Soffritto - Foundation for so many great Italian dishes

Soffritto comes from the Italian verb soffriggere, which means to brown or fry slightly.  Lots of Italian recipes start with a soffritto, a lightly fried mixture of herbs and vegetables.

Soffritto's can differ from recipe to recipe, however they generally all start with carrot, celery, and onion. In our house we add garlic and either bay leaf or rosemary then slowly cook in olive oil. Soffritto is the base for many delicious pasta sauces, risotto dishes and stews. In Italy, soffritto is so commonly used, it can often be found in grocery stores. 

Creating a flavorful soffritto requires fresh ingredients. You want to cook the chopped vegetables slowly over a medium heat, about 10-15 minutes.  You will know it's done when the house begins to fill with a wonderful smell.

We'll mention here that the idea of using a fragrant soffritto as a base for adding flavor to dishes is not unique to Italy.  In France, it's called mirepoix, and in Spain it's sofrito.  

So, the next time you're in the kitchen frying a pan full of finely diced vegetables in olive oil, show your inner Italian by announcing "the soffritto is almost done!"