Sofrito Recipe - Straight from the Plaza del Mercado

[@joyace9674]

I never put tomatoes 🍅 everything else I do put but boy how I miss my Puerto Rican island 🏝 🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷I was born there now I’m in California but there’s nothing like the old traditional ways 🥰🥰🥰🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷

[@JeffandJosPuertoRicanKitchen]

You know it!!

[@jeanineslife2462]

I'm from New York, but moved to Florida,i'm Italian and Puerto Rican,I go crazy when i can't find food items here that I can in New York drives me crazy so i understand!, for example , I just posted my recipe for easy sofrito,and not only destroyed the name of the pepper ( Ajies Dulces ) but I can't find them in south Florida. No I'm not in Miami lol! I am just learning to cook Puerto Rican dishes so I want it to taste authentic like my grandma,who left no recipes behind,sad but true,and my mom only learned Italian cooking from dads family,i know sounds wierd.

[@noemipabon8066]

Tomatoes should never be used in sofrito, the acid the tomate loses changes the flavor, color and texture of the sofrito. Original recipe is yellow onions, fresh garlic never pre peeled, cilantro, recao, cubanelle peppers and ají dulces. If you use tomatoes or any other acid like ingredient you can only make small batches, try to use it quickly before it begins to change. If you use the original ingredients the sofrito will last much longer, also never use the green bell pepper as these peppers have an incredible high amount of acid, for people who suffer from acid reflux or heartburn this isn’t good. Living in Massachusetts l long for my island and my beautiful town of Mayaguez, but something as simple as adding sofrito to a caldero brings me back to my island, so everyone enjoy your sofritos regardless of how you make it. God bless La Patria!🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷

[@JeffandJosPuertoRicanKitchen]

So true! Sofrito is the heart of Puerto Rican cooking!

[@ap2179]

I agree. No tomatoes in the sofrito. Overall good recipe.

[@lynnd5342]

Exactly how I make mine. I never use tomatoes or bell peppers because it’s too acidic for my husband and I.

[@ElBoriRichieRich]

First time I ever seen tomatoes added and I got recipe from living with my grandma in cabo rojo one thing she used to do was saute some of veggies papers onions garlic then add with rest of raw it gives it a nice flavor

[@JeffandJosPuertoRicanKitchen]

That’s a great idea with the sautéed veggies. As we mentioned in the video, the tomatoes were a first for us too! Thanks for watching!!

[@benvale4887]

*Humacao, Mayagüez, Moca, San Sebastian, Cabo Rojo, are great places to gather spices to make "sofrito" in PUERTORICO. I get all of those items In New York, but I don't use tomatoes. I bought all of those fresh spices today.. I can get here green pepper, ají dulce and recao. I get them in Brooklyn and I add instead of Olives extra virgen olive oil. Thanks for sharing!.*

[@JeffandJosPuertoRicanKitchen]

Thanks for sharing Ben! Awesome that you can find the aji dulce and recao! Been talking with a bunch of people in the midwest and western states that are having a hard time sourcing them. You'd really think that with all the technology there would be more access... but guess we gotta be thankful for what we have!

[@lynnd5342]

I find the ingredients in Queens as well. First thing I did when I moved here was to hunt for the shops that carried them. Took me a bit but I found them.

[@jeanineslife2462]

my mom's family was from Mayaguez,Puert Rico,that's so funny I found your Channel here.

[@sofiaedmundson9128]

So I just looked for seeds for recau and aji dulce. If I can't buy it, I'll GROW IT! Sofrito here I come!!!

[@JeffandJosPuertoRicanKitchen]

Awesome!!

[@sweetness_5772]

My maternal grandmother was born and raised in Barranquitas. She taught me how to make sofrito back in the early '90. She included everything you have on your video except tomatoes. But, she sometimes added fresh oregano and a small amount of olive oil.

[@mr.215gonzalez4]

Hey where in Barranquitas u from I'm from LA vega los Sanchez

[@sweetness_5772]

@mr.215gonzalez4 My maternal grandmother was born there. In fact, Luis Marin Muñoz, was her cousin. I was born in Brooklyn, New York.

[@KaribeCuebas]

Great video as always! I add olive oil to my sofrito and it lasts a long time in the refrigerator...like months. The oil serves as a preservative. I’ve never added tomatoes to mine, I will try that next time I make it.

