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Flavor,
Organization, Focus, and Creativity
Cooking to Beat the
Clock is
based on four principles, which will enable you not just to pick out a recipe here and
there, but to develop a lifelong strategy for fast meals, regardless of how long they
take. They are flavor, organization, focus
and creativity.
Flavor
Flavor means a pantry—which in this book also includes the
refrigerator and freezer—well stocked with ingredients that, whenever possible
"do double duty in flavor and texture. That’s what shrinks time," says
Andrew Schloss, author of "Cooking with Three Ingredients" and an old classmate
of mine at the Restaurant School in Philadelphia.
For example, with a richly flavored extra virgin olive oil and an
equally intense balsamic or red wine vinegar, you don’t need much more than salt and
pepper for a first-rate vinaigrette. Yes, you may have to pay more for these ingredients,
but don’t we always pay a little extra for convenience? And isn’t a
superior-tasting final product worth it?
In addition to packing as much flavor and texture as possible, a
well-stocked pantry means you’re less likely to run out for last-minute ingredients,
a double whammy if you’re in a rush. Substitutions can also be made more easily with
a full arsenal of foodstuffs. Don’t have pinto beans? Kidney beans will probably do.
Chicken stock can sometimes be used in place of clam juice. Arrowroot for cornstarch.
The following are a few pantry suggestions from the extensive list
in the book. All relate to the recipes in the book, though some have much broader uses.
Use them as a guide, adding or subtracting items to suit your own needs. For example, if
you do a lot of Asian cooking, you may want to include ingredients such as hoisin or
oyster sauce. Conversely, if you hate sardines, why keep them around?
Beans, canned.
An excellent source of fiber and nonmeat protein. Quality can vary among brands,
especially for cannellini beans, which can be mushy. However, chickpeas are generally
good. These two varieties and black beans make up the canned bean triumvirate in my
pantry. I usually also stock red kidney, pink, or pinto beans and perhaps navy, Great
Northern beans, or other white beans.
Cheese
- Parmesan: The most versatile and important cheese in the world. Use
the real thing, Parmigiano-Reggiano; it’s worth the extra cost. Though freshly grated
Parmesan is always best, for convenience buy it already grated (or grate a large amount
yourself) and store it in the freezer where it will it keep for a few months. Aged Asiago
and dry aged Jack cheese are alternatives to Parmesan.
- Pecorino: A
sheep’s milk grating cheese with more bite than Parmesan. Locatelli is probably the
best-known brand. Store it like Parmesan, already grated in the freezer for convenience.
Grains
- Bulgur:
Steamed, dried, and crushed wheat kernels now commonly available in cereal-size boxes in
supermarkets. When sold in bulk, mostly in ethnic markets and health food stores, bulgur
often comes in two or three different grinds. I prefer the medium grind.
- Couscous: Actually a
kind of pasta, though used like a grain. It is almost always found in instant form but the
quality is often good.
- Polenta: Cornmeal mush
that traditionally takes at least 30 minutes prepare on the stove with lots of stirring.
Cooked in a microwave oven, however, polenta can be done in under 15 minutes. Instant
polenta takes only a few minutes on top of the stove.
- Rice: With the
exception of Lundberg Quick Brown Rice, which is used in the Seafood Pilaf with Saffron
and Peas, I use basmati rice exclusively in this book because this slender, long-grain,
Indian rice cooks quicker than normal long-grain rice. It’s also so fragrant and
flavorful it doesn’t need any embellishment. Indian basmati is available in many
supermarkets as well as by mail order. Basmati is also produced in the United States as
Texmati and in California by Lundberg. Long-grain rice can be substituted in many of the
dishes, though it is not as fragrant or flavorful and takes longer to cook.
Herbs
- Fresh: Most
major supermarkets carry at least several fresh herbs. I use mint, basil, thyme, chives,
and cilantro most often. For parsley, I prefer the more flavorful flat-leaf, or Italian,
parsley to the curly type. Fresh herbs will last up to one week, loosely stored in plastic
bags in the crisper section of the refrigerator.
