Any Spanish Cooks out there?

[Amishway Homesteaders]

Any Spanish Cooks out there?

OK, so we stopped by the Salvation Army Office to check up on a few things we are doing with them in March and as we were talking in the office I hear a lot of noise coming from down the hall near the Kitchen are? So I asked what was going on and the Sargent said the ‘girls’ were cooking something in Spanish (she doesn’t translate to English well. So I asked if I could go look as it smelled good!

Well we all went in and they were using the blender (the noise) and putting chopped up peppers, onions, herbs and other stuff?

Then they put it into blender and pureed it? She said they all love to use it in meatloaf and other dishes they cook up. Well we asked the ‘girls’ what it was called and we got 4 different answers in Spanish so we didn’t know what to call it?

HELP !

Anybody ever see this done?

Mainly using up the fresh stuff before it goes bad and also using peppers with spots that they could cut off and still use.

 

Here what I am thinking . . . . .

IF it’s that good what a great way to use up garden produce that would go bad if left sitting around AND maybe can it?

BUT

I don’t have the foggiest what it is called so how can I look it up?

[lumabean]

AH, could this possibly be it? Sofrito: http://latinfood.about.com/od/seasoningmarinade/r/sofrito.htm

When I did a search it shows sofrito is used in some meatloaf recipes, so it got me thinking it may be it -- kind of sounds similar.

[PoorMusician]

So would this be cannable? (pressure obviously)

[Cat]

Sounds like what my Brazilian mother used... fresh onion and fresh garlic with salt, used to add flavor to lots of foods.

[Annarchy]

Sounds like a type of picante or salsa. Lots of spanish/mexican cooks use it in just about anything. After 30 years of living with/around mexican/spanish type cooks, there is a plethora of varieties of recipes.

 

When I get home I look through my boxes of recipes and my books.

[Darlene]

Another possibility would be recaito or sofrito like luma said.

[Amishway Homesteaders]

see I told them you guys would know all about it.

So being it is pureed can we can it?

I thinking maybe pints?

[Ambergris]

It does sound like sofrito.

[Darlene]

I thinking maybe pints?

 

Yes, it's a seasoning, flavorer so it's not like a jar of spaghetti sauce that you would pop open and heat up. You would add it to flavor other recipes.

[Violet]

It should be frozen.

 

http://latinfood.about.com/od/seasoningmarinade/r/sofrito.htm

Edited February 14, 2013 by Violet

[Deerslayer]

I'm wondering if it was pico de gio. (sp?)

[Jeepers]

If it's mainly for seasoning maybe store in 1/2 pints even.

[Amishway Homesteaders]

It should be frozen.

 

http://latinfood.about.com/od/seasoningmarinade/r/sofrito.htm

I saw that on the main page but was thinkiing of Amish Freinds (and us).

They have no freezers and I know ours is full and don't want to run another one - tring to save $$$$$

Canned would have been nice even if we had to pressure can it?

 

Thanks for all the hekp..............

[themartianchick]

It does sound like sofrito. I make pico de gallo and I can't imagine ever trying to can it. It is good because it s made with fresh ingredients and served fresh. Pico is the only way that I eat raw tomatoes. I started making it because my Cuban neighbor brought me some tomatoes from his garden years ago and I wanted to be able to say that I'd actually eaten them. I had eaten pico in a restaurant before and found a recipe for it online. The basic ingredients are finely diced tomatoes, lime juice, onions & cilantro.

[Amishway Homesteaders]

thanks..................

Was just hoping to can it so we (and Amish friends) could use up the vegetables that have 1 bad spot on them so we can sell at Market and get to use it in Winter?

Will still make it come Spring with garden vegetables.

 

~Michael ~ <--- smiles take too long to load just to get far enough down to post "michaelstraw"

[Violet]

Please, never can a cooking recipe. Perhaps you can find something similar in a canning book that is safe. I know Small Batch Preserving and the Ball Complete book have some interesting sauce recipes.

[themartianchick]

A question for Violet -

 

Is the issue the acidity? I am posting a recipe for sofrito below that I found online. I've never used it, but it seems like it is so similar to most spaghetti sauce recipes. Is there a way to get a recipe tested for canning? I know that when I can, I tend to add extra lemon juice or citric acid to make sure that the acidity won't cause a problem. I can be a lazy homesteader, so I tend to freeze or dehydrate things far more often than I actually can.

