Mirepoix ~ Do it like the French

Oh, the holy trinity. The sofrito. The refogato. The suppengrun? The soepgroente?  Huh?  Wloszczynza?  The what? 

Wikepedia is clearly messing with me. What I was hoping to find, with my lazy mirepoix-Google-search, was some sort of obscene connection between mirepoix and menage a trois, but no luck. Hello, 3 ingredients: chopped celery, onion, and carrot? You must have been thinking the same thing... Instead, I found a bunch of variations on a theme I cannot pronounce. And to our misfortune, outside of being French, the number 3, and sharing a similar meter and rhyme, the one never met the other. Too bad, would have been a good story...

A little known fact: mirepoix is named after a French duke in the 18th Century, known as Duc de Levis-Mirepoix. Boring!

Hot story, or not, mirepoix still stands as the most ubiquitous flavor-base around the globe: from France to Latin America. I use variations of mirepoix in so many dishes, from lentils vinaigrette, to crab cakes, stuffings, stocks, sauces and soups.

Personally, I'd start with the French recipe. The ratio is simple and well proportioned for a well-balanced flavor. 2 parts onion to 1 part carrot and 1 part celery. The onion and carrot add a savory sweetness, while the celery adds a mildly acidic balance to the sweetness of the carrot and onion. Add more celery and the flavor profile changes. Leave the celery out and it changes again. Remove the carrot and it's another flavor profile. Add leeks, garlic, peppers or other root vegetables, and you will have flavor profiles from different cuisines.

Don't be afraid to experiment and see for yourself what works where. You won't be disappointed.
Ok, get your mind out of the gutter... 

A Mire Poix- Do it like the French

This ratio is best for stocks, and a great foundation for soups. 

Overall, it's a fundamental part of so many loved dishes it can be whatever you make it. Roasted with meats, braised in stews, it is the base of many soups and sauces. Also, it's delish on it's own, with a bowl of rice, or a nice piece of fish. It's its own dish.

2 parts yellow onion and/or leek

1 part carrot 

1 part celery

a few sprigs of thyme 

a couple of bay leaves
butter/olive oil/what have you

Ready?

a pretty kitchen sink of prep...

a cutting board of heirloom carrots, celery and leeks... small dice

saute the mirepoix over medium to low heat with butter, olive oil, or what ever fat you prefer... add fresh thyme and bay leaf, a clove of garlic, saffron if you like... season well with salt and pepper...

for stuffings, rice or bean dishes, crab cakes or meatballs, cook the vegetables just until tender... and fold into any dish... if you over cook it make it into a soup ; )

this is perfect on it's own, under a piece of roasted fish, folded into a soft omelet, or eaten over rice... it's its own dish.