• Semi-Hemi-Lemmygod@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    I usually start my meals by sauteing onions and without fail whoever is in the house will say “Ooo, that smells good what is it?”

    Literally just onions

    • WoahWoah@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      Saute carrots, onions, and celery. Everyone will think you’re making something incredible. And, fortunately, you’ll have the base to follow through, if you so desire.

      • RinseDrizzle@midwest.social
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        1 month ago

        I do need more dishes in the back of my pocket that start with mirepoix. If y’all got favs, pop a holler.

        Got me thinking it’s time for chicken pot pie again…

        • WoahWoah@lemmy.world
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          1 month ago

          I use it for a lot of stuff. I roast pork on top of mirepoix, I make soups with it, pasta dishes, I make it alone with lots of butter and herbs and then blend it and use it as a rich sauce, I don’t blend it and then serve it as a side with chicken and fish (adding rice is an option here), add bell peppers and make gumbo, use it as a base for braising basically anything… I do truly just start a mirepoix when I don’t know what to make, then, once it’s started, I dig around for other ingredients. It’s so forgiving and really just makes almost anything more savory and flavorful.

          The last time I made it (Saturday), I ended up transferring it to a roasting pan, then roasted pork. I took off the pork when it was done, then while it rested, I deglaced the pan with white wine, put a portion into a pot, added ketchup, vinegar, etc. and used an immersion blender to make a bbq-style mirepoix sauce. Shredded the pork and made pulled pork. It was a huge hit with the family. I know mirepoix-bbq sauce sounds a little weird, but it was incredibly good.

          It’s an very versatile base, which, I think, is why different food cultures all have a version of it. And you can do a lot of different things with the same base just by changing the technique. Smaller or larger chop, longer or shorter sautee, add ingredients to change the character (classically, tomato paste to make a pinçage, but you can also swap it to a Holy Trinity or sofrito very easily), and so on. It’s a great thing to play around with.

          • RinseDrizzle@midwest.social
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            1 month ago

            This is inspiring! I’ll have to give some of these a go.

            Thanks for the thoughtful write up. 😊 Already excited to get a bit more adventurous with it!

    • Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works
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      1 month ago

      Haha, I can cook but I don’t really know what I am doing. It usually starts with some oil and garlic or onions in a pan, then I figure out what to actually cook. But if someone walks in at just that step they think you’re some culinary genious.

      • Passerby6497@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        Haha, I can cook but I don’t really know what I am doing.

        Bruh, don’t sell yourself short. If you know how to just throw shit into a pan and have it come out both edible and tasty (or even only the first one), you have a decent idea of what you’re doing.

        Being able to do that is a skill that takes work, and is something my wife has worked hard to develop. He k, just knowing what spices go well together or with what meats is a skill in and of itself.

    • Denjin@lemmings.world
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      1 month ago

      There’s a reason why cooked onions are common across almost every international cuisine on earth.