This week's cooking lesson on my
Cooking to Beat the Clock segment
on A Chef's Table is
Part of the
Process
Most folks think a
food processor is about as necessary in the kitchen as an espresso machine. But a food processor is no longer a luxury.
And when you’re Cooking to Beat the Clock, it’s a necessity. That’s
why I keep my food processor
on the kitchen counter—next to my cutting board and chef’s knife.
Some people
have told me they don’t use the food processor,
because they don’t want to clean it after chopping an onion or a
few cloves of garlic. I tell them about this new invention called the
dishwasher. You just put the soiled parts in the machine--and it
actually cleans them for
you. Other people say, “I can chop just as fast with a knife.” Oh yeah?
I’ve been a professional cook for 25 years—and a food processor chops faster
than I do.
The key is how you use the machine. I use the stainless steel,
S-shaped chopping blade about 90 percent of the time, for chopping,
purees, dressings and sauces. When chopping onions, peel, then cut the
onion in four pieces. Six if the onion is large. Then put the pieces into
the bowl of the processor. Use the pulse
bar, not the on switch, to
do the chopping. Hitting the pulse bar
10 to 20 times, creates perfectly chopped onions. If you press the on
switch and walk away, you’ll return to a bowl full of onion slush.
For finely
chopped garlic, drop the garlic down the feed
tube or the chute of
the food processor with the motor already
on. I often chop garlic and ginger root together
this way for Asian dishes. I’ll mince garlic and anchovies together for
Caesar salad.
The shredding attachment of the food processor makes short work of
cabbage for coleslaw. And the slicing
attachment does wonders with mushrooms, carrots, and other vegetables.
In my recipe
for Quick Pork Stew with Golden Mashed Potatoes, I also use the food
processor for mashed potatoes. Critics say the food processor makes mashed
potatoes gluey. True, if you
let the machine run wild.
But by using the pulse bar,
mashed potatoes (or any other mashed root vegetable like celery root) are
a breeze.
You’ll also
note in the Pork Stew recipe that the food processor is used three
times before you have to clean it. Learning to use the machine in
this fashion is also a tremendous time saver. You’ll save even MORE
time, if you clean it afterwards in that newfangled dishwasher
machine.
Quick
Pork Stew with Golden Mashed Potatoes
-
1 1/2 to 2 pounds
Yukon gold potatoes, as large as possible
-
Salt
-
1 1/2 tablespoons
canola or olive oil
-
2 pork tenderloins, 1
1/2 to 2 pounds total
-
Freshly ground black
pepper
-
8 ounces mushrooms
-
2 cloves garlic
-
1 medium onion, about
8 ounces
-
1 tablespoon fresh
rosemary leaves or 11/2 teaspoons dried
-
1 tablespoon flour
-
3/4 cup fat-free,
reduced sodium chicken stock
-
2 tablespoons dark
soy sauce
-
1/2 cup low-fat sour
cream
-
1 tablespoon butter
1)Peel
the potatoes and slice lengthwise. Then cut crosswise into thin slices.
Run the hot water tap while you put the potatoes and 1 teaspoon salt into
a large saucepan. Barely cover the potatoes with hot water and put over
high heat. Cover and cook until just tender, about 10 minutes.
2)Meanwhile,
put the oil in a 12-inch saute pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Cut the
tenderloin crosswise into 3/4-inch-thick slices at the widest part.
Increase the width to 1 inch toward the narrower end. Season with salt and
pepper, add to the pan, and increase the heat to high.
3)With
the slicing attachment to the food processor in place, slice the mushrooms
in 2 or 3 batches. Set aside. Turn the pork over to brown on the other
side.
4)Refit
the food processor with the chopping blade. Peel the garlic. With the
motor of the food processor running, drop the garlic down the chute.
Meanwhile, peel and quarter the onion. Stop the motor of the processor,
add the onion and pulse until chopped. Scrape the onion and garlic into
the pan with the pork. Add
the mushrooms and stir well.
5)Chop
the rosemary if fresh. Sprinkle the pork mixture with 2 teaspoons of the
fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon of the dried rosemary (crushed with your
fingers), and the flour. Stir well. Add the chicken stock and soy sauce.
Stir well, cover, and bring to a boil. Uncover and cook for about 3
minutes or until pork is just tender. (Do not overcook.) Season with salt
and pepper to taste and add remaining rosemary, if desired.
6)Meanwhile,
warm the sour cream in a microwave oven at half power for 30 seconds. As
soon as the potatoes are tender, drain and put into the food processor
with the sour cream, butter and salt and pepper to taste. Pulse just until
combined but not completely smooth. (Do not overprocess.) Serve with the
pork.
Serves
4.
Per
serving: 694 calories, 37 grams protein, 98 grams carbohydrate,
19 grams fat, 3.8 grams saturated fat,
73 mg cholesterol, 441 mg sodium.
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