Aromatics or Mirepoix
These are a combination of particularly aromatic veggies used as the foundation of many international and regional dishes. Veggies, and in some cases herbs or meat, are cooked slowly on low heat and in fat to release the aromas into whatever dish is being made. Look in the kitchen of any cook and you will see some basic veggies they always have on hand. For me I always have ginger, garlic, onions (or shallots), carrots, chili peppers, and celery. For most of my recipes, a combination of these will always get me started.
- In France the Mirepoix combination is 2 parts onion, to 1 part celery, and 1 part carrot cooked in butter or olive oil. If you want to add herbs, look to parsley, thyme, bay leaves, or Herbs de Provence.
- In some parts of Germany it is called Suppengrun, which is (ratio 1:1:1) carrot, celeriac, and leek. Some areas will add onions, parsnips, or potatoes. Suppengrun actually translates to “soup greens,” and are available as a pack in grocery stores.
Around the world Aromatics:
What is used as an aromatic falls within some very typical veggies such as: carrots, celery, cleric, onion, leeks, garlic, parsnips, rutabaga, peppers, mushroom, parsley, tomatoes, and ginger. If herbs are used they are usually: parsley, cilantro, thyme, bay leaves, and fennel. And sometimes spices are included like peppercorns.
Historically, the aromatics are things that are naturally found within the region where the dish originated and says a lot about the land and its climate.
- Southern Italy has Soffritto, a combo of onions, celery, carrots, garlic and parsley cooked in fat such as lard, butter or olive oil. A battuto is a variation of chopped lardo (cured pork back fat), salt pork, pork fat, or pancetta with garlic and onions.
- Northern Italy Soffritto is (2:1:1) onion, carrots and fennel. Now this is just my impression from visiting Italy and eating in real Italian restaurants in Europe; but this combo reminds me of northern Italy. I am not sure Northern Italians would agree.
- Thai curries may start with shallots, garlic and chilies cooked in oil and coconut milk. Supplemented by galangal, kaffir lime (or leaves), lemongrass and coconut cream.
Using Aromatics in Cooking:
Starting a recipe, by cooking the aromatics releases flavor and aroma, and infuses the eventual dish with these foundational elements. It is the start of nearly all great sauces, soups, and stews. But they are also used in many braises, curries, rice dishes, sautes, and stir-fries. In some recipes you let it all meltdown into a braising liquid, other times it becomes part of the soup broth, like Chicken Soup.
- Any Tagine dish, a Moroccan braised stew, starts with aromatics and builds on that to have a dish full of veggies and meat. Because it is braised, the aromatics are critical to the depth of flavor of the dish.
- Latin countries call their base Sofrito, and includes garlic, onions, bell peppers, and tomatoes cooked in olive oil. Supplemental items may include chilies, bay leaves, coriander, cumin, paprika, cilantro, bacon, chorizo, ham, wine or vinegars.
Each country, down to regions within countries, have their own set of aromatics and fat that they use to create their dishes. Generally the larger the country the more variations of this cooking method exists.
- The Russian/Ukrainian smazhennya or zazharka has onion, carrot and possibly celery, beets or pepper,
- Polish włoszczyzna features leeks, carrots, celery root and parsley root.
Cooking Process:
The process is to first heat the pan, then add the fat (oil, lard, butter, etc.) Chop the aromatics into small chunks, and cook on low heat. (For onions, cook until they are soft and translucent, perhaps a bit brown in some areas. For garlic, add them after onions have cooked, make them thinly sliced or minced, and move them about for you do not want them crispy or blackened. The goal is not to brown these veggies, but allow them time, over low heat, to melt into each other. You want them caramelized. These add umami and sweetness (or heat as well) to the dish you are making.
- Middle Eastern cuisines may have garlic, onions, tomatoes, scallions, and raisins as its aromatics, all cooked in oil or clarified butter. What different regions may add could include ginger, saffron, turmeric, and cinnamon.
