Soup Starts With Soffritto

Soffritto literally means “the sauté” in Italian. It consists of sautéed aromatic vegetables–onion, carrot, celery, and often herbs–which provide the foundation of flavor for all the subsequent ingredients. It is also the key to slow-cooked meats, meat sauces, stews, and more.

It’s so essential to cooking that many cultures have a name for it: the French call it mirepoix, the Portugese refogado, the Germans suppengrün.

What you need to know about a soffritto:

• A classic soffritto contains onion, carrot, celery and something green, like some parsley. Variations exist, but onion is always present.

• Chop the soffritto ingredients into very small pieces, about 1/4 inch square. Your soffritto is the flavor base, you don’t want big chunks of it in your soup.

• Olive oil is my go-to fat for a soffritto, but you can use butter, duck fat, lard, or a combination of fats. You need enough oil to generously cover the bottom of the pan, so all of the vegetables get sautéed, not steamed.

• The longer you cook the soffritto on low heat–without burning or browning it–the more the vegetables will caramelize and the better your entire dish will taste in the end. Get your soffritto going. Then prep all of your other ingredients while your soffritto cooks unrushed.

• The process of sautéeing veggies is so good for flavor that you should let each main ingredient sauté for a few minutes before adding the next and certainly before adding the broth.