- Dried: Though fresh
herbs are invariably better than dried, they’re not always convenient. Some herbs,
particularly sage leaves (not ground), thyme, rosemary, mint, and marjoram, transfer their
flavors relatively well from the fresh to the dried form. Oregano does too, but only Greek
oregano, which can be purchased in bunches in Middle Eastern markets, or Sicilian oregano,
which is similarly packaged and sold in better food stores. If you can’t find either
or can’t get them by mail use dried mint or marjoram or fresh herbs. Stay away from
what I call pizza oregano, that acrid stuff that comes in shakers in pizza parlors. Herbs
de Provence, a blend that includes thyme and rosemary, is a terrific all-purpose
seasoning. And bay leaves, an essential seasoning, are almost always purchased dried. When
well-sealed and stored away from the stove, dried herbs can keep from six months to one
year, depending on their pungency. (Stronger rosemary, for example, lasts longer than
thyme.)
Oils
- Nut and seed oils: Walnut
oil is the most common, but almond and hazelnut oils are also great in cold
preparations—especially when fruit is used. However, only one of these is necessary
to keep in your pantry. I especially like those from Loriva, which have a rich, toasted
flavor (as does the company’s peanut oil). Toasted sesame oil is a great flavor
enhancer in Asian dishes; a little goes a long way.
- Olive oil: Use
the more flavorful extra virgin type in cold preparations like salads, or in cooked dishes
where the oil is drizzled in at the very end to enhance the flavor. Find the specific oil
you like, regardless of where it comes from, by experimenting, much like tasting wine.
Always go for intense flavor. For sautéing or frying, pure olive oil or a lower grade of
extra virgin is fine.
- Other oils: When a neutral cooking oil is called for I use canola oil for its
heart-healthy qualities and relatively high smoke point. There are also many flavored oils
on the market such as those with basil, roasted garlic, and hot peppers. These are obvious
time-savers because you eliminate at least one ingredient. I like the Consorzio line in
particular. Well sealed in a cool, dry place, oils will last several months or more.
I’m not in favor of refrigerating oils. Better to buy smaller amounts and turn them
over.
Onion family.
Though perishable, onions, garlic, shallots, and scallions are pantry staples because I
use them so regularly and they are available year-round.
- Any white, Spanish, or yellow onion
is fine in recipes that call for cooked onions. Buy different sizes so that you’ll
have what is called for in the recipe. In this book, a small onion is about 4 ounces, a
medium about 8 ounces, and a large about 12 ounces. When a raw onion is needed, use a
sweet onion like Vidalia, Walla Walla, or Maui—all of which have less of a
bite—or a red onion, which is usually between a Spanish onion and sweet onion in
intensity. I store white or Spanish onions in the refrigerator—where they’ll
last several weeks—because the cold helps to neutralize the compounds that cause
tearing when onions are chopped. Sweet and red onions should be kept cool but not
refrigerated and consumed within a few weeks.
- Whole heads of garlic
are available year round and will last several weeks without refrigeration if kept cool.
When a clove is called for in a recipe, it should be good size one. Like garlic, shallots
are available year round and will last several weeks without refrigeration if kept cool.
Onions mixed with garlic are a decent substitute. Scallions are not because they are too
mild. Scallions, also known as green onions, are available year round. The green tops can
be substituted for chives as a garnish. In the crisper section of the refrigerator,
they’ll last up to five days.
Pasta. I use
dried pasta almost exclusively at home because, in addition to being incredibly
convenient, it is consistently good. I prefer pasta imported from Italy and choose from
among several brands. American pastas have improved in recent years, so try different
brands until you find the one you like. I use dried capellini primarily in this book
because it cooks the fastest among dried pastas. If you want to use dried pasta other than
capellini, it will take longer to cook. Fresh pasta, regardless of the shape, cooks as
fast as or faster than dried capellini. More and more supermarkets are carrying fresh
pasta in a variety of shapes. While dried pasta, as the saying goes, lasts longer than
most marriages, fresh pasta should be used within a few weeks if sealed and kept under
refrigeration.
Roasted Red Bell Peppers.
Seeded and peeled and packed in jars, they are an essential pantry item because they
can be used in pasta salads, sauces, omelet fillings, and as part of an antipasto platter.
Though expensive, the Spanish piquillo sweet red peppers, which are roasted over a wood
fire, are sensational, velvety and full of flavor. Available at specialty stores or
by mail.
Seafood, canned.
