Chef Daisy Martinez first opened my eyes to the process of making Puerto Rican sofrito, which is a staple in Caribbean Latin cuisine. Basically the concept of is to act as a sautéed seasoning for any oil or fat which contributes to any base flavor in a recipe. Instead of sautéing each vegetable individually, sofrito is a combined mixture of garlic, onions, tomato and specific herbs, and peppers. All ingredients are broken down in a food processor to create one fantastic monster flavor.
Ajicito Dulce Peppers are like a piece of art, and usually difficult to find. Often times they are dark green in color, but they run the gamut of red, yellow, orange and bright green.
Ingredients for Puerto Rican sofrito
- 2 bunches of culantro
- 2 bunches of cilantro
- 1 large Spanish onion (usually smaller and more round than a typical yellow onion)
- 1 cup garlic cloves
- 2 cups ajicito dulce peppers
- 2 long hot Italian peppers
- 1 red bell pepper
- 2 vine tomatoes
Puerto Rican sofrito ingredients – ajicito dulce peppers, culantro, cilantro, garlic, tomato, red pepper, spanish onion, long hot Italian peppers.
Locating in ajicito dulce peppers in grocery stores can be difficult. They’re usually found next to similar hot peppers such as Habañeros and Scotch Bonnet peppers.
Culantro is typically found next to the cilantro in a grocery store.
Instructions
- Loosely chop cilantro and culantro, including stems.
- Remove stubs and cores from all peppers and tomatoes.
- Cut down all ingredients into large chunks, about the same size as the garlic cloves. This makes everything more food processor friendly to mix evenly.
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl to incorporate evenly before transferring to food processor. Process in batches until texture is uniform.
- Transfer sofrito to containers suited for freezer storage. Some people use ice trays, but I prefer to use take-out plastic containers.
