In Dominican culture (and many other cultures), mothers jokingly say that you're ready to get married once you can cook a proper meal. Obviously women weren't created to cook for men and not all women like to cook (um, me!), but I digress. That's a whole other topic. I say, as long as you got some good sazón (or seasoning), you're good to go. You may have heard some people refer to this mixture as "sofrito".
Today, I am going to share MY MAMI'S version. Everyone has their own way of doing it, and their own distinguishing flavor when it comes to homemade seasonings.
For mami's version, you'll need:
1 bunch of green onion
2 large red peppers (or 4 regular sized ones)
1 bunch of parsley
4 regular sized green peppers
1 bunch of cilantro
3 red onions
3 white onions
LOTS of salt
garlic (optional)*
Now, I'm not a food blogger, so this explanation isn't going to be extensive or mind blowing or anything.
*The reason garlic is optional is because, as time goes on and the sazón gets older, my mother has noticed that she still ends up having to add garlic to her food. So, in order to save money and not have to add even more garlic during actual cook time, she just waits and adds a clove or two when she's in the process of making the food. If you'd like to add garlic into your mixture, do it up.*
First, you want to chop up the onions, peppers, parsley, and cilantro into manageable pieces. You don't need to make them extra small or anything, but just keep in mind that you'll be blending them once they're all chopped up, so they need to fit into a blender. Once that step is done, take a tiny bit of water and put it in your blender before putting the produce in. You want the water to barely cover the tapered part where the blade is located. Next, fill up your blender about halfway with your chopped up produce and blend it into a purée, adding more as it starts liquifying. You want it to be a little chunky, not like a juice or a completely smooth smoothie (who likes completely smooth smoothies, anyway? gross.)
Obviously this amount of produce is too much to do all at once in a blender, so you'll have to make batches, keeping in mind the consistency you want, throughout. I know you're thinking, "I don't have five blenders. How should I separate all the batches?" You can literally put it all in a large pot or something and mix all the batches up as you go - no worries. Some people like adding vinegar to preserve this mixture (because it can last forevaaaah), but my mom just goes with salt. Lots of salt. You want to add the salt "hasta que te pica" - her words. Basically, until you're like, "Oh, okay. That's salty." As time goes on, it won't be as prominent, and your sazón won't go bad!
Now, you can put this sazón in the fridge, you can freeze it in a freezer safe container. You can use it on the spot, you can use it overnight. You can give it to your friends. SAZÓN FOR EVERYONE!
Happy cooking,
YAA