Soffrito (Spanish-Style)

A close up of the nearly finished soffrito, notice, you’ll need to cook it to the point that it is very dry but not burned.

Every great culture has a foundation vegetable mixture like sofrito.

In cooking school, my friend and I had the brilliant idea to start a savory candle company. This way, your entire house could smell like sautéed garlic and onions for hours. What a wonderful way to trick your house guests into think you slaved away in a kitchen all day. Alas, the idea never got off the ground but I am still seeking investment in case anyone wants to take on a new side hustle.

The French have mirepoix - carrots, celery, and onions. The Spanish have sofrito - onions, garlic, red peppers, and tomato. The Cajuns have the Holy Trinity - celery, green peppers, and onions. The Chinese have green onions, garlic, and ginger. They are all integral to so many dishes. The rule of soffrito is that you use more onions than all of your other aromatic vegetables. Usually a 2:1:1 ratio. Whatever culture your sofrito hails from, it is almost always sautéed to coax as much flavor as possible out of these few humble ingredients.

This version of Soffrito is more commonly seen in Southern Spain or Italy. Notably, the tomato and saffron is what makes it unique to these regions. You can also add diced fennel to this mixture for some additional notes of anise in the mixture. It is the base for things like soup, stews, and paella. You can also use soffrito in your everyday cooking. Notice how it brings so much more flavor to the tomato sauce you use on your pasta or the richness it adds to braised meats like my Stuffed Turkey Wings recipe.

Ingredients for Spanish-Style Soffrito

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 2 cups, diced yellow onion

• 1 cup, diced carrot

• 1 cup, diced celery

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• 3/4 cup tomato passata or tomato sauce

• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

• 1 pinch of saffron threads

Directions for the Soffito

1. Take the saffron threads and put them in a boil. You can either bloom the saffron with a couple of tablespoons of hot water or use a small handful of ice cubes to melt over them. The liquid should be a beautiful gold color within ten minutes.

2. Heat a heavy bottomed sauce pan with the olive oil to medium high heat. I love using my Lodge enameled cast iron brasier to cook my soffrito. Once warm, cook the onions, celery, carrots, and garlic until they are soft and fragrant, about ten minutes.

3. Next, add in the red pepper flakes and bloomed saffron liquid. Allow to cook with the vegetables for a minute or two before adding in the tomato sauce. Reduce the heat to medium low. Continue to cook the tomato sauce until the mixture is very dry but not burned. You’ll notice that the mixture may be “splitting” with oil but that is completely normal. This cooking process will take about 30 to 45 minutes.

4. Remove from the heat and cool before transferring to an airtight container. In the fridge, the cooked soffrito can last one month, but in the freezer, it can last up to six months.