Cooking: Soffrito

The Italian ‘soffritto’ (or the French ‘mirepoix’) is the term for the holy trinity of classic Mediterranean cooking – carrots, onions and celery – that makes an excellent base for soups, stews, braises, pot-roasts and stocks. It’s a good idea always to leave one carrot in the bag for such dishes – you never know when you might need it.

For soffritto, cut carrots into regular dice so that they cook evenly. Fry gently along with diced onions and celery in oil or butter. Usually recipes call for them to be completely soft and sweet but not browned. This takes longer than you might think – 10–20 minutes on a low heat.