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Garlic-Heavy Sofrito for Beans and Rice

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Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Condiment
Cuisine Caribbean, Latin American
Servings 2 cups of sofrito, enough for 6-8 servings of beans and rice

Equipment

  • Food processor A must for getting the right texture—chunky but blended. If you don’t have one, a high-powered blender will work, but pulse in batches and avoid turning it into a purée.
  • Cutting board and knife For rough chopping before blending.
  • Spatula To scrape down the sides of your processor.
  • Glass jar or airtight containers For storing your sofrito in the fridge or freezer.
  • Ice cube tray (optional) Great for freezing small portions for easy use later.

Ingredients
  

  • 2 large heads of garlic yes, heads, not cloves—about 20-24 cloves total
  • 1 large yellow onion roughly chopped
  • 1 cubanelle pepper stem and seeds removed, chopped (can substitute with green bell pepper)
  • 1 medium green bell pepper chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper chopped
  • 1 bunch cilantro stems and leaves (about 1½ cups loosely packed)
  • 1 handful culantro leaves about 10 leaves, optional but recommended
  • 1 small bunch fresh oregano or 1 tbsp dried oregano
  • 3 scallions trimmed and chopped
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp ground cumin optional, for warmth
  • 1 small aji dulce pepper optional but traditional; can use sweet mini pepper if unavailable

Instructions
 

Prep the garlic

  1. Peel all the cloves from the two heads of garlic. Don’t skimp—this is where the flavor begins. If you’re short on time, you can buy pre-peeled garlic, but fresh cloves always give the best flavor.

Rough chop all vegetables and herbs

  1. Give the onions, peppers, scallions, cilantro, and culantro a rough chop. This makes it easier for your food processor to handle them evenly.

Blend in batches if needed

  1. Add the garlic and olive oil to your food processor first. Pulse until the garlic breaks down a bit. Then add the rest of the vegetables and herbs. If your food processor is small, do this in two batches. Pulse until everything is combined into a thick, chunky paste—not too smooth.

Season

  1. Add salt, black pepper, oregano, and optional cumin. Give it another few pulses to blend the seasoning into the mixture.

Store

  1. Transfer your sofrito into glass jars or freezer-safe containers. You can refrigerate it for up to 10 days or freeze it for 3 months. An ice cube tray works great to freeze small, ready-to-use portions.