So you want the recipe for these delicious lunch, eh?

I highly recommend you first make Sauteed Mirepoix or Sauteed Mirepoix and Meat Mixture , so the rest is super fast. You can also make many different dishes from it, just like my student Mariko did and realized that it changed the way she thinks about food and cooking. It changes yours too.

Just to review, these Mireopix mix varieties are something I call Progressipes.  By adding an ingredient or two, they transforms into different dishes or bases that saves a ton of time and effort for you later.

A. Uncooked Mirepoix

1. Chop approximately 1-2:1:1 onions, celery and carrots.  Super easy if you use food processor.  Use some as it is, use the rest for B.

B. Sauteed Mirepoix

1. Saute uncooked mirepoix (onion first, then celery, and carrots) in Extra Virgin Olive Oil until the vegetables sweat and tender.  Taste and season with salt and pepper.  Save some as it is. Use the rest for C.  If you are vegetarian, skip to D.

C. Sauteed Mirepoix and Meat Mixture

1. Add uncooked sausages out of casing, or chopped bacon, or ground meat.  The amount of meat is up to you.  If you want it more vegetable-y, use less.  If you want it meaty, add more.  If you are using bacon, it should be less, otherwise it’d be too bacon-ey.  Taste and season.  I normally use 1 lbs of chicken sausage, to about 8 cups (about 2 lbs) or more of uncooked veggies.  Save some as it is, Use the rest for D.

D. Sauteed Mirepoix, Meat and Tomato Mixture

1. Add chopped tomatoes or canned tomatoes into C.  Again, the amount of tomatoes are up to you, and can be also increased later.  For example, if you want to use it as stuffing, I’d recommend using regular tomatoes, about the same amount as the sausage (2 large tomatoes for 1 lbs of sausage, 2+ lbs of veggies). For Bolognese sauce or chili, I’d use a large can of tomato for the same amount.  Use for many different dishes.

You get the idea.

When making stuffed tomatoes, you can either use B, C, D depending on your preference.

Stuffed Tomatoes

Ingredients:

• Tomatoes
• Sauteed Mirepoix (with or without meat and/or tomato)
• Cooked rice
• Grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese
• Chopped herb (optional): parsley, basil, pesto, arugula etc.
• Prosciutto

Method:

1. If using oven, preheat the oven at 400F or at broil. If using toaster oven. skip to 2.
2. Remove the top and cut tomatoes in half, horizontally.  Scoop out the seeds and chop.  Cut the bottom of the tomatoes slightly if they are tippy — be sure to leave plenty of flesh, so that the stuffing will stay inside.  Lightly season with salt and pepper.  If you want to be fancy, cut the top 1/4 of the tomato, and scoop inside.  Save the tops if you choose to use them as a “cap”.
3. Mix sauteed mirepoix (recipe above), cooked rice, scooped out tomato flesh, grated cheese, and herb if using.  Taste and season with salt and pepper.
4. Stuff the tomatoes with 2.  Top with a piece of proscuitto and grated cheese.
5. Bake in 400F oven or at broil until cooked through, depending on the size, but about 10 min.  if using “tomato caps”, bake it separately, so that proscuitto will crisp up.

The sweetness of baked tomatoes, with salty, crispy proscuitto with Parmigiano Reggiano…  ahhh  it was heaven.  Healthy and very yummy…  It’s like umami bomb exploding in our mouth! Making mirepoix for the first time feel daunting, because of all the chopping involved.  It was for me before, too.  But your Food Processor will do the job for you, very fast.  Or Traders Joes sell them in a tub.  $2.99 for 1 lb. I think it’s pricey, but hey, if you think about the versatility and time-saving later, it’s definitely the 2nd best option!  Plus you can freeze this.  Once you find out how many things you can make with it, and its variety, and how much time and effort it saves, you will not be able to live without it.

If you don’t have a food processor, you may consider get one, because it can be used for many other things like making bread, pizza, ice cream, pesto and dips from practically anything.  If you have a baby, you can turn everything into home-made baby food.  If you get slicer and shredder attachements, you can make coleslaw, sliced potatoes (Spanish Omelet, anyone?), French Fries, etc. in no time.

This is a great example of eating well without spending much time… Now you see it can be easily done just by a bit of pre-prepping, and mixing and matching leftovers. It’s really fun to play with food this way too.  It took me less than 5 minute to assemble, and 10 minutes max to bake.  Without them, this stuffed tomatoes would have taken 1 hour to prepare.

Yes, sauteed mirepoix saves you time, and more importantly, lots of efforts.  It also creates a lot of varieties easily and helps you cook and eat healthier and tastier.

The question is…  when are you going to make it?