Small Bowl of fresh Sofrito
(click to enlarge)

Sofrito   -   (Formal)


Puerto Rico   -   Sofrito
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 2-1/4 cups
**
1-1/8 hour
Yes		 Sofrito is an indispensable flavor base for Puerto Rican cuisine. It is made in batches as a kitchen staple. If you need something quicker, see Sofrito - Informal.




7
10
10
2-1/2
3-1/2
2
3
4
1/2
1
-------
1
3
2
1
1
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oz
oz
cl
oz
oz
oz
T

c
T
---
T
T

T
T
---
Tomato
Onion
Garlic
Smoked Ham
Cubanelle Chili (1)  
Aji Dulce (2)
Cilantro (3)
Culantro Leaf (4)
Olive Oil
Tomato Paste
-- Seasonings
Annatto Oil (5)
Alcaparrado (6)
Bay Leaves
Oregano, dried
Salt
-------------

Make as much as you think you will need in a reasonable time, and freeze what you don't need within a few days. For Vegetarian, just leave out the Ham.

Do Ahead
  1. Make Alcaparrado, if not already on hand (20 min).
  2. Make Annatto Oil, if not already on hand (15 min).
Prep   -   (25 min)
  1. Scald TOMATOES one minute in boiling water. Quench in cold water and peel. Cut into 3/16 inch dice.
  2. Chop ONIONS fairly fine.
  3. Chop GARLIC small and smash to paste in a mortar.
  4. Dice HAM about 1/4 inch.
  5. Cap and seed CUBANELLE and SWEET CHILIS. Chop fairly fine. Mix.
  6. Chop CULANTRO and CILANTRO fairly fine. Mix.
Run   -   (15 min)
  1. In a spacious sauté pan (2 qt), heat Olive Oil. Stir in Onions for about 2 minutes.
  2. Stir in Garlic and Tomato Paste for 1 minute.
  3. Stir in Ham for about 1 minute.
  4. Stir in Tomatoes, Chili mix.
  5. Stir in all Seasonings items. Fry stirring until onions are translucent, about another 7 minutes.
  6. Take off heat and stir in Cilantro mix.
  7. Refrigerated this will keep for about 4 days. For longer storage, freeze. I freeze it in a flat plastic bag. I then cut off what I need by driving a sharp Chinese Cleaver through it with a soft mallet.
NOTES:
  1. Cubanelle Chili:   [Italian Frying Pepper]   These are very mild yellow-green chilis available in some regions of North America. For details, see our Cubanelle Chili page.
  2. Aji Dulce   This is a no-heat Habanero chili. It is not available at any distance from the Caribbean. For details, see our Caribbean Chilis page.
  3. Cilantro:   Use the thinner stems as well as the leaves. Measure is fine chopped and moderately packed.
  4. Culantro:   [Sawtooth Herb] This herb is related to Cilantro but looks totally different, Use the entire leaf, including the stem part. If you can't get it, replace with more Cilantro - different, but in the same ballpark. For details see our Culantro page.
  5. Annatto Oil   This Puerto Rican pantry staple is very easy to make by our recipe Achiote / Annatto.
  6. Alcaparrado   Another Puerto Rican staple with a great many uses. See our recipe Alcaparrado.
  7. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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