In honor of Hispanic Heritage month, Nettie Colon prepares her sofrito recipe and includes a recipe for ratatouille and for a soup.

Nettie’s Sofrito*

**This recipe is in weight (must use a scale to make it)**

1½ lbs. bell peppers or any other sweet pepper, chopped
6 oz. yellow onions, chopped
3 oz. fresh garlic cloves, chopped
5 oz. chopped cilantro or parsley or a mix of both
1½ oz. sea salt*

*the salt content in this recipe helps to keep and cure the sofrito so when adding as a base to your food, there’s usually no need to season as much if any. Always taste your food before seasoning.

Place the first 3 ingredients into a food processor and pulse to chop into pea size. Mix in it the cilantro and/or parsley and the salt. Pulse until it all comes together.  Remove from the food processor into a bowl.  Mix well and store into a glass Mason jar.  This recipe will make quite a bit so feel free to freeze some for later use.  

Note on use: Saute this prepared sofrito in oil and go from there with the rest of your ingredients.  No need to add salt to the dish unless it really needs it. Sofrito is our secret to delicious stews, beans, rice, soups, and whatever else. There are so many versions of this Caribbean sofrito and this one is from my grandmother.

Berenjena Guisada con Bacalao – Stewed Eggplant with Salted Cod “Ratatouille”

1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 lb salted cod, soaked, cooked and shredded*
2 tablespoons sofrito
2 tablespoons tomato sauce
2 envelopes of sazon with coriander and annatto
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 to 2 medium onions, peeled and sliced
1 to 2 medium bell peppers, peeled and sliced
1 large eggplant, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
3 sprigs cilantro, optional

1. In a saucepan, add oil, sofrito, seasoning envelopes, minced garlic, tomato sauce and cilantro.  Stir well and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes.
2. Add sliced onions, cooked shredded pollock fillets and chunks of eggplant to the saucepan.  Stir until the shredded pollock fillets and eggplant chunks are completely coated with the tomato-oil based sauce.

• Cover saucepan with lid.  Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

• After 20 minutes of cooking, check to see if the chunks of eggplant are tender.  If not, cover saucepan with lid and continue simmering for an additional 20 to 30 minutes or until the chunks of eggplants forms a smooth creamy texture.

• Check the eggplant again after 10 to 30 minutes of simmering.  If you barely see any chunks of eggplant and a creamy consistency is formed, then stewed salt cod with eggplant is ready to be served.

• Serve this dish with cooked white rice or serve over pasta.

Soak the Salt Cod

1. If you have a very large cod fillet, you can first cut it into 2 or several pieces. It’s easiest to do so with scissors.
2. Carefully rinse the fish with fresh water. Make sure you cover it with water.

Repeat this procedure 2-3 times if you feel like there’s too much salt left.

• Soak the fish in some more fresh water and keep it in the fridge for 12-24 hours, in an airtight container. Make sure to change the water every few hours. 

Cook the Salt Cod

1. Either cook the whole piece once you’ve soaked it long enough or take a small piece and boil it and then taste it. If it’s too salty, just keep soaking the fish for a few more hours before cooking the whole fish.
2. Once you’ve soaked the fish, rinse off any excess salt.
3. Place the cod in a pot with lots of water. Add a squeeze of lemon, if using.
4. Bring it to a gentle boil and cook for about 10-12 minutes. Don’t boil it vigorously, though, because the fish could become tough and rubbery.
5. Skim off any foam that’s formed on top.
6. Once cooked, remove the fish bones using a fork and a spoon.

How to Store

1. Refrigerate any leftovers. It can be stored in the fridge for about 3 days.

When the cooked fish has cooled completely, you can put it in a freezer bag and freeze it for about 2 months. To thaw, just put it in the refrigerator overnight. Once it has thawed, do not refreeze it.

Bacalao con Berenjena – Salted Cod and Eggplant Stew

Serves 4-6

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ cup sofrito
1 onion, diced
1 sweet bell pepper, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
3 cups tomato sauce
4 lb eggplant, peeled and pre-cut into cubes
1 lb pre-soaked salted cod * and shredded into big pieces (bacalao)
2 cups water
½ cup chopped cilantro for garnish

1. In a large saute pan, warm the olive oil.  Add the sofrito, onion, pepper and garlic and season with 1 teaspoon of salt.  Stir and cook for about 4 minutes, until the onion is translucent and has lost its raw taste.
2. Add the tomato sauce, and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring.  Add the eggplant and the cod and pour in 2 cups of water. Stir and well and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to medium and cover.  Simmer for about 45 minutes until the eggplant is soft and has absorbed some of the sauce.  Check for seasoning and adjust with salt and remove from the heat.
3. Serve hot with a side white rice or serve over pasta.

How to prepare Salted Cod for recipe above

Soak the Salt Cod

1. If you have a very large cod fillet, you can first cut it into 2 or several pieces. It’s easiest to do so with scissors.
2. Carefully rinse the fish with fresh water. Make sure you cover it with water.

Repeat this procedure 2-3 times if you feel like there’s too much salt left.

• Soak the fish in some more fresh water and keep it in the fridge for 12-24 hours, in an airtight container. Make sure to change the water every few hours. 

Cook the Salt Cod

1. Either cook the whole piece once you’ve soaked it long enough or take a small piece and boil it and then taste it. If it’s too salty, just keep soaking the fish for a few more hours before cooking the whole fish.
2. Once you’ve soaked the fish, rinse off any excess salt.
3. Place the cod in a pot with lots of water.
4. Bring it to a gentle boil and cook for about 10-12 minutes. Don’t boil it vigorously, though, because the fish could become tough and rubbery.
5. Skim off any foam that’s formed on top.
6. Once cooked, remove the fish bones using a fork and a spoon.

How to Store

1. Refrigerate any leftovers. It can be stored in the fridge for about 3 days.

When the cooked fish has cooled completely, you can put it in a freezer bag and freeze it for about 2 months. To thaw, just put it in the refrigerator overnight. Once it has thawed, do not refreeze it.