Tuscan Pasta Soffritto

Tuscan Pasta Soffritto.

Italian Tuscan Pasta Soffritto in tomato sauce and Basil. Easy and quick recipe. With step by step pictures.

“As long as there’s pasta and Chinese food in the world, I’m okay.” If I really like you, Tuscan Pasta – this is what I would make for you when you are at home with me. This Tuscan Pasta is a veggie pasta full of flavor and it is hearty, rich and will definitely make you feel very satisfied. A lot of my friends make note of this recipe once I have cooked this Tuscan Pasta for them. I am sharing it here for the love of good pasta. A french mirepoix is a mixture of chopped celery, onions, and carrots. Its called as the holy trinity of veggies. The Italian version of mirepoix is called soffritto. It is the foundation for many Tuscan sauces. An Italian soffritto is made with olive oil, especially in Southern Italy, rather than butter, as in France and may also contain garlic, and herbs. It is also called as “false ragout”, because soffritto is thought to vaguely recall the flavor of meat sauce. So what are we waiting for. Lets go and mangia mangia baby

For the soffritto mixture Chop the onions and celery very finely. I like to keep the sauce thick. So I run my carrots in a food processor / mixie instead of chopping it. Get these ready. Set aside.

Heat a heavy bottomed pan and add in the olive oil and garlic. I run the garlic through the garlic press. Add in a teaspoon of store bought dry Italian herb mixture. (Any store bought kind will do. Mine had oregano,thyme,dried garlic and basil). I learned a great tip from Chef Suvir Saran. He once told that waking up the spices and herbs in oil is the best method to bring them alive. Its the greatest indian technique of tempering spices called the tadka that not only works wonders on Indian cooking but to any cooking. It works every single time. I do it for all my cooking. Not just Indian.

Add in the soffritto mixture and salt and fry well until cooked down by half. Usually soffritto is not browned. But for this recipe, we want the veggies to nicely cook down and caramelize. It adds a very nice flavor. Cook for 10-15 minutes on medium flame sauteing constantly so the mixture does not stick to the bottom of the pan.

Add in the pureed skinned, de-seeded tomatoes. I just run the tomatoes in the food processor / mixie and strain. That’s my easy route to skinned de-seeded tomatoes. I just strain the tomatoes right over the pan.

Add in a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and a big pinch of sugar. Sugar rounds out the flavor of the tomatoes and the vinegar tangs it up.

Add in fresh ground pepper and let the sauce simmer in low flame for 5 minutes. Check for seasoning. Add more salt if necessary.

Add in the cooked and drained pasta. Add in half a cup of cream and freshly chopped basil. Basil is what gives this dish that unique taste. Do not skip Basil. Remove off heat.

Serve hot. Buon Appetito!

For the soffritto mixture

• 2 medium sized onions
• 3 carrots
• 6 - 7 stalks celery

Other Ingredients

• 150 grams pasta, cooked and drained
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried italian herb
• 4 - 5 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 8 very ripe tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup cream
• 7 - 8 leaves fresh basil

1. Chop the onions and celery very finely. I like to keep the sauce thick. So I run my carrots in a food processor / mixie instead of chopping it. Get these ready. Set aside.
2. Heat a heavy bottomed pan and add in the olive oil and garlic. I run the garlic through the garlic press. Add in a teaspoon of store bought dry Italian herb mixture. (Any store bought kind will do. Mine had oregano,thyme,dried garlic and basil). I learned a great tip from Chef Suvir Saran. He once told that waking up the spices and herbs in oil is the best method to bring them alive. Its the greatest indian technique of tempering spices called the tadka that not only works wonders on Indian cooking but to any cooking. It works every single time. I do it for all my cooking. Not just Indian.
3. Add in the soffritto mixture and salt and fry well until cooked down by half. Usually soffritto is not browned. But for this recipe, we want the veggies to nicely cook down and caramelize. It adds a very nice flavor. Cook for 10-15 minutes on medium flame sauteing constantly so the mixture does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
4. Add in the pureed skinned, de-seeded tomatoes. I just run the tomatoes in the food processor / mixie and strain. That’s my easy route to skinned de-seeded tomatoes. I just strain the tomatoes right over the pan.
5. Add in a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and a big pinch of sugar. Sugar rounds out the flavor of the tomatoes and the vinegar tangs it up.
6. Add in fresh ground pepper and let the sauce simmer in low flame for 5 minutes. Check for seasoning. Add more salt if necessary.
7. Add in the cooked and drained pasta. Add in half a cup of cream and freshly chopped basil. Basil is what gives this dish that unique taste. Do not skip Basil. Remove off heat.

• Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins
• Category: Pasta
• Cuisine: Italian

For the soffritto mixture

• 2 medium sized onions
• 3 carrots
• 6 - 7 stalks celery

Other Ingredients

• 150 grams pasta, cooked and drained
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried italian herb
• 4 - 5 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 8 very ripe tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup cream
• 7 - 8 leaves fresh basil

1. Chop the onions and celery very finely. I like to keep the sauce thick. So I run my carrots in a food processor / mixie instead of chopping it. Get these ready. Set aside.
2. Heat a heavy bottomed pan and add in the olive oil and garlic. I run the garlic through the garlic press. Add in a teaspoon of store bought dry Italian herb mixture. (Any store bought kind will do. Mine had oregano,thyme,dried garlic and basil). I learned a great tip from Chef Suvir Saran. He once told that waking up the spices and herbs in oil is the best method to bring them alive. Its the greatest indian technique of tempering spices called the tadka that not only works wonders on Indian cooking but to any cooking. It works every single time. I do it for all my cooking. Not just Indian.
3. Add in the soffritto mixture and salt and fry well until cooked down by half. Usually soffritto is not browned. But for this recipe, we want the veggies to nicely cook down and caramelize. It adds a very nice flavor. Cook for 10-15 minutes on medium flame sauteing constantly so the mixture does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
4. Add in the pureed skinned, de-seeded tomatoes. I just run the tomatoes in the food processor / mixie and strain. That’s my easy route to skinned de-seeded tomatoes. I just strain the tomatoes right over the pan.
5. Add in a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and a big pinch of sugar. Sugar rounds out the flavor of the tomatoes and the vinegar tangs it up.
6. Add in fresh ground pepper and let the sauce simmer in low flame for 5 minutes. Check for seasoning. Add more salt if necessary.
7. Add in the cooked and drained pasta. Add in half a cup of cream and freshly chopped basil. Basil is what gives this dish that unique taste. Do not skip Basil. Remove off heat.

• Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins
• Category: Pasta
• Cuisine: Italian

Find it online : https://www.kannammacooks.com/tuscan-pasta-soffritto/

Orange Flan Recipe, Flan Flavored with orange zest.

Orange Flan / creme caramel – Fool proof easy recipe for orange caramel custard. Includes step by step pictures.

Orange Flan – If you are french, you would call it Crème caramel. If your mother-in-law is Spanish, she would call it a flan. The rest of the world simply calls it a caramel custard. We are great fans of Rafael Nadal in the house. So I am going to call it a flan too. That great Spaniard I say. This is an easy Orange Flan dessert you can put together in no time and everyone will be happy. This would easily be my favorite dessert – Orange Flan.

There are a few points that make a good Orange Flan. The dish is very delicate to handle. The Orange Flan is cooked in a water bath. The key to a good Orange Flan is that it should be cooked in a water bath that should not boil at any time. If it boils, then the Orange Flan will cook very quickly, and when it is unmolded, the exterior or the outside of the custard will look like a cake sponge, with tiny holes all over it. The key to a smooth custard without any holes on the outside is to make sure that the water in the water bath does not boil and the flan cooks in moderate heat. Another important thing to note is that, not to mix the eggs too much while mixing. Too much mixing will incorporate air and air is good for cakes. Not for custards. The custard should be smooth. Not rubbery. Here is how I do Orange Flan.

For the Caramel for Orange Flan Add sugar to a small sauce pan. Add water from the sides. Combine the water and sugar. Gently stir to moisten the sugar thoroughly.

Bring the mixture to a boil until the sugar is completely dissolved and the liquid is clear. ( Do not stir at this stage. Stirring will cause the sugar to crystallize)

Continue to cook stirring occasionally until the caramel darkens into a light brown color.

