Sofregit

Sofregit is a foundational sauce in Mediterranean Catalan cuisine. A fragrant tomato-based sauce made out of tomatoes, onions, olive oil, garlic and onions, it can optionally include other vegetables, such as mushrooms and peppers.

The word Sofregit comes from the Catalan verb sofregir, meaning to "underfry" or fry lightly. In essence, you are sauteing these aromatics under low heat for an extended amount of time. This brings out wonderful depth and aroma to the sauce, which then intensifies any dish to which you add this yummy base.

I used this sofregit to make the Spanish Catalan dish - Rice with mushrooms, cuttlefish and artichokes with allioli as part of the Daring Cooks challenge in August 2009.

Here's how to make it!

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 5 big red ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 2 small onions, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped (optional)
• 4 or 5 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 cup of button or Portobello mushrooms, chopped (optional)
• 1 Bay leaf
• Salt
• Touch of ground cumin
• Touch of dried oregano
  

Directions:

1. Put all the ingredients together in a frying pan and sauté slowly until all vegetables are soft.
2. Taste and salt if necessary (maybe it’s not!)
   

 

Since I was halving the recipe, I started by browning 1 chopped onion and 3 cloves of minced garlic in about 1 T vegetable oil over medium heat.

 

After about 5 minutes, I added the remaining vegetables (3 heirloom tomatoes, 1 package (12 oz) of Baby Bella mushrooms (chopped in half), and 1 bay leaf. I also added 1-2 "shakes" of oregano and cumin.

I cooked it over medium-low heat for about an hour until the vegetables softened and gave off water to form this delicious soupy goodness.

I then added this entire pot of sofregit to the rice with mushrooms, cuttlefish and artichokes dish I was making for the Daring Cook's Challenge.