Guest Author - Jason P. Ruel
We all have memories of our childhood. Whether it is the memory of your first Christmas, your first tooth being lost, the time you broke your arm when you fell out of the tree in the front yard, or the time you drove the car through the garage door when you were first learning to drive.
Nothing says childhood memories like a smell. Be it chocolate chip cookies, onions and garlic, chicken baking in the oven, chili simmering on the stove, or the perfume of your abuela’s Sofrito before she made rice and beans. Smells hold such a sway on us that even the slightest smell can trigger a strong memory.
Today we will explore our cultural heritage through the taste and smell of a Sofrito. We will also look at a Puerto Rican sofrito I use in many of my dishes including rice, sauces, soups, stews, and my beans.
In its simplest definition, a Sofrito is a mixture of aromatics (herbs and spices) cut into small bite size or smaller pieces that are then slowly cooked in an oil of some kind for about 20-30 minutes. It is then used as a flavoring agent to many different kinds of dishes. The mixture, or recipe, for Sofrito differs based on the geographical location, but it is commonly garlic, onion and tomatoes cooked in olive oil for Spanish cuisine, and then similar preparations for other countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea and Latin America. There are even versions of a Sofrito called a sofregit in Velencian cuisine (a type of Mediterranean cuisine), refogado in Portuguese cuisine and ginisa in Filipino cuisine.
The basics of a Sofrito may be easy, and the process of making it just as simple, I want to explore my abuela’s Puerto Rican sofrito I have come to love and mimic, but have made my own. The general Puerto Rican sofrito consists of lots of garlic, onion, tomatoes, cilantro, and aji dulce (sweet peppers). You can use green peppers or another sweet pepper instead if you can’t get aji dulce. Aji dulce are commercially available usually at a Mexican or Latin food market. They are like a habanera pepper, but smokier and sweeter in flavor and less hot. No matter what the mixture is, you are guaranteed to have a different sofrito from house to house, but they will all taste like heaven and remind you of your childhood!
My basic Sofrito:
1 bunch of cilantro (2 if small)
2 heads of garlic
3-4 stems of culantro
1 medium to large Red Onion
1 medium to large Yellow Onion
10 aji dulce, seeded (or 1-2 green chili peppers)
2 large red bell peppers, seeded
3-4 large cubanelle peppers, seeded
2 large green bell peppers, seeded
4-5 plum tomatoes seeded and chopped (1-2 packages of grape tomatoes, halved)
3-4 tablespoons good ole Puerto Rican rum (can be left out)
You have a couple different ways to create your sofrito. The above recipe does not contain any meat fats (traditional Puerto Rican sofrito is made with bacon fat, salt pork, or lard) so it can be processed and then packaged for later use.
To prepare the sofrito, in batches both chop it finely in a food processor or a mortar and pestle. Once you have chopped all the ingredients up in batches, mix it thoroughly and add in the rum if you want to. At that point, you can place it in an ice cube tray and freeze or in a jar in the refrigerator, and use within a week or so. If you intend to use some that night for dinner, you will need to sauté it in olive oil, rendered bacon fat, lard or rendered salted pork or cured ham mixed with some oil of sort. You will want to sauté it on low for about 20 or so minutes. Do not let it burn or become dry. You can then use it as part of your dinner.
The smell of sofrito cooking brings back many memories just as onion and garlic is another memory maker for others. Smells are important to our memory center, just like sofrito is important to our cultural heritage.
Reconnect with your childhood and cultural heritage by preparing your own sofrito and making the dishes you dream of when you need comfort or want to remember your abuela fondly!
