Sometimes the mere mention of the name sofrito, to say nothing of its fragrance,is enough to unleash a wave of nostalgia among those who grew up in a Sephardi family. Perhaps more than any other dish, sofrito is reminiscent of food from long ago from mother's house, a wholly unpretentious meal that tugs at your heartstrings and dampens your eyes.
The name sofrito derives from the Spanish word sofrier, meaning lightly fried. The traditional sofrito is a classic dish of chicken, lamb, or beef - sometimes in combination - with qualities of contemporary cooking: a handful of ingredients, precise seasoning and an emphasis on the main ingredient.
Sofrito uses brief frying followed by lengthy steaming to create a rich, concentrated sauce from the natural moisture in the meat and vegetables. Liquid can be added, in small quantities, during the cooking process as needed.
Making a proper sofrito requires letting go of dietary restraints, for each layer is lightly fried before the assembly work begins. The frying is a brief bath in shallow oil to create a crispy and browned outer layer. The work of softening is reserved for the steaming stage, in which all of the ingredients cook together and create a harmony of flavors.
The dish is assembled in layers: Onion or celery on the bottom, then the meat, followed by a top layer of vegetables. The latter are added to the pot at different times, according to their different cooking times. The stew is left alone - no stirring - as it cooks.
Some people cook sofrito over a low flame for several hours. Others leave it overnight on a Shabbat hot plate, adding a small amount of liquid in advance.
The chicken is seasoned before it is fried; the spices get a blast of heat from the hot oil, which imparts a slightly scorched flavor and earthy aroma. The vegetables, by contrast, are salted and seasoned only after frying. The remains of the frying oil should be added to the stewpot, since it is full of flavor.
Sofrito can easily replace the traditional Shabbat-lunch hamin or tcholent when the weather calls for rich, heavy food that slowly cooks through the night, its fragrance permeating the house.
Six-hour sofrito with sweet potatoes, prunes and star anise
This sweet dish cooks for a long time on very low heat. The deep, rich flavor is just right for a wintry Shabbat dinner, served with white rice and a salad of lettuce, fennel wedges and garden cress (rashad ).
Ingredients (8 servings ):
Spice rub for the drumsticks
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
Pinch ground nutmeg
For the stew
1/3 cup canola or sunflower oil
1.2 kilograms chicken drumsticks (8-9 pieces )
1.2 kilos beef cheek or neck, cut into medium cubes
10 small white onions, peeled and halved
15 pitted prunes
2 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 cup boiling water
3 medium-sized sweet potatoes, peeled
1/4 teaspoon salt
Preparation:
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan on high heat and brown half of the beef on high heat, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove and set aside. Repeat with the remaining beef, adding oil only if needed.
Mix the spices in a deep dish; coat the drumsticks with the mixture.
Add one tablespoon of oil to the pan and brown the drumsticks over medium heat (3-4 minutes on each side ). Remove and set aside. Add one tablespoon of oil to the pan and fry the onions over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, cut-side down, without stirring. (Only the cut sides will brown. )
Assemble the stew: Layer the onion halves on the bottom, browned side up, followed by the beef and then the drumsticks. Add the prunes, star anise and cinnamon stick. Add the frying oil and 1/4 cup of boiling water.
Cover and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to very low and cook, covered, for four hours. Check periodically, and add small amounts of water as needed.
Cut the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise and slice into thick crescents (1.5 centimeters ). Using the same frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-low heat and fry the sweet potatoes until browned on both sides. Salt, remove and set aside.
After the sofrito has been cooking for four hours, add the sweet potatoes; cover and simmer for an additional two hours.
Alternatively, add a little more water at the beginning and cook overnight.
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Cauliflower, celery & potato sofrito
The cauliflower florets can be replaced with fried eggplant slices or fennel wedges. Those who enjoy a tinge of sour, bitter and spicy accents are invited to add, at the beginning of the cooking, sliced green chili and unpeeled, thinly sliced lemon.
Ingredients (8 servings ):
Spice rub for the chicken
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
For the stew
4 chicken drumsticks
4 chicken thighs
4 or 5 chicken wings
1/3 cup canola or sunflower oil
1 medium celeriac (celery root ), peeled and cut into wedges.
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup boiling water
4 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 small head of cauliflower, cleaned and separated into large florets
Preparation:
In a deep dish, mix the spices together and coat the chicken drumsticks and thighs. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the drumsticks, fry until browned on both sides (3-4 minutes each ), remove and set aside. Repeat this with the thighs and then the wings, which will take less time to brown. (No need to spice the wings, the oil is now thoroughly seasoned ).
Add up to one tablespoon of oil to the frying pan, as needed. Fry the celeriac wedges over low to medium heat until browned, and remove from the pan.
In a pot large enough to hold all the ingredients, layer the celeriac wedges and then the chicken, wings on top. Add the used oil from the frying pan, the lemon juice and 1/4 cup of boiling water. Cover the pot and bring to a gently boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to very low and cook for two hours, covered.
In the same frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-low heat and fry the potatoes until browned on both sides. Salt, remove from the pan and set aside. Repeat the process with the cauliflower florets.
After the sofrito has been cooking for two hours, add the potatoes and cauliflower; continue to simmer gently for an additional 90 minutes.
