Soffritto is a chopped mixture of carrots, onions and celery used as base in Italian cuisine to prepare sauces such as Ragù alla Bolognese. We decided to feature it as the main ingredient in this very simple rice dish to which we combined crispy smoked pancetta and fresh cherry tomatoes tossed at the last moment to give it a fresher touch.

Serves 2, Preparation 20 mins, Cooking about 20 mins

  • Italian Carnaroli Rice, 180 g
  • 1 carrot, peeled
  • 1 onion, peeled
  • 1 celery stalk, possibly with its leaves
  • Smoked cubed pancetta, 80 g
  • A handful of Cherry tomatoes, diced
  • A sprig of fresh thyme
  • A few basil leaves
  • salt, a pinch
  • EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 2 tablespoons

 

Method

Prepare the soffritto by chopping the onion, carrot and celery. f you can, do not discard the celery leaves as they give even more flavour.

 

 

Heat two tablespoons of EVOO, add Soffritto vegetables including the chopped celery leaves and sauté  at least 10 minutes on a low flame. Add smoked pancetta, fry until crispy.

Bring a pot of salted water to the boil, toss in the rice, drain it as soon as it is cooked and sauté it for a few minutes in the pan with the Soffritto and pancetta, add the diced fresh cherry tomatoes and thyme, stir and serve.

 

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