SOFRITO BY ANY OTHER NAME WOULD SMELL AS SWEET ....

Maybe it was the refrain "quizas quizas quizas" from the song QUIZAS by EL TRIO LOS PANCHOS that refused to let me go hours after I listened to the song on YouTube this morning, or maybe it was telling my son  how I used to fly down to Puerto Rico on winter weekends just for the fun of it.  And for the warmth. And for the food.  Always for the food.

I remember it was my first time on the island.  I was on my way to Luquillo Beach when I spotted the food kiosks on the side of the road and came to a screeching halt.  It was unlike anything I had ever seen or smelled.  Sizzling crabs.  Alcapurrias.  Tostones. Pinones.  Morcillas.  Chicharron.  I was in  Cuchifrito paradise.  Stuffed but happy,  I eventually did make it to the beach.


It's been a few years ... decades in fact ... since my last trip there.  Maybe some weekend this coming winter. Quizas.

And so I was in a Caribbean-nostalgic mood today. What better way to evoke the flavors and aromas of the island cuisine than to start with a sofrito which is a sauce made of onions, garlic, peppers, tomatoes, herbs and spices.  The base for many dishes, not unlike mirepoix, the traditional French culinary combination of onions, carrots and celery.   But there is a world of difference, like the difference between bland and exciting.

With Tito Puente keeping  me in rhythm, I assembled the vegetables,

and the herbs and spices.

While the minced onions and garlic were cooking, I chopped up the red bell pepper and the three jalapeño peppers ( all ribbed and seeded).

I introduced the peppers to the onion/garlic mixture, added a can of no-sodium-added crushed tomatoes, and let everything cook gently, while I chopped the parsley and a spoonful of capers.  Capers have a lot of sodium, so I rinsed them thoroughly.  I also gave the contents of a can of black beans a long shower under the faucet.

The parsley, capers and beans went into the pot along with an ample helping of ground black pepper, dried cilantro, oregano, and a  tiny bit of Goya's Sazon con Cilantro y Achiote.    After a few stirs, it was done. Ole!

A plate of rice, a healthy helping of beans in sofrito, and lunch was ready.

Tito Puente would have approved.  Quizas.

These were the ingredients:

1 onion, minced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

3 jalapano peppers, ribbed, seeded and chopped

1 red bell pepper, ribbed, seeded and chopped

Handful of parsley, minced

1 can sodium-free crushed tomatoes

1 can black beans, thoroughly rinsed

1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and chopped

l teaspoon dried cilantro

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/8 teaspoon Sazon

Liberal amount of freshly ground black pepper

Cooked rice