A Mirepoix by Any Other Name............

I've been making a lot of soups lately, and then my annual Beouf Bourgignon last night. So many things that I cook start off with a mirepoix- onion, carrot, celery. This got me wondering- what is the morepoix equivalent in other cuisines? IIRC, the Puerto Ricans use a Recaido(?) as a base for many/most of their dishes. I know China is a gigantic country with myriad different cuisines, but is Ginger and Garlic - the Chinese mirepoix? Ditto the diversity of India, but is Ginger and onions, cumin and corander-- the Indian mirepoix? Perhaps it makes no sense to generalize, but plse do chirp in with your own thoughts!.....

Posted by: LeBec Fin
January 17, 2016

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11 Comments

11 Comments

Nancy January 19, 2016

It doesn't have a name, but many Jewish dishes started (before the age of margarine & Crisco) with a base of schmaltz & onions. This mixture doesn't have a name. But it is back in use, both by those worried about hydrogenated fats and by fans of artisanal and traditional foods.
Nice article on Michael Ruhlman role in this revival:
http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-life-and-religion/120987/the-finest-of-the-fats

sexyLAMBCHOPx January 19, 2016

great read. thx for the link.

boymeetsgirlmeetsfood January 19, 2016

Our traditional Indian base (as passed down by my mother) combines mustard seeds, cumin seeds, ginger, garlic, red onion and tomato. It's the base of every curry I make, and keeps in the freezer so well!

C S. January 18, 2016

In Bolivia we call it ahogado. It starts with onion, garlic, and tomato and often includes cumin and either red or yellow chilies (aji). It is the base for a lot of things, or can be a sauce over meats.

sexyLAMBCHOPx January 18, 2016

I need to check out some Bolivia recipes. The flavor profile sounds delicious!

Kim M. January 19, 2016

My cooking club had a Bolivia night months ago and the one thing that I keep thinking about are the saltenas that someone brought. They are on my List of Things to Cook but are definitely time intensive so haven't made it to execution yet.

C S. January 19, 2016

sexyLAMBCHOPx, I mostly learned from cooking with my in-laws but the best books in English that I know of are: The South American Table by Maria Baez Kijac, and La Gran Cocina Latina by Maricel Presilla. I don't know of any that are specific to Bolivia except those written there.

Jona @. January 18, 2016

That's an interesting thought. In Albanian cuisine, which is where I am from, the most typical dishes start by frying onions, garlic and tomatoes ( or tomato paste) in extra virgin olive oil, and maybe a bay leaf . Then you add the meat, and then the veggies, some water and let it cook for an hour or so.

Smaug January 17, 2016

Well, there's the Cajun Holy Trinity, onion celery and green pepper. A sofrito is somewhat along the same lines.

sexyLAMBCHOPx January 17, 2016

Here you go, knock yourself out (BTW Latin & Italian are soffrito):

http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/05/all-about-mirepoix.html

http://www.foodnetwork.com/how-to/photos/how-to-make-flavor-bases-mirepoix-soffritto-and-more.html

http://www.thekitchn.com/make-it-your-way-with-regional-mirapoix-178908

Kim M. January 18, 2016

Note: Soffritto, not to be confused with Sofrito

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A Mirepoix by Any Other Name............

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