SOFFRITTO
Soffritto is a combination of sautéed onions, celery, and carrots, and it is the base of much Italian cooking. We start many of our dishes by sautéing these ingredients, and then we have this, a very dark soffritto, that we cook for four hours, after which the vegetables are transformed into a rich, thick paste. We make the soffritto in big batches and use it as a starting point for many of our ragùs, such as the duck ragù (see Gnocchi with Duck Ragù, page 187), the wild boar ragù (see Maltagliati with Wild Boar Ragù, page 185), and the ragù bolognese (see Garganelli with Ragù Bolognese, page 189). We also use it to make a rich contorni-Yellow Wax Beans Stracotto in Soffritto with Salsa Verde (page 260)-that we serve in the Osteria. This soffritto might seem oily, but don't let that scare you as it's used to start dishes where olive oil would normally be used. At the restaurant, we chop the carrots and celery in a food processor, but we chop the onions by hand to avoid their becoming a watery purée.
Yield makes about 3 cups
Number Of Ingredients 4
Steps:
- Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat until the oil is almost smoking and slides easily in the pan, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the onions and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until they are tender and translucent. Add the carrots and celery, reduce the heat to medium, and cook the vegetables, stirring often, for about 3 hours, until the soffritto is a deep brown caramel color and the vegetables are almost melted. If the vegetables start to sizzle and stick to the bottom of the pot, reduce the heat to low and continue cooking. Use the soffritto or let it cool to room temperature, then transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to a week or freeze for up to several months.
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