Every culinary culture has its own traditional flavor base. Flavor bases are the aromatic base from which traditional dishes are built. In France, it’s Mirepoix (pronounce like this: meer-pwah) made from carrots, celery, and onion. In the Portuguese tradition, the base is called “Estudio.” In Italy and countries with a culture after the Spanish tradition, the flavor base is called “sofrito” (pronounce: So-Fee-Toe). Red Sofrito and Green Sofrito are imperative to Caribbean cooking. Each country does it a little differently.
Dominican sazón (aka sofrito) is red in color and incorporates a variety of colorful peppers with red onion, tomato paste, garlic, apple cider vinegar, oregano, and cilantro.
Puerto Rican Recaíto (aka sofrito) is usually green and made of a puree of onions, garlic, aji peppers, green bell pepper, and cilantro and cilantro.
Colombian Sofrito is similar to the others but has a tomato base.
French Mirepoix is onion, carrot, and celery.
American Creole Holy Trinity starts its base with onions, bell pepper, and celery.
Portuguese Estrugido includes onions, garlic, and bay leaves.
Belle Tips
- Be sure to wash, wash, and wash your cilantro. You should wash everything that comes into your house from the ground. Do not depend on the producers to wash these items. They come from the ground and almost always have a ton of dirt on the leaves. I wash by soaking produce in white vinegar to kill larvae and germs while I get everything out to prep.
- I’ve seen other Green Sofrito recipes that include leeks and radishes. Add what you wish, but the stars of the show here are cilantro and Aji dulces.
- For aesthetics’ sake, I only use yellow or orange sweet peppers. Red sweet peppers mixed with the green cilantro and bell peppers makes a muddy color flavor base (which still tastes delicious! Just doesn’t photograph as well). You can make a red sofrito using red peppers and tomatoes as a base.
- Did you make sofrito for my Slow Cooker Sancocho recipe or my Small Batch Sancocho and still have plenty left over and don’t know what to do with it? Neyssa over at Latina Mom Meals has already collected a ton of recipes to use sofrito. Check out these recipes at Janes Kitchen Miracles and Nutrition Dork for inspiration on using leftover sofrito.
- As with most soul food, the Green Sofrito is cooked by intuition and ancestral guidance. How do you know you did it right? Smell it. Does it smell exciting? Dip your finger on the side of the blender and taste. If your grandma was Puerto Rican, does this taste like something she would have made? Ok, then it’s right.
Green Sofrito
10 minutes | Serves 15oz Jar
Ingredients
1 bunch of Cilantro or Culantro
5 Aji dulces (sweet peppers)
1/2 red onion
1 Scallion
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons oregano
A drizzle of Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 Green Bell Pepper
5 stems of spring onions.
¼ cup water
Instructions
- Depending on the power of your blender/food processor, cut all produce into manageable pieces to fit into the blender.
- Add everything to the blender or food processor. You want to include the stems of the cilantro.
- Blend until a thick liquid. Add more water if needed.
- Store in the refrigerator in a 15 oz mason jar for up to 3 weeks.
