Sofrito-peppers tomato onion is a concentration of summer’s flavors. Rich and jammy, Sofrito takes a bit of time, but why not cook up a batch, divide it up and package it for the freezer? It’s an instant building block to many recipes that might otherwise be out of reach for a weeknight dinner.
Sofrito-peppers tomato onion; freezes beatifully
Sofrito is traditionally used in many cuisines, with only slight variations. You’ll find them all over Latin America and maybe most famously from Puerto Rico.
About Sofrito-Peppers Tomato Onion:
I hope I haven’t left anyone out, but I probably have, being just a home cook and no food scholar! While Sofrito is often thought of in conjunction with Puerto Rican cuisine, Sofrito is used also in Italian, Spanish, Mexican, Dominican, Columbian, Venezuelan, Haitian, Caribbean, and Cuban cuisines. And that’s just a start!
And guess what? They are all slightly different depending on what’s available in the region and where the influences came from. Some are even uncooked – bonus for you if that’s the kind of Sofrito you want to make! But here, I’m featuring a cooked version.
Making Sofrito-Peppers Tomato Onion:
I’m going to talk about a basic cooked Sofrito, using what I have available in my area. Now, a purist might say, “Oh, a REAL Sofrito uses this kind of pepper, or always has this or never has that,” or “No one from such and such a place would make a Sofrito like that.” And I’m not saying that’s wrong – there may be certain dishes that you’ll want to make with a Sofrito that’s tailored to the area and the particular dish and replicates a certain flavor. You can use the same principle I’m showing here to large batch just about any sofrito, by the way!
Every country and every region adapts to what is available, fresh and local, and that’s what makes for the wonderful variations and flavors in the food we have today. As a matter of fact, I want you to make your Sofrito using what you have and what you like! If you’re prone to making dishes that call for certain peppers or other ingredients, use them here. Adapt away!
One big hint: Vegetables cut in the food processor and/or cooked in larger batches can give off more liquid than expected. It can take forever to concentrate the flavor. Try this little trick:
- After vegetables are softened, take the pan off the heat and move the veggies to a colander over a bowl. Let them drain for 15 minutes or so.
- Heat the pan up, add the juices back in, and cook until the liquid is very thick. Add the vegetables back in (along with any extra juices) and simmer.
- In a surprisingly short amount of time you’ll have a rich, jammy sofrito.
Using Sofrito-Peppers Tomato Onion:
Sofrito, whether it is called by that name or not, is the backbone of a wealth of classic dishes from many cuisines. A few of those famous, classic dishes are on my site: Poor Man’s Paella, Ratatouille, Basque Chicken, and White Bean Ragout on Toasted Garlic Bread and they are all family favorites.
When I mentioned “called by that name” I might be raising a few eyebrows. For instance, one of the dishes linked above is Basque Chicken. Technically, the bell peppers cooked in this dish with tomatoes and onions would probably be called a piperade or a piperrada. Even so, an easy shortcut would be to pull out a cup or two of the Sofrito from this recipe.
The uses for Sofrita are almost endless. If a recipe starts out with sautéed onion and peppers, and has tomato, I’m already thinking Sofrito. And I’m already thinking about how I can pull some out of the freezer and shortcut my recipe without standing in front of the stove sauteeing my veggies as a first step to that recipe.
As you are making your dish starting with this basic sofrito from the freezer, you can always add any special little touches or ingredients traditionally used for your dish during the preparation. The great part is a lot of the “heavy lifting” of the preparing and sauteing is already done. This Sofrito thaws easily and you can toss it right into the pan in a frozen state when you’re cooking.
Saving Money on Sofrito:
A fabulous way to save money on this recipe (I’ve already gone into so much on saving time) is to make a big batch when the summer vegetables are in season and at their lowest price.
Look for them at a farmer’s market, maybe your buyer’s club and don’t forget your discount stores like Aldi or Lidl. Or just look for great specials at your grocery store. If you’re lucky enough to be a gardener, this is a great way to preserve some of the harvest.
If it so happens that the veggies you wish to use aren’t on sale at the same time or maybe aren’t at their peak, use time to your advantage. If peppers are on sale, they’ll last a week or two in the fridge. Pick up what you need and see if tomatoes don’t come up for sale soon. If tomatoes are on sale but the peppers aren’t, try picking tomatoes that aren’t quite ripe yet. They can sit on the windowsill slowly ripening while you wait for a sale on peppers.
There is a bit of a myth about tomatoes. While they are best never refrigerated, they can be…if you are afraid your tomatoes will be too soft before they can be used, toss them in the fridge as a last resort. You won’t do any more harm at that point than you would letting them rot on the counter.
As far as onions go, they rarely go on sale but they’re such a great staple and last long. Don’t store onions near potatoes or vice versa, and they will last longer.
I hope you all enjoyed this post! If you make this sofrito, I’d love to hear how you use it!
Take care,
Mollie
Sofrito-peppers tomato onion – see how thick and jammy
Sofrito – a concentration of summer’s flavor
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: about 12 1 cup portions 1x
- Category: Basics
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 large Spanish onions or several smaller onions
- 4 to 6 peppers of the green Variety – Bell, Cubanelle, or Italian
- 2 to 3 red, orange, or yellow Peppers (if you have Ajices Duces in your area, and are thinking about a Mexican Sofrito, you can use 8 to 10 plus one red pepper)
- 1/2 head garlic – 10 cloves or so
- 8 good sized tomatoes
- 1 to 2 tablespoons tomato paste (optional)
- Salt – optional
Instructions
All vegetables should be chopped into a small dice, but this doesn’t have to be perfect and a little variation is nice. Use a food processor for this to speed things along – just roughly chunk and process each type individually – don’t mix pepper and onions together, for instance, because the peppers will be mush by the time the firmer onion is broken down.
You can roast and peel your peppers if you’d like to, but that really depends on if you want the smoky flavor in your sofrito. Some dishes rely on it for flavor, and others don’t.
In a very large, heavy skillet or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Add peppers and cook, stirring often, for a few minutes or until peppers are turning a bit golden. Add garlic and cook until the garlic is cooked through; be careful not to burn. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring often, until the mixture is thick and jammy.
If tomatoes are a little weak in flavor, add in the tomato paste just to boost it up a bit.
Let sofrito cool and portion out into Ziploc bags or ice cube trays. I portion in Ziplocs in one-cup portions.
When using ziplocs, open and label all bags first. Filling is easiest if the Sofrito is all portioned out on a sheet pan or plate. It’s easy to fill the bags with little mess or bother. Shake each bag down, roll, and freeze, flat on a sheet tray. Gang them up into a larger bag so there’s no need to search for them when needed.
Each cup of Sofrito contains (approximately) about 1 1/2 cups each of tomato and peppers and 1/2 cup of onion.
Keywords: Bell Peppers, Cubanelle, Freezes Well, Latin American, Olive oil, Sofrito, Tomatoes
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