- Anchovies:
Most commonly available filleted and packed either flat in 2-ounce cans or upright in
jars. (Don’t use fillets wrapped around capers.) I prefer the hand-filleted Ortiz
Spanish anchovies, which are meaty and not very salty. They come in 4-ounce tins and are
available in specialty-food shops or by mail order. If you use only chopped anchovies, and
not very often, anchovy paste in tubes may be more appropriate. It lasts several months in
the refrigerator.
- Clams: Minced or chopped (I prefer chopped) and packed in round cans,
like tuna. After tuna, the most versatile canned seafood for chowders and pastas.
- Tuna: In recent years I’ve switched from fancy albacore packed in
water to light or albacore packed in olive oil because the latter has so much more flavor
for everyday eating as well as specific dishes like the Pantry Antipasto or Salade
Nicoise. Progresso is a widely available brand of very high quality olive-oil packed tuna.
- Other: Salmon,
sardines, mussels, crab, and shrimp are not used in this book but are candidates for
pantry stocking. For example, mussels could be used in quick pasta dishes (like canned
clams) and sardines could be a part of an antipasto platter.
Spices. While
ground seasonings are the most convenient, whole spices, like coffee in bean form, give
more flavor and aroma when freshly ground in a spice mill, such as a coffee grinder used
exclusively for spices. Specific whole spices I use are cumin, allspice, dried ginger
root, black pepper (ground in a pepper mill), and nutmeg (grated with a nutmeg grater). I
grind small batches of cumin, allspice, and ginger so I always have some that is as close
to freshly ground as possible. Black pepper and nutmeg are ground as needed.
Other important spices in my kitchen include hot pepper flakes,
cayenne pepper, saffron (threads, not ground), curry powder, and paprika. I use less often
Chinese five-spice powder, caraway seeds, chili powder, juniper berries, fennel seeds, and
dried chilies (ancho, New Mexico, and reconstituted chipotle peppers in tomato sauce). See
Mail Order Sources if these less used spices are not readily available to you. I keep a
jar of pickled sliced jalapeno peppers in the refrigerator (where they last for months) as
an alternative to fresh jalapenos. Though technically perishable, fresh ginger is always
part of my spice pantry. To keep cut ginger from molding, wrap it in a paper towel and put
it in a plastic bag in the refrigerator where it will last a few weeks or more.
Vinegar. A
great source of nonfat flavor in cold and hot dishes, and a good substitute for alcohol
when deglazing skillets for a quick sauce in sautéed dishes. I use balsamic, sherry, and
red wine vinegars most often. Balsamics come in many quality levels; the better ones are
good enough to use as sauces or dressings by themselves. Raspberry is the most common of
the many delicious fruit vinegars. Consorzio makes wonderful passion fruit and mango
vinegars. Most fruit vinegars are less acidic than wine vinegars. If I want less acid but
no fruit, I use cider vinegar or rice wine vinegar.
Organization
Organization means a well-equipped batterie de cuisine, the
right equipment to simplify and speed up meal preparation. You don’t need anything
fancy or expensive, but I recommend several items, some of which you may already have.
I can’t imagine having tested the recipes for this book without
my hefty 12-inch nonstick skillet. A good 12-inch skillet—or larger if you have the
stovetop space—is the most important and versatile tool for 15-minute meals. It
usually enables you to sauté enough meat for four people without crowding the pan.
Crowding steams the meat instead of sautéing it. Large skillets also allow liquids to
reduce faster for sauces because they have more surface area. More significant is the
thickness of the metal. A heavier gauge metal (especially one with an aluminum core)
conducts heat more evenly. This is important because you’ll be cooking at high
temperatures most of the time. A nonstick surface enables you to use less fat.
A wide surface area is also a good reason for getting a large deep
skillet (also known as a sauté pan), one with a diameter of 12 inches and a capacity of 4
quarts or more. It should also have a cover and a short handle opposite the standard long
handle for easy carrying to the table or counter. This larger capacity skillet will enable
you to do braised dishes, stews, and soups in record time. Again, you’ll want a heavy
gauge metal and preferably a nonstick surface.
I like to use 9-or 10-inch cast-iron skillets for frittatas and
Spanish tortillas, the two omelets that go under the broiler. For breads like the pita
breads in the Middle Eastern Lamb with Cucumber Salad and the baguette slices in the
15-Minute Bouillabaisse that also go under the broiler, I use a shallow baking pan or
baking sheet.
