Soffritto

An Italian friend of mine introduced me to Suffritto a few weeks ago.  He made a huge batch at home, gave me an extra jar and told me to add it to anything…eggs, veggies, soups, meats, etc.  I;ve been doing just that and our meals have been delicious!  My husband made Turkey Meatloaf with a tsp of soffritto and it was divine.  I added a tsp to a pot of French Onion soup and received tons of compliments.  This little gem will forever be a part of my kitchen.

 

 

Here is a recipe that I found.  It isn’t identical to the one I am consuming because, well because Italians are secretive about their recipes. 

 

“Soffritto” means, “fry slowly”: It is a mix of tastes and smells, vegetables and aromatic herbs, that need to be fried slowly prior to use as the ingredient of a recipe.

Soffritto is a mix of finely minced vegetables and aromatic herbs. The most basic of soffritto consists of a mix of onions, carrots, celery, garlic, salt, extra virgin olive oil, and sometimes vinegar (made of wine) or white wine. The garlic can be minced and mixed in, or fried cooked in cloves, and then taken out of the mix, but it must be slowly fried with the rests. In general, the tastier the dish you are preparing, the more aromatic the soffritto.

Soffritto can be prepared in advance, and then stored, raw, in small glass jars tightly sealed: you can keep them in a cup board (there is no need to keep them in the fridge it since salt and vinegar are great natural preservatives). You can keep the jars sealed for up to two months, but no more than a week, and then in the fridge once opened. Or you can make the soffritto on the go, when you need it.

The ingredients and the quantities that make a great soffritto are indicated below. “Must” have ingredients are shown as are the optional one. Should you like a taste or smell more than another, you can vary the quantities slightly. What is important is that all the components are used, more or less in the amounts indicated.

This much soffritto can be stored in two small jars, and it will be enough for 20 servings of pasta.

80 gr. (1,6 oz) of Onions ( must be in)

80 gr. (1,6 oz) of Carrots ( must be in)

60 gr. (1,0 oz) of Celery ( must be in)

5 gr. (one clove) of garlic ( must be in)

10 gr. (0,2 ox) of Salt ( must be in)

10 gr. (0,2 oz) Extra Virgin Oil ( must be in)

2 gr. (0,05 oz) of Vinegar from wine ( must be in)

20 gr. (0,4 oz) Rosemary (optional)

10 gr. (0,2 oz) Sage (optional)

25 gr. (0,5 oz) Persil (optional)

20 gr. (0,4 oz) Basil (optional)

Preparation

Preparing the soffritto is very simple: you need a knife, a rocking knife, a wooden board to cut the veggies on, and one or more jars to store it. Wash carefully the vegetables and the aromatic herbs, cut them with a knife first, mix them, and then mince them with the rocking knife. Put the chopped veggies in a jar, add the extra virgin olive oil, the vinegar and the salt, mix well and then seal the pot.

If you prepare this recipe on the go, then put the compound in a frying pan and slow fry until the vegetables become soft and a little of a yellow-brownish colour: add some white vine, as necessary, not to let the thing burn.

 

Make this and your world will change! 

Much love.