Cathy Katin-Grazzini
Cathy’s Kitchen Prescription LLC
www.cathyskitchenprescription.com
 
Recaito
Many culinary traditions sauté aromatic vegetables as the start to cooking their soups, sautés, and stews. Examples are Italian soffrito, French mirepoix, and Latin American sofritos. Puerto Rican Recaito, instead, makes use of onions, garlic, and a combination of fresh peppers, cilantro, and their native herb, culantro. It’s the delicious starting point for Pink Bean Soup with Dumplings. But why stop there? Mix your culinary metaphors by using Recaito for “off-island” chilies, soups, and stews too!
 
3 cups Spanish onion, cut in a large dice
1/3 cup garlic, minced 
2 green peppers, seeded, cut in a large dice
1 red pepper, seeded, cut in a large dice
2 cubanelle peppers, seeded, cut in a large dice
6 aji dulce peppers, seeded, cut in quarters
Handful of cilantro leaves and stems
Handful of culantro (recao)
 
Hint
Find ingredients like cubanelle peppers, aji dulce peppers, and cilantro (also known as recao) in your local latino grocery.
 
Pulse the onions, peppers, and herbs in three batches to create a fine, uniform mince. 
Transfer to a bowl and mix thoroughly. 
Reserve 1 full cup of sofrito for your dish, freezing the remainder for future in 1 cup containers.