- Sauce
Practical Puerto Rican Sofrito
Sofrito was one of the first Puerto Rican kitchen staples I wanted to understand better as I started learning more about the food and home-cooking traditions behind it. After seeing how often it appears as the flavor base for beans, rice, stews, braises, and everyday meals, I began comparing older translated recipes with more modern versions and testing what felt right. This practical version is adapted from that process: a cooked, freezer-friendly sofrito made with onion, green pepper, ají dulce, garlic, cilantro, culantro, oregano, oil, and optional cured ham. Unlike many modern raw-blended sofritos, this one is simmered before freezing, giving it a deeper, more savory flavor and making it easy to portion into cubes so it is always ready when a recipe needs that unmistakable Puerto Rican foundation.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Servings
- 12
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Yield
- 3 cup
Instructions
Blend the sofrito base
Pour ¼ cup vegetable oil into a blender. Add the onion, green bell pepper, sweet chili peppers, garlic, cilantro, culantro, and optional cured ham in batches, blending gradually. Add the dried oregano as you blend, processing until the mixture is finely ground and well combined.
Cook the sofrito
In a Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat the remaining ½ cup vegetable oil. Add the blended sofrito mixture and stir well. Bring to a boil over high heat.
Simmer uncovered
Reduce the heat to medium and cook uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sofrito is aromatic, slightly reduced, and no longer raw-tasting.
Cool completely
Remove from the heat and let the sofrito cool thoroughly before portioning.
Freeze in portions
Spoon 2 tablespoons of sofrito into each compartment of an ice cube tray reserved for cooking use. Freeze until solid.
Store and use
Once frozen, unmold the sofrito cubes and transfer them to freezer bags. Store in the freezer and use as needed. For many recipes serving 6–8 people, use 2–3 sofrito cubes.
Recipe by
Russell Toris
@russell-toris