Adding Aroma with Mirepoix & Sofrito

Using vegetables to aromatize will subletly flavor foods such as soups and broths providing the flavor profile we have come to expect in modern versions yet allowing us to maintain our way of eating primal quality food.

Aroma and Flavor are Linked

When cooking you must understand the sense of smell and sense of taste are very closely linked, when you cook something with very little aroma the flavor can seem lacking and consequently when you cook something with an unpleasant aroma the food will also taste badly to many people.

Aromatics are a great way to both solve this problem and improve the flavor profile of any dish without messing with its nutritional quality.

Mirepoix and Sofrito's are chopped vegetable mixes that are often then sauted or  cooked in oil to further enhance their aromatic and flavor enhancing qualities.

Classic Mirepoix and Variations

Wikipedia Link

Many an incredible soup or other recipe starts off with a mirepoix in a pot with some butter or fat until the vegetables are translucent

I am going to keep this very basic and that is exactly what it should be.

• Chop vegetables to all roughly the same size
• Rouch chop if you need to filter out later, fine chop if you will eat later
• Braise in fat such as lard or tallow or sautee in pan with butter or ghee or a low sautee with olive oil

Variants

Holy Trinity Mirepoix (French term)

• Celery
• Carrots
• Onions or shallots

Latin

• Celery
• Onions
• Green pepper
• Optional:  Tomatoes

Other options

• Chopped garlic
• Green onions or scallions
• Coriander
• bell or chili peppers
• touch of bay leaf
• etc...

Fine Example

Check out this great meatloaf recipe from www.halfindiancook.com that, of course, begins with a type of mirepoix.

This prize specimen of a mealoaf from halfindiancook.com makes an ideal use of mirepoix in action.Check it out!