First, it’s “meerpwah” – and second, my take on this is an adaptation of the classic french version where the onions, celery and carrots are finely diced and given the time to cook, soften and caramelize. Fast forward to the 21st century and pile the same ingredients in your food processor, pulse to smithereens and voilà – the starting blocks of every sauce, soup or stew race you’ll ever find yourself in. When cooked down, this is the poster child for flavour makers everywhere!
Feel free to mix up the vegetables you choose to pulverize, cause when you realize, (like I did), that this is more about the method than staying true to the classic treatment, you will be consuming more vegetables than you thought possible aside from upping the flavour quotient in most everything you cook – in the sauce, soup and stew department. This can also be added to burgers, meatloaf, meatballs, stuffing and fillings for instant flavour & texture. Happy pulverizing!
click here to jump down to the mirepoix recipe
1. Start with the carrots, celery & onion in the food processor – and I threw in a little green pepper, cause it was there!
2. And start whizzing.
3. And whizzing.
4. And whizzing – at this point it’s more pulsing than whizzing, so you don’t end up with a drink!
5. This is pretty much what you’re looking for, and it took all of 10 seconds!
6. Have a good look, cause your life will never be the same again!
7. Toss it in a hot pan with a little olive oil, salt & pepper and head on down to sauce, soup or stew street. Cook it down for 5-10 minutes and carry on to where you’re headed.
mirepoix
yield 2-3 cups of mirepoix
1. Cut into large chunks and place in the bowl of a food processor:
- 2 ribs of celery
- 2 carrots, peeled
- 1 onion
- 1 green pepper, quartered
2. Heat a large skillet and swirl in a healthy glug of olive oil. Add the pulverized vegetables to the skillet. Season with salt & pepper.
the magic of mirepoix
- all about mirepoix
- mirepoix 101
- why mirepoix?
- mirepoix basics
- italian mirepoix
- making mirepoix
- roasted mirepoix
- stock making 101
- mirepoix risotto
- mirepoix beef stew
- greek chicken stew
- mirepoix soup
mirepoix mixups
- switch up the vegetables combinations – peppers, celery, carrots, mushrooms, zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage
- add garlic and shallots for added flavour
- add a hint of sweet with honey, maple syrup or blue agave
- red pepper flakes or hot sauce