Novella’s Little Veggies - to Add Flavor while Sautéing or Searing
Dairy free, egg free, gluten free, grain free, lactose free, nut free, peanut free, soy free, keto, paleo, vegan, vegetarian, low carb.
Prep time: about 30 min for washing, cleaning, and cutting the vegetables,
and for squeezing them after marinating them
Marinating time: 8 h
Total time: about 8 h and 30 min
Servings: 5 cups (about 850 g)
This is a vegetable and herbs mixture that at home we call “Le verdurine della Novella”. Translated literally it means Novella’s (my mom) Little Veggies. I am not sure how a mixture like this is called in English, so I’ll be faithful to its traditional Italian name :)
My mother Novella uses 1-2 tbsps of these herbs/veggies in many of her recipes involving sauteing, searing meat, and in sauces, stews, or soups. It can also be used to replace the traditional bundle of herbs. Although marinating them takes a while, the flavor they add to each dish is worth the wait. They also last in the fridge for months. And, if like me, you like to prepare your presents in the kitchen, these make also a great gift or addition to a gift basket.
Ingredients
White onions, 4 (1 kg, about 2.2 lb)
Red onions, 2 (½ kg, about 1.1 lb)
Carrots, 8 medium (½ kg, about 1.1 lb)
Celery hearts, ½ kg (about 1.1 lb)
Sage, 10-20 leaves (2 g)
Bay leaves, 2
Rosemary, 5 sprigs (20 g, about 0.7 oz)
Parsley, a bunch (90 g, about 3.2 oz)
Basil, a bunch (30 g, about 1 oz)
Garlic, 8 cloves (55 g, about 2 oz)
Salt, to be calculated when the veggies and herbs have been cleaned and cut
Tools you might be missing
A large bowl
Instructions
1. Set aside a bowl big enough to contain all the chopped vegetables. If you don’t have it, you can use a kitchen towel.
2. Wash the vegetables and herbs. Clean the parsley and rosemary (keep the leaves and dispose of the stem), and peel the garlic. Clean, peel, and chop carrots and onions. Clean and chop the celery. You’ll process everything in a food processor, so the size of the pieces isn’t important right now.
3. Weigh your mix and set aside 100 g (3.5 oz) of salt for each 1 kg (2.2 lb) of veggies and herbs.
4. Prepare your assembly line made of (1) a glass or plastic container covered with cheesecloth (this should be big enough to contain all of the processed mix, I use a salad spinner), 2) a food processor, and (3) the chopped vegetables and herbs.
5. Working in small batches, pulse your mix and the salt in the food processor until it is finely chopped. Transfer to the cheesecloth as you go. Mix everything well when done.
6. Close the cheesecloth, cover the container and place it in the fridge for at least 8 hours.
7. Before removing the mix from the fridge, sterilize the jars. There are various ways to do that (see, e.g., this link). I use the dishwasher.
8. While the jars have been sterilized, remove the mix from the fridge and squeeze as much liquid out of it as you can (basically you want to squeeze it till you’re out of energy). I normally do this step in the sink.
9. Put the Little Veggies in jars and store in the fridge.
Nutritional Information
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, using the ingredients in the list and the USDA Food Database via myFitnessPal. This information is meant as a guideline only and should not be construed as a guarantee.
Serving sIze: 1 tbsp | Calories: 20 | Total fat: 0.3 g | Total carbohydrates: 3.5 g | Total fiber: 1.3 g | Total sugars: 1.5 g | Protein: 1.5 g | Net Carbohydrates: 2.2 g
Notes
Use 1 or 2 tbsp when sauteing food. Use 1 Tbsp when searing meat with butter.
Storing
The Little Veggies must be stored in the fridge in glass airtight containers. They last up to 6 months.