Benadetta Vitali understands that the act of cooking itself is transcendent. Soffritto literally means “under-fried” and in Tuscan cooking, it refers to the long and careful preparation of the most basic aromatic vegetables. It is the kind of thing that you can’t get by simply throwing things together. It actually takes a great amount of time and energy to mince the vegetables and maybe even longer to cook them…it is the thoughtfulness and precision and the use of great seasonal ingredients that separate Vitali’s recipes from the rest.
Simply reading Soffritto captures Italy’s fruitful rolling hillsides and salty coasts…but, attempting her utmost simple preparations will not only tease your palette but teach you something about what cooking means in general. For it is her use of the best ingredients and ultimately the way she cares for them that make you understand how food itself can transport the senses…in fact, the four elements: carrots, celery, onion and garlic that comprise a classic Soffritto are so basic that one might ask, “what’s the big deal?” But all Vitali asks is that you let her steer your imagination…at least for a short while…and thus experience the cleanness of flavors and the simplicity of Tuscany’s cuisine. For while complex ingredients and preparations make people go wow…it is the most basic, most classic elements that make you go, “ahhh.”
Check out this book and let me know what you think…
--Chef Bageldog
