In Latin America and Spain, sofrito is a tomato and garlic or onion base for many dishes. But for Israeli-Sephardi families sofrito is the best comfort food for middle of the week and Shabbat dinners. Sofrito is a dish that was likely developed in Jerusalem (it is mentioned several times in the Beauty Queen of Jerusalem book and TV show, as you can read here.) These days, it is popular all over Israel.
The ingredients vary from one family to another: chicken, usually with skin on, or beef chunks, and then potatoes or the additional carrots, onions and other root vegetables. Simply salt and pepper are common, but some add paprika, turmeric or cardamom. But the Method always stays the same: The beef chunks or chicken pieces are browned or pre-cooked, and the potatoes are then added to the same pot after they’ve been pre-fried (sofrito, means “fry first.”) The dish is cooked with almost no liquid, on very low heat, and the potatoes are steamed over the meat and absorb its rich aroma and flavor.
My version is as minimalist as can be. I use skinless, boneless chicken thighs, potatoes, oil and salt and pepper. Since both the chicken and the potatoes need the same cooking time, about one hour, I can fry the potatoes in the same dish as the chicken, adding even more flavor to the potatoes, and saving a dirty dish.
These simple ingredients prepared in a very simple cooking method somehow yield a family favorite. It did in my family.
Sephardi chicken and potato stew (Sofrito)
Course: Main courseCuisine: Sephardi, Jewish, IsraeliDifficulty: Easy6
servings20
minutes1
hour15
minutes1
hour35
minutesThe Jewish Sephardi sofrito from Jerusalem is very different from the sofrito known in Latin America and Spain. Instead of a sauce made of tomato, garlic and onion, this sofrito refers to a dish of meat and potatoes that’s cooked in a unique method with almost no liquid (see details above.)
INGREDIENTS
2 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs
3 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil
8 medium gold potatoes
DIRECTIONS
- Arrange chicken thighs on a tray and sprinkle generously with 1½ teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper and massage the salt and pepper into the chicken using your hands.
- Put 2 tablespoons oil in a heavy bottom pot over medium-high heat and when the pot is hot brown half the chicken thighs on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Brown the chicken in 2-3 batches to avoid crowding them too much. Add more oil between batches, if needed. Transfer chicken thighs to a bowl.
- While the chicken is browning prepare the potatoes: peel and cut in half lengthwise, then slice to 1 inch thick slices.
- Add the rest of the oil to pot, add potatoes at once and brown for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a bowl and mix with 1½ teaspoon salt.
- Lower the heat to very low. Arrange chicken at the bottom of the pot (keep the juices accumulated in the bowl) and top with potatoes. Make sure the potatoes cover the chicken completely. Drizzle chicken juices over the potatoes.
- Cover the pot and cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes on low heat. Since the chicken lets out juices, there’s no need to add any liquid to the pot, but you have to make sure you hear the simmer and see some liquid at the bottom of the pot. You can always add a couple of tablespoons of hot water if needed. Do not mix the stew, just swirl the pot from time to time and baste the potatoes 4-5 times during the cooking with the juices accumulated at the bottom of the pot. When the stew is fully cooked and potatoes are tender, remove pot from heat, let stand for 20 minutes and serve.
