Mirepoix is a vegetable blend used as a base in French cuisine, consisting of onions, celery, and carrots sautéed in butter. It is also used in Cajun cuisine and can be prepared ahead of time for convenience.
Mirepoix is a blend of vegetables used as a base for many French dishes. Mirepoix forms the basis for stocking soups, sautees, stews, and a wide variety of other foods, and is sometimes referred to as the “holy trinity” of French cuisine. Many cuisines have some kind of blend of vegetables and spices similar to mirepoix, reflecting the fact that national cuisines are often built on a small group of familiar flavors used in a wide variety of innovative ways.
In its purest form, mirepoix is made from onions, celery or celeriac, and carrots in a 2:1:1 ratio. The vegetables are diced or chopped as finely and as evenly as possible and are sauteed in butter in the pan before of adding any other ingredients, creating a rich depth of flavor that will develop as the dish is cooked. Some cooks add herbs to their mirepoix, and it’s also possible to see cubed meat, typically fatty cuts of meat that turn brown and crispy in the pan.
According to legend, mirepoix was named after an 18th century chef who cooked for a French ambassador. However, the recorded use of this seasoning blend is much older, and while Mirepoix the chef may have popularized it, he certainly wasn’t the first to use it. Francophone cooks in the American South like the Cajuns use a version of mirepoix made with celery, onions, and peppers instead of carrots for their version of the holy trinity.
While these plant-based ingredients might seem simple, browning in butter generates a Maillard reaction, setting off a cascade of events. This reaction is responsible for browning and tenderizing vegetables, but it also releases their natural sugars, allowing them to develop a complex caramelized flavor. A rich assortment of aromas and flavors develop as the vegetables are browned and these flavors are incorporated into the finished dish. In addition to being used at the start, mirepoix can also be added to a dish at the end to freshen flavors.
In French restaurants, mirepoix is a common element in mise en place, the assortment of prepared food items that are placed near a chef’s station. Mirepoix is used so much that preparing it ahead of time makes so much more sense than having to freshly cut vegetables for every dish that calls for it. Some French cooks make mirepoix ready to use in the refrigerator, as the vegetables will keep for several days after cutting.
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