Sofrito rice is a Puerto Rican version of Spanish rice cooked with sofrito criollo sauce, which is blended with tomatoes and vegetables.

Sofrito Rice

By  Sue Lau | Palatable Pastime

My recipe of the day  is with the blogging group #EattheWorld, which each  month we explore a new international cuisine. This month’s selection was Puerto Rico.

For my recipe,  I have  made a sofrito rice,  which is sort of like the Puerto Rican version of Spanish rice. The  most popular version of rice there is arguably rice and peas (beans), but I figure at some point, someone isn’t going to want to cook beans.

Sofrito, being a sauce base made mostly of vegetables, is also a commonly found cooking  sauce that you can buy at Latin and Mexican markets near the tomato sauce. So for this easy version, you won’t need to make that from scratch.

I have also based this off  my friend Gary  Walker’s recipe “Potsie’s Mexican Rice” since I  wanted to do this as  oven based, so used his recipe as a template. We have known  each other  since we used to post together at the old Recipezaar website (now Food-dot-com). I did add a little more liquid, since the sofrito seemed a little  thicker than the whizzed tomatoes I used in his dish and  I guessed right at a quarter cup extra.

Being stickier as a cooking liquid than just water,  the rice does benefit from  a towel between the lid and the braiser to absorb any stickiness. But I tend to do that anyway when I cook rice stovetop. (Most often I just  use a rice cooker though).

I used an Emile  Henry Flame braiser in this, so I could start the rice on top of  the stove and put that into the oven, same pot. You really don’t want to put just any type  vessel on a burner. Unless you want it to explode. So  if  you  have nothing suitable you will just  have to transfer from  pot to casserole and wash the  extra dish. Sorry. Ask Santa to get you a braiser. Besides Emile Henry, Le Creuset also makes awesome ones.

This recipe today is being  posted as part of Eat the World, where each month a group of adventurous bloggers takes on making a recipe from a different part of the globe. This month, the topic was Puerto Rico.

Destination: Puerto Rico

Check out all the wonderful Puerto Rican dishes prepared by fellow Eat the World members and share with #eattheworld. Click here to find out how to join and have fun exploring a country a month in the kitchen with us!

Sue: Sofrito Rice
Sharanya Palanisshami: Marrallo
Pandemonium Noshery: Pernil – Puerto Rican Crispy Roast Pork
Simply Inspired Meals: Epcot Frozen Torched Cherry Colada
Culinary Adventures with Camilla: Empanadillas de Carne
Evelyne: Pastelon, a Puerto Rican Plantain Lasagna
Margaret at Kitchen Frau: Classic Pina Colada Recipe
Amy: Arroz con Tocino (Puerto Rican Rice with Bacon)
House of Nash Eats: Patacones or Tostones (Fried Green Plantains)

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Sofrito Rice

Sue Lau

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 39 mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Caribbean, Puerto Rican

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces packaged sofrito criollo sauce
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup long grain rice rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup frozen peas and carrots
• 1/4 cup sliced black olives
• 1-1/4 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth 10 ounces

Instructions

 

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 350F.
• Saute the rice and peas/carrots in oil in the braiser until the rice turns opaque.
• Ad remaining ingredients and stir.
• Cover and bake for 20 minutes, then stir.
• Cover and bake 20 minutes more.
• Stir again, then place a clean kitchen towel between the braiser and lid, and let sit undisturbed for ten minutes more.
• Serve with hot sauce (Tabasco, habanero, etc., as desired)

Notes

From the kitchen of palatablepastime.com

Keyword baked rice, recete, rice

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