Frugal Feeds | 5 Basic International Veggie Sofrito's

So far I have been covering a lot of pantry staples because it is an important part of frugal shopping but in order for your diet to be healthy you need to incorporate an abundance of fresh ingredients. Today we'll start looking at the fresh staples needed.

When you start to put fresh ingredients in your shopping list you want to mix the inexpensive staples with low cost seasonal produce. Certain staples are consistent throughout many cultures cuisines. By having them at hand you can create meals from many different cultures. Let's look at several cuisine basics to get you started.

French:
Carrots, Onions, Leeks, Celery, Thyme and Bay leaves

Called Mirepoix: Saute in a bit of butter 3/4 cup carrots, 1/2 cup onions and 1/4 cup celery. 3/4 cup lean ham is often added. Use with braised or pot roasted meats. For seafood dishes, eliminate the ham and replace the carrot with leeks.

Italian:
Onions, Carrots, Mushrooms, Celery, Basil, Parsley and Garlic

Saute in olive oil until browned 1 cup onions, 1/2 cup carrots, 1/4 cup mushrooms, 1/4 cup celery, herbs and 2 cloves garlic. Used with meats and basis for sauce. 4 cups pureed tomatoes is often added.

Spanish:
Yellow Onion, Sweet Green Chile (like Anaheim), Garlic, Tomatoes and Paprika

Saute in a bit of olive oil until browned 1 cup onions, 1 chile, 1 clove garlic. Add 4 cups chopped tomatoes and 1 heaping Tablespoon paprika.

Mexican:
Yellow Onion, Bell Peppers, Chiles, Garlic, Tomatoes

Saute in a bit of corn oil until browned and blistered, 1 cup onions, 1 cup bell peppers, 1 hot chile, 1 clove garlic. Separately broil 4 tomatoes until blackened. Place tomatoes in a brown paper bag and close it. Let the tomatoes sit for five minutes. Remove tomatoes from bag and peel off the skin. Crush the tomatoes and add to the sauteed vegetables. If making a sauce from the vegetables, puree. Often served with cilantro.

Cajun:
Green Bell Peppers, Onions, Celery and Flour

Called the Trinity: Saute in a bit of butter 1 Bell Pepper, 1 onion and 2 stalks of celery. When the vegetables are browned add 2 Tablespoons of flour and allow it to brown lightly. Use for gumbo and with braised meats and vegetables.

As you can see, with just a handful of staple vegetables you will have the basis for several different cuisines. With each of these types of sofritos you can make them ahead of time in larger quantities and just measure out one cup of the sofrito into each freezer bag. Label it and date it. Then you will have handy, versatile starters to many recipes.


Keep the following vegetables on hand and you can always throw these together with a few spices:

carrots
onions
leeks
celery
mushrooms
green chiles
garlic
tomatoes
bell peppers