Soffritto Potatoes

I am not a big potato fan. This dish is a real treat even for me.

About a pound of new potatoes, ideally fingerlings

1/4 cup soffritto

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

Boil the potatoes until tender with a fork.

If the potatoes are larger than about 2 inches, quarter them

Combine the oil and soffritto to make a slurry.

Put the potatoes in a large bowl. Sprinkle the salt over the potatoes. Add the soffritto slurry and gently toss the potatoes to coat them.

You can serve immediately or reheat in the oven.

Beluga Lentils with Soffritto

This is a lovely quick dish. I love the color of the beluga lentils, and they have a nice texture. If you can't find beluga lentils, French or brown lentils work equally well. I prefer the French to the brown, but mostly just on appearance. This can either be a side dish, or turned into a weekday main if served with a whole grain (go go complete protein!).

1 cup lentils

4 cups water

3 tablespoons soffritto

3 cloves garlic (optional)

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

1 teaspoon oregano

Combine water and lentils in a pot and bring to boil. Reduce heat to lowest setting and cover. The pot should still simmer. You do not need to stir.

Simmer the lentils for 20-30 minutes, until tender.

If you are using garlic, mince the garlic and fry in a small amount of oil.

Once the lentils are done, combine all the remaining ingredients in the lentils and stir GENTLY. If the lentils are stirred too hard they'll turn to mush.

Please don't balk at the amount of oil. The lentils have no oil in them. The oil is important for texture, taste, and satiety. You won't feel full if there isn't enough oil in the dish.

Soffritto

This is easy to make, and can be used in so many dishes to add an incredible flavor. Rather than actual amounts, I have given portions. It is easy to make as much or as little as you need.

2 parts minced onion

1 part minced celery

1 part minced carrot (or grated)

olive oil to coat the pan

Heat a pan large enough to comfortably hold all the minced veggies. You want a fairly high heat, but not too hot. On most stoves I use between the 2/3 and 3/4 mark.

Add enough oil to coat the pan. Once the oil starts to crawl, add all the mince at once. You want to stir only enough to keep the veggies from sticking to the pan, so one every couple of minutes is enough.

Cook the veggies until they have caramelized. You can make soffritto either "blonde" (a lovely golden color), medium (a light brown), or dark (natch). I like the stronger flavor of the medium or dark for most things.

Soffritto will keep for a week or so in the refrigerator, and pretty much indefinitely in the freezer. I like to put the soffritto in a jar and cover it with extra virgin olive oil to store it in the fridge.