texas pepper sofrito

Although most commonly associated with Latin American cuisine, the use of a sofrito is common across cuisines from all over the world. Italian food (and most soups we are familiar with in the US) begin with a base of chopped celery, onion, and carrots, fried in oil or butter. Indian curries most often begin with a fry of onions, ginger and garlic. They’re about establishing a flavor base more than anything.

The following sofrito bares most likeness to a Cuban one, but can be used in migas, as a rice base, with black beans and/or mashed with some avocado for a pepper-filled guac. Use some now and freeze some for later when the pepper stash is limited.

Texas Pepper Sofrito
makes about 3 cups

2 small green bell peppers, seeds removed and roughly chopped
1 small purple bell pepper, , seeds removed and roughly chopped
2 cubanelles, seeds removed and roughly chopped
2 ringo peppers, seeds removed and roughly chopped
3-4 tiny hungarian sweet peppers, seeds removed and roughly chopped
6 banana peppers, seeds removed and roughly chopped
½ onion, roughly chopped
3 small-medium tomatoes, cored and quartered
4 garlic cloves, peeled
½ cup chopped cilantro
salt to taste

1. Place all ingredients in food processor
2. Pulse until the consistency pictured above (somewhere between a pico and a salsa)

I used peppers from the selection available in my CSA box, but feel free to mix it up with what you can find in your local grocery store. Most of the peppers are sweet, so no need to worry about it getting too hot for the littles. 😉