[@JeffandJosPuertoRicanKitchen]

That’s great to hear! Does the oil separate and you have to mix it before adding it. Just asking because we have never done that.

[@aketabi]

Just made a nice batch of this! Thank you for the great video tutorial!

[@JeffandJosPuertoRicanKitchen]

You are welcome!! Thank you for watching!

[@mildredbosque7147]

Loved this it remembered me how my grandmother did her sofrito. 😁😉

[@JeffandJosPuertoRicanKitchen]

That's great!

[@mildredsegarra587]

I just made sofrito a few days ago and the only thing New Orleans doesn’t have is the ají dulce and cubanelle peppers. I could find all that in Chicago. Also I don’t add tomatoes because the sofrito will spoil faster. 😍

[@JeffandJosPuertoRicanKitchen]

Mildred Segarra it’s hard for us to find some of the ingredients too! But I’m sure it was still delicious!

[@evelynmarius9947]

My mom, grandma, and great grandma never added tomatoes. But I'm willing to give it a try.

[@JeffandJosPuertoRicanKitchen]

Haha! We only added tomatoes that one time as suggested by the vendor but agree that it is not common at all.

[@coronellopez7908]

Thanks Guys! It was good to see a new spin on Sofrito! Love it!

[@JeffandJosPuertoRicanKitchen]

C Lo thank you!!

[@40083svene]

I add red peppers also. Makes it sweeter. I skip the tomatoes because my opinion it makes the rice mushy.

[@JeffandJosPuertoRicanKitchen]

That sounds delicious too! And yeah, we usually don't use tomatoes either, but wanted to give the shop-keepers suggestion a try.

[@eljefemaximo5420]

We don't have cubanelle peppers in California. Would Pasilla or Anaheim chilies make a good substitute?

[@carmenscasita6390]

Use any sweet - non spicy green pepper.

[@L.i.s.a....]

Looks great, bet it smells heavenly. I don't use tomatoes in sofrito because there are many dishes I create that do not call for tomato or sauce. This would be great for Puerto Rican stews, rice & beans. Ice cube tray and freezer baggies are great ideas. :)

[@JeffandJosPuertoRicanKitchen]

Thank you!!!

[@wgalm]

By the way I would love and am sure many others out there would like it too, if Jeff and his wife would make a video making traditional fricassé de pollo like our abuelitas used to make it traditionally with everything fresh including white cooking vinegar, potatoes, hojas de laurel etc and the way they used to cut the chicken portions.

[@v.5967]

Isn’t the stems of the cilantro will make it taste bitter??? I only use the leaves

[@CarlosCarattini]

love your recipe!!! if it’s not too much trouble can you add your recipe in the drop-down description box.

[@JeffandJosPuertoRicanKitchen]

It is there!!

[@JuanSanchez-qt1ue]

Adding the tomatoes is interesting. I wonder if maybe roasting the tomatoes like you would for a Mexican salsa would give a better taste to the sofrito Btw this is a super underrated channel. I discovered you guys because KZbin labeled you as creators on the rise on the exploring page. Keep up the good work!

[@JeffandJosPuertoRicanKitchen]

Yeah, that could be a pretty interesting taste--although certainly less traditional.

[@rxlo1062]

#1. Awesome 👍🇵🇷

[@JeffandJosPuertoRicanKitchen]

Rx Lo10 thanks for the support! 🇵🇷🇵🇷

[@wandaviruet3621]

Love it😘🇵🇷

[@JeffandJosPuertoRicanKitchen]

Yay!! 😄😄

[@bcmilatino0116]

John here, I live in Honduras. I can't find aji Dulce here. I'm not sure we have racaito like what you showed either.

[@JeffandJosPuertoRicanKitchen]

Glad you found the simpler recipe. It will be delicious

[@parmodsharma4576]

I made some soffits the other day a froze it. I didn’t use tomatoes. I used recao, green pepper, aji, cilantro, onion. I took the seeds out of ajis and will try to grow in the summer. Recao my favorite. Garlic I will add when cooking.

[@JeffandJosPuertoRicanKitchen]

Interesting! Any reason in particular you wait to add the garlic? Just curious.

[@joevuzekaz2030]

Puedes echar tomates para cocinar al momento pero no si es para conserva amenos que lo proceses como tal.

