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What Is Spanish Sofrito?

Ingredients

• Sofrito is a Spanish sauce that consists of tomato paste, olive oil, onions, garlic, herbs, and peppers. Sofrito, which means “to lightly fry,” forms the aromatic flavor base for a range of Spanish recipes. Sofrito recipes vary from household to household, and there are many regional sofrito variations like those in Dominican, Puerto Rican, and Brazilian cuisine. For example, Dominican sofrito, or sazon, sometimes features vinegar and annatto, while Puerto Rican sofrito, or recalto, is usually puréed and often contains cubanelle peppers, ajices dulces, and culantro. Brazil’s variation on sofrito, called refogado, is simply salt, oil, onions, and garlic purréed together and lightly fried.

Directions

What Are the Differences Between Italian Soffrito and Spanish Sofrito?
While the two share a similar name, there are a few differences between Italian soffritto and Spanish sofrito.

Soffritto resembles mirepoix. Italian soffritto is an aromatic flavor base composed of sautéed carrots, celery, and onions that forms the foundation of many soups (like minestrone), stews, pasta sauces, and braises throughout Italian cuisine. This flavor base more closely resembles the classical French mirepoix blend of carrots, celery, and onions.
Sofrito is a sauce. Spanish sofrito is an aromatic sauce composed of tomato paste, garlic, bell peppers, cilantro, parsley, and various spices. This flavorful base is slow-cooked in olive oil to create a concentration of flavors to impart into dishes like paella, empanadas, and stews.