 |
Cooking to Beat the Clock: |
 |
|
This week's cooking lesson on my I’m
often asked what are the most important pots and pans for quick cooking.
Without doubt one of them is a sauté pan. The
sauté pan is a staple of classical cooking but the name is a bit
confusing. That’s because even though you can sauté in a sauté pan,
the pan we most associate with sautéing is a skillet. What’s the
difference? A skillet has sloping sides and a smaller capacity. It’s
best for sautéing or frying pieces of meat like chicken breasts or the
sausages in the recipe below. A sauté pan has higher, straight sides,
which enable it to hold more, making the sauté pan ideal for quick soups,
stews, and braised dishes. For
maximum efficiency, a sauté pan should have a diameter of 12 inches,
which is large enough to brown enough meat for four people without
crowding the pan. (Crowding steams the meat and makes it difficult to
brown). The wide surface also allows soups to come to a boil, and sauces
reduce more quickly because there is more surface area over the heat. A
minimum 4-quart capacity is sufficient for almost any dish that serves
four people, the number of servings I strive for in this column. Because
you’ll be cooking 15-minute meals like the Beans ‘n Greens below over
high heat (at least part of the time) your sauté pan should be made of a
heavy gauge metal with an aluminum or copper core that enables heat to be
conducted evenly. The sauté pan should have a cover, which increases the
pressure and thus the heat inside the pan. If you’re watching your
weight, a nonstick surface is a good idea. But store these pans carefully.
Put paper towels on the surface of the pans if they’re going to be
stacked and use nonstick utensils to avoid scratching. We
eat a lot of canned beans in our house because they’re so convenient. We
also like broccoli raab and other hearty greens like kale and mustard
greens, both of which can be substituted for the broccoli raab in this
dish. (As with all fresh vegetables used in this column, except salad
greens, the broccoli raab is assumed to be washed when preparation
begins.) A good red wine match would be an Italian Dolcetto or Barbera. Beans
‘n Greens, Italian Style
1)While
the hot-water tap runs, put the sausage in a large heavy skillet. Add
1/2 cup hot tap water, cover, and put over high heat. Cook for 5 to
6 minutes, depending on the thickness of the sausage. Uncover and cook for
5 to 6 minutes longer, until the water evaporates and the sausage
is lightly browned and has no pink in the center. Lower the heat when the
water evaporates completely and turn the sausage once or twice to brown
evenly. 2)Meanwhile,
put the oil in a 12-inch sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Peel
and quarter the onion and peel the garlic. Put the onion and garlic in a
food processor and pulse until chopped. (Or chop by hand.) Add the onion
and garlic to the skillet, stir, and increase the heat to medium high. 3)While
the garlic and onion cook, cut off 1
inch from the bottom of the bunch of broccoli raab and remove any withered
or yellowed leaves. Then lay the bunch on its side on a cutting board. Cut
the bunch crosswise beginning at the top. The leafy tops should be cut
into ribbons about 3/4-inch-wide. The stem portions should be no more than
3/8-inch wide. Put the broccoli raab into the sauté pan with the onion
and garlic. Add the chicken stock, stir, cover, and increase the heat to
high. 4)Empty the cans of beans into a colander and rinse. When the broccoli
raab mixture comes to a boil, add the beans, salt and pepper to taste, and
hot pepper flakes, if desired. Stir well, cover, and reduce the heat to
medium high. 5)When the sausage is done, cut crosswise into 1-inch wide pieces. Add
to the broccoli raab and beans. Stir well and cover. Cook about 4 minutes
or until the greens are just tender. Serve with crusty Italian
bread. Serves 4 Per
serving: 497 calories, 33 grams protein, 34 grams carbohydrate, 26 grams
fat, 8 grams saturated fat, 65 mg cholesterol, 1208 mg sodium. |
||