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Cooking to Beat the Clock: |
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This week's cooking lesson on my I am frequently asked how I come up with ideas for
quick meals. Actually, almost any
main course is a candidate for converting into fast food. One of my favorite
ways to create speedy meals is to take a classic dish, such as
bouillabaisse, cassoulet, or coq au vin and ask myself: “Can I do this
in half the time (or less) and still make it taste good?” Sometimes the
answer is not only yes, but yes, indeed. Several months ago, I served my
15-minute bouillabaisse and a version from French food authority Richard
Olney blind to my friends. My guests couldn’t tell which one was which. What had I done
to simplify and speed up the process? First, I used bottled clam juice
instead of homemade fish stock. For the rouille (a spicy mayonnaise), I
used roasted red bell peppers from a jar. And I made the preparation more
efficient by “multitasking” (having more than one thing at a time
going on): while I was making the rouille, the fish was cooking in the
tomato broth, and the baguette slices were toasting for the croutons. I use
convenience items for speed, but I don’t do so at the expense of
quality. I’ll use bottled or canned broths, canned tomatoes and beans
and frozen peas, but I never use frozen chopped onions, garlic powder,
instant rice or dried parsley. When I decided to do
a quick version of coq au vin, my main obstacle was the traditional
recipe’s cut-up whole chicken, which takes too long to cook. I could
have used chicken tenders or boneless chicken breasts cut into thick
strips or chunks, but they would be too insipid for this robust dish.
Skinless chicken breasts on the bone were juicier but, though more
flavorful, still a bit bland. So I decided on boneless and skinless thighs
because the dark meat had more flavor, the absence of bones meant fast
cooking, and the lack of skin kept the fat content down.
Other time savers included using canned chicken stock, frozen pearl
onions, and the kind of multi-tasking I described above. For the cooking
wine, I’d recommend a pinot noir. Drink what’s left with dinner.
1)Put a 12-inch
saute pan or Dutch oven over high heat. Cut the bacon crosswise into
1/2-inch wide pieces and add to the pan. Lower the heat to medium and
cover. Stir once or twice until the bacon has rendered its fat and just
begins to crisp, about 3 minutes. Remove the bacon and set aside. 2)Meanwhile,
run the hot water tap and put 3 quarts hot tap water in a pasta pot. Cover
and put over high heat until the water boils, about 7 minutes. Season the
chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken in the flour,
shaking off any excess. 3)When the
bacon has been removed from the pan, turn the heat to high and add the
chicken. Brown the chicken for 3 minutes
on each side. 4)While the
chicken browns, mince the garlic. Halve the mushrooms if small, quarter if
large. Mix the tomato paste and chicken stock together in a cup. Chop the
thyme leaves if using fresh. After the chicken has browned, add the garlic
and mushrooms to the pan. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Add the red
wine and stir with a wooden spoon, scraping up any bits from the bottom of
the pan. Add the stock and tomato paste, thyme, bay leaves, pearl onions,
the reserved bacon, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir well, cover and
bring to a boil. Uncover and simmer just until the chicken is cooked
through and the sauce lightly thickened, about 5 minutes. 5)As
soon as the water boils for the noodles, add 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and the
noodles. Stir well and cook for about 5 minutes or until the noodles are
just tender. Drain the noodles and put on a large platter. Place the
chicken on top and pour the sauce over. Serves
4 Per serving:
685 calories, 57 grams protein, 60 grams carbohydrate, 18 grams fat, 5
grams saturated fat, 198 mg cholesterol, 433 mg sodium. |
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