I mentioned in "about me" that I am of Puerto Rican descent and have enjoyed exploring gluten free foods of many different spanish cultures. I have to say that before my diagnosis I was very biased in terms of Puerto Rican food as it compares to other the South and Central American foods. To me no other culture compared to the flavors and aromas we ( and by we I mean Puerto Ricans) created in our kitchens.
I can honestly say I was very mistaken! However, I did learn what differentiates the cultures from each other, it's all in the
Sofrito!! This is the basis for just about every dish we make. It is the conbination of these fresh herbs and spices that will fill your home with intoxicating aromas.....Every culture has their own version of sofrito and there are many variations. I wanted to give you my abuelita's recipe. She is 91 years old and still leads the way in our family for the true traditional dishes.
However, she traditionally made it by sauteing achiote seeds in pork fat, but we have to modify the recipe for obvious reasons. I also eliminated other ingredients like oregano and cumin seeds for versatility. We no longer put the achiote in the sofrito instead we use it separately where needed except we cook it in a lighter oil. This is what gives the latin dishes the
criollo flavor. This recipe can last for at least 2-3 weeks in the freezer and you can use it in everything......and I mean everything; soups, stews, beans, sauces, dips....anything!!! I didn't add any fat because we are cooking
lite many of the recipes will already have fat so I didn't want to add any additional points.
Along with the
Adobo if you're not Latin no one would be able to tell from your cooking!
