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Sofrito a la Cocina Criolla

Cocina Criolla

Just about every dish you make in Puerto Rican cuisine starts with “make sofrito,” that seasoning sauce that is the foundation of just about every dish in Puerto Rican cuisine. (Think arroz con pollo, picadillo, pastelón (Puerto Rican lasagna made with plantain strips, rice and beans, fried and stuffed alcapurrias y mucho mas!) And for generations of Puerto Rican home cooks, on and off the island, Comida Criolla has been the cookbook to start looking for the official recipe, if they don’t have a trusted one from family.

Carmen Aboy Valldejuli helped put Boricua cocina on the food map when Comida Criolla came out in 1957. It was translated into English in 1975 as Puerto Rican Cookery (I know: cookery?). She and her book became the Puerto Rican combo-equivalent of The Joy of Cooking + Julia Child. In my house, Comida Criolla is the culinary bible. Mami goes right to it whenever she makes comida típica, if she didn’t already have a favorite recipe from a friend or cousin.

The French have mirepoix, the Cajuns have holy trinity, the Portugese have refogado, and we Boricuas have sofrito. We use it in stews, roasts, soups, rice: pretty much everything. It’s usually made in big batches, frozen in small portions, and thawed as needed for daily use.

Everyone makes sofrito slightly different, but let’s start with the classic of classics: Carmen Aboy Valldejulli’s. She published two versions in Comida Criolla: a traditional one and a second she calls “Practical Sofrito,” which doesn’t include some old-school ingredients the first one asks for: like lard and salt pork.

The “Practical” version uses sweet chili peppers, or ají dulce, but in the States, where they can be hard to find, I use cubanelle peppers. They are long, medium-thin, usually light green, and mild. They look like this, below. Happy cookery, sofrito makers.

For another version, check out this winning sofrito from one of our favorite Puerto Rican-food cooks, Michelle Ezratty Murphy, and this classic from my Puerto Rican neighbor in Chicago Doña Felipa, a gifted cocinera I am lucky to know.

Ready to Make a Classic Puerto Rican Sofrito from ”El Libro”?

Cocina Criolla’s Practical Sofrito

5.0 from 1 vote
Recipe by Carmen Aboy Valldejuli
Servings

12

servings
Prep time

30

minutes
Cooking time

40

minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs. onions, chopped

  • 2 lbs. green peppers, seeded and chopped

  • 1/2 lb. sweet chili peppers, seeded (or cubanelle peppers)

  • 1/4 lb. cloves garlic, peeled

  • 30 fresh culantro leaves

  • 2 Tbsp. whole dried oregano

  • 1/2 lb. lean cured ham, washed and cut into pieces

  • 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

Directions

  • In a mixer, grind the onions, green peppers, sweet chili peppers or cubanelles, garlic and culantro leaves. Add oregano and grind again. Add the cured ham, grind, and mix well.
  • In a caldero or heavy kettle, pour vegetable oil. Add ground ingredients and bring to a boil over high heat.
  • Reduce heat to moderate and cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. [emphasis Valldejuli’s]
  • Allow to cook thoroughly. Spoon into small (8-oz.) glass jars, 3/4 full. Cover, and set in the freezer. This recipe will make about 12 batches of 8-pz. glasses. As needed, transfer one jar at a time to the refrigerator and put to immediate use.

Notes

  • Valldejuli’s cookbook was written more than half a century ago, so one thing I’d definitely update is her recommendations to freeze the sofrito into glass jars. (Glass in the freezer? My head immediately goes to glass shards everywhere. Ay, no.) Store your sofrito in rows of empty ice-cube containers or in snack-size plastic bags with tight-seal closures. Defrost and use as needed. Each small bag of thawed sofrito will keep for about 5 days in the fridge.

Like this recipe? Learn how to make traditional achiote oil or browse more authentic Puerto Rican recipes.

Photo: John Lambeth/Pexels

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