Soffritto

Soffritto is the flavor base of much Italian cooking: onion, carrot and celery, chopped very small and cooked slowly in olive oil or butter until soft and sweet. Before cooking, the raw chopped mix is called battuto. Soffritto starts ragù, minestrone, risotto, bean soups and braises. It uses the same vegetables as French mirepoix but is usually cut finer and cooked longer.

How to do it

1. Use about 2 parts onion to 1 part carrot and 1 part celery. For a pot of ragù, 1 medium onion, 1 carrot and 1 celery stalk is typical.
2. Chop them very finely, about 3 mm (1/8 inch), by hand or by pulsing in a food processor.
3. Warm 3 to 4 tablespoons of olive oil, or part butter, in a heavy pan over medium-low heat.
4. Add the vegetables with a pinch of salt.
5. Cook gently, stirring now and then, for 10 to 20 minutes, until very soft, sweet and lightly golden. Some ragù recipes cook it for up to 30 minutes.
6. Add garlic, pancetta or herbs as your recipe says.

How to tell it is done

The vegetables have collapsed and lost their raw smell, the onion is translucent to pale gold, and the mix smells sweet. It should not be dark brown.

Why it works

Slow cooking in fat softens the vegetables' cell walls and drives off water, so their natural sugars and flavors concentrate. Fat also picks up flavors from the vegetables and carries them through the whole dish.

How to store it

Make a large batch and freeze it in portions for up to 3 months. It goes straight from the freezer into the pan.

Common mistakes

• Rushing it over high heat, which browns the outside and leaves the inside raw.
• Cutting it too coarsely, so the pieces stay visible in a smooth sauce.
• Using too little oil, so it sticks and scorches.

In recipes

Italian recipes may add garlic, parsley, pancetta or pepper. "Make a soffritto" means chop and slowly cook the base. Do not confuse it with Spanish sofrito, which is built around tomato and peppers.