Mirepoix, Trinity and the Battuto - What are they and how do you use them?

Now that we have learned some basics, let's move to another topic which is mirepoix, or the Cajun version "the Trinity". Or as the Italians refer to it, the battuto which eventually becomes a soffritto once it is cooked.

This combination of basic ingredients is the base for almost all French, Italian and Creole and Cajun dishes.

Mirepoix
Carrot
Celery
Onion

Trinity
Celery
Onion
Green Pepper

Battuto or Soffritto (The combination depends on which dish you are making)
Olive oil or butter
Onion
Flat Leaf Parsley
Garlic
Celery
Carrot

If you learn to make these well, you are on track to really improving your cooking and you have the base for almost all dishes. Here are a few tips to prepare them properly.

Try and chop the ingredients into equal size pieces. Think the size of a small pea as the maximum size. No one wants to bite into a big chunk of vegetable in the mirepoix, it's all about the blending of the flavors.

Remember to choose your fat/oil based upon the final taste you want. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVO) is not always the best choice as it can impart an herbaceous and green note.

Butter can sometimes be heavy. When in doubt, you will never go wrong with vegetable oil. Cold pressed only! Or to keep it vegan, go for a non dairy spread such as Earth Balance.

Saute them slowly to allow them to "sweat" in the pan. You don't want to brown or burn them.

Remember, cooking is all about layering the flavors and allowing them to come into their own. Bon appetite!

Comments

Norfolk Style Seafood

This is such a good recipe and so simple to make. The story behind this recipe is interesting. When I was a young boy, we used to go to a seafood restaurant in Washington DC called O'Donnell's. They had wonderful food, and most importantly, they had Buck.

Buck was a gentle giant at 6' 2" and was always talking to me about his recipe. He had invented this style of cooking seafood and had even developed special pans which could be used over open flame and then it could be delivered to the tables still sizzling. He was rightfully very proud of this.

After being there quite a few times, Buck shared his recipe with me and told me to keep it a secret. Since this was over 40 years ago, I guess I can reveal it now.

Ingredients

1/2 lb Shrimp, Jumbo Lump Crab or Langoustines, raw and shelled
2 Tbsp Butter
2 cloves Garlic, chopped
Dash of Old Bay Seasoning
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
Few dashes of Tabasco
Splash of White Wine
Salt and Black Pepper

Heat your pan until fairly hot, then add butter an…

Marlow and Son’s Butterbeans, Garlic Confit and Preserved Tomatoes

I first saw this recipe in Bon Appetit and was fascinated. It used interesting ingredients combined in a unique way and I had to try it. The recipe was given in response to an email from BA writer to Marlow chef Patch Troffer, but the recipe had no measurements and timing. After making it, I adjusted a few things and added quantities and timing and was very happy with the results. I ordered my dried beans from Rancho Gordo in Napa and they were excellent.

To make it spectacular, you really do need to make the garlic confit and preserved tomatoes. They aren’t hard to make, but set aside a bit of time. Make a full recipe and then use the rest for other dishes.
Garlic Confit
3 heads of Garlic, peeled and left whole. 3/4-1 cup Olive Oil 4 springs fresh Thyme 2 Bay Leaves 2 dried Chili Peppers

Add all ingredients to a small saucepan and cook on barest simmer for 1-2 hours. (This broad cooking time is due to the fact that some garlic has more moisture than others). You’ll want the cloves to be s…

Oven Roasted Salmon

This has to be one of the easiest and best tasting recipes I have. I developed it so I could always pull together a healthy dinner in a few minutes and then have beautiful cold salmon leftovers for the next day.

All you need is a nice piece of fresh salmon and a few basic spices. The real key is to get the oven very hot, so it sears the outside of the salmon and locks in the juices.

Ingredients

2 lb filet of Fresh Salmon, skin on is best, but not essential.
Celery Salt
Dill Weed
Roasted Garlic Powder
Freshly ground Black Pepper
1 Tbsp Butter
Parchment Paper

Preheat your oven to 550F. Take your parchment paper and put it onto a 1/2 sheet baking pan and lay your salmon onto the paper.

Melt your butter and brush it onto the salmon filet. Sprinkle on your spices to taste and bake for 10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the salmon. Remove and allow it to rest for 3 minutes before serving. It goes well with the seafood rice pilaf I featured in an earlier post.

Note: All of these spices can be…

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