If you have bought my book, you know I love soffritto, Italian's N.1 base for sauces, roasts, and side dishes. This recipe takes to the next level, making it the star of the dish rather than a secondary flavor profile: the perfect snack, side, appetizer or meal.
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 16 cups | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 15 minutes |
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If you have bought my book, you know I love soffritto, Italian's N.1 base for sauces, roasts, and side dishes. This recipe takes to the next level, making it the star of the dish rather than a secondary flavor profile: the perfect snack, side, appetizer or meal.
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Ingredients
For the soffritto
- 1 onion medium
- 2 celery sticks
- 2 Carrots
- 1 clove of garlic whole
- 1 sprig of rosemary whole
- 5 leaves of basil whole
- 1 sprig of thyme whole
- 1 tsp fennel seed
- 2 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil or more if needed
- 1 pinch coconut sugar or brown sugar
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp lemon juice or 1 1/2 if needed
- 1 block extra-firm tofu previously frozen and completely thawed
For the drizzle
- 1 tbsp vegan mayo
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp lemon juice or more to taste
- 1 tsp Extra-virgin olive oil
- a hint of agave syrup optional
- salt and pepper to taste
For the lettuce
- 1 head butter lettuce
Servings: cups
Units:
Instructions
- The first thing you want to do is thaw you frozen tofu. Always keep a pack of extra-firm tofu in the freezer, in its water. Thaw completely and squeeze out all the water. As you will see in the video, tofu becomes a powerful sponge and will never buy processed meat substitutes again. Squeeze out all the water from the tofu, crumble it, and set aside.
- Dice all your veggies very small. If you have mezzaluna (half moon) it will be very helpful.
- Sauté the dice vegetables with a whole clove of garlic (that you will remove at the end) and the herbs, whole in 2 tbsp of extra-virgin olive oil.
- When the veggies start to caramelize (5 minutes) deglaze with 1-2 tbsp of white wine.
- Add the crumbled tofu and stir, over medium heat.
- Add salt to taste, a pinch of coconut sugar, black pepper and squeeze some lemon juice in it. Taste your soffritto and adjust condiment accordingly.
- Cook for 15 minutes, covered with a lid and then remove from the heat.
- Allow to cool down, then assemble you cups. Add one spoonful of soffritto in each lettuce cup (previously rinsed).
- Make a simple emulsion of dijon mustard, lemon juice, vegan mayo, agave syrup, extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Drizzle over the lettuce cup and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
With this high-protein soffritto, you can make a pasta (recipient my book), a vegan ragu, a taco filling, a side for you eggs, or even a topping for a salad.
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