Now we all know in Greek Cuisine, Sofrito refers to a dish that is found almost exclusively in Corfu. It is served less frequently in other regions of Greece and is often referred to as ‘Corfu Sofrito‘ outside of Corfu.
It is usually made with veal, beef or chicken and slowly cooked with garlic, wine, herbs, sugar and wine vinegar to produce a sauce.
But when researching for this dish for my upcoming cookbook, Paul James’s “Corfu Odyssey” I found lots of versions of the word linking our ‘Sofrito‘ such as sufrito, estrugido, sofregit, but the dish I wanted to concentrate on was the “Puerto Rican sofrito“
Now when I said linking the various interpretations of “Sofrito” it came obvious that the meaning typically consists of aromatic ingredients cut into small pieces( a sort or mirepoix if you wish, but I’m not going to complicate you or more specifically me) and cooked for a long period of time over a low heat
In Puerto Rican cuisine, sofrito is mostly used when cooking rice dishes, sauces, and soups and is also closely related to ‘Recaíto‘
Recaíto though doesn’t usually include tomatoes, although they may be added for extra flavour.
This Puerto Rican corned beef hash will not be like a stew where it’s soupy. It is soft and hash like.
Ingredients
1 tsp of olive oil
2 green peppers cut into small pieces
2 medium onions cut into small pieces
Bunch of coriander, finely chopped
1 tsp of garlic paste.
1 tsp of dried oregano
Ground black pepper to your liking
A good dollop of tomato sauce
1 can of corned beef, cubed
2 tablespoons of water
2 small potatoes peeled and diced and par boiled.
Cherry tomatoes
Capers
Method
Heat oil over medium to high heat in a large pan.
Add in Sofrito mix (green peppers, onions, garlic paste, capers, cherry tomatoes and oregano) fry gently until soft.
Then add the tomato sauce and mix gently, Cook for a couple of minutes before adding in the corned beef.
Break down the corned beef with a spoon and allow to cook for two minutes before adding in the water.
Then add your tomatoes and potatoes, cover with a lid and simmer until the potatoes are tender.
Serve hot in a warm dish with a scattering of fresh coriander and capers.

















































