When it comes to Spanish cuisine, just about everyone associates it with the wide variety of tapas, cold gazpacho soup, paella, as well as the numerous recipes for the preparation of fish and seafood.
And truly, everything specified thus far is an excellent description of the culinary passions raging across this lovely Mediterranean country but it would still all be insufficient if we neglect to mention the Spanish sauces.
Regardless of whether you're making a Romesco or Sofrito sauce, they will provide a much fuller taste to whatever it is you'll be serving to your guests. They're suitable for pork, veal, rabbit and game meat, as well as bird meat or fish. And why not vegetable dishes too?
But out of all the sauces, the sauce of choice for the Spanish is still Sofrito, which can be prepared either with just water or with meat or vegetable broth, as well as with fish broth or white wine if it's for fish.
What's important is not to leave out any of the main ingredients, those being: onions, garlic, tomatoes, olive oil, salt, sugar and black pepper. Here is the main recipe and after it you'll find some other products that can be added to the sauce if you would like to change it up a bit.
Sofrito Sauce
Ingredients: 2 onion heads, 2-3 garlic cloves, 3-4 tomatoes, 5 tbsp olive oil, salt, black pepper and sugar to taste.
Preparation: Cut the onions as finely as possible but don't grate them. Dice the tomatoes, mash the garlic. Pour the olive oil in a pan and braise the onions under a lid on low heat.
Braising lasts about an hour, so keep that in mind. Stir occasionally or add water, broth or wine. Once they turn golden brown, add the garlic and tomatoes and saute until the liquid evaporates. Finally, season the sauce with sugar, salt and black pepper to taste.
Besides these ingredients, which you basically can't make a Sofrito without, you can also add finely chopped carrots or leeks. Also, once the sauce is ready, you can sprinkle finely chopped parsley or wild garlic on top.
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