[Sca-cooks] Re: asparagus in sauce (long)

[a5foil]

Adamantius wrote:

> "Sweating" is a fairly common term in culinary English, used to describe
> a very light sauteeing of things like aromatic vegetables (mirepoix,
> etc.) used to flavor a stock, stew, or some such, in such a manner as to
> prevent browning. Sometimes the pan is covered, but frequently, not. The
> idea is to "open the pores", so to speak, of the vegetables, increase
> transfer of flavorful whatevers, and perhaps concentrate flavorful
> juices. Since this is also usually the technique applied to the
> ingredients used for Sofrito in Spain, South America, and even,
> sometimes, Greece, I had suggested "sweat" as an appropriate translated
> verb. "Lightly fry" is a good term, too, but I would suspect it is as
> likely to be misunderstood as "sweat", since for some, "lightly fry"
> might mean not to burn the crust, or brown it a lot, etc. I know it's
> bad form to translate terms into terms which themselves, in turn,
> require translation, but that was the best I could come up with at the
time.

It is a tough term/technique to translate, no doubt. I watched a Catalan
chef make his family's sofrito over and over again, and I still can't make
it come out just right. His was as dark as a New Orleans roux, but never
burned. Of course, this is a modern technique, but he comes from a family
line of cooks, and he says it was the way his father taught him and his
father's father taught...etc. As I say, I wish I could go back in time and
watch them cook, and see for myself what "soffregit" meant in the 14th
century.

Thomas L.