Cook one batch of soffritto, make four different meals

The simplest soffritto mix of aromatic, finely diced carrot, celery and onion is a go-to for the organised cook. Make a quick batch at the start of the week for the ultimate sweet, rounded, homely base to many a recipe inspired by Italy...

You don’t need to be a gastro trendsetter to see that this combination of workaday vegetables – carrots, onion and celery, painstakingly diced and slow-cooked – can turn into a riotous base for countless recipes. The ultimate get-ahead pan ...

To make a big batch of soffritto

This will keep in an airtight container for up to five days. Every day the soffritto will develop a richer flavour.

Makes 600g
200ml extra virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, peeled
4 large carrots, finely diced
4 large white onions, finely diced
4 large celery sticks, finely diced
3 whole cloves
50g unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tsp fine salt
1 tsp black pepper

1 Warm the oil over a low heat. Add the garlic. Let it sizzle for around 5 minutes until slightly brown, then take it out.

2 Add all the veg and cloves to the pan, cover and cook for 15 minutes, or until the onion is translucent and the carrot and celery are sweating mildly. Season.

3 To finish, let a few knobs of butter melt on top of the warm soffritto.

The sophisticated supper: Sarde in saor (pictured above)

Literally meaning “tasty sardines”, these fishes are like good wine: interesting when young, but exceptionally delicious after a couple of days’ rest. It’s best to cook these sardines in big batches, to enjoy throughout the week.

Serves 4
2 tbsp raisins
1 tbsp salted capers
100ml vegetable oil
500g fresh sardines, cleaned
50g plain flour
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
300g large white onions, sliced thin
300g soffritto
1 tbsp caster sugar
120ml white wine vinegar
2 tbsp pine nuts
A handful of fresh sage, chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper

1Soak the raisins and capers together in cold water for 10 minutes, then squeeze and drain on kitchen paper.

2 Warm the veg oil over a medium heat. Dredge the sardines in the flour. Fry them for 2 minutes per side, until they become nice and golden. Drain on kitchen paper.

3 Warm the olive oil over a low heat for 2 minutes, then add the onions. Cook for 10 minutes, until brown.

4 Next, stir in the soffritto, sugar and vinegar. Add the raisins, capers, pine nuts and sage. Simmer for a few minutes. Season, to taste.

5 Spread the pan-fried sardines in a casserole and scatter with the warm sauce. Leave to rest in the fridge overnight, then serve at room temperature.

The showstopper: Sartu di riso (rice timbale bake)

This is a glorious Italian centrepiece: a dome of rice stuffed with fine ingredients. Don’t worry about the leftovers; you can revitalise it al salto the following day in just under 10 minutes. Here is how: melt a knob of butter on a non-stick frying pan and spread the rice over to form a flat cake. Cook until the bottom of the cake is golden, flip it using a lid or a large place covering and sauté the other side.

Serves 6
150g pancetta or bacon, diced
2 tbsp ground nutmeg
150g soffritto
200g minced beef
200g minced pork
120ml red wine
700g tomato passata
200ml beef stock
100ml whole milk
1 large handful of fresh basil, chopped
30g rock salt
500g risotto rice
Salt and black pepper
150g parmesan, grated
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
30g unsalted butter
50g breadcrumbs
100g mortadella sausage, finely diced
200g scamorza or mozzarella cucina cheese

1 Fry the pancetta over low heat for 5 minutes, or until perfectly browned.

2 Add the nutmeg and soffritto, then stir for 2 minutes, and add the meat. Increase the heat, pour in the wine and let it evaporate, while gently stirring.

3 After about 10 minutes, add the passata and cook over a low heat for a further 45 minutes, adding the stock little by little to adjust the density of the sauce.

4 Ten minutes before the end of cooking, add the milk to the sauce.

5 Chop half the basil leaves. Once the heat is turned off, mix them in to the sauce. Set aside ¼ of the sauce for final decoration.

6 Set the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Cook the rice al dente in a pan of salted boiling water. Drain. Stir in half the remaining sauce. Season, then add ¾ of the parmesan and the olive oil.

7 Butter a 22cm-diameter ring mould. Sprinkle the mould with half of the breadcrumbs. Pack half of the rice into the mould. Cover with mortadella, scamorza cheese, 2 tbsp parmesan and half of the remaining portion of sauce. Cover with the last of the rice and breadcrumbs. Top with what’s left of the sauce and parmesan. Scatter diced butter on top, then bake for 15 minutes.

8 Leave it to set inside the oven with the door slightly open for 15 minutes, then flip it out on to a big dish. Serve lukewarm, with dollops of the reserved sauce and the last basil leaves.

The speedy soup: Zuppa di verza e ceci (chickpeas and cabbage soup)

A mouthwatering, generous-hearted, rustic bowlful – the fact that most of the chopping has been done already makes this a great weeknight go-to.

Serves 4
1 savoy cabbage (around 800g)
100g fresh tomatoes
1 large King Edward potato
3 tbsp olive oil
3 bay leaves
100g soffritto
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cumin
A small handful of fresh coriander, chopped
A handful of rock salt
240g canned chickpeas
½ tsp chilli flakes
1 loaf rustic bread
50ml vegetable oil
1 tsp fine salt
100g guanciale/pancetta/bacon, sliced

1 Cut the cabbage, tomato and potato into rough chunks. Brown the vegetables over a low heat in a casserole with the olive oil and bay leaves.

2 After 5 minutes, add the soffritto, cinnamon, cumin and half the coriander. Add 1.5 litres of hot water, bring to a boil, add the rock salt and cook over a low heat, covered with a lid, for 30 minutes.

3 Drain the chickpeas in a colander and add them to the soup. Sprinkle with some chilli flakes and continue cooking over a low heat uncovered for another 15 minutes.

4 Cut the bread into slices and fry in hot vegetable oil: drain on kitchen paper and salt lightly. Meanwhile, cut the guanciale into 5mm strips and fry in a nonstick frying pan for 5 minutes, or until crisp. Lightly dry each strip on some kitchen paper.

5 With a handheld blender, roughly blend half the soup before returning it to the pan. Serve warm and top it with croutons, guanciale and the remaining fresh coriander.

The moreish morsels: Cheesy pear puff pastries

Stracchino is a divine cheese with a mild taste and creamy, almost melting texture. You will find it in speciality stores or online at nifeislife.com. If you can’t get your hands on it, mascarpone will do just fine.

Serves 4
1 Conference/William pear
30g unsalted butter
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 sprig fresh rosemary, chopped
50g soffritto
320g all-butter puff pastry
100g stracchino or mascarpone cheese
Zest of 1 lemon
½ tsp black pepper

1 Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 5. Wash and dry the pear before peeling and cutting it into 5mm-thick slices. Melt the butter with the sugar and half the rosemary in a pan. Brown the slices of pear for around 5 minutes. Heat the soffritto in a second pan at low heat for 2 minutes only.

2 Using a regular mug as a guide, cut the puff pastry into circles and put ½ tsp soffritto and one slice of pear on top of each. Bake on a tray in the oven for 10 minutes.

3 Take it out for a minute to distribute the cheese and add a pinch of lemon zest on each of the morsels, then cook for another 4-5 minutes. Allow to cool a little, then garnish with pepper and the remaining rosemary.

Eleonora Galasso is a food writer. Her book As The Romans Do (Octopus) will be published in Spring. @eleonoragalasso

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