can serve as a flavorful base for soups, sauces,
and other preparations. By simmering the
vegetables until soft, the cook breaks down
their cell walls and releases the cell contents
into the water. These contents include salts,
sugars, acids, and savory amino acids, as well
as aromatic molecules. Carrots, celery, and
onions are almost always included for their
aromatics, and mushrooms and tomatoes are
the richest source of savory amino acids. The
vegetables are finely chopped to maximize
their surface area for extraction. Precooking
some or all of the vegetables in a small
amount of fat or oil has two advantages: it
adds new flavors, and the fat it contributes is a
better solvent than water for many aromatic
molecules. It’s important not to dilute the
extracted flavors in too much water; good
proportions by weight (volume varies by piece
size) are 1 part vegetables to 1.5 or 2 parts
water. The vegetables and water are simmered
uncovered (to allow evaporation and
barry
(Barry)
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