Tag: Puerto Rican
Sofrito Pasta
Sofrito Pasta
Have a bunch of extra sofrito and don’t know what to do with it? It is great as a light sauce tossed with pasta. I recommend using pasta that isn’t spaghetti noodle shaped. Something that has some type of ridge to catch the sauce like penne rigatta, gemelli, bowtie, etc. You can also add chicken, shrimp, or pork to the pasta and eat it as a main course.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups sofrito
- 1 lb dry pasta cooked according to directions
- 2-3 tsp creole seasoning
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated
Garnish
- parsley chopped
Instructions
- Heat up olive oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add in the sofrito. Cook for 5 minutes to get the raw flavor out.
- Add in the cooked pasta and toss in the sofrito. Season with the creole seasoning. Cook for 5 more minutes.
Sofrito
Sofrito is used as a base for soups, stews, beans, and rice in many Spanish speaking countries such as Cuba and Puerto Rico. It is typically made out of a lot of green ingredients such as green bell pepper, cilantro, green onions, and culantro; similar to green seasoning used in African/Caribbean cuisine. Sofrito adds aromatics to whatever you add it to.Sofrito can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a month. I like to freeze it in ice cube trays and store in gallon sized freezer bags. You can then keep your sofrito for up to a year.
Equipment
- Food processor or blender
Ingredients
- 2 small green bell pepper seeded and chopped
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 1/2 cup cilantro
- 1 1/2 cup culantro
- 1 head garlic
- 1 medium white onion
- 4 green onions chopped
- 2 roma tomatoes
- 2 tbsp oregano
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a blender or food processor.
- Purée until smooth. Store in the refrigerator for up to a month or in the freezer for put to a year.
Pinchos de Cerdo
Pinchos de Cerdo
Pinchos de cerdo are a popular street food found all over Puerto Rico. Skewers of marinated pork are grilled over an open flame then brushed with garlic olive oil and bbq sauce. What is great about these meat showers is that they take less than 10 minutes to grill. If you happen to not have a grill, the pinchos can be broiled for the same amount of time.
Servings: 4
Equipment
- metal skewers
Ingredients
- 1 packet sazon with annatto
- 1 tsp adobo seasoning
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp vinegar
- 2 lbs pork shoulder or sirloin cut into 1 1/2” cubes
- 1/4 cup olive oil infused with 3 minced garlic cloves
- bbq sauce
Instructions
- Mix all of the marinade ingredients together.
- Marinate the pork for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.
- Place 5-6 pieces of pork on each metal skewer.
- Fire up the grill! Place each skewer on the grill.
- Grill for 2 minutes each side. After the first flip, brush with the garlic olive oil.
- Brush each side with bbq sauce. Grill for 2 minutes each side.
Chicken Sofrito Stew
Chicken Sofrito Stew
This is a very simple recipe and a great example of how to use sofrito as a marinade and as a base to this stew. Drumsticks and thighs work best for this type of stew, but you can use chicken breasts or wings if you insist. I would cut the chicken breasts into 2-3 pieces instead of leaving whole. Also; don’t use boneless skinless chicken for this recipe. If you are feeding children, it’s time to teach them how the rest of the world eats.
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 2 12-3 lbs bone in skin on chicken thighs or drumsticks
- 1/4 cup sofrito
- 1 packet sazon
- cracked black pepper
Chicken Sofrito Stew
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 medium white onion diced
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 cup sofrito
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 packet sazon
- 2 roma tomatoes diced
- 1 bell pepper diced
- 3 cups chicken stock
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken pieces with the sofrito, Sazón, and cracked black pepper for up to 4 hours.
- Heat cooking oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Sear the chicken pieces for 4-5 minutes a side. These don’t have to be cooked all the way through since they will simmer in the stew.
- Make sure to cook in batches to avoid overcrowding the Dutch oven. Set aside when done.
- Add the onions, garlic, sofrito, cumin, and paprika to the oil. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Add in the tomatoes and Sazón. Cook for another 5 minutes.
- Stir in the green peppers. Cook for 2 minutes. Add the chicken back in along with the chicken stock.
- Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 40 minutes.
- This mother is going to be really hot. Let it sit for a good 15 minutes before eating. In that time, enjoy a nice fat jazz cigarette and reflect on life. Be thankful for what you have and realize that no matter how bad it may seem in life, there is always someone somewhere that have it way worse than you. If you feel trapped, reach out for help. Learn from each other instead of being strangers. Try to look at things from other’s perspectives so you can understand where people are coming from. Don’t be a prick or a cunt. I’m pretty sure that’s a Gandhi quote. Before you know it, your chicken sofrito stew will be ready to eat.