[@lineking7678]

Great video … it’s easy to get in NYC am not sure where u live .. But any Spanish .. Mexican .. or Caribbean community and u will get it .. In come places it’s call Culantro.. and am from Trinidad 🇹🇹 and we call it Chadon Beni (Shado Beni) and this is a staple in our cooking and green seasoning ..

[@JeffandJosPuertoRicanKitchen]

Thanks

[@kdaadventures8616]

I wanted to share with you that my wife is Puerto Rican and I not. However, I am the one who makes the Sofrito and other Puerto Rican dishes.

[@JeffandJosPuertoRicanKitchen]

That’s great to hear! What other dishes do you make??

[@lakermd]

Hard to find some of the ingredients in California. And I’ve never heard of putting tomatoes in. My mom is from Humacao PR. When you said that I was wow I wonder if somewhere down the line we are related 😂😂 small town

[@liaveg393]

Nyc you can find it in the Chinese fruit market.

[@jaredrios9575]

I use tomatoes as well. I always take out the seeds. Only thing bad about adding tomatoes is that they lose flavor once you refrigerate them. Its better to have tomatoes outside on hand and blend when ready to use sofrito.

[@JeffandJosPuertoRicanKitchen]

Thank you! Great tip!!

[@ausuyucayeque]

@@JeffandJosPuertoRicanKitchen PERSONALLY I PUT THE TOMATOES IN THE LAST MOMENT, ALL THE OTHER INGREDIENTS CAN BLEND PROPERLY. BUT IF YOU DONT HAVE TIME WELL MAKE EVERYTHING TOGETHER... BTW GREAT VIDEO SPECIALLY FOR THE PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND OUR PUERTORICAN KITCHEN

[@unicopachulo]

Since I been checking the internet I notice that everyone puts different things in their Sofrito and I could understand that since God created all of us different but one ingredient that really intrigue me is people putting tomatoes, I could see using Cubanelle Peppers but tomatoes I have never seen my family or any friends put in. See I love to cook because I grow up helping my mother and ants in the kitchen and making Sofrito the only ingredients I seen them use are Onions, Garlic, Cilantro, Green Peppers, Red Peppers, Cubanelle Peppers and the two main ingridients that to me if you don't add them is no longer Sofrito are Ajices Dulces y Recao that is also call Culantro. Those are the only ingredient I use in my Sofrito and anything else like Tomatoes, Oregano, Achiote, Salt, Black Pepper, Sazon etc, etc, etc I could always add later while I'm cooking.... you be surprise the stuff I see that people put in the Sofrito like Celery, Ginger, Olive Oil, Rose Mary, Arugula, Rapini, Tomatillo, Bean Sprout, Mushrooms, Red Onion, Leek and more, is nothing wrong with adding any of this stuff that you want to add because you like them but "is it real Authentic Traditional Puerto Rican Sofrito?"..... I wouldn't think so, it will only be a Sofrito you created... my comment is not to say nothing bad about how you make your Sofrito but to point out how people could take a simple Traditionally Puerto Rican Recipe and change it to their taste or just simply created it their own way... I subscribe to your cannel when I notice how good you make the Pan de Agua and I been checking you out LOL, I love your channel and hope to see more. Thank you for this videos and may the hand of God hover over you and your love one on this pandemic crisis †

[@JeffandJosPuertoRicanKitchen]

Thanks for sharing Sam! And I generally agree; I had never seen or heard of people adding tomatoes to their sofrito (as we said in the video) until we made this video. The general list of ingredients I view as traditional is what you provided: onions, garlic, green peppers (bell or cubanelle), cilantrillo, recao, and ajies dulces. That said, I'm also hesitant to say that the gentleman in our video--who literally sells vegetables every day in the Plaza del Mercado de Mayaguez--didn't know how to make "real" sofrito. I think my one take-away from this was how varied "traditional" and "authentic" can be, even among people who grew up on the same island. It's actually a running joke between my wife (who grew up on the east coast of PR) and me (who grew up on the west coast) about which side is more traditional because we always find things that are slightly different between how we do things. Thanks for your support and wish you safety and a blessing during these times!!

