Sofrito: The Real Secret Sauce
As a spoonful of this liquid - green - gold hits the oiled pan, the aromatic medley of herbs and spices joyously merengue spins me and continues to dance through my kitchen and home, filling the air with nostalgia and anticipation of a good meal to come!
What golden green goodness am I speaking of?
Sofrito! Or, also called Sazón - seasoning - is the real secret sauce behind some of the Caribbean’s most treasured dishes! Much like Ata Lilo - the Nigerian starter sauce that lovingly seasons some of our favorites, like jollof rice - sofrito is a sauce that is used in Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Cuba to give an explosion of flavor to proteins, stews and rice dishes alike. And as we enter into cooking season, what better time for me to share my recipe with you for this delectable cooking base?
The Ingredients
Here’s a bit of what you’ll need
(This recipe yields a significant amount of sofrito)
2 bunches cilantro - this is what primarily gives the sauce it’s green color
5 medium-sized shallots - a personal favorite to use
3 bell peppers - simply for variety, I use green, yellow, and red bell peppers
1 1/2 cup lime juice
1 1/2 cup naranja agria (bitter orange) juice
2 tbsps olive oil
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup recaito
2 1/2 cloves garlic - or three cloves, I love garlic!
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp cumin
5 roma tomatoes
3 stalks celery
2 1/2 tbsps Himalayan sea salt
2 tsps azucar morena - brown sugar . . . this one is my little secret! Well, until now
In a blender, carefully combine all of the ingredients until the mixture turns its magical green color! One method that helps me is to add a portion of vegetables, liquid, and dry spices - then repeat until you’ve combined all ingredients. This way, you aren’t stuffing the blender, and you’re able to evenly distribute everything as it mixes!
If you’re going to put this deliciousness to immediate use, pour some in a bowl and set aside to add to your saucepan.
Buuuuut, and since we’ve made a pretty large batch of sofrito, one of my favorite ways to make sure our precious mixture doesn’t go to waste is by saving it in . . . my ice cube tray! This way, you can portion out how much you’d like to use when cooking in the future. And if your friends are like mine and want you to make them a small batch of sofrito for their homes, you can simply pour your cubes (or spheres) into a freezer-safe bag to share with them!
What Can I Cook Using Sofrito?
Pigeon Peas and Rice with Tostones and lime
Sofrito can be used to prepare a number of dishes! From being used as the base of my favorite stew, Sancocho - the vegan version of course - to marinating and pan frying tofu, or as a boiling base for rice and beans . . . like the Gandules - insert Dominican accent here, and say with me “Guandules”; pronounced Gwandoolāys . . . or better yet, pigeon peas and rice, sofrito adds the most impactful flavors to any dish that will have you scraping the pan for more! Trust me, I do it every time I prepare dishes using it!
Now that you have the recipe, are you ready to try sofrito in your next meal?
And if you use a similar cooking base, what do they call it in your region/country? Comment below!
Feliz cooking season, y’all!
