Think of how often a dish starts with a sauté of onions, carrots, and celery. In Italy this combination is called soffritto. In France it is cooked with butter and called mirepoix, but for general purposes I like it cooked with a light flavored olive oil or even grapeseed oil, which is neutrally flavored, so I call it by the Italian name. I like to make soffritto in larger batches, removing some while it is still pale, or blonde, then cooking the remaining amount until it is a darker shade of amber, giving it a caramelized flavor. I sometimes cook it until it is quite dark, like tobacco, for a very deep, rich flavor.

I freeze soffritto in large zip-top bags. After filling the bags, I flatten them and expel any air, which makes it much easier to stack the bags the freezer. Later, I can simply break off the amount I wish to use. Some people freeze it in ice trays as you might pesto. However you store it, having soffritto in the freezer is like having a time machine. It can make having good tasting food on the table much quicker, or if you have several pans going at once it is quite helpful as well as it is easy to burn smaller amounts of onions.

Making your own salad dressing is easy and far superior to anything you can buy. Other than oil and vinegar drizzled over a salad, vinaigrettes are the most basic of dressings.

Vinaigrettes are an emulsion of oil and a liquid, typically an acid. The acid component is usually vinegar, but can also be fruit juice, wine, or water mixed with the acid element to soften the flavor. The hardest thing about making vinaigrette is the proper emulsification of the two elements so they stay bound together. Just remember to add your oil very slowly and whisk vigorously. Using a blender or a small electric wand immersion mixer is a definite help. Also, using a bigger whisk with more wires seems to help as well.

Basic Vinaigrette Recipe

Use 3:1 ratio of oil to vinegar.

Season vinegar with herbs, salt, pepper, garlic, mustard, or miso and allow ingredients to infuse five minutes or more. Whisk in the oil while pouring in a thin, slow stream. This is emulsification at work. Put your work bowl in a towel that has been twisted into a ring or nest shape. This will hold the bowl steady while you whisk and pour. The dressing is done when you have the right flavor and consistency, and this will depend on your own taste.

Variations:

• Use lemon, lime, orange, or grapefruit juices in place of vinegar, or mix juice and vinegar.
• If the vinegar is strong, cut it with water or herb tea.
• Using mayonnaise, mustard, miso, or yogurt will add flavor and yield a thicker, creamier consistency. If using mayonnaise or yogurt, omit some of the oil and substitute an equal amount of the former. Since some yogurts are thicker than others, add it slowly, a little at a time.

Farro is an ancient, unhybridized form of wheat that is also known as emmer wheat. It has recently become popular, as has spelt. Although some recipes say they are the same grain, they are not. Spelt (Triticum aestivum spelta) is a grain that takes longer to cook, and can use a soaking before cooking, where farro (Triticum dicoccum) cooks quicker. Farro is also sweeter tasting that spelt. Farro comes “perlato” and “semi-perlato.” Look for perlato, which is polished to remove some of the bran for quicker cooking. Semi-perlato can be used but will take longer to cook.

• Kales and collards are good year round, but are best after a cold spell. They develop sweetness after the cold.

• The leaves should be supple and seem succulent rather than leathery.

• For Russian kale, choose bunches that have the largest leaf to stem ratio you can find while avoiding “mature” plants with leathery leaves. Stemming Russian kale can be a lot of work, so make the most of it. Try using your fingers first, and if that doesn’t work, use a sharp paring knife.

• Use your fingers to strip leaves from stems for curly kale and lacinato. Make a ring of your thumb and index finger, place the middle joint of the index finger over the top of the stem near the base and grasp the base with the other hand, then pull the “ring” up the length of the stem. This should work, but if not-use a thin sharp knife.