Inspired by Sofrito

I am fortunate to have

a friend who makes the most delicious sofrito on the face of the earth. For those of you who are not familiar with sofrito, it is a puree of peppers, onions, cilantro, and garlic... and sometimes tomatoes (depending on who you ask). It is the base of Puerto Rican cuisine and there are as many adaptations as there are chefs. My friend's version is an authentic family recipe, handed down from mother to daughter. It contains peppers and spices I have never heard of. It tastes so perfect that I would never even attempt to replicate it. I did, however, create my own take on sofrito today as a way to use up some lingering vegetables. While the traditional recipe calls for a variety of peppers, I opted for yellow bells because that's what I had on hand. I roasted them with the tomatoes, onions, and garlic before giving everything a spin in the Cuisinart. With a splash of olive oil and my pittance of cilantro, the concoction was complete. The aroma was absolutely intoxicating. While it is no where near authentic sofrito, today's kitchen creation was quite flavorful and will most certainly be the base for delicious meals to come. I can not wait to see what emerges from this culinary seed.