with the tomatoes (which help push the feisty cilantro and parsley down into the blades).Once I have all of my ingredients pureed, I begin spooning it into BPA FREE Ice Cube Trays
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| Vacuum sealed for freezing |
I place the 3-4 trays into a giant freezer bag, pop in a straw and close the bag around it. Next, I use the straw to suck out the excess air.
This method works really well for me. Give it a try and let me know how it works for you!
Hint: Sofrito tastes GREAT in soups, stews, meatballs, pasta sauce and when used as a marinade. Let your imagination run wild!
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What is Sofrito? |
| The mouse was under the spell, too! |
Sofrito is many things, not the least of which are: hypnotic smelling, a valuable and savory addition to recipes (and not only to Caribbean dishes) and oh yes, it's very healthy!
So what is Sofrito? Puerto Rican Sofrito is an aromatic cooking base made with onions, garlic, recao, aji dulces and more. But there is no one set recipe and it's not solely Puerto Rican. On the contrary, many countries (including but not limited to: Spain, Greece, Colombia, Mediterranean and Caribbean areas and Philippines) have their own version of Sofrito. In fact, most Caribbean cultures even differ slightly from one another.
Additionally, there are various ways to prepare and use Sofrito. Mom used to reach into the fridge as needed and dice up, then saute yellow onions and green bell pepper in olive oil, then add cilantro and sometimes Spanish Olives (Manzanillo) and capers.
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I got the following sofrito recipe from Daisy Martinez' site "Daisy Cooks!" and then I put my own spin on it. Here's Daisy's recipe:
Makes about 4 cups.
If you can't find ajices dulces or culantro, don't sweat. Up the amount of cilantro to 1 ½ bunches.
2 medium Spanish onions, cut into large chunks
3 to 4 Italian frying peppers or cubanelle peppers
16 to 20 cloves garlic, peeled
1 large bunch cilantro, washed
7 to 10 ajices dulces (see note below), optional
4 leaves of culantro (see note below), or another handful cilantro
3 to 4 ripe plum tomatoes, cored and cut into chunks
1 large red bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into large chunks
Chop the onion and cubanelle or Italian peppers in the work bowl of a food processor until coarsely chopped. With the motor running, add the remaining ingredients one at a time and process until smooth. The sofrito will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It also freezes beautifully. Freeze sofrito in ½ cup batches in sealable plastic bags. They come in extremely handy in a pinch. You can even add sofrito straight from the freezer to the pan in any recipe that calls for it in this book.
Pantry Notes: Ajices Dulces, also known as cachucha or ajicitos are tiny sweet peppers with a hint of heat. They range in color from light to medium green and yellow to red and orange. They add freshness and an herby note to the sofrito and anything you cook. Do not mistake them for Scotch bonnet or Habanero chilies (which they look like)--those two pack a wallop when it comes to heat. If you can find ajicitos in your market, add them to sofrito. If not, up the cilantro and add a pinch of cayenne pepper. Culantro is not cilantro. It has long leaves with tapered tips and serrated edges. When it comes to flavor, culantro is like cilantro times ten. It is a nice, not essential addition to sofrito. (See Sources for both the above.)
Finally, it can be purchased premade by companies such as Goya
