Cuban Sofrito Recipes

Steps:

• Cut chicken in cubes.
• Marinate chicken for at least an hour in sofrito, wine, garlic and seasonings.
• (I try to marinate over night).
• Over low-med heat cook chicken.
• Add in olives and whatever else you may like.
• Serve over black beans and rice (if you like).
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook until onion is translucent. Add the bell pepper, and saute until tender. Season with salt, pepper, cumin, oregano and bay leaves. Continue cooking until the mixture looks like a yummy green paste with oil around it. Stir in the tomatoes, if using, and cook stirring until all of the liquid is released. Gradually stir in the tomato sauce simmer until the sauce looks really red. Taste, and adjust seasonings if desired. Remove bay leaves.
• Now the sauce is done. You can add it to meat, rice, beans fish or potatoes. Thin the sauce down if necessary with water, wine, beer, or whatever is handy.

Steps:

• Cut 1 green pepper into 1-inch squares. Smash and peel 4 of the garlic cloves. Put the green pepper and garlic into a large pot with the beans, ham hock, bay leaves and 1 tablespoon salt. Add 2 quarts water and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and simmer until the beans are tender, an hour or more.
• Meanwhile, make a sofrito. Cut the remaining ½ green pepper into ¼-inch dice. Peel and finely chop the remaining garlic. Heat the olive oil in a very large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until it starts to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the green pepper and onion and cook, stirring, until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, jalapeño (leave out the seeds if you don't want it too spicy), oregano, cumin, black pepper and 2 teaspoons salt and stir for another minute. Pour in the vinegar and scrape any browned bits from bottom of pan with a wooden spoon. This is your sofrito.
• When the beans are cooked, discard the bay leaf. Remove and set aside the ham hock and let it cool. Transfer 1 cup of beans to small bowl, mash them into a paste with the back of a fork and return to the pot. Add the sofrito, then the sugar. Pull the meat from the ham hock, leaving behind any white sinew or gristle. Chop the ham into ½-inch pieces and return it to the bean pot.
• Stir the beans well and bring to a boil over medium heat, then lower to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes or so, skimming any foam from the top. Taste for salt and serve with white rice.