Cooking 101: Stocks, Sauces and Soups.

As an ex-veggie, I can highly recommend The Greens Cookbook for veggie stocks and soups - their mushroom stock is fantastic (main ingredient: dried porcini mushrooms...mmmm!).

Vegetables, herbs and smoked meats with very intense flavors are often added for flavor and aroma.

Mirepoix and similar combinations are intended to provide a subtle but pleasing background flavor, supporting and improving the flavor of the finished dish. Mirepoix is the French name for a combination of onions, carrots and celery, but it is not the only such combination, even in the French culinary repertoire. Other common combinations include onions, carrots, celery (both Pascal and celeriac), leeks, parsnips, garlic, diced ham, tomatoes, shallots, mushrooms, peppers and chiles, and ginger are among the ingredients commonly referred to as aromatics. They may be used in various combinations, as dictated by the cuisine and the dish itself.

Even when used in relatively small amounts, aromatic ingredients make a significant contribution to a dish. One pound/450 grams of mirepoix is enough to flavor 1 gallon/3.75 liters of stock, soup, sauce, stew, braise or marinade and, according to the ratio above, would include 8 ounces/225 grams onion, 4 ounces/115 grams carrot, and 4 ounces/115 grams celery.

To get the best flavor from mirepoix and similar preparations, thoroughly rinse and trim all the vegetables first. Onion skin will give a simmering liquid an orange or yellow tint, which may not be desirable. Scrubbing but not peeling carrots and parsnips can cut down the prep time. Nevertheless, some chefs peel all vegetables on the premise that flavor is extracted into the dish more easily; others peel them only when they are not strained out of the finished dish.

Regardless of whether or not the vegetables are peeled, cut them into pieces of a relatively uniform size, with the dimensions matching the cooking time of the dish. The shorter the simmering time, the smaller and thinner the cut; the longer the time, the larger and thicker the cut. Make larger cuts for long simmering dishes, like pot roasts or brown veal stock. Cut mirepoix small or slice it for use in uncooked marinades, pan gravies, and dishes that simmer up to 3 hours. Slice mirepoix very fine or chop fine for fumets and stocks that simmer less than 1 hour.

Mirepoix will add a distinct aroma to a dish, even if the cut-up vegetables are simply added to the pot as it simmers. But sweating, smothering or browning them in fat significantly changes the flavor. Start by cooking onions and leeks in the fat first, then the carrots, and finally the celery.

White stocks or cream soups generally call for cooking the mirepoix over low heat in fat until it starts to give off some juices, known as sweating. If the pot is covered as the aromatics sweat, they are considered smothered. Mirepoix can cook until it turns a deep rich brown (sometimes referred to as caramelized), either on the stovetop or in the oven.

Tomato paste or puree is often added to the mirepoix for added flavor and color. Add it, if required, once the mirepoix ingredients are partly cooked. Cook the tomato paste until it turns rusty brown and has a sweet aroma. This technique is called pincage, from the French pincer, to stiffen or pinch, which is a fairly good description of what happens to the tomatoes as they cook in hot fat.


Mirepoix variations:

Standard Mirepoix is used for a variety of stocks and soups typically includes the following ingredients (by weight): 2 parts onion, 1 part carrot, 1 part celery. Tomato paste or puree is often included for brown stock, gravy, stew, or soup. In addition to standard mirepoix, the following aromatic vegetable combinations are also used:

White Mirepoix: Used to flavor white stocks and soups that should have a pale ivory or white color. Leeks, mushrooms and parsnips replace some of the onions and the carrots.

Cajun Trinity: Used in many Louisiana Creole and Cajun dishes, such as gumbo. Made up of a combination of onions, celery and green pepper.

Matignon (sometimes called Edible Mirepoix): Typically includes onions, carrots, celery and ham cut into very neat dice. Mushrooms and assorted herbs and spices may be added as desired. Used to garnish a dish as well as to flavor it.

Battuto: Extensively used in Italian soups, sauces, stews and meat dishes. Includes olive oil or chopped lard, pancetta, or fatback, with garlic, onions, parsley, carrots, celery and/or green peppers. Once sauteed, a battuto becomes known as a soffritto.

Great thread, thank you so much!

Tomato paste or puree is often added to the mirepoix for added flavor and color. Add it, if required, once the mirepoix ingredients are partly cooked. Cook the tomato paste until it turns rusty brown and has a sweet aroma. This technique is called pincage, from the French pincer, to stiffen or pinch, which is a fairly good description of what happens to the tomatoes as they cook in hot fat.