Sofrito is heavily emphasized as the third critical component in a "sofregit" base along with tomatoes and onions. Garlic is optional, as it is not considered an integral part of the standard "sofregit" recipe. Some "sofregit" recipes do not contain tomatoes at all, but are made more complex with the addition of diced vegetables such as leeks or bell peppers. In Italian cuisine, chopped onions, carrots and celery is battuto, and then, slowly cooked in olive oil, becomes "soffritto". It is used as the base for most pasta sauces, such as arrabbiata sauce, but occasionally it can be used as the
Sauce vierge Michel Guérard, a French chef, author, one of the founders of "nouvelle cuisine", and the inventor of "cuisine minceur", from Eugénie-les-Bains, Aquitaine, in south-western France; the sauce has since become a modern classic. In its original form, the sauce was intended as a Mediterranean preparation and contained a lot of garlic. It was served either hot or cold after infusing the herbs in the oil. Sauce vierge Sauce vierge (French; in English: literally, "virgin sauce") is a French sauce made from olive oil, lemon juice, chopped tomato and chopped basil. Frequently, crushed coriander seed is added, and variations may include