Sofrito
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Sofrito is a slowly sautéed pepper-garlic-tomato sauce (sofreir = to sauté lightly in Spanish). There are many regional variations, this one is the traditional Spanish one. Mexicans use Jalapeño peppers and Puerto Ricans the flavorful Cubanelle peppers. In the Sephardic cuisine Sofrito is a sauce of chicken or fish stock flavored with lemon juice, turmeric, garlic and cardamom.
In Italy "Soffritto" consists of sautéed chopped onions, celery, carrots and various seasonings, very similar to our Mirepoix in France. In Corfu Sofrito is a dish of veal steak cooked in a white wine, garlic and herb sauce.
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 1 medium size green pepper, finely diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely diced
- 4 medium size tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
- 2 tbsp. chopped fresh coriander
- 1/2 teasp cumin
- salt and freshly ground pepper
Preparation:
Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped onion and garlic. Sauté until onions are golden. Add diced green pepper and sauté until they begin to soften.
Add the chopped tomatoes, cumin and taste for salt and pepper. Bring to a rapid boil. Mash tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon. Lower the heat and simmer for about 20-30 minutes. Taste again for salt and pepper.