Dominican Sofrito Recipes

Steps:

• Combine ingredients in a food processor and process until finely chopped. Refrigerate leftovers.

Steps:

• In a large pot, soak beans overnight in 10 cups of water.
• Add 1 tablespoon oil, the onion, bell pepper, garlic cloves and bay leaf to beans, and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium and simmer for 1 hour, checking regularly and skimming the foam that forms on top.
• Meanwhile, make the sofrito. Warm remaining 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the half onion, 1 bell pepper and 3 garlic cloves and sauté for about 5 minutes until soft. Add 1 bay leaf, cumin, oregano, black pepper and salt, and cook for 2 minutes more.
• Add the sofrito to beans. Stir in sherry vinegar, wine and olives, and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook, covered, for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened and cooked through. Remove both bay leaves, and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and add sugar. Serve as soup or a side dish, or over white rice.

Steps:

• Roughly cut up all ingredients.
• Toss the wettest ones in a large food processor and give them a couple of quick pulses. This moistness will help process the rest of the ingredients(the tomatoes and tomatillos).
• Next, add the herbs - parsley and cilantro.
• Then, add as many of the other ingredients as you can fit.
• Give the processor several whirs and stirs. Keep adding whatever didn't fit before and pulse until you get a coarse blend. Some sofritos are really chunky, some are like a paste. You decide.
• Season with salt and pepper if you like, but it may be best to season the dish it goes in, in order to have more control.
• Refrigerate and use as needed.