Cook until the color of the caramel becomes amber. Do not leave it for too long as the caramel might burn and turn bitter.

Remove the pan immediately from the heat and pour a portion of the caramel into each of the four 6-ounce ramekins. Do not touch the caramel as it will be super hot and can even burn your hands. Allow the caramel to harden. It will take about 3-4 minutes.

For the Orange Flan Custard Adjust an oven rack to the middle. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F / 180 degrees C.

Zest an orange and add it to the milk. Zest only the skin. The skin has all the essential oils and aroma. Not the pith. Pith is very bitter. Make sure you do not zest the pith. Heat the milk and orange zest in a saucepan over medium heat until it boils. Remove from the heat. Set aside.

In the mean time whisk the whole eggs, egg yolks, and sugar slowly in a large bowl until just combined.

Add in the milk mixture into the eggs until just combined. Do not keep whisking. You do not want to incorporate air. The mixture should not be extremely foamy. Little foam is OK. Strain the Orange Flan mixture into a large bowl.

Divide and pour the Orange Flan mixture in the ramekins. Arrange the Orange Flan ramekins on a large baking dish. Place the Orange Flan baking dish on the rack of the oven.

Orange Flan Water Bath Bring a kettle of water to a boil. Pour the boiling water into the baking dish. The water should be half way up the sides of the ramekins.

Bake Orange Flan until a paring knife inserted halfway between the center comes out clean, it can take between 40 – 50 minutes. Transfer the Orange Flan custards to a wire rack and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate Orange Flan for 6 hours or overnight.

To unmold Orange Flan, slide a paring knife around the sides of the ramekin. Hold a serving plate over the top of the ramekin and invert. Shake the ramekin gently to release the custard. Repeat with the remaining ramekins and serve Orange Flan.

A good Orange Flan should be delicate, smooth and melt in your mouth.!

For the Caramel

• 3 tablespoon water
• 1/4 cup sugar

For the Custard

• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 2 Eggs
• 1 Egg yolk
• 6 tablespoons Sugar
• Zest from an Orange

For the Caramel

1. Add sugar to a small sauce pan. Add water from the sides. Combine the water and sugar. Gently stir to moisten the sugar thoroughly.
2. Bring the mixture to a boil until the sugar is completely dissolved and the liquid is clear. ( Do not stir at this stage. Stirring will cause the sugar to crystallize)
3. Continue to cook stirring occasionally until the caramel darkens into a light brown color.
4. Cook until the color of the caramel becomes amber. Do not leave it for too long as the caramel might burn and turn bitter.
5. Remove the pan immediately from the heat and pour a portion of the caramel into each of the four 6-ounce ramekins. Do not touch the caramel as it will be super hot and can even burn your hands. Allow the caramel to harden. It will take about 3-4 minutes.

For the Custard

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F / 180 degrees C.
2. Zest an orange and add it to the milk. Zest only the skin. The skin has all the essential oils and aroma. Not the pith. Pith is very bitter. Make sure you do not zest the pith. Heat the milk and orange zest in a saucepan over medium heat until it boils. Remove from the heat. Set aside.
3. In the mean time whisk the whole eggs, egg yolks, and sugar slowly in a large bowl until just combined.
4. Add in the milk mixture into the eggs until just combined. Do not keep whisking. You do not want to incorporate air. The mixture should not be extremely foamy. Little foam is OK. Strain the mixture into a large bowl.
5. Divide and pour the mixture in the ramekins. Arrange the ramekins on a large baking dish. Place the baking dish on the rack of the oven.

Water Bath

1. Bring a kettle of water to a boil. Pour the boiling water into the baking dish. The water should be half way up the sides of the ramekins.

Bake and Serve

1. Bake until a paring knife inserted halfway between the center comes out clean, it can take between 40 – 50 minutes. Transfer the custards to a wire rack and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.
2. To unmold, slide a paring knife around the sides of the ramekin. Hold a serving plate over the top of the ramekin and invert. Shake the ramekin gently to release the custard. Repeat with the remaining ramekins and serve.

• Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 60 mins
• Category: Dessert
• Cuisine: French