Mirepoix

A mixture of chopped onions, carrots, and celery, used as a flavor base for sauces, braises, and roasts. Mirepoix is chopped into various sizes. For a small batch of sauce, the vegetables should be cut quite fine—about ¼ inch (0.5 centimeter)—while mirepoix for a big pot of stock can be introduced with hardly any chopping at all. Older recipes include cubes of lean salt pork or ham.