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What is Sofrito?
Sofrito is a traditional seasoning blend used in Latin American, Spanish, and Caribbean cooking. It's a fragrant mixture of herbs, spices, and vegetables that serves as the foundation for many stews, soups, and rice dishes. Each culture has its own variation, but today we'll focus on the Dominican version, which has its unique and delicious flair.
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Ingredients
I do not measure the quantity of ingredients used. Just gather whatever ingredients you have, harvest from the garden, or find at the grocery store and blend them together. You really can't mess this up. If you do not have an ingredient listed, its ok to proceed to make sofrito with the remaining ingredients.
Peppers - you can use sweet or hot peppers depending on if you want to make your sofrito spicy or not. Traditionally, Aji Cachucha peppers are used since they grow and produce very well in tropical Latin American countries. However, you can use whatever peppers you like. My mom often used regular green or red bell peppers.
Tomatoes - you can use whatever tomatoes you like.
Onions - you can use whatever type of onions you like.
Garlic - fresh whole peeled garlic.
Herbs - use a combination of whatever herbs you like. Traditionally, cilantro and Cuban oregano are used but you can substitute other similar herbs like culantro, papalo, and Italian oregano.
Chicken bouillon cubes - this is optional but my mom always added 1-2 chicken bouillon cubes for extra flavor.
Directions
Gather and wash your combination of ingredients. Chopping is not really necessary beyond just trying to fit everything into a blender. I also like to remove the seeds out of my peppers before adding them into the blender. I use a large Ninja blender to blend all the ingredients together and make a big batch of sofrito at once. I then divide the sofrito into ziploc bags and freeze for later use. I like to add 2 chicken bouillon cubes per large blender. The color of your sofrito is going to vary depending on the combination of ingredients you use. If you use green peppers, it most likly will be green. Since I used a lot of Aji Cachucha peppers, mine turned out more red.
Using Your Sofrito
Now that you have your homemade sofrito, the possibilities are endless! Here are a few ideas:
- Rice and Beans: Add a couple of spoonfuls to your rice and beans for an instant flavor boost.
- Soups and Stews: Use it as a base for hearty soups and stews.
- Marinades: Marinate meats or fish for a delicious and aromatic dish.
- Sautéed Vegetables: Mix it into sautéed vegetables for an extra kick.