My wok has sat permanently on my stove for years, which should give
you some indication of how often I use it. It is particularly good for fast meals because,
in addition to being used for stir-frying, sautéing, braising, and steaming, it can be
used as a mixing bowl. Invert the ring that comes with the wok so it sits closer to the
flame, giving you greater heat intensity. I’ve found that electric stoves at full
blast provide more heat than gas ranges.
I generally use only two saucepans, one with a 2-quart capacity for
rice and the like, and a larger heavy pan for polenta, risotto, and pilafs. For smaller
jobs like warming the milk for the Turkey Cutlets with Garlic Smashed Potatoes or the
liquor in Steak Diane with Parslied Potatoes, it’s good to have a 1-quart saucepan.
An 8-quart capacity pasta pot is essential, not just for pasta but
for boiling, steaming, and poaching as well. Smaller pasta pots can boil over while
you’re performing another task. You might also consider a pasta pot with its own
colander insert. That way you can easily dump the drained pasta next door into the wok and
just as easily add some of the cooking water to the preparation, which several of the
pasta recipes require. Failing that, a large, separate colander (about 12 inches in
diameter) will work. When draining the pasta in the sink, I put a large stainless steel
mixing bowl underneath to catch the cooking water if some is needed for the recipe. (Or
you could quickly stick the pasta pot underneath.)
Though I advocate getting a butcher to pound meat like pork
tenderloins or chicken breasts into medallions and cutlets for faster cooking, not all of
us have that luxury. So you’ll probably need a meat pounder. This is a flat piece of
heavy metal that may be round or rectangular and is attached to a handle (not to be
confused with a toothy meat tenderizer). The side of a weighty cleaver will also do the
job.
A salad spinner whips moisture from salad greens through the slats
of an inner chamber into an outer chamber where it falls to the bottom. It works much
faster than draining on a colander. For greens that are not particularly gritty, you can
also soak them in the spinner, rather than using the sink. This also saves time.
A food processor is no longer a luxury. And for quick meals
it’s a necessity. For chopping and puréeing and for making no-cook sauces and
dressings, a food processor can’t be beat. I use the stainless steel blade 90 percent
of the time but I also recommend using the shredding and slicing attachments. If you
don’t have a food processor, you’ll need to add a few minutes to the preparation
time for recipes that use it.
While the microwave oven is in over 90 percent of households, many
people use this device only for defrosting or reheating. But the microwave does a good job
cooking vegetables and it cooks rice, potatoes, and bulgur faster. (It also makes easy
polenta, though not as fast as instant.) The microwave also frees up more room on the
stove. Still, I don’t use it extensively and I give conventional cooking methods as
alternatives when I do. Most of my microwave cooking is done in a two-quart glass
casserole with a cover that can be used on the stove.
You should have several mixing bowls, ideally a set of stainless
steel mixing bowls with different capacities, including at least one that is quite large
for fast mixing of main-course salads. In a pinch you can use a pasta pot or a wok.
The only knives you’ll need are a sharp chef’s knife about
8 inches in length, a similarly well-honed paring knife, and perhaps a serrated knife for
things like tomatoes and bread. It’s important that knives always be sharp. Nothing
slows cooking down more than dull knives. Most of us don’t have the time to get our
knives sharpened professionally, so I recommend a sharpening machine like Chef’s
Choice. Merely using a sharpening steel isn’t enough.
Peeling, except for garlic and onions, goes a lot faster with a
swivel-bladed vegetable peeler, especially one with a fat, easy-grip handle. For peeling
garlic I use a garlic peeler, a rubber tube that removes the peel with a quick
back-and-forth motion. (A rubber jar-cap opener can be substituted.)
Other utensils include a four-sided grater, (for cheeses and
vegetables), a small colander or strainer for draining and rinsing canned beans, a
heavy-duty can opener, tongs for turning meat, a wide metal spatula, a potato masher, a
timer (preferably magnetized), a hand juicer, rubber spatulas, wooden spoons, wire whisks,
a pasta fork, glass measuring cups for liquids, stainless steel measuring cups for dry
ingredients, stainless steel measuring spoons, and a pepper mill.
Nice but not essential: an egg cutter, which can be used to slice
kiwifruit and mushrooms, a nutmeg grater, and a cocktail fork to extricate capers from a
jar.
Focus
Focus means being single-minded about getting the meal out in a
hurry. It begins soon as you walk in the door and put a pot of water on to boil and turn
the oven to broil. Focus means the question, "