KITCHEN PRACTICE 1 — Building a Full Sofrito
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Chapter: Spanish Cookery 2 — Sofrito: Spain's Own Aromatic Base

TASK
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Build a full sofrito from scratch — onion, garlic, and grated or
crushed tomato, reduced slowly until the colour deepens to a
rust-red and the oil visibly separates.

WHAT TO DO
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1. Finely dice one medium onion.
2. Heat a generous amount of olive oil in a wide pan over
   medium-low heat and cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until
   soft and translucent with at most a light golden colour
   (roughly 10-15 minutes).
3. Add 2-3 finely chopped garlic cloves and cook briefly, under a
   minute, just until fragrant.
4. Add 2-3 grated or crushed tomatoes (or a well-drained tin of good
   crushed tomato) and reduce the heat to low.
5. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 30-45 minutes, until
   the mixture has deepened from bright red to a much darker
   rust-red, the raw tomato smell has fully disappeared, and the oil
   is visibly separating and pooling at the edges of the pan.

WHAT TO EXPECT
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- The colour change is the clearest visual signal — a genuinely
  darker, jammier red than the tomato started as.
- The smell should shift from sharp and acidic to sweet, rounded,
  and savoury.
- Oil pooling visibly at the edges is the same practical "it's done"
  signal Indian Cookery's own bhuna chapter uses, even though the
  ingredients involved are completely different.

WHY THIS WORKS AS AN ANSWER
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This builds sofrito's own real technique from the ground up, and the
finished batch is the exact base Chapter 4's paella and Chapter 8's
stews both call for later in this course.