Sofrito Sauce
Sofrito is a powerful staple sauce in Latin American kitchens everywhere. It works as a base for soups, stews, rices dishes, or as a condiment standing on it's own. If I had to explain it, I would say it's the Mother Sauce of Latin-Caribbean cooking. You can find variations of this sauce from Cuba, to Puerto Rico, to the Dominican Republic and beyond. I serve it often with my Latin-Caribbean Fried Chicken, or as a quick starter sauce to my Paella recipe.
INGREDIENTS
5 cloves Garlic, minced
1 Green bell pepper, diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 tomatoes, chopped
3/4 cup Tomato sauce
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp Cumin, ground
1 tsp dried oregano
2 Bay leaves
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine
INSTRUCTIONS
In a medium skillet, add oil, garlic, onion, and peppers over medium-high heat. Sautee for 2-3 minutes, or until garlic is lightly toasted and peppers and onions become fragrant. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper, cumin, and oregano.
Toss around an additional 30 seconds to 1 minute, until spices cover evenly, and liquids begin to evaporate.
Add tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, until the sauce begins to thicken and the oil begins to rise to the top. The edges should be browning, a little. Stir in white wine, drop in bay leaves, and reduce to a simmer.
Continue to simmer for 10-15 minutes. If needed, add a little water or broth to the sauce to keep it going while simmering. Just enough to keep it going.
Use this sauce as a condiment, or as a base to rice dishes, stews and soups.