What is Sofrito?
This incredibly versatile blend is quintessential in Latin American, Spanish and Caribbean cuisines. Sofritois—also known by other regional names such as hogao in Colombia—typically consists of onions sautéed in vegetable oil and enhanced with flavors like garlic, peppers, tomatoes, cilantro, etc. Some sofrito bases are green, some are red and some orange. Even within these recipes, some are smooth, chunky or semi-smooth. As with any widely used recipe, you’ll find variations from region to region, but the concept remains the same—a paste of ingredients, cooked off in oil. Here are some sofrito variations you’ll find:
The Puerto Rican sofrito is a blended puree of of onions, garlic, aji peppers, green bell peppers and cilantro. It is referred to as “Recaíto.”In Portugal, sofrito is made of onions and olive oil, and sometimes with garlic and bay leaves. It is referred to as “estrugido.”The Dominican sofrito incorporates a variety of bell peppers with red onion, tomato paste, garlic, apple cider vinegar, oregano and cilantro. It is one of the spicier versions of the sofrito—referred to as “sazón.“In Spanish cooking, it is made from peppers, onion, garlic and tomatoes, which are then cooked in olive oil—referred to as “sufrito” or “refogado.”
What’s the Difference Between Salsa and Sofrito?
It’s tempting to think these two ingredients are interchangeable, as they often include many of the same ingredients. However, there are subtle differences that are evident. Sofrito is usually used to start a dish as an ingredient in cooking and is more of a puree, which means it’s a sauce base. Salsa on the other hand is thicker, and is served raw either to finish off a dish (like tacos) or served on its own with tortilla chips.
How to Make Sofrito
Ingredients:
1headgarlic, peeled2mediumonions, peeled1 red bell pepper, stemmed and seeded2green bell peppers, stemmed and seeded2largetomatoes1bunchcilantro leaves1/2bunchfresh parsley leaves1 Tbsp vegetable oil (optional)
Directions:
A few notes on making sofrito:
Play around with other ingredients. You must experiment with other ingredients to spruce things up. Swap green onions for the red ones, try different peppers, or even add apple cider vinegar to take it up a notch.Pay attention to ingredient ratios. You can also adjust ingredient ratios to arrive at your favorite combination and flavors.Use Culantro. Culantro is an herb similar to cilantro, though stronger in flavor. You can often find it in Hispanic and Asian markets, but if you are unable to obtain culantro, use extra cilantro instead for a punchy sofrito.
Now that you have a crash course in sofrito 101, try mastering these best paella recipes next.
