Recaíto
Encyclopedia
Preparation
Recaíto is mix of onionsYellow onion
Yellow Onion, also known as a Brown Onion, is a variety of dry onion with a strong flavor. White inside, its layers of papery skin have a yellow-brown color....
, garlic
Garlic
Allium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion genus, Allium. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and rakkyo. Dating back over 6,000 years, garlic is native to central Asia, and has long been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as well as a frequent...
, ajicitos
Ajicitos
Ajicito / Aji CachuchaAji Cachucha is a small mild pepper used in many traditional Caribbean dishes. It is also sometimes known as an Ajicito or Ají Dulce....
, green cubanelle
Cubanelle
The Cubanelle is a variety of sweet pepper of the species Capsicum annuum. When unripe, it is light yellowish-green in color, but will turn bright red if allowed to ripen. Compared to bell peppers it has thinner flesh, is longer, and has a slightly more wrinkled appearance...
pepper and lots of cilantro and culantro. All of the ingredients are put in to a blender and blended until smooth. Recaíto is basically the same ingredients as Puerto Rican Sofrito
Sofrito
Sofrito is a combination of aromatic ingredients which have been cut in very small pieces, and slowly sauteed or braised in cooking oil for 15-30 minutes....
, but without red cubanelle
Cubanelle
The Cubanelle is a variety of sweet pepper of the species Capsicum annuum. When unripe, it is light yellowish-green in color, but will turn bright red if allowed to ripen. Compared to bell peppers it has thinner flesh, is longer, and has a slightly more wrinkled appearance...
, and tomatoes.
Cooking
Recaíto is traditionally cooked with tomato sauceTomato sauce
A tomato sauce is any of a very large number of sauces made primarily from tomatoes, usually to be served as part of a dish...
, olive oil or annatto
Annatto
Annatto, sometimes called roucou or achiote, is a derivative of the achiote trees of tropical regions of the Americas, used to produce a yellow to orange food coloring and also as a flavoring...
oil, tocino (bacon), salted pork and cured ham. A mix of stuffed olives and capers called alcaparrado are usually added with spices such as bay leaf
Bay leaf
Bay leaf refers to the aromatic leaf of the bay laurel . Fresh or dried bay leaves are used in cooking for their distinctive flavor and fragrance. The leaves are often used to flavor soups, stews, braises and pâtés in Mediterranean cuisine...
, cumin
Cumin
Cumin is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae, native from the east Mediterranean to India. Its seeds are used in the cuisines of many different cultures, in both whole and ground form.-Etymology:...
, sazón, and adobo
Adobo
Adobo is the immersion of raw food into a preparation, in the form of a stock , of different components, including paprika , oregano, salt, garlic, and vinegar — mixed according to the place of origin and the food with which it is intended to be used—primarily to preserve and enhance the flavor of...
.
Origin
Recaíto, originally refers to a message or an order made. When most people did not have refrigeration, they had to buy an onion, cilantro leaves, and peppers to mash in a pilonMolcajete
A molcajete is a stone tool, the traditional Mexican version of the mortar and pestle tool, similar to the South American batan used for grinding various food products...
. Usually a housewife will leave an order for it and someone will pick it up later. It is said that this is where the word recado originated from. Later in time the name changed to recaíto, which roughly translates to English as "little culantro."