Post by CR on Nov 3, 2008 21:46:38 GMT -5
Sent: 2/22/2005 11:19 AM
Terri asked me to post a recipe for sofrito, explain it and post some recipes.
Sofrito is the base for many Cuban and Latin dishes in general. Italians have their version called soffritto or sufreit.
Its basic ingredients are olive oil, garlic, onions and green peppers. When you see this in a recipe, you are seeing sofrito. There are variations which include the addition of ham or bacon, tomato sauce, oregano, etc.
They are commercially sold but in my opinion it is a waste of money and an insult to your stomach! Nothing compares to the one you make yourself. Absolutely nothing! Not to mention that you can make it for a fraction of the cost of one of those commercially sold bottles. You will find two very good recipes at this site.
icuban.com/food/sofrito.html
Take a look at these recipes and notice how sofrito is the base of the dish.
Picadillo a la Marlen
1 pound lean ground beef, browned*
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
1/2 medium green pepper, chopped
1 small can tomato sauce (NOT paste)
Olive oil as needed
3 garlic gloves, minced
1 small box raisins
1 small jar pimento stuffed olives
1/4 cup golden cooking wine*
Salt, pepper, oregano to taste
Brown ground beef in a little olive oil in a large frying pan (*I season it with a bit of salt, pepper and oregano). Don't over cook it. Just saute until the meat no longer pink. Set aside.
In a bit of olive oil, saute onion, green pepper and garlic until softened. Add tomato sauce, golden cooking wine*, a bit more ground pepper and oregano, and cooked ground beef. Add raisins and olives. Mix well. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 15 minutes. Uncover, stir and cover again. Simmer for 15 minutes more or until meat is done. Taste and correct seasonings. Serve over white rice.
Notes from Marlen:
*We Cubans use a golden cooking wine called Edmundo. If you can't find it, any white cooking wine will done. I know one should only cook with wine one can drink, but this is a Cuban peasant dish. If you use a good white wine the taste won't be the same - I tried it! In this particular recipe only cooking wine will do. Remember cooking wine is salty so go easy on the salt until you do the taste test.
This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.
If you are lucky enough to have any left over picadillo, it makes a great sandwich on French or Cuban bread, or hard rolls. It is also an excellent stuffing for crescent rolls.
*************
Cuban Ropa Vieja (Shredded Beef - Old clothes!)
The humorous name comes from the fact that the meat is shredded – like your old clothes!!!
3 Tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 medium onions
1/2 green pepper, seeded and chopped
8 oz. tomato sauce
2 lbs. flank steak
1 cup golden cooking wine
1 small jar of Spanish olives, stuffed w/pimientos
1 oz. pimientos, cut into strips
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. pepper
Boil flank at medium heat until very tender (about 2 hours). Remove fat. Using two forks, separate beef into tendrils and set aside.
In olive oil, sautee onion, green pepper and garlic until the onion is translucent. Add the tomato sauce and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes, until the sauce is a nice rich red.
Add shredded beef to the skillet, cooking until lightly browned. Add the wine, olives and pimientos. Season with salt and pepper. Allow to simmer until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Makes 8 generous portions.
If you are lucky enough to have leftovers, it makes a nice sandwich, it makes a nice sandwich on French bread or a crusty roll!
**************
Marlen’s Garbanzos Fritos (Fried Chickpeas)
3 T olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced (I use the garlic press)
1 small can tomato sauce (I use one that has no salt or sugar added)
2 cans garbanzos (chickpeas), drained well
2 chorizos (Spanish, NOT Mexican) or 1 cup of any cooked sausage, cut into slices or cubes (I have used kielbasa)
1 cup pre-cooked ham cubes (boiled or smoked - your choice - I use boiled)
Salt, pepper and oregano to taste
1 small can chopped red pimentos, drained well
In sautee pan, heat oil and add the onions and peppers until the onions are translucent. Add garlic cloves and tomato sauce. Mix well.. Add garbanzos, sausage and ham. Cook, stirring well for about 1-2 minutes, until all ingredients are amalgamated. Season to taste. Add red pimentos. Heat through. Serve over white rice.