 

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/sofrito/

[Violet]

Not only the ph level, but it is way too thick and dense. It would have to be thin and runny to be canned so the heat could penetrate it. Plus, it would all be a guess as to how long to pressure can it. We never suggest canning a cooking recipe. They are two totally different kind of recipes. Things like that must be frozen for safety. Just adding extra acid is not the answer. Again, that is not something we ever recommend. It gives a false sense of security. Density and ph are both very important in canning, not just ph level.

You cannot get things tested very easily. It goes through rigorous testing. The ph level something starts with is not always the same down the road in a few months. Things can and do change in ph level as they sit. Then, they also have to check the density. Thermometers are put inside jars of things to see if the heat penetrates it long enough in the center to kill bacteria. All sorts of things are tested in labs for food safety.

I cannot see that it is worth the risk just because a person wants some certain food in a jar.

[Jeepers]

I hope with canning making a come back, the powers that be, will start testing new recipes. Or inventing some new ones. The same ones over and over can get boring. Also some people don't necessary like the 'tried and true' ones. Wishful thinking?

[themartianchick]

That's what I was thinking, Jeepers. There ae lots of things that I'd love to be able to can, but I know that I can't. There is a lot more diversity in the American diet and a lot of ethnic cuisine is now mainstream. Is there any money in running a canning test kitchen?

[Violet]

No money in it. Same reason we don't get new foods tested and new recipes in safe canning books. We are broke ! Clear from the USDA, the university level, down to us at the extension offices.

My boss has not had a raise in many years. I have had not even a penny raise in 3 years. We are told to not waste any paper or ink printing things. Use black and white when we can, not colored ink. It is sad.....

Ball Complete Book seems to have the most current recipes, especially some ethnic sauces.

[Amishway Homesteaders]

Not only the ph level, but it is way too thick and dense. It would have to be thin and runny to be canned so the heat could penetrate it. Plus, it would all be a guess as to how long to pressure can it. We never suggest canning a cooking recipe. They are two totally different kind of recipes. Things like that must be frozen for safety. Just adding extra acid is not the answer. Again, that is not something we ever recommend. It gives a false sense of security. Density and ph are both very important in canning, not just ph level.

You cannot get things tested very easily. It goes through rigorous testing. The ph level something starts with is not always the same down the road in a few months. Things can and do change in ph level as they sit. Then, they also have to check the density. Thermometers are put inside jars of things to see if the heat penetrates it long enough in the center to kill bacteria. All sorts of things are tested in labs for food safety.

I cannot see that it is worth the risk just because a person wants some certain food in a jar.

 

 

and THAT is just why I (we) are so glad you are here!

 

I was thinking of doing it anyway (before posting it here) because it is 'so close' to sauce, BUT now that I read what you posted I have learned WHY we can't can it!

 

Thanks you so very much the the 'reason behind the season' <----- SORRY I just had to do that! LOL

 

~Michael~

[PoorMusician]

I asked around some Latin American communities and one woman (who doesn't own a freezer at all!) said she water bath cans a salsa and pressure cans bell peppers. She uses both on their own, but when she wants sofrito, she takes some of each and blends them together.

She showed me her salsa recipe and it was similar to this one.

Apparently sofrito "must have" peppers, garlic and onions. Every family creates their own version by adding other flavors. So any safe canning recipe that's got those three in it can be thrown in the blender for sofrito!

[Violet]

Glad it makes sense now. Ok, an idea... try using dried ingredients, then rehydrating them. Perhaps worth a try. Then you can store it for a long time.

[Amishway Homesteaders]

Glad it makes sense now. Ok, an idea... try using dried ingredients, then rehydrating them. Perhaps worth a try. Then you can store it for a long time.

 

Now THAT is worth a try!

Going outside now to stand in garden and wait for thiings to grow............................................

 

I am thinking................. maybe dry them, put in blender to make "sofrito powder" , store it that way and add that to stews, meatloaf and whatever! Just add a bit more liquid to make up for the dry powder.