Soup Starts With Soffritto

Soffritto literally means “the saute” in Italian. It consists of sauteed aromatic vegetables - onion, carrot celery- 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 Portuguese -- 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 exists, but onion is always present.

• Chop the soffritto ingredients into very small pieces, about a ¼ inch square.  Your soffritto is the flavor base, you don’t want big chunks of it to show up in your soup.

• Olive oil is my go-to fat for a soffritto, but one could 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 sauteed, and not steamed.

• The longer you cook the soffritto on lower 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 and then prep all your other ingredients so it can cook unrushed.

• The process of sauteeing veggies is so good for flavor, that is recommended to let each subsequent ingredient saute for a few minutes before adding the next, and certainly before adding the broth. This will be demonstrated in the following recipes.