• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

Sofrito and other Instant Flavorings

MaggieD

MaggieD

DP Veteran
Joined
Jul 9, 2010
Messages
43,244
Reaction score
44,664
Location
Chicago Area
Gender
Female
Political Leaning
Moderate
I was talking to a Medi-Car driver yesterday. His hobby was cooking. He told me about Sofrito -- a Puerto Rican flavoring for soups and sauces. Here's his recipe:

6 whole garlic buds (peeled) (TONS of garlic)
2 green peppers (or one red and one green)
2 large onions or 3 small ones
2 bundles of cilantro
A little olive oil
Salt if you want it

Food process it until smooth; put in ice cube trays and freeze, then empty and put in baggies for use in soups, sauces, rice, whatever. For a Puerto Rican cube of intense flavor.

I got to thinking that that method ought to work with any flavorings we constantly use...so instead of using dried herbs and spices all the time, we could use fresh...make a batch of whatever...freeze it and have "instant Italian" -- instant whatever.

Do you do that? What other blends might you suggest?
 
MaggieD said:
I was talking to a Medi-Car driver yesterday. His hobby was cooking. He told me about Sofrito -- a Puerto Rican flavoring for soups and sauces. Here's his recipe:

6 whole garlic buds (peeled) (TONS of garlic)
2 green peppers (or one red and one green)
2 large onions or 3 small ones
2 bundles of cilantro
A little olive oil
Salt if you want it

Food process it until smooth; put in ice cube trays and freeze, then empty and put in baggies for use in soups, sauces, rice, whatever. For a Puerto Rican cube of intense flavor.

I got to thinking that that method ought to work with any flavorings we constantly use...so instead of using dried herbs and spices all the time, we could use fresh...make a batch of whatever...freeze it and have "instant Italian" -- instant whatever.

Do you do that? What other blends might you suggest?
Click to expand...

I haven't done that, but it is an excellent idea. Thanks!
 
MaggieD said:
I was talking to a Medi-Car driver yesterday. His hobby was cooking. He told me about Sofrito -- a Puerto Rican flavoring for soups and sauces. Here's his recipe:

6 whole garlic buds (peeled) (TONS of garlic)
2 green peppers (or one red and one green)
2 large onions or 3 small ones
2 bundles of cilantro
A little olive oil
Salt if you want it

Food process it until smooth; put in ice cube trays and freeze, then empty and put in baggies for use in soups, sauces, rice, whatever. For a Puerto Rican cube of intense flavor.

I got to thinking that that method ought to work with any flavorings we constantly use...so instead of using dried herbs and spices all the time, we could use fresh...make a batch of whatever...freeze it and have "instant Italian" -- instant whatever.

Do you do that? What other blends might you suggest?
Click to expand...

In Spanish cuisine, a sofrito is the base for any soup, stew or pot dish. In Andalusia at least, there are many regional variations, it's not dissimilar to that Puerto Rican mix and it can be kept for quite a while if frozen or kept in sterile jars. Here you'd be much more likely to use bay leaves (Laurel), parsley and thyme in place of the cilantro (coriander), which isn't a big ingredient here, in fact it's quite difficult to get hold of. We'd also probably use dried red peppers and sun-dried tomatoes instead of green peppers. So, there are some variations for you to think about trying. I also add Ras al Hanout to my sofrito, which is a moroccan spice mix. It's totally un-traditionally Spanish, but you can then use that base to make a tagine - rabbit's my favourite.

Wow! It's waay past lunchtime! Must dash.
 
MaggieD said:
I was talking to a Medi-Car driver yesterday. His hobby was cooking. He told me about Sofrito -- a Puerto Rican flavoring for soups and sauces. Here's his recipe:

6 whole garlic buds (peeled) (TONS of garlic)
2 green peppers (or one red and one green)
2 large onions or 3 small ones
2 bundles of cilantro
A little olive oil
Salt if you want it

Food process it until smooth; put in ice cube trays and freeze, then empty and put in baggies for use in soups, sauces, rice, whatever. For a Puerto Rican cube of intense flavor.

I got to thinking that that method ought to work with any flavorings we constantly use...so instead of using dried herbs and spices all the time, we could use fresh...make a batch of whatever...freeze it and have "instant Italian" -- instant whatever.

Do you do that? What other blends might you suggest?
Click to expand...

Yuck! ACK!:lol:
 
Why freeze fresh veggies, it will cut down on the flavor. It is a good idea for a quick meal but not for flavor. I also read food processors break down flavor enzymes that are otherwise released when chewing but I can't know that to be true. When I make a soup I break the rules by not simmering the recommended times as I think it kills of the flavor of the spices. I toss in the spices about 15 minutes before pulling it off the heat, then let the soup set for a couple hours then re-heat. Granma taught that many moons ago as she had a garden and refused to simmer and veggie for long periods of time.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom