Well dear followers, colleagues, friends and family, here we are.
After a successful Spring cooking where we mastered the art of regional, seasonal and exotic products as well as useful techniques, we are ready to start a very self indulging course. Classic Italian Culinary Courses with Chef Gianfranco the number 1 of a series of 10.
After these Classic courses we will have a new line of 10 courses featuring Southern Italian Cuisine and then 10 more courses featuring Northern Italian cuisine, a total of 30 all together.
These later courses will be based on physical recipes from our Italian regions. But there's nothing you'll be able to do with those courses if you do not master first the basics and deep grounds of the millenary cuisine of my country.
Like I always tell to my students...first put the underwear and then the pants; only Superman looks cool the other way around, cause he is a super hero. We have to go by the book, therefore first the basics and then you'll learn how to fly.
Now remember, I am sure some or most of you have learned Italian Cuisine from the wrong chef or from a wanna be Italian Chef; and that's why I am sure also that some or most of the applications and methods here will look brand new to you. But trust me, I will teach you the right way to start any sauce, any soup, any roast or anything related to one of the most luxurious, and at the same time popular cuisine of all. And for those of you who think that Italian cuisine is only Pizza or Pasta you'd be wrong again.
In my country we have more than 2500 recognized starters from all regions and products, pastas, sauces, fish, meats, poultry, hunting and game, fruit, desserts, baking preparations, breads, cheeses, and wines. And don't get me started with the DOP, DOCP and DOC products that vary not only from region to region but moreover from town to town. Remember Italy have the diversity of land that enables us to produce an endless universe of food and preparations.
Therefore get ready for a little journey to the Basics of Italian cuisine. On this course we will also see and understand what the above mentioned DOP, DOCP and DOC products are.
Well!! with no further due. Welcome to the Classic Italian Culinary Courses with Chef. Gianfranco Chiarini - Basic Course 1 of 10
IL SOFFRITTO - or best and most popularly known in French as: THE MIREPOIX.
Un buon Soffritto – A good basic Mirepoix.
Let’s first get the basic concepts clear.
Mirepoix: Is the French name for a combination of onions, carrots, and celery (either common pascal celery or celeriac). Mirepoix, either raw, roasted or sautéed with butter is the flavor base for a wide number of dishes, such as stocks, soups, stews and sauces.
The three ingredients are commonly referred to as aromatics. But although the French terminology is the culinary trend to follow we in Italy used this basic technique centuries ago and it’s called Soffritto.
The Italian version of mirepoix is called soffritto (not to be confused with sofrito). It is made with olive oil rather than butter, and may also contain garlic, fennel, leek, and herbs.
Another useful concept can be:
A mirepoix is a finely diced mixture of; carrot, celery and onion. It is often sweated off in the first stages of a recipe to enhance the flavor of sauces, soups, stews and numerous other dishes.
Although usually finely diced, some recipes, such as a stock recipe might call for, ‘mirepoix roughly chopped’ in this case it simply refers to the three vegetables of carrot, celery and onion. ‘Mirepoix au gras’ is simply mirepoix with meat and usually refers to the addition of bacon or ham.
Now let’s get down to business.
As we mentioned before, Mirepoix is one of the simplest food preparations in the world - a combination of celery, carrot and onion. That's all. However, this "holy trinity" is an essential ingredient in dozens, if not hundreds, of traditional Italian and French dishes, and knowing what it is and how to make it is essential.
So don't underestimate this great basic ground of Continental Culinary.
Basic combination of onions, carrots, and celery.
Basic Mirepoix Recipe
250 gms = 1 c. diced white onion
120 gms = 1/2 c. diced carrot
120 gms = 1/2 c. diced celery
When dicing the separate ingredients, try to make the dices as small and uniform as possible, both because it is aesthetically more pleasing and because the small pieces will cook more uniformly.
First, prepare the vegetables: rinse them from all possible dirt, peel the skins, and then start to chop them into smaller blocks. The more fine-chopped vegetables are, the quicker they will release their flavors. Bear in mind that the sizes of the vegetables should be fairly similar, since you already should have designed the relative proportions of each ingredient in the mirepoix. So, the proportions should determine the final flavor of the mirepoix, and not randomly chopped vegetables.
You should also adapt the size of the vegetables to the kind of dish you are making. So, for example if you have a stew that is simmering for a few hours then your mirepoix cuts can be bigger. If you have marinades to work with, make smaller dices of the vegetables.
Common combinations of ingredients for a basic mirepoix were mentioned above. If you want to have a white mirepoix, you can instead combine 2 parts onion, 1 part celery, and 1 part of carrots.
To cook the mirepoix, put some olive oil in a moderately hot pot, and add the onions.
Let them sweat for a little while, then add the carrots, and lastly, after a few more minutes, add the celery. This sequence is important from the required time of cooking point of view.
Remember not to overheat the veggies or they'll get brown. The point here is just to sweat them - this is when they release their juices into the oil. You can also smother the mirepoix if you want, even in an oven (smothering means simply that you put a lid on top of the pot, so the veggies get sweated and steamed at the same time). As you can see, this basic mirepoix is actually a basis for lots of recipes - how often haven't you sweated onions and other vegetables before blending in other, main ingredients?
Mirepoix can also be used in other situations, that is added directly to a simmering stew, just to give an example.
Now, once the veggies are softened and sweated, you can add (optional) the tomato paste and cook the mirepoix until it becomes caramelized (browned) and the tomato paste becomes stiffer. Then, use the mirepoix in whatever way the dish requires.
But remember hold your horses. First master this and then we move into the next step to be seen at the 2nd course. See you then and let me know how it went.
Culinary regards.
Chef. Gianfranco Chiarini.
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Chef. Gianfranco Chiarini.
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