Soffritto: the recipe and the trick to always having it ready
Sautéing is a basic preparation, indispensable in the kitchen for adding flavor and texture to countless traditional recipes. However, chopping vegetables every time can be a tedious task, especially if we're in a hurry or notice a certain smell is missing from the house.
- Cipolla, 250 gr
- Carrot, 250 gr
- Celery stalk, 250 gr
- To prepare the soffritto, first clean the celery, carrot and onion (1).
- Cut the carrot into small pieces, then proceed in the same way with the remaining herbs (2).
- Collect the vegetables in the jug of a blender (3).
- Blend everything well, being careful not to reduce the vegetables to mush (4).
- Transfer the resulting mixture into a plastic food bag (5).
- Close the bag and spread the mixture with your hands, so as to eliminate the excess air, then, using the blunt part of a knife, cut out many squares (6).
- Place in the freezer and let it harden, then remove the soffritto from the freezer (7) and, following the lines made previously, break it up with your hands.
- At the end you will get lots of cubes of soffritto (8) to put back in the freezer and use as needed.
- The soffritto is ready to be used (9).
Our chef Ghedini shows you a little trick here to always have a cube of soffritto on hand in the freezer to brown in a pan with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil or a knob of melted butter. To do this, simply roughly chop the celery, carrot, and onion, blend everything in a blender, and then place the chopped mixture in a plastic food storage bag.
At this point, all you have to do is spread the mixture well, eliminating any excess air, cut out the resulting rectangle, and transfer the soffritto to the freezer. The result will be many regular squares, which you can break up with your hands and use as needed.
For best results, choose very fresh vegetables and remember not to blend them too finely: otherwise, the vegetables will release much of their water and you will end up with a mush that is difficult to shape.
Learn how to make soffritto by following Michele Ghedini's step-by-step explanations and valuable tips. If you liked this recipe, try the homemade vegetable stock cube too.
How to prepare the soffritto
Cut the carrot into pieces, then proceed in the same way with the remaining 2 herbs.
Collect the vegetables in the bowl of a blender 3.
Close the bag and spread the mixture with your hands, so as to eliminate the excess air, then, using the blunt side of a knife, cut out as many squares as 6.
At the end you will have 8 cubes of soffritto to put back in the freezer and use as needed.
