Matignon (cuisine)

In cooking, a matignon is a mirepoix in which the ingredients are minced rather than diced, and more flavorings added.[1] Matignon, unlike mirepoix, is not a part of the food preparation per se, but is always served at the table.

Ingredients

Matignon is a combination of minced vegetables, usually onion (and/or leek), celery, and carrot, with a sprig of thyme and half a bay leaf, sautéed in butter over a low flame until softened and translucent ("melted" but not browned), seasoned to taste with a pinch of salt (and a pinch of sugar, if needed), and finished with a dash of white wine or Madeira.[2] The vegetarian version is referred to as maigre ("lean"). When ham or bacon is added, it is called gras ("fat", as in Mardi Gras, i.e., containing meat).[3] Frequently the vegetables serve as a bed on which to cook meat, poultry, and fish dishes; or as a stuffing; but sometimes the Matignon is served as separate side dish in its own right.

Notes

  1. ↑ Rombauer, Irma S.; Marion Rombauer Becker; Ethan Becker (2006). "Mirepoix". Joy of Cooking. Scribner. p. 998. ISBN 978-0-7432-4626-2.
  2. ↑ Montagné, Prosper; and Gottschalk, eds., Larousse Gastronomique. Introduction by A. Escoffier and Philéas Gilbert (Paris: Librerie Larousse, 1938) pp. 42–43.
  3. ↑ The terms maigre and gras refer to the traditional Roman Catholic prescription of days for abstaining from meat during Lent and other fast days. Since the seventeenth century, recipe books in France had been organized so readers could plan meals in accordance with the liturgical calendar. See Sean Takats, The Expert Cook in Enlightenment France (Baltimore, Maryland: Johns Hopkins University Press) p. 110.

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