If we talk about the most classic sofrito in Spanish cuisine, it may be the one with garlic, onion and tomato. Our holy gastronomic trinity, although sometimes green pepper is added (especially in Andalusian and La Mancha dishes), is the most traditional of all, but it turns out that according to chef Ferrán Adriá, we are doing it wrong. Or at least not as well as we could do it.
During an intervention on the TV3 program 'Col·lapse', the Catalan chef wondered why if we make pastries we weigh and measure the ingredients and when we make savory dishes, we don't. To illustrate this, he gave the example of a sofrito, the base of a multitude of dishes, from stews to rice, sauces and even creams and soups. The well-known chef was blunt: “a sofrito is not one onion and two tomatoes. It is 100 grams of onion and 80 grams of tomato.” And in the kitchen, if we want to ensure an optimal result, it is best to follow measures so that it always comes out as close as possible.
To make the sauce, we will begin by chopping the 100 grams of onion in brunoise or concassé, poaching it over low heat in a frying pan with extra virgin olive oil and a well-chopped clove of garlic. Once the onion is very melted and has caramelized, at least 15 minutes later, we add 80 grams of crushed tomato without skin or seeds and let it darken its color, increasing its flavor and thickening, for another 20 minutes.
Time, the extra ingredient
Chef Jesús Sánchez, from El Cenador de Amós, also agrees that to make a Michelin star sofrito it is necessary that we follow the recipe to the letter. But it adds an extra “ingredient”: time. “Not all stir-fries are the same, but the secret is patience, letting the garlic perfume without burning, letting the onion release its sugars, letting the vegetables poach well and letting the tomato lose its acidity and concentrate its flavor,” he explained on his Instagram account.
Now that we know that the final result depends largely on that beginning and that first stir-fry, there will be no dish that will resist us.
