Blonde Soffrito Base Food

BLOND SOFFRITTO BASE

Steps:

• Place celery in the bowl of a food processor; process until minced (you should have about 1 cup). Repeat process with carrots (you should have about 1 cup).
• Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add celery, carrot, and onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is no longer steaming and vegetables are caramelized, about 1 hour.

BLONDE SOFFRITO BASE

Steps:

• In a large straight-sided skillet, combine red onion, celery, and fennel. Add oil, and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are the color of straw, about 45 minutes. Use immediately, or cool to room temperature and refrigerate for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 6 months.

RAGù BOLOGNESE: AUTHENTIC ITALIAN BOLOGNESE SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large pot set over medium heat, add the butter and the oil and stir until the butter is melted. Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and half of the salt (½ tsp/2 ml) and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables are soft. Add the diced pancetta and cook for a further 10 minutes, until the pancetta is golden and crisp.
• Add a third of the ground meat, stirring and breaking lumps with a wooden spoon between each addition. Adding the meat gradually allows the excess water and liquid to evaporate, which is key for the meat to caramelize properly. Once the meat is cooked, add a third more of the meat, stirring and breaking lumps as you go. Repeat with the remaining meat.
• When the meat is cooked and no lumps remain, set a timer to 10 minutes and keep cooking the meat, stirring from time to time. You want the meat to caramelize and even become crispy in spots. Golden bits of meat will stick to the bottom of the pot, which you will deglaze with white wine later. Watch over the pan at all times as you don't want the meat to burn.
• Add the white wine into the saucepan. With the wooden spoon, scrape all the brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Push the meat all around to make sure you scrape it all off. By the time you're finished, the wine will be evaporated (2 to 3 minutes). Be careful not to let the meat stick to the bottom of the pot again-lower the heat if necessary.
• Add the milk, tomatoes, beef broth, remaining salt (½ tsp/2 ml) and a generous grinding of black pepper. Bring to a boil and then lower to the lowest heat setting. Half-cover and simmer gently for 2.5 to 3 hours, setting yourself a timer to give the sauce a stir every half hour.
• Start monitoring the texture of the sauce after 2 hours: the sauce is ready when it's thick like oatmeal. It should look rich and creamy, and no liquid should separate from the sauce when you push the sauce to one side. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.