Short cuts in the freezer

I’ve mentioned misto per soffritto before but I didn’t go into very much detail at the time.  Some of you may know it as mirepoix, but whether you use the French or Italian term, the end result is pretty much the same.  Three very simple ingredients that add so much flavour to so many dishes.

I seem to have a vague memory of some California *chef to the stars* being lauded for his low fat sugo recipe that used these very same ingredients instead of meat to give flavour to the tomato sauce.  I also remember snorting into my coffee and thinking that every Italian and French grandmother passed this tip down long before he was a twinkle in anyone’s eye.

Misto per soffritto or mirepoix is now readily available frozen. All the pieces are exactly the same size and shape and the only way to tell them apart is by their colour, because quite frankly, I have found them to be pretty tasteless – but the idea is good.  So I got (read – sent hubby to the fruit and vegetable stand to buy) some fresh carrots, celery and onion and washed, peeled and diced them myself.

Oh, I know what you’re thinking – who has the time to do that?  Well, if you only do 5 or 6 small carrots, 1 largish onion and 4 or 5 celery stalks it should only take about 20 minutes and the end result is enough to last a couple of months.

The difference between this and what is available in the frozen food section of the supermarket is pretty big. It will cost you quite a lot less and the flavours are much stronger.

I also get a smug little feeling of self satisfaction when I open my freezer and see all my self frozen goodies.  !