Terri asked me to post a recipe for sofrito, explain it and post some recipes.
Sofrito is the base for many Cuban and Latin dishes in general. Italians have their version called soffritto or sufreit.
Its basic ingredients are olive oil, garlic, onions and green peppers. When you see this in a recipe, you are seeing sofrito. There are variations which include the addition of ham or bacon, tomato sauce, oregano, etc.
They are commercially sold but in my opinion it is a waste of money and an insult to your stomach! Nothing compares to the one you make yourself. Absolutely nothing! Not to mention that you can make it for a fraction of the cost of one of those commercially sold bottles. You will find two very good recipes at this site.
icuban.com/food/sofrito.html
Take a look at these recipes and notice how sofrito is the base of the dish.
Picadillo a la Marlen
1 pound lean ground beef, browned*
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
1/2 medium green pepper, chopped
1 small can tomato sauce (NOT paste)
Olive oil as needed
3 garlic gloves, minced
1 small box raisins
1 small jar pimento stuffed olives
1/4 cup golden cooking wine*
Salt, pepper, oregano to taste
Brown ground beef in a little olive oil in a large frying pan (*I season it with a bit of salt, pepper and oregano). Don't over cook it. Just saute until the meat no longer pink. Set aside.
In a bit of olive oil, saute onion, green pepper and garlic until softened. Add tomato sauce, golden cooking wine*, a bit more ground pepper and oregano, and cooked ground beef. Add raisins and olives. Mix well. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 15 minutes. Uncover, stir and cover again. Simmer for 15 minutes more or until meat is done. Taste and correct seasonings. Serve over white rice.
Notes from Marlen:
*We Cubans use a golden cooking wine called Edmundo. If you can't find it, any white cooking wine will done. I know one should only cook with wine one can drink, but this is a Cuban peasant dish. If you use a good white wine the taste won't be the same - I tried it! In this particular recipe only cooking wine will do. Remember cooking wine is salty so go easy on the salt until you do the taste test.
This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.
If you are lucky enough to have any left over picadillo, it makes a great sandwich on French or Cuban bread, or hard rolls. It is also an excellent stuffing for crescent rolls.
*************
Cuban Ropa Vieja (Shredded Beef - Old clothes!)
The humorous name comes from the fact that the meat is shredded – like your old clothes!!!
3 Tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 medium onions
1/2 green pepper, seeded and chopped
8 oz. tomato sauce
2 lbs. flank steak
1 cup golden cooking wine
1 small jar of Spanish olives, stuffed w/pimientos
1 oz. pimientos, cut into strips
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. pepper
Boil flank at medium heat until very tender (about 2 hours). Remove fat. Using two forks, separate beef into tendrils and set aside.
In olive oil, sautee onion, green pepper and garlic until the onion is translucent. Add the tomato sauce and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes, until the sauce is a nice rich red.
Add shredded beef to the skillet, cooking until lightly browned. Add the wine, olives and pimientos. Season with salt and pepper. Allow to simmer until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Makes 8 generous portions.
If you are lucky enough to have leftovers, it makes a nice sandwich, it makes a nice sandwich on French bread or a crusty roll!
**************
Marlen’s Garbanzos Fritos (Fried Chickpeas)
3 T olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced (I use the garlic press)
1 small can tomato sauce (I use one that has no salt or sugar added)
2 cans garbanzos (chickpeas), drained well
2 chorizos (Spanish, NOT Mexican) or 1 cup of any cooked sausage, cut into slices or cubes (I have used kielbasa)
1 cup pre-cooked ham cubes (boiled or smoked - your choice - I use boiled)
Salt, pepper and oregano to taste
1 small can chopped red pimentos, drained well
In sautee pan, heat oil and add the onions and peppers until the onions are translucent. Add garlic cloves and tomato sauce. Mix well.. Add garbanzos, sausage and ham. Cook, stirring well for about 1-2 minutes, until all ingredients are amalgamated. Season to taste. Add red pimentos. Heat through. Serve over white rice.