Sofrito

Sofrito is a staple in most Puerto Rican and Latino homes. It is used as a flavor and base for stews, soups, beans and rice dishes. Not only is it a flavor burst but it is also a nutritional burst with fresh herbs, onions, garlic and peppers. The star of the show is cilantro, which not only gives it its distinct flavor, it is also a potent detoxifier and antioxidant with antibacterial compounds. Every region and every families sofrito recipe will vary slightly, giving each families dishes its own distinct flavor.

In order to make sofrito you must first find the ingredients, and that might require locating your local Spanish food market.

Red peppers, onions and garlic can be purchased at most markets, buy organic whenever possible.

Ajices dulces you will most likely only find at your local Spanish market. Aijces dulces, which means sweet chili peppers, are family to the Habenero peppers, although these peppers are not hot at all, and have more of a smokey taste. You will find these peppers in a variety of colors, red, green and orange. Whichever color you find will work for this recipe.

Cubunelle peppers and Culantro should both be available at the Spanish market, and will be hard to find organic. Culantro is a green herb with long serrated leaves and is native to the Americas. It also is known as Mexican Coriander.

Italian frying peppers will be easier to find, but also hard to find organic, so just buy what you find and clean well.

Equipment needed for recipe:

• Food Processor or Vitamix

• 4 Silcone/Plastic ice trays

Ingredients:

• 3 Spanish Onions Medium

• 5 Cubanelle or Italian Frying Peppers

• 1.5 Medium Heads of Garlic

• 1 Large bunch of Cilantro

• 1 packages (about 15) Ajices Dulces

• 1 bunch (about 15 leaves) of Culantro

• 1 Red bell pepper

Process:

• Cut onions, peppers, and aijces dulces to medium sized pieces, to fit into your food processor/vitamix.

• Place the ingredients in batches, you may want to split the onions and garlic between the leafy herbs in order to get them moving better in the processor, into your processor. As you grind/process, empty into a large bowl to mix. fully.

• Once all ingredients are fully processed and mixed well, take out your silicone/plastic ice trays. Fill them and place in freezer until frozen. While batch is freezing, if there is any remaining sofrito keep in refrigerator. It can stay in refrigerator overnight up to 1 week. Once frozen you can transfer to your container of choice (silicone/plastic bag, glass/plastic container), and refill trays until all sofrito is frozen.

• Each cube is about 1 tablespoon to 1 -1/2 tablespoons of Sofrito, depending on tray.

Sofrito is an amazing gift to give to friends who love to cook. Latin Americans often will share their Sofrito with family members. In our family we always make enough to share. If you would like to do the same I suggest doubling the recipe. Sofrito is a flavor that you can adjust to your own tastebuds, so if you feel this recipe is to garlicy for you for example, then cut back on the garlic, adjust and make it your own!