Best Soffritto Recipes

BLOND SOFFRITTO BASE

Steps:

• Place celery in the bowl of a food processor; process until minced (you should have about 1 cup). Repeat process with carrots (you should have about 1 cup).
• Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add celery, carrot, and onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is no longer steaming and vegetables are caramelized, about 1 hour.

SOFFRITTO

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.

YELLOW WAX BEANS STRACOTTO IN SOFFRITTO WITH SALSA VERDE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat until it is almost smoking and slides easily in the pan, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the beans, sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and cook for about 2 minutes, until they are slightly browned. Move the beans to create a bare spot in the pan, add the tomato paste to that spot, and cook for 1 minute, stirring, to caramelize. Add the Soffritto and anchovies, and stir to combine the ingredients and to coat the beans with the Soffritto. Reduce the heat to low, season the beans with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and cook for about 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of water to the pan, and simmer the beans until they are very tender, about 20 minutes for wax beans and 30 minutes for Romano beans. If there is still water in the pan, remove the lid, increase the heat to high, and cook until the water evaporates. Serve the beans warm or at room temperature. Transfer the beans to a serving dish, spoon 1/4 cup of salsa verde over them, and serve with the remaining salsa verde on the side.
• salsa verde
• Combine the anchovies, capers, garlic, salt, and half of the olive oil in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade or the jar of a blender. Add half of the parsley, mint, and marjoram leaves and pulse until the herbs are finely chopped. Turn off the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the remaining herbs and the remaining olive oil and purée, stopping as soon as the ingredients form a homogenous paste, and adding more olive oil, if necessary, to obtain a loose, spoonable salsa. (You want to stop the machine as soon as you achieve the desired consistency, as the blade will heat the garlic and give it a bitter flavor. Also, over-processing the salsa verde will incorporate too much air, making it fluffy and also too smooth. I like to see some flecks of herbs in my salsa verde.) Turn the salsa verde out into a bowl and stir in the lemon juice. Taste for seasoning and add more salt or lemon juice if desired. Use the salsa or transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to two days-any longer and it will lose its pretty green color and vibrant flavor. Bring the salsa to room temperature, stir to recombine the ingredients, and taste again for seasoning before serving.

PORK LOIN SPIEDINO WITH PINE NUT, GARLIC, AND CURRANT SOFFRITTO

Steps:

• In a bowl, toss the pork with the salt. Cover and refrigerate for at least overnight or up to 3 days. To make the soffritto, soak the currants in just enough warm water to cover for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, add the pine nuts and 1/3 cup of the olive oil to a small, heavy pot and place over low heat. Gradually bring to a low simmer, stirring frequently, and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, or until the pine nuts have started to brown. Stir in the garlic and continue to cook on low heat for about 8 minutes, or until the garlic is a light golden brown. Watch the soffritto carefully; the pine nuts and garlic will burn easily. Drain the currants, add them to the pot, and then remove the pot from the heat. Let the soffritto cool to room temperature. It will keep, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for 2 weeks. About 30 minutes before cooking, remove the pork from the refrigerator. If using wooden skewers, soak them in water to cover to prevent them from scorching. If grilling, prepare a hot fire in a grill, stacking the coals to one side so you have two areas of heat, one with direct heat and one with indirect heat. If cooking stove-top, heat a cast iron skillet or grill pan. Drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over the pork and toss to coat evenly. If using skewers, drain them, and thread about 5 pieces of pork onto each skewer. Place the meat over the coals or on pan and cook for about 1 minute on each side, or until well seared. Move the skewers to the cooler side of the grill or pan and continue to cook over indirect heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until cooked medium-well but still juicy. Arrange a bed of arugula on a platter. Place the pork on top. Drizzle some of the soffritto over the top of the pork and the arugula. Pass the remaining sauce at the table. Serve immediately.

SOFFRITTO

Steps:

• Soak mushrooms in 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water for about 30 minutes.
• Heat olive oil in large frying pan.
• Stir in onions.
• Cook for two minutes over medium heat, stirring.
• Add minced garlic.
• Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until onions are soft.
• Add parsley and basil, and cook until the parsley loses its intense green color.
• Remove mushrooms from soaking liquid, and set liquid aside.
• Add tomatoes and mushrooms to pan.
• Strain mushroom soaking water and add with spices to mixture.
• Simmer over low heat until water reduces, about thirty minutes.
• Season to taste with salt and freshly milled pepper.
• When cooked, this can be used immediately, or poured into ice cube trays.
• When the mixture is frozen, remove from the trays and save in the freezer in a plastic bag.
• Use the cubes as needed as a flavoring/base for soups and stews.

PORK LOIN SPIEDINO WITH PINE NUT, GARLIC, AND CURRANT SOFFRITTO

Steps:

• In a bowl, toss the pork with the salt. Cover and refrigerate for at least overnight or up to 3 days.
• To make the soffritto, soak the currants in just enough warm water to cover for about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, add the pine nuts and 1/2 cup of the olive oil to a small, heavy pot and place over low heat. Gradually bring to a low simmer, stirring frequently, and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, or until the pine nuts have started to brown. Stir in the garlic and continue to cook on low heat for about 8 minutes, or until the garlic is a light golden brown. Watch the soffritto carefully; the pine nuts and garlic will burn easily. Drain the currants, add them to the pot, and then remove the pot from the heat. Let the soffritto cool to room temperature. It will keep, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.
• About 30 minutes before cooking, remove the pork from the refrigerator. If using wooden skewers, soak them in water to cover to prevent them from scorching. Prepare a hot fire in a grill, stacking the coals to one side so you have two areas of heat, one with direct heat and one with indirect heat.
• Drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over the pork and toss to coat evenly. Drain the skewers, and thread about 5 pieces of pork onto each skewer.
• Place the skewers over the coals and grill for about 1 minute on each side, or until well seared. Move the skewers to the cooler side of the grill and continue to cook over indirect heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until cooked medium-well but still juicy.
• Arrange a bed of arugula on a platter. Place the pork skewers on top. Drizzle some of the soffritto over the top of the pork and the arugula. Pass the remaining sauce at the table. Serve immediately.