Sofrito

Sofrito is a foundational cooking preparation used across Mediterranean and Latin American cuisines, its name from the Spanish verb sofreir, meaning to stir-fry; it refers to aromatic ingredients cut small and sauteed or braised slowly in oil over low heat, then used as the base for other dishes. The basic formula is garlic, onion, peppers and tomato cooked in olive oil, though the exact mix varies widely by region, and the earliest documented recipe, from around the 14th century, called for nothing more than onion and oil. Spanish and Portuguese versions rely on garlic, onion and olive oil, sometimes adding tomato and carrot; the Italian soffritto uses onion, carrot and celery, sometimes with garlic or shallot; Caribbean versions vary by territory, with Puerto Rican sofrito built on culantro and sweet chili peppers and Cuban sofrito favoring Spanish onion and bell pepper; and the Filipino ginisa is an Asian counterpart of garlic, onion and tomato.