I have been making Jose’s Catalan Sofrito recipe for a very long time, and it never ceases to please. It does take patience and vigilance. Follow Chef Andres’ advice on adding the tiniest bit of water if there is some burnt onion, adding too much water starts to change the texture of the onions. I use this almost as a chutney / sauce with Chef’s pork meatball recipe and it is simply magnificent. It’s worth the time and the effort. Make sure you do use Roma tomatoes as advised in the recipe, the skin and texture holds up against the shredder quite vs. other kinds.
For those unwilling to stand and rasp the tomatoes (which does take a while), I've used his method of clip the top and bottom of the tomato, cut in half or quaters and, using a fish fillet knife, fillet the tomato off the skin pressing firmly onto the tabletop. Place all the tomato innards into a grinder/processor, go lightly until mashed (not liquified!). Works just as well.
sofrito is the secret ingredient to my paella and several Spanish soup/stews I make. I make a bunch and freeze it... but I am surprised there isn't a Jose Brand sofrito!
This sounds delicious and I can't wait to try it. When I lived in Florida, I worked for a woman who was from Puerto Rico, and was Spanish, and her sofrito recaito was one of the best things I ever had. She wouldn't share the recipe, it was a family secret. but of course it contained cilantro (the recaito part). She gave me a jar and I put it in everything I made. I'm of Italian heritage and cook many tomato-based sauces, and the sofrito recaito added a pop of flavor to everything. It was my first foray into Spanish cooking, but far from my last. My husband and I went to Spain this past spring and oh...my...gosh! The food was amazing! Better than France, but don't tell them I said that, they already dislike Americans. :-)
Jose, can you blanch the tomatoes to remove the skins and then pure the tomatoes? Or use pure already made to cut the time without losing too much flavor?
We make the sofregit pretty much as José describes it, with variations and usually in a smaller quantity than he makes. We often use a sweet onion as the base, and in the winter we use canned tomato pulp. I admit that bay leaves are a new one on me, I shall try that the next time I make a rice dish or a stew.
I just finished making a Puerto Rican style sofrito, with cilantro, peppers, onions, garlic, & tomatoes. I freeze it in ice cube trays, then as I need it, I add a couple of frozen cubes to whatever I'm making. Easy way to always have sofrito on hand.
I have made paella many times and all the recipes don’t mention sofrito. Even Penelope Casa book. Surprisingly, none of the recipes have onion. So I’m wondering if I made your Sofrito how much would I add to the paella pan for 6 people?
You probably made sofrito within the paella recipe. I use Katie Button's Chicken Paella recipe as my base, and she does not call it sofrito either (it's sofrito before you add lima beans) in her paellas.
When I was a boy, my mother and grandmother from Galicia used to make a simple dish called Judias, after the green beans that are the base. Green beans, potatoes, eggs and pearl onions boiled together in a pot. Cook until the potatoes are tender, shell and slice the eggs into a large serving bowl. Mom would simply chop and cook garlic in olive oil and pour over the mixture, but I've since started using the sofrito recipe in your cookbook and love it. Very simple fast meal that is very hearty.
I have been making Jose’s Catalan Sofrito recipe for a very long time, and it never ceases to please. It does take patience and vigilance. Follow Chef Andres’ advice on adding the tiniest bit of water if there is some burnt onion, adding too much water starts to change the texture of the onions. I use this almost as a chutney / sauce with Chef’s pork meatball recipe and it is simply magnificent. It’s worth the time and the effort. Make sure you do use Roma tomatoes as advised in the recipe, the skin and texture holds up against the shredder quite vs. other kinds.
For those unwilling to stand and rasp the tomatoes (which does take a while), I've used his method of clip the top and bottom of the tomato, cut in half or quaters and, using a fish fillet knife, fillet the tomato off the skin pressing firmly onto the tabletop. Place all the tomato innards into a grinder/processor, go lightly until mashed (not liquified!). Works just as well.
sofrito is the secret ingredient to my paella and several Spanish soup/stews I make. I make a bunch and freeze it... but I am surprised there isn't a Jose Brand sofrito!
This sounds delicious and I can't wait to try it. When I lived in Florida, I worked for a woman who was from Puerto Rico, and was Spanish, and her sofrito recaito was one of the best things I ever had. She wouldn't share the recipe, it was a family secret. but of course it contained cilantro (the recaito part). She gave me a jar and I put it in everything I made. I'm of Italian heritage and cook many tomato-based sauces, and the sofrito recaito added a pop of flavor to everything. It was my first foray into Spanish cooking, but far from my last. My husband and I went to Spain this past spring and oh...my...gosh! The food was amazing! Better than France, but don't tell them I said that, they already dislike Americans. :-)
Just gorgeous - I can taste this already! Will make… probably today.
Jose, can you blanch the tomatoes to remove the skins and then pure the tomatoes? Or use pure already made to cut the time without losing too much flavor?
We make the sofregit pretty much as José describes it, with variations and usually in a smaller quantity than he makes. We often use a sweet onion as the base, and in the winter we use canned tomato pulp. I admit that bay leaves are a new one on me, I shall try that the next time I make a rice dish or a stew.
I just finished making a Puerto Rican style sofrito, with cilantro, peppers, onions, garlic, & tomatoes. I freeze it in ice cube trays, then as I need it, I add a couple of frozen cubes to whatever I'm making. Easy way to always have sofrito on hand.
I have made paella many times and all the recipes don’t mention sofrito. Even Penelope Casa book. Surprisingly, none of the recipes have onion. So I’m wondering if I made your Sofrito how much would I add to the paella pan for 6 people?
You probably made sofrito within the paella recipe. I use Katie Button's Chicken Paella recipe as my base, and she does not call it sofrito either (it's sofrito before you add lima beans) in her paellas.
When I was a boy, my mother and grandmother from Galicia used to make a simple dish called Judias, after the green beans that are the base. Green beans, potatoes, eggs and pearl onions boiled together in a pot. Cook until the potatoes are tender, shell and slice the eggs into a large serving bowl. Mom would simply chop and cook garlic in olive oil and pour over the mixture, but I've since started using the sofrito recipe in your cookbook and love it. Very simple fast meal that is very hearty.
This is so good. Thanks for sharing this Chef.
Thank you all for your comments. Like any good recipe, it deserves to have personal alterations!