My sofrito secret is out

I am often asked to share my secret family seasoning. Well, take note. It's called "sofrito." The best way I know to describe sofrito would be to say that it is sort of the Italian equivalent of "pesto." I am not sure where sofrito originated save to say that it is used mostly in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, and it saves you time from all that peeling and finely chopping. Sofrito is more commonly used in stews, rice dishes, and are also used in soups, and as marinades. If you google "sofrito ingredients", you will get a myriad of variations, mostly containing ingredients not available at every green grocer. Here I will share my very basic sofrito recipe. Only five ingredients (the sofrito "Fab Five" if you will). The secret is actually in getting all the proportions just right.

• 1 bag of red onions (about 6 medium red onions)
  
• 2 heads of garlic
• 3 red bell peppers (medium to large)
  
• 3 green bell peppers (medium to large)
• 1 big bunch of cilantro (or 1 bunch and a half)

• About 1/2 to 1 cup of extra virgin olive oil to preserve the sofrito

Chop all veggies into big chunks (your blender or food processor will do the rest of the work). Discard the seeds of the bell peppers. Lightly "smash" the garlic cloves, so they don't dance around the blade. (I place all the veggies into separate bowls and grab handfuls to dump in the blender.) Put the fab five into the blender with some olive oil. Note: always place the peppers and then the onions into the blender first with some olive oil and then the remaining veggies. Blend all until a little bit chunky. Always leave some sofrito in the blender before adding more veggies. This will all have to be done in batches. Pour all of the sofrito into a large bowl or soup pot, stir, and then ladle it out into 1 or 1 & 1/2 cup-sized Glad or Ziploc containers, leaving some space at the top of each container, and then place in freezer. Keep a batch in a small/medium glass container with a lid in the coldest part of your refrigerator (top and back). This whole process will have to be done rather swiftly and place in the freezer immediately to ensure freshness.

Some people pour the sofrito into ice cube trays and then place the trays in freezer bags, and then freeze. Once the sofrito is frozen, all the cubes are removed from the trays and then transferred back into the freezer bags. You remove a cube or two as needed for cooking. I have never tried this, but it looks like it could work.

Also, some people add tomatoes to the sofrito mixture, but I do not. Tomatoes are too watery and will, more than likely, alter the flavor of the rest of the sofrito ingredients. The fresh tomatoes, canned tomato sauce or chunks can easily be added to the sofrito during cooking. The same applies for dried seasonings; add them as needed while cooking.

And now, here is a bonus!

How to use sofrito in a recipe:

• Warm up some olive oil (about a tablespoonful or so) in your pan or pot
• Add the sofrito (usually 1-2 tablespoonfuls is enough), stir 1-2 minutes over a medium to low flame
• Add the freshly chopped tomatoes, canned tomatoes or tomato sauce, salt and pepper to taste. Add the dried seasoning as needed in your recipe (i.e. cumin, cayenne, paprika, bay leaves, oregano, etc.), stir and simmer for 1-2 minutes
• Then add your main ingredient (such as beef chunks or chicken, ground beef or ground turkey, uncooked rice, cooked beans) and stir
• Add water or stock (as called for in the recipe), bring to a boil, and then simmer and/or continue with your recipe
• You can also saute vegetables and cooked potatoes with sofrito.
  

Here is an extra bonus!

Easy Chicken Soup

2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into small chunks
1 large carrot, chopped
water or chicken stock
1 or 2 bay leaves
1-2 tablespoons of sofrito
salt (to taste)
black pepper (to taste)
soup noodles (optional)
leftover rotisserie chicken (removed from the bone)
frozen peas (about a half a box)
ground cumin (about a 1/4 teaspoon or a couple of dashes)

fresh chopped cilantro (small handful)
scallions, finely chopped (the white part and some of the green)
lemon juice, freshly squeezed
salt (small pinch)
hot sauce, dash (optional)

I almost always end up making chicken soup after I am done preparing and storing the sofrito. So, instead of washing that big pot (where you dumped all the sofrito as you were preparing it and then ladling it out into the containers for freezing), leave about a tablespoon and a half of sofrito in that big pot and then pour some water or chicken stock, add the potato chunks, chopped carrots and the bay leaves. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat. Cook for about 10 minutes or so. Then add your favorite soup noodles (optional). Bring to a boil and then cook for another 5 minutes or so before adding your leftover rotisserie chicken (removed from the bone) and some frozen peas. Add a couple of dashes of ground cumin. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 10 minutes more.

In a small bowl, combine the freshly chopped cilantro, chopped scallions, lemon juice and salt (and a dash of hot sauce, optional).

After serving the soup in bowls, add a small spoonful of the cilantro mixture on top.

Serve with a small side of fluffy white rice (or long grain brown rice) and avocado slices.

If you need more recipes or have any questions, please let me know. Otherwise, enjoy!