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How To Prepare Sofrito(Red and Green)

Sofrito! I love it! It's so good to step outside of your comfort zone and try your hand at some different ingredients and different recipes.
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Puerto Rican
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 10 Servings

Ingredients

Red Sofrito

  • 1 Green bell pepper all I had was a poblano
  • 1 Red bell pepper
  • 1/2 onion
  • 6 cloves garlic
  • 2 roma tomato Norma told me to never add tomato to sofrito, oops! The second attempt is more accurate.
  • 1/3 cup cilantro no culantro where I live, so I added cilantro
  • 1 teaspoon thyme
  • 1 teaspoon of oregano

Green Sofrito

  • 1 cup fresh recao leaves
  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro optional
  • 1 green bell pepper again I used poblano
  • 1 yellow sweet pepper
  • 1/2 cup garlic cloves
  • 1 small white onion
  • 2 teaspoons thyme
  • 3 teaspoons oregano
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/3 to 1/2 cup water
  • splash of vinegar optional

Instructions

Directions

  • For either sofrito, red or green you will: Coarsely chop all of the ingredients and place in processor or blender. Pulse to blend until desired finish. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • For First Rice Recipe: Heat oil in large caldero style pot to medium heat. Add the annatto powder, onions and Spanish chorizo. Season lightly with salt and pepper and saute for 3 to 5 minutes.
  • Add the red sofrito and Sazon packets to the pan. Stir well to combine and taste for saltand pepper. Let sauce cook out for a good 15 minutes or until it reduces and thickens slightly.
  • Add the broth or water, rice and gandules. Gently stir to combine. Bring to a boil and taste for salt. Reduce heat to a low simmer, cover and continue cooking until most of the liquid is absorbed.
  • Fluff with fork. Cover rice with foil paper, cover with lid and place back on heat at lowest setting. Cook for 25 to 30 minutes, checking to make sure that bottom of rice does not burn. You want golden, crispy and brown, not black, lol! Cover and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

This printable recipe only includes the first rice recipe where I used the red sofrito. Go down further on the blog to see the green sofrito version which is more like my friend Norma's.