Latin America’s comfort food

Known all across Latin America under different aliases—sazon in the Dominican Republic, refrito in Ecuador—sofrito is basically a cooked down, aromatic combination of chopped onions, peppers, tomatoes, garlic, herbs and spices. Sofrito recipes are often closely guarded and hotly debated, and can vary from household to household, like any good regional recipe.

And just as mirepoix forms a flavor base that’s the beginning of so many iconic classical French dishes, sofrito is the basis for the dishes of Latin America, and all the juxtaposition of flavors that comes with them: the darkest moles paired with the brightest salsa verde…rich, fatty pork cut through with a vinegary piquillo sauce…it all begins with sofrito.

“You can’t attempt to cook without sofrito; sofrito is what brings the comida criolla [creole food, meaning a mixture of different Puerto Rican regions] to life,” says Daniel Concepcion, executive chef at Sam’s Club HQ in Arkansas, whose Puerto Rican roots have given him a strong appreciation for sofrito.

“Sofrito es la vida de la comida [Sofrito is the life of the food],” he adds, “To cook without sofrito is like cooking food with no soul.”

At Sam’s Club’s Table 29 café, sofrito is the first step for several dishes: arroz con pollo (chicken and rice), arroz con gandules (pigeon peas, rice and pork), habichuelas guisadas (rice and beans), sopas (soups), pollo en fricassee (fricasseed chicken) and more.

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Grandma’s secret

Ian Ramirez, culinary innovation specialist with Creative Dining Services, learned a secret to rice and beans that he now uses companywide at the Taqueria concept. That secret? Coffee. “Brewed coffee gives the dish a sort of deep and dark richness to it,” Ramirez says. “We also add a variety of spices and chilies and slowly simmer them with either vegetable broth or chicken broth.” Adding brown rice, avocado and fresh cilantro makes the dish complete.

Rice and bean magic in the cauldron

The caldero (translation: cauldron) is the workhouse of the Hispanic kitchen with rounded sides and a tight-fitting lid. Heat is distributed evenly, essential for good rice and beans. This caldero is put to work in the kitchens of Klingberg Family Centers. “The pot really makes all the difference,” says Cheryl Fliss, foodservice director at Klingberg, a nonprofit agency serving families in Connecticut.

One-pot shopping

Who says rice and beans can’t have cheese? The dish at left, developed for USA Pulses by the Recipe Runner blog, incorporates melty cheese and lentils into the mix.

How we roll

The great thing about rice and beans is that it makes a meatless menu item feel hearty, as in these black bean and rice burritos that allow for lots of adaptation with fresh add-ins like avocado, cabbage, pico de gallo and chipotles in adobo.

Comfort simmering in the pot

At Klingberg Family Centers, a nonprofit agency serving families in Connecticut, Chef Lauren Vitale won’t share her sofrito recipe, but she does share an amazing, much-loved version of rice and beans (below) with the population there.

Starting with the sofrito she made earlier sizzling in a caldero, she adds pigeon peas once the sofrito is super fragrant, then sazon powder, water and salt. Bringing it up to a boil, it’s time for the rice to join the party, and Vitale goes by a strict “no peeking” policy while the magic brew simmers on medium for 20 to 25 minutes.