The Secret of Soffritto

Carrots, celery, and onions by themselves may not look like meal starters, but together, they become an amazing combination that brings flavour to a variety of meals. This magic ingredient is called soffritto, an Italian term for onions, celery, and carrots, diced small and cooked in a bit of butter or oil until they are soft and golden. When combined, the caramelization of the vegetables brings out the sweetness of the carrot, the umami of onion, and the freshness of the celery, and is used as a flavor base for many sauces, soups, and stews. It can also be added to scrambled eggs, leftover meats or fish; mixed into jarred pasta sauces; or tossed in with vegetable sautés. With a recipe this versatile, your mealtime will never be the same again.

Ingredients

Butter or olive oil
Carrots
Celery (even the limp stuff will do)
Onions

1. Roughly dice the vegetables into equal amounts (when in doubt, go with more onions than more of the others).
2. Heat some of either the butter or olive oil in a pan at medium heat. Toss in the onions, and cook them until they’re translucent. Add in the carrots and celery, lower the heat, and cook, stirring occasionally, until all of the vegetables are soft and limp, and start to turn golden. Depending on how brown you want it, this can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour.
3. Store the soffritto in oil for up to three days in your fridge, or freeze it by spooning it onto either sheet of parchment paper or plastic wrap, and then rolling everything up into a log and then freezing it in a resealable freezer bag. This way, you can cut slices off as needed in the future.

NOTE: Storing soffritto carries a small risk of botulism, as low-acid vegetables, like onions can provide a home for botulism-causing spores. For more information about botulism, please contact this Health Canada webpage.

Common Sense BBQ Tips

It's that time of year when people leave the confines of the kitchen and go do some cooking outdoors. If you are about to fire up the barbeque for the first time or plan to make the most of your grill, here are some grilling tips to help make things go more smoothly this BBQ season:

• Make sure you have extra charcoal or propane. Seems obvious, until you can't get your fire started, or when your fire goes out.

• Take your meat or fish out of the fridge at least two to three hours before putting it on the grill if you don't want to deal with your food being cold on the inside.
  
• Mise en place isn't just for indoor cooking. Have your BBQ tools - tongs, spatulas, a sharp knife, basting brushes, fire extinguisher - cleaned and nearby before you head outside.

• Using a gas grill? Let it heat up for at least 10 minutes. Got yourself a charcoal grill?  Let it heat up for at least 20 minutes.

• If you’re using a charcoal grill, empty the ashes from your last grilling session. Check the grease tray as well for gas grills.
  
• Use only one cut of meat or fish. It's hard enough to get the right cooking temperature for one cut of meat, let only several.

• Go with lump charcoal if you want the best smoky flavour. Don't fret if you have a gas grill as you can still get some of the smoky flavour from the fat of the meat cooking at high heat if you don't have a smoker box.

• Don’t light your charcoal with lighter fluid. It's a fast way to start the fire, but it can make your food taste funny.
  
• Create gradations of heat on your barbeque by stacking your coals asymmetrically once they are hot. By doing this, you can move things that are charring on the outside across to the cooler part of the grill. Always keep an area of the grill with no coals under it at all – a place to rest food that is cooked and to move things to if you have a flare-up.

• Avoid squirting water on the flames when things flare up, as this will send ash flying over your food. Try moving the food over the part of the grill with no coals underneath it instead.
  
• If you are nervous about getting it right, use a meat thermometer to check it your meat is done. To make sure your meat is cooked to the right temperature, this is a link to a temperature cheat sheet.

• If you have any leftover marinade, cook it up on the grill in a metal bowl to kill off any bugs. or pour it over the cooked meat as a sauce.
  
• Consider rubbing in a separate marinade after you have cooked it. Barbecued fish is delicious if rubbed with very finely chopped parsley and garlic in olive oil. When cooking meat, smear some butter blitzed with herbs, salt, pepper and garlic on top of a chopping board. Place the cooked meat on the butter so it can melt and soak into the meat as you carve it.
  
• Be lazy and don't clean your barbecue after use. If you leave the fat on the grill, it will prevent rust from forming. To clean it, get your grill nice and hot and then rub the charred debris off with a coarse wire brush.