Simple and Delicious 10-minute Sofrito de Puerto Rico
This recipe is dedicated to my boricuas en la luna and those who love our food who cannot access the original ingredients from our homeland.
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When I moved out of the archipielago, Puerto Rico, one of the things I missed THE MOST was the sofrito. I know that I speak for most of my fellow boricuas in the diaspora when I say that! Puerto Rican sofrito is a seasoning base we use for many of our traditional dishes. It is a blend of local vegetables that elevate the flavor of several of our favorite meals: beans, stews, sauces, and so many others. It adds a punch of flavor!
As you can imagine, during my first week outside of Puerto Rico, I went to the grocery store intent on buying the ingredients to make my own sofrito at home. The disappointment was REAL when I could not find most of the main ingredients in ANY grocery store. I even tried a cute little Hispanic corner store nearby but while they had some other special things, they still did not have the ajicitos (little peppers) or the culantro.
I decided then to go back to the grocery store and buy a jar of Sofrito Goya along with a second jar of recaito. While it did add flavor to the food, it was still not my abuela’s special recipe. Also, as much as I loved her for shipping some ají dulce and herbs for me, I could not in good conscience keep asking her to do that for me.
In that moment, I asked her for guidance to substitute the ingredients with what I have access to here, in order to preserve some of the Puerto Rican zing in my dishes. It took some trial and error but we were able to make a blend that adds much flavor to my meals and makes me feel at home. It is not the same and I can definitely taste the difference when I go back to visit but I love that we still get to enjoy a little piece of my culture at home.
To my boricuas en la luna… this one is for you! Without further ado here is the recipe for my simple and delicious 10-minute sofrito de Puerto Rico.
What You Will Need
For this simple recipe, you will need 1lb of mini sweet peppers* cut and seeded, 1 yellow sweet onion roughly chopped, 1 green bell pepper chopped and seeded, 4 garlic cloves peeled, ¼ cup of cilantro packed, ½ packet of sazón Goya (optional) and 1 tbsp olive oil. The sazon is optional because not everyone uses it in their sofrito. Some opt to add some salt, pepper, and oregano or some different herbs. You can try it with the sazon and tell me what you think.
What To Do
You need to have a blender or food processor at the ready. Once you have all the ingredients chopped, seeded, and ready to go, add everything to the blender. Blend for a few minutes until it becomes a paste. You can add a teaspoon of oil at a time if you see it needs more liquid to blend. When all the ingredients are nice and mixed together, set out the amount you estimate to be using soon. The rest can be poured into an ice cube tray and frozen for later use. The best part of the tray is that it will already be divided into a few ounces at a time so there is not a lot of measuring to do when you need to use it.
Things To Remember
This recipe is originally made with ají dulce from Puerto Rico instead of sweet peppers, along with culantro or recao rather than cilantro. The type of pepper utilized also varies depending on who you ask. However, like I mentioned before, these types of vegetables are hard to find in grocery stores in the states unless you live somewhere warm year-round. Therefore, this recipe is to provide an alternative to those who perhaps do not have access to the original ingredients.
At the end of the day, this is a base seasoning for your foods so you are free to play with the ingredients and amounts. If you do change it too much, though, do not call it sofrito or you will be in trouble with some of the abuelas. LOL.
By the way, this sofrito is perfect for home-made beans or to season the beef in a delicious 7-Layer Dip or Cielito Lindo. Feel free to check out my recipe for Cielito Lindo and let me know how you like it! It’s the perfect appetizer for a get-together with friends or game day.
I hope you enjoyed my simple and delicious 10-minute sofrito from Puerto Rico recipe. If you want to see more recipes like this one, be sure to sign up to get recipes directly in your inbox!
¡Buen provecho, from The Happy Wookiee!
Simple and Delicious 10-Minute Sofrito de Puerto Rico
Equipment
- 1 Blender or Food Processor
Ingredients
- 1 lb mini sweet peppers* cut and seeded
- 1 yellow sweet onion roughly chopped
- 1 green bell pepper roughly chopped and seeded
- 4 garlic cloves peeled
- 1/4 cup of cilantro packed
- 1/2 packet of sazon Goya*
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor for a few minutes, until all ingredients have turned into a paste. Add oil a teaspoon at a time, if more liquid is needed.
- Once blended, set out the amount you estimate to be using soon. The rest can be poured into an ice cube tray and frozen for later use.
- ¡Buen provecho from The Happy Wookiee!