[@wgalm]

That guy just wanted to sell one extra item 😂. But seriously the tomato spoils the sofrito very quickly and really is not traditional. Some people that like tomatoes and want to make it healthier just diced the tomatoes and add some as an extra item to some of the dishes when they cook the sofrito in olive oil as the seasoning base for, beans, soups, caldos, fricassee de pollo and many other puertorrican dishes.

[@carmenroman4033]

No tomatoes in Puerto Rican Sofrito.

[@JeffandJosPuertoRicanKitchen]

We are there with you!

[@wickedcrypto6004]

If you can’t find it in New York City make an effort to go to City Fresh Market in New Jersey. Large Spanish community I’m sure you will find what you’re looking for. Overall thank you for such a beautiful video

[@JeffandJosPuertoRicanKitchen]

Thank you!!

[@Tom-yc8jv]

That lady in the solid blue shirt is CREEPY. She just stares at the other lady the whole time like a stalker or something

[@heathersoper6923]

I'min London UK and I have never heard of some of your ingredients! I'd like to. cubanelle peppers? Ajies dulces ? recao ?

[@JeffandJosPuertoRicanKitchen]

Those will be hard to find outside of Puerto Rico. Even here in the USA is hard to find them at times. You can try our simple recipe - it still makes the food taste yummy: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fYaTc4Vqnc2XoaM

[@XRPKINGS]

You also needed bell pepper both green and red. Also never add tomatoes. I take everyone have their own recipe, but you definitely need bell peppers.

[@JeffandJosPuertoRicanKitchen]

Thank you! We usually don't add tomatoes either!

[@marig9236]

agreed. red and green and never tomatoes but many households have diff recipe

[@40083svene]

No after many years of using bell peppers I found the sofrito taste sour and smells too strong. Try it without it use cubanelles mych better

[@rhettwest3270]

Tomato make it bitter if to long in the refrigerator

[@JeffandJosPuertoRicanKitchen]

Interesting. Do you have the same problem if you freeze it?

[@margaritasantiago9555]

Yo no le hecho tomate, el tomate tiende a fermentar.

[@JeffandJosPuertoRicanKitchen]

Hola! Si nosotros nunca le habíamos echado tomate tampoco pero queríamos probar las sugerencias del vendedor! (O tal vez él tenia muchas ganas de vendernos los tomates 🤔😝) Feliz Navidad 🎄

[@cyndee39]

Don't add Tomatoes in the sofrito. It doesn't add flavor to it and it's not authentic.

[@JeffandJosPuertoRicanKitchen]

Thanks for the input!

[@b0rtie]

Im super confused though because when I Google “sofrito vs recaito” most of the searches that come up say sofrito usually contains tomatoes in it. Whereas recaito doesn’t have any tomatoes and reciato is culantro based. And not that Goya is the leader of authenticity but their jarred sofrito is tomato based and while their recaito doesn’t have any. So are the two terms used interchangeably? Or is sofrito a matter of family personal preferences? I’m genuinely curious because either way I love PR food.

[@joycewedel9084]

The audio echo is bad & too loud

[@JeffandJosPuertoRicanKitchen]

Appreciate the feedback.

[@g10prodriver76]

🤦🏻‍♂️ 3 semanas en la nevera y 4 semanas en el frizel enserio

[@JeffandJosPuertoRicanKitchen]

Tu lo dejas más o menos?

[@cm1642]

Can you talk a little louder, noone can hear you...geez.

[@JeffandJosPuertoRicanKitchen]

Have never heard that issue before! Thanks for the feedback!

[@IvanRodriguez-iy4wi]

El sofrito no lleva tomate dejen sus gringadas

[@JeffandJosPuertoRicanKitchen]

Si viste el video te das cuenta que nosotros también decimos que nunca le habíamos echado tomate, fue el vendedor de la plaza del mercado que nos dijo y lo tratamos.

[@wpibernus]

never I have heard of tomato.... thats wild. im not a fan.

[@JeffandJosPuertoRicanKitchen]

We had not heard either before.

[@racheljarvis2187]

Too much tomato makes it sour

[@JeffandJosPuertoRicanKitchen]

Thanks!

[@rhettwest3270]

Lower your voice you trying to much

[@JeffandJosPuertoRicanKitchen]

Thanks for the feedback, we'll take that into consideration.

[@brianphillips5576]

Why is your sound so bad