- Portuguese: Refogado is a quad of onions, garlic, peppers, and tomatoes.
- Cajun cooking calls it the Holy Trinity, and is made with (ratio 2:1:1) onion, celery, and green bell pepper. The fat is usually olive oil or butter. Supplemental herbs and veggies could include garlic, parsley, shallots and paprika. After cooking these aromatics, they season the food, and start adding ingredients to build the dish.
SeriousEats: First is to think about how powerful you want the flavor of the aromatics to be: If you want just a hint of their aroma, cut them into larger pieces and add them towards at the beginning of cooking, whether stir-frying, steaming, or poaching. The large pieces will gently flavor the dish, and can then easily be picked out while eating. For more bold flavor, mince or grate the aromatics: Their increased surface area will allow more of their flavor to enter the dish, adding intensity. When stir-frying, it’s generally best to add minced aromatics towards the end of cooking to prevent them from scorching in the hot wok; alternatively, you can mix them directly into the sauce.
- A single answer is not possible with China, as it is so large and made up of so many regional variations it really is hard to give one list of aromatics. What I can say is that at local Cantonese restaurants, cooking often starts with garlic, scallions and ginger sauteed in peanut oil. Other restaurants may supplement with chilies, shallots, chives, cilantro, Five Spice, star anise, and soy sauce.
- Indian foods vary, but one region calls for four base ingredients of onions, garlic, chilies and ginger cooked in Ghee. Additions to this base could include tomatoes, cardamom, cumin (ground or seeds), curry (powder, leaves or paste), cloves, fenugreek, garam masala, and turmeric.
Bouquet garni
A garnished bouquet is a bundle of herbs, typically encased in a cheesecloth bag or tied with twine, placed in a stew or soup for adding flavoring and aroma. Traditionally, it is comprised of parsley (or parsley stalks), a few sprigs of thyme and a bay leaf.
Some combinations I have read about are:
- Kaffir lime leaf, cilantro, and a sliver of ginger root
- Parsley, thyme, bay leaf
- Kaffir lime leaves, galangal, and lemongrass
- Rosemary, basil, oregano
- Bay leaf, lemon peel, and cilantro
- Thyme, bay leaf, and peppercorns
- Tarragon, bay leaf, and pink peppercorns
- Thyme, celery stalk, and bay leaf
Sachet d’épices
A sachet is similar, in that it also includes herbs and spices, but also small ingredients that are too tricky to remove from the dish after cooking, such as peppercorns. So they are wrapped in cheesecloth (a small sack in appearance) and tied off with twine.
— Patty
— ** —
NEWS: 9/12/19 DailyBeast reports that the Trump administration’s Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday completed a repeal of an Obama-era water regulation called Waters of the United States, or WOTUS, that limited the use of polluting chemicals near bodies of water, streams, and wetlands. .. Farming groups, a crucial voting bloc for Trump, were in favor of the repeal, saying the water protections have restricted their land use. The clean water rollback is part of a series of actions taken by the Trump administration to weaken environmental regulations surrounding emissions from cars, power plants, and oil drilling rigs.
Articles: German Cuisine was added.
Cooking: I added a more explicit detail page on Aromatics
Recipes: A tasty Ginger Pear Loaf was added, and I favor serving it with Fig Jam. Some of my tasters preferred more ginger as I only provided a hint of that flavor. But for my taste the hint of ginger was enough to match with the slight pear taste.
Tips: Where do I buy my kitchen stuff, like pans, pots, steamers, etc? To tell the truth, I love shopping at Restaurant Supply Stores. They often have what I need and can be less expensive than brand named stores. The one I go to in Oakland is a large warehouse full of utensils, pots + pans, glasses, appliances, you name it. I love to go up and down the aisles looking at what they have and thinking how I can add more stuff to my already filled kitchen. The flip side of them servicing restaurants is that sometimes what they have is so large you could cook for a whole grade-school class. As a result, some things I still get at local retail outlets.
