Have you ever wondered how Puerto Rican dishes make get their bold flavor from? Learn how to make this easy Puerto Rican sofrito recipe below!
Can I just share with you how much I love my job. Not only do I get to be in the kitchen and learn my family’s recipes, but through research for these blog posts, I also get to learn a bit of food history that I get to pass on to you. I have always loved to share information with others and now I get to do that through food. Amazing!
Growing up, I would see my mom pull out this mixture from the freezer whenever she would cook. I remember how pungent the smell was, but the food that was made with it was always delicious. It wasn’t until I was older that I realized this was a cultural thing and that not every family had sofrito ready and sitting in their freezer. Ha!
To summarize, the term sofrito has been around since about 1324, with origins from Spanish cuisine. Since there are Spanish influences in Caribbean, Puerto Rican and Dominican cuisine, sofrito over the years has then taken on varieties of those places into what we are familiar with today. Even within my own culture, each family has their own way of making sofrito based on where we live. The sofrito my Godmother in Florida makes, tastes completely different than my mom’s in Indiana. That has to do with not being able to get the same fresh ingredients here in Indiana and there still not being a huge Latin culture here compared to Florida. The premise is still the same, fresh ingredients turned into a sauce or mixture that is used as a base for rice, soups, stews and marinades.
It is super easy to make and you can make it in bulk and store in your freezer for later use. All ingredients go into a food processor and pulsed until it almost looks like salsa.
Add olive oil, green peppers, red onion, cilantro, lime juice, garlic, cachucha peppers or sweet peppers (shown above), salt and pepper.
Pulse until you have the desired consistency and store. I know fresh garlic is super strong, but I always have to taste a teaspoon of it. It makes me feel so alive and it’s so fresh! I will warn you though, if you do not like spicy things then I highly recommend to NOT taste it fresh, only after you’ve cooked it, when the garlic taste becomes less pungent. Then if you are cooking, use what you need and freeze the rest. I normally put them in freezer bags, but you can also put them into ice cube trays and then freezer bags or in Tupperware like the picture below.
Now your ready to start cooking authentic Puerto Rican cuisine!
Enjoy.
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Puerto Rican Sofrito
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 5 mins
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
Are you looking to explore cooking dishes from other cultures? Now you can start cooking up Puerto Rican dishes with this Sofrito recipe
Ingredients
- 2 green peppers (quartered)
- 2 red onions (quartered)
- 1 Bunch of Cilantro (chopped)
- Lime juice from a whole lime
- 2 garlic heads (throw in whole cloves)
- 2 cups of cachucha peppers (or sweet peppers) -stems removed
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of pepper
Instructions
- Throw all ingredients into a food processor and pulse until you get desired consistency of salsa.
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: Puerto Rican
Thanks to the terrific guide
Thanks, it is quite informative
This is perfect seasoning for meats and Latin beans. I love this especially since I watch my salt intake and this is the healthier option compared to other popular latin spices. Plus it’s fresh, gives such great flavor and life to the food.
★★★★
Found in every Latin home. On grilled steak, everyone will ask for your recipe.