Sofrito can do everything
It’s a stock, a rub, a topping, a side dish, and a dip. Sofrito is a verdant and spicy foundation for innumerable sauces, soups, sautés, braises, paellas, and Latin dishes of all kinds. You can cook sofrito with rice, vegetables, and proteins to make a powerful entrée. Serve raw for a kick-ass salsa or add a dollop to spice up your guacamolé and humus.
Cooking Music:
“Cucala” by Celia Cruz with Johnny Pacheco
Ingredients
- 1 large yellow onion
- 1 small head of garlic
- ½ cup recao (culantro)
- ½ cup cilantro stems
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup green olive juice (be aware of animal-derived lactic acid)
- Fresh oregano
- Salt & pepper
- Fresh chiles:
- 4 ají dulce
- 1 cubanella
- 1 poblano
- 1 banana
- 1 serrano
- 1 jalapeno (Fresno or other medium chile will do)
- 1 green habanero (if you dare)
Make
- Remove pepper stems (partially or fully de-seed based on your heat
preference) - Add all ingredients into food processor; chop roughly
Add tablespoons of vegetable stock, olive juice, or water as
needed for consistency (a salsa not a paste)
Serve
- Add as the starter to soups, sautés, and sauces
- Braise hearty vegetables and tofu/tempeh in sofrito and
vegetable stock or white wine - Top with tomato and cilantro for a raw salsa
Sofrito Rice
- Lightly sauté ½ cup of sofrito
- Add 15-20 green olives
- Salt to taste
- Add 1 cup of rice and sauté for 1 minute
- Add water (about 1 ¾ cups; water level above rice
- should reach your thumb knuckle)
- Boil until water reaches top of rice
- Turn off heat and cover for 20 minutes
- Fluff and serve with tomato and cilantro leaf garnish