Puerto Rican-Style Sofrito
Sofrito is one of the foundational flavor builders used throughout Puerto Rican cooking, providing an aromatic starting point for dishes ranging from rice and beans to soups, stews, meats, and braises.
Puerto Rican preparations commonly feature ingredients such as recao/culantro, cilantro, ají dulce, peppers, onion, and garlic, although—as with many traditional preparations—recipes vary from cook to cook.
This fresh version celebrates those ingredients while remaining versatile enough to become a refrigerator staple.
Servings: 3 Cups
Ingredients
- 1 large yellow onion roughly chopped
- 1 green bell pepper seeded and chopped
- 1 red bell pepper seeded and chopped
- 8 –10 ají dulce peppers stemmed and seeded
- 1 whole head garlic cloves peeled
- 1 packed cup fresh cilantro
- 10 –12 culantro/recao leaves
- 1/4 cup olive oil as needed for processing
Optional:
- 1 medium ripe tomato roughly chopped
Instructions
Prepare the produce.
- Wash and thoroughly dry the herbs and vegetables. Remove stems and seeds as necessary and roughly chop the larger vegetables.
Begin with the aromatics.
- Place onion, bell peppers, ají dulce, and garlic into a food processor. Pulse several times.
Add the herbs.
- Add cilantro and recao.
Process.
- Pulse until finely chopped and thoroughly combined.
Adjust consistency.
- Add olive oil gradually only as needed to help the ingredients process into a thick aromatic mixture.
- If using tomato, add it during this stage.
Finish.
- Process until everything is incorporated while retaining some texture.
Notes
Chef Winston's Notes
The commercial sofrito shown in the episode contained achiote/annatto, giving it a dramatically different red-orange appearance.
That doesn't mean every sofrito should look that way.
Likewise, a fresh Puerto Rican sofrito can be intensely green depending upon the herbs and peppers used.
That's part of the lesson behind this episode:
The name alone doesn't tell you everything that's inside the jar.
How to Use It
Use sofrito as the aromatic beginning for:
Rice • Beans • Soups • Stews • Chicken • Pork • Beef • Seafood • Braised dishes
For many cooked dishes, start by sautéing a few tablespoons of sofrito before adding the remaining ingredients.
Storage
Transfer to a clean airtight container and refrigerate promptly. Use within several days for peak freshness, or freeze in convenient portions.
The commercial sofrito shown in the episode contained achiote/annatto, giving it a dramatically different red-orange appearance.
That doesn't mean every sofrito should look that way.
Likewise, a fresh Puerto Rican sofrito can be intensely green depending upon the herbs and peppers used.
That's part of the lesson behind this episode:
The name alone doesn't tell you everything that's inside the jar.
How to Use It
Use sofrito as the aromatic beginning for:
Rice • Beans • Soups • Stews • Chicken • Pork • Beef • Seafood • Braised dishes
For many cooked dishes, start by sautéing a few tablespoons of sofrito before adding the remaining ingredients.
Storage
Transfer to a clean airtight container and refrigerate promptly. Use within several days for peak freshness, or freeze in convenient portions.