The Trinity of Cooking
The term mirepoix (pronounced “meer-pwah”) dates from the 18th century and derives, as do many other appellations in French cuisine.* Whenever a recipe calls for a mirepoix , it’s calling for a mixture of chopped celery, onions and carrots.
Raw, roasted or sautéed with butter or olive oil, mirepoix is the flavor base for a wide variety of dishes such as stocks, soups, stews and sauces. It’s also the main ingredient in vegetable stock, which is a main ingredient in vegetarian cuisine and healthy cooking in general.
It can also be used as a garnish to accompany vegetables, macaroni and cheese, or other baked cheese dishes.
Chopping
Usually, mirepoix is ultimately strained out of the finished stock, so it’s not important to use great precision when chopping the vegetables. The sizes should be more or less uniform, however, to allow for uniform cooking times. The more finely mirepoix is chopped, the more quickly its flavor and aroma is released into a stock.
Since brown stock is simmered longer than white stock, it’s perfectly acceptable to cut the mirepoix into pieces an inch or two in size. For white stock, a ½-inch dice is probably best.
Keep in mind, however, that if you’re using your mirepoix in a beef stew, you’d obviously want to chop the vegetable into larger chunks.
Aroma
The three ingredients that comprise a mirepoix are commonly referred to as ‘aromatics.’ The point is the underlying complexity that it lends to the stock. It’s not to be able to pick out each flavor or aroma, but to have a broth that offers more depth to the dish.
For me a mirepoix provides body to a stock. And, truth to tell, sometimes I may elaborate on it, depending on the food. Try placing garlic in one, or a bit of tomato paste. The goal is to not have any one of these ingredients stand out, but to add fullness to the flavor.
Variations
*Similar combinations, both in and out of the French culinary repertoire, may include leeks, parsnips, garlic, tomatoes, shallots, mushrooms, bell peppers, chilies, and ginger, according to the requirements of the regional cuisine or the instructions of the particular chef or recipe.
For example, some include: sofrito in Spanish (Spain), olores (onions, celery, garlic, and bell pepper) in Costa Rican Spanish, refogado (braised onions, garlic and tomato) in Portuguese, soffritto (onions, garlic and celery) in Italian, Suppengrün (soup greens) in German and soepgroente in the Netherlands (usually purchased in bundles and consisting of a leek, a carrot and piece of celeriac), holy trinity (onions, celery and bell peppers) in Cajun and Creole cooking, and włoszczyzna in Polish, and typically consists of carrots, parsnips, parsley root, celery root, leeks, cabbage leaves, and sometimes celery and flat-leaf parsley.
Additionally, a mirepoix may be prepared “au gras” (with meat) or “au maigre” (“lean”). A mirepoix au gras contains diced ham or pork belly as an additional ingredient.
As you can see from above, there are many variants which may include just one of the three ingredients or may include additional aromatics. Some people may choose to scrap the celery and replace it with something that’s also green(ish), but not too overpowering. Or, you can add other veggies such as leeks or garlic to further enhance and layer the flavors. Most believe the proper weight ratio of a mirepoix is 2:1:1 (2 parts onion, 1 part celery, 1 part carrots).
Continue to evolve the mirepoix mixture to eventually suit your own taste buds. That’s really what cooking is all about anyway: testing and tasting and more testing and more tasting!
[*Source: Wikipedia]
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