Bendito recaito

I'm in somewhat of a bind, gentle readers. For my first useful post, I was inclined to provide a primer on the Puerto Rican pantry. That said, I'm not sure how useful that would be in this blogaree- maybe it's just better if I introduce new ingredients and techniques as we get to them? Either way, my conundrum was solved when Cuca announced today that she would be making a fresh batch of recaito. As the basis for all things Puerto Rican (I even lotion up with the stuff) there was no postponing the inevitable: this post will be all aromatic in your ass.


Recaito. Sofrito. Especias molidas. You'll hear it referred to by all of these names, although the correct name for today's recipe is 'recaito'. When recaito is friend in oil (or lard) as the basis of a recipe, it then becomes 'sofrito', derived from the Spanish word for sautee: sofreir. As for especias molidas, this is a term that Cuca uses, and rather inappropriately, as recaito is a blend of herbs and aromatics, with nary a spice involved.

Those of you more familiar with other Mediterranean-based cuisines will see that recaito is simply the Boricua version of Italian pestata, French mirepoix, or the Creole Trinity, etc. (As a side note, Puerto Rican cuisine is also referred to as cocina criolla, so back off N'Awlins.) Recaito then, becomes the basis of so many different dishes, and as such, you should make lots at once, and keep it in the freezer for when you need a boricua fix and I can't come over.

Three more notes before the recipe:

1. Recaito is named for the predominant element used- an herb called recao or culantro in Spanish. Not to be confused with cilantro, which is also in the recipe, recao has a flavor similar to cilantro but about ten times more potent. If you have no stores that carry produce for the Latino market, hit up your local Asian markets. Vietnamese cooks often use this herb (known to them as Ngò gai) as a garnish to my favorite soup, Phở. Other recipes will tell you that substituting cilantro will work in a pinch. I will tell you no such thing, dear readers. Either you get recao, or you won't be eating good that night.


2. Ajices dulces are the traditional pepper used in this recipe. They are very similar in appearance to habanero peppers, but do not make that painful mistake! These peppers are only faintly piquant. If you can find ajices dulces in good shape, for sure get them, otherwise, a substitution here is perfectly acceptable: the Italian or cubanelle pepper.

3. It's nearly impossible to get my mom to commit to precise measurements. Thus, my recipes will rarely be exact. Also consider that sometimes the cilantro is bangin, and sometimes it ain't. The most important thing is to get a sense of proportion. Feel free to experiment as you see fit.

Enough talking, let's get down to cooking. Er, actually, there's no cooking involved, so let's get assembling.

Ingredients:

2 big bunches of fresh recao, fresh and pungent
2 big bunches of fresh cilantro, also fresh and pungent
1 lb. ajices dulces or 6 cubanelle peppers
4 heads of garlic
3 pounds of yellow onions

Thoroughly wash and dry the herbs. You don't want extra water in your finished product, so a salad spinner is useful here. Pick through the recao and cilantro for dead leaves, and trim the bottoms of their stems. Wash, stem and seed the peppers, and if using the cubanelles, break them into more manageable pieces, or give them a quick, rough chop. Peel the garlic (when peeling large amounts of garlic, allowing the cloves to soak in lukewarm water for an hour prior is very helpful) and onions, and cut the onions into a manageable size.

You will need to work this in batches, so divide the herbs and aromatics so that each batch gets a little bit of everything. Using a food processor, or blender, process the ingredients until the texture is within the boundaries of fine chop to coarse puree.



As for storage, you have two options. The best is to put some recaito in zippered food-storage bag, and lay it flat in your freezer until solid. Once frozen, you'll be able to snap off pieces whenever you need. Another option is to freeze the recaito in ice-cube trays and then transfer the cubes of goodness to a freezer bag, but be warned that any ice made in that tray afterwards will taste like garlic and oignons. Not a good look, if you axe me.

Now, you are ready to sail the seas of cocina criolla! Carne guisada? A snap. Arroz con gandules? Got it. Pastelillos? Whuuuuuuuut, son??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?