Here's a dish you probably never had, but I've tried it at the homes of my Italian in-laws. It was surprisingly good, and unless I was told what it was made from (which I was and it made me skeptical) I would not have known that it contained the innards of a lamb! So if you're curious, and have access to the ingredients, here's how to make soffritto.
You will need: heart, lungs and liver of 1 lamb 1 large onion, chopped 2 8 ounce cans tomato sauce 3 tablespoon dried parsley 1 tablespoon dried basil 3 tablespoons olive oil, for frying
Clean the heart, lungs and liver, and cut into 1 inch cubes. Reserve the liver. Heat oil in a heavy skillet, and fry heart and lungs until brown. Add onion and fry until soft. Pour in tomato sauce, add parsley and basil. Stir well. Bring mixture to a boil, then lower heat and simmer, covered, for one hour. Add liver to sauce and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes, taking care not to overcook because liver tends to toughen when cooked too long. Serve with spaghetti, or over rice. Soffritto (in the Calabrese dialect of my husband's family it is pronounced "tsoo freeth'") has been enjoyed as a peasant dish for centuries, utilizing variety meats that would otherwise be discarded. You might have to search a while to find a lamb's heart and lungs, but butcher shops should carry them. Unfortunately there are very few independent butchers left, so you probably won't find this stuff at meat sections of big chain supermarkets, thanks to the USDA's strict policy of serving what some people call "guts." I am fortunate to live in farm country where several farmers will sell me an entire lamb for a good price, and I can request him to save the heart, liver and lungs. Italian soffritto is not related to Latino soffrito, which is a type of tomato or cilantro sauce that comes in a jar and is used as a base for chili and other dishes.
