Soffritto

Method

1. Peel 120 g of onion and cut it into an even 3–4 mm dice: halve it through the root, lay each half flat, slice lengthways then across. Uniform dice is the whole point — big pieces stay raw while small ones scorch.
2. Dice 80 g of peeled carrot and 70 g of celery to the same 3–4 mm, running a peeler down the celery first to take off the strings. Finely chop 1 garlic clove and 1 tbsp of parsley stalks and keep them separate from the rest.
3. Warm 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil in a small heavy pan or earthenware pot over low heat — the oil should shimmer, never smoke. Add the onion and 1 pinch of fine sea salt and stir to coat.