sofrito

[ soh-free-toh ]

noun

1. (in Spanish, Latin American, and Caribbean cooking) a sauce of tomatoes, onion, garlic, peppers, etc.
2. Italian Cooking. soffritto.

Word History and Origins

Origin of sofrito¹

First recorded in 1955–60; partly from Spanish sofrito, noun use of past participle of sofreír “to fry lightly”; partly from Italian soffritto “fried, browned”; soffritto ( def )

Example Sentences

Similar to a Spanish or Italian sofrito, the tomato-red pepper sauce often is made in big batches, then used as the flavor base for soup, cooked down for a dip, mixed with eggs like shakshuka, or ladled over fried fish.

From Washington Times

One of the book’s triumphs is a recipe for campfire paella which calls for prepping squid, sofrito and green beans at home and is finished at camp with shrimp, rice, onion and saffron threads.

From Washington Times

A little later, when one of the play’s sisters describes her mother’s cooking — sofrito made from scratch, pastelillos, arroz con gandules, tender pernil, “the way she made oxtail slide off the bone” — I heard a woman in the audience audibly moan.

From New York Times

The saving grace was its bed of bomba rice swirled with sofrito, charred corn and other lip-smackers.

From Washington Post

Alongside the turkey, the soup calls for adobo seasoning, sazon seasoning, sofrito, chicken stock, medium grain white rice and a medley of veggies, like celery, carrots and red bell peppers.

From Salon