Italian cooks and foodies: what does the celery add to an Italian soffritto?
I just made a big batch of marinara to portion out and freeze. The recipe I followed said to start with an Italian soffritto: 2 parts onion, 1 part carrot, 1 part celery all minced and slow cooked on medium-to-low heat in olive oil. Once soft I added the herbs and seasoning and eventually the canned whole peeled tomatoes.
In this case, what flavors does the celery bring to the party? Other than mirroring the French mirepoix, why would Italians add celery to their marinara?
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5 Answers
Not Italian & not really a foodie – but I cook cajun/creole stuff sometimes, and usually add in “the trinity” some point. It’s sorcery.
Really I don’t know what it is exactly, but when heated in the right oil with the right mix of ingredients celery transforms from just a bland cruncy salad veg into an aromatic ingredient that combines and releases flavors from everything.
Respect yer greens!
@JLoon So it’s a “greater than the sum of its parts” kind of thing? Cajun sounds pretty delicious though I never would have expected to find the trinity in gumbo or the like. Interesting.
@gorillapaws – That’s it I think. You probably noticed the aromas in your marina change when you added the soffrito mix. Flavors get more complex too. But you miss a lot of that by just throwing everything in the microwave.
Gotta go stovetop to do it right.
It looks to be about color. I, myself, would not use celery or carrots. And I bet it would taste just as good.
(IMO, celery, like raisins, are filler.)
It really depends on how much celery is in the food. For some food that may be on the bland side, it adds flavor. It’s why it’s best for stews and soups. For food that may be slightly too salty, it kind of evens out the flavors. I can’t see using it in a sofrito though. Celery has a very powerful distinctive flavor that can change the taste of a sofrito.
Other than adding no calories to the dish, and adding vitamins, I can’t see how it won’t overpower a sofrito.
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