Tuscan Pasta Soffritto

Step 1

Chop the onions and celery very finely. I like to keep the sauce thick. So I run my carrots in a food processor / mixie instead of chopping it. Get these ready. Set aside.

Step 2

Heat a heavy bottomed pan and add in the olive oil and garlic. I run the garlic through the garlic press. Add in a teaspoon of store bought dry Italian herb mixture. (Any store bought kind will do. Mine had oregano,thyme,dried garlic and basil). I learned a great tip from Chef Suvir Saran. He once told that waking up the spices and herbs in oil is the best method to bring them alive. Its the greatest indian technique of tempering spices called the tadka that not only works wonders on Indian cooking but to any cooking. It works every single time. I do it for all my cooking. Not just Indian.

Step 3

Add in the soffritto mixture and salt and fry well until cooked down by half. Usually soffritto is not browned. But for this recipe, we want the veggies to nicely cook down and caramelize. It adds a very nice flavor. Cook for 10-15 minutes on medium flame sauteing constantly so the mixture does not stick to the bottom of the pan.

Step 4

Add in the pureed skinned, de-seeded tomatoes. I just run the tomatoes in the food processor / mixie and strain. That’s my easy route to skinned de-seeded tomatoes. I just strain the tomatoes right over the pan.

Step 5

Add in a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and a big pinch of sugar. Sugar rounds out the flavor of the tomatoes and the vinegar tangs it up.

Step 6

Add in fresh ground pepper and let the sauce simmer in low flame for 5 minutes. Check for seasoning. Add more salt if necessary.

Step 7

Add in the cooked and drained pasta. Add in half a cup of cream and freshly chopped basil. Basil is what gives this dish that unique taste. Do not skip Basil. Remove off heat.