Mirepoix and The Holy Trinity

What is the Difference Between a Mirepoix and The Holy Trinity?  Really it is just the carrots in the Mirepoix.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirepoix

 traditional mirepoix is two parts onions, one part carrots, and one part celery

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_trinity

The holy trinity, Cajun holy trinity, or holy trinity of Cajun cooking consists of onions, bell peppers and celery, the base for much of the cooking in the regional cuisines of Louisiana. The preparation of Cajun/Creole dishes such as crawfish étouffée, gumbo, and jambalaya all start from this base.

Variants use garlic, parsley, or shallots in addition to the three trinity ingredients.

The holy trinity is the Cajun and Louisiana Creole variant of mirepoix; traditional mirepoix is two parts onions, one part carrots, and one part celery, whereas the holy trinity is typically equal measures of the three ingredients or two parts onions, one part celery, and one part green bell pepper

Well, looks like I learn something new every day. Most of my stir fries start out with these mixtures, but I add some fresh garlic. I think it makes the onions taste better.

I hadn't heard of the "Holy Trinity" before, though it makes sense, now that you posted about it, Anne. Thanks for this thread!

I'm with you Su, garlic is a must with the mirepoix, too, though I usually add it very late so it doesn't turn out burnt.

Gosh, I was reading somewhere - oh, it was Stacy in the scratch cooking burn out thread that she cans mirepoix to reduce prep time for meals. Does anyone else do this?

I don't care for cooked peppers so I've always just replaced them with carrots in recipes that seemed to be using them as a mirepoix. I am happy to confirm my assumption that peppers must replace carrots in Creole cooking.  I wonder if carrots just don't grow well in Louisiana or something?

Jocelyn Campbell wrote:I hadn't heard of the "Holy Trinity" before, though it makes sense, now that you posted about it, Anne. Thanks for this thread!

I'm with you Su, garlic is a must with the mirepoix, too, though I usually add it very late so it doesn't turn out burnt.

Gosh, I was reading somewhere - oh, it was Stacy in the scratch cooking burn out thread that she cans mirepoix to reduce prep time for meals. Does anyone else do this?

The Holy Trinity

 Origin of the name. The name is an allusion to the Christian doctrine of the Trinity: Louisiana (especially the region of Acadiana) is a strongly Roman Catholic region. The term is first attested in 1981 and was probably popularized by Paul Prudhomme.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_trinity_(cuisine)

I hadn't heard of canning Mirepoix though this makes sense.  You probably wouldn't need to cook it, just add diced veggies, some oil like olive oil or coconut oil and water to cover.  Everything will cook during the canning process.

When canning mirepoix, I cook it all together first. So the onions, carrots and celery are diced, covered with water, brought to a boil and cooked for 5 minutes, before packing in 1/2 pint or pint jars with 1/2 tsp salt, then pressure canned for 40 minutes. I was told that when canning different ingredients, to use the most cautious technique, in this case, onions need to be cooked first and have the longest processing time. The mirepoix is totally cooked and soft, so it is best used in circumstances for which that is desired. I like to use it in quick soups, like broccoli cheddar, and braises, and just as a backup, if supplies are running low. I haven't tried canning trinity. I suspect that I won't like what it does to the peppers. Generally, I keep pepper strips in the freezer.

Jocelyn my mother-in-law freezes mirepoix in canning jars whenever she ends up with the right ingredients in the fridge. She'll gather everyone's turkey bones from thanksgiving and boil up a nice premade broth over night and then store it for when people are ready to consider turkey again.

I like:
Onion Family (Garlic/Onion/Chives/etc)
Thyme Family (Oregano/Sage/Rosemary/etc)
Celery Family (Cilantro/Celery/Carrot/Lovage/etc)
Pepper Family (Tomatoes/Hot Pepper/'Sweet' Pepper)

I use it so much, sometimes I am even tempted to add it to eggs, to say nothing of meats/vegetables/soups.

I have added it to eggs and it tastes great.

We do a "clean out the fridge" added to eggs that I refer to as salvage scramble.  Always interesting to see how it turns out!