In Puerto Rico, sofrito seldom contains tomato; it's a green condiment, called recaito. The red sofrito, more common in Cuba, is the one I prefer, and my homemade recipe is a combination of the two. This sofrito recipe makes 2 cups; you'll have some left over, to use in soups and stews. Serves 6, as a main course with rice.
Ingredients
For the sofrito:
1 green bell pepper, seeded, roughly chopped
1 red bell pepper, seed, seeded, roughly chopped
1 large tomato, seeded, roughly chopped
1 medium onion, peeled, roughly chopped
4 large cloves of garlic, peeled
1 cup cilantro leaves
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
For the beans:
2 cups dried black beans
3/4 cup sofrito
1/2 cup chopped canned tomato
3/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp Mexican oregano
1/4 tsp mild red pepper flakes
1 small onion, diced
1 large garlic clove, peeled and smashed
Kosher salt and fresh black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
Directions
Place all of the sofrito ingredients in a food processor or blender, and chop finely (do not pureé).
In a 3-quart slow cooker, combine the beans, 3/4 cup of the sofrito, tomato, cumin, Mexican oregano, red pepper flakes, onion and garlic. Add 4 cups of water, and stir.
Cook on LOW for 7 hours, until the beans are soft but still hold their shape. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Stir in the fresh cilantro, and serve hot, over rice.