sofrito

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A sautéed mixture of seasonings and finely chopped vegetables, such as onions, garlic, and peppers, used as a base for many Spanish, Caribbean, and Latin American dishes.

[American Spanish, from variant past participle of Spanish sofreír, to fry lightly, from Vulgar Latin *suffrīgere : Latin sub-, slightly; see sub– + Latin frīgere, to fry.]

Spanish; sauce prepared from onions, tomatoes, garlic, and other vegetables fried gently in oil.

(Sp.); soffrito (It.) [soh-FREE-toh] 1. The Spanish sofrito is a sauce made by sautéing annatto seeds in rendered pork fat. The seeds are removed before chopped onions, green peppers, garlic, pork and various herbs are cooked in the flavored, now-red oil until the ingredients are tender and the mixture is thick. The sauce is used in recipes as needed. 2. The Italian soffrito is a similar mixture (usually chopped celery, green peppers, onions, garlic and herbs) sautéed in olive oil and used to flavor soups, sauces and meat dishes.