Italian technique for the everyday kitchen.

How to Finish Pasta in Sauce for Better Texture

To finish pasta in sauce, move it from the boiling water when it is still slightly firmer than you want to eat.

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Italian Foundations

Battuto usually identifies a chopped aromatic preparation; soffritto emphasizes cooking it in fat as a flavor base.

5 min read

Italian Foundations

Make soffritto by finely and evenly chopping onion, carrot, and celery, then cooking them gently in olive oil, butter, or both.

8 min read

Italian Foundations

You can freeze cooked soffritto or its raw chopped vegetables, but label them separately.

5 min read

Italian Foundations

Passata is smooth, strained tomato puree with skins and seeds removed, while crushed tomatoes retain fine or chunky pulp in juice.

5 min read

Italian Foundations

A soffritto ratio of 2:1:1 means two parts onion, one part carrot and one part celery; equal parts are another published approach.

5 min read

Italian Foundations

Soffritto and mirepoix are related aromatic foundations, often built from onion, carrot, and celery.

4 min read