Cuban Sofrito

"Cubans like lots of green pepper and lots of cilantro. We use hot peppers - in this case ajecitos- but our food is less spicy than other Caribbean cooking. It's more the flavor than the spice we're after. The debate among Cubans is whether sofrito should be chunky or not. I like mine a little smooth, so I do it in a food processor, but some like it roughly chopped. Sofrito is a matter of taste. It's never used for beans, but it's used for everything else." Ernesto Ortiz

• 3 onions
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 green pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
• 2 ajecitos, 3, if you're an adventurer, 4 if you want to clear your sinuses (No substitute for this ingredient to be authentic)
• 2 tablespoons cilantro, roughly chopped

METHOD

Chop onion by hand or in food processor. The food processor will make it very fine. Cook over medium heat in oil until onion is translucent.

While onion is cooking, prepare garlic, green pepper, and ajecitos. Add to onions. Cook slowly, stirring to blend tastes.

When pepper starts to lose color, about 10-12 minutes, stir in chopped cilantro. Cook for two minutes and remove from heat. Don't overcook the cilantro or it will lose taste and color.

If cooking to freeze, let sofrito cool, then put in ice cube tray in refrigerator. When frozen, remove from the trays and save in the freezer in a plastic bag. It's ready any time you want a Cuban flavor base for meats.

Yield: About 1 1/2 cups.

recipe from www.inmamaskitchen.com

Contributor: Ernesto Ortiz for Sylvia Ortiz

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