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
Pasta all'Ortolana garlic gets briefly fried with olive oil in a pan until it reaches a golden color, then it gets removed; in the meantime another pan is used to boil some moderately salted water which will be used to cook the pasta. Carrots, leek and celery get thrown in the pan where the garlic has been fried in olive oil and left cooking for about 6 or 7 minutes, before adding red and yellow capsicum, salt and pepper to the mix. At this point the pasta gets thrown in the other pan with hot boiling water, where it will cook for