Soffritto

A soffritto is a mixture of aromatic vegetables and herbs—perhaps with the addition of pancetta or diced salt pork—that is cooked in oil. It serves as an omnipresent base of flavor for innumerable preparations including, but by no means limited to, ragùs and sauces. The soffritto mixture is traditionally very personal to the chef and is adjusted for each dish according to preference. (For example, a soffritto for tomato sauces typically uses more carrot than in other dishes because the sweetness from the carrot tempers the acidity of the tomato.) The soffritto is one of the ways the Italian chef customizes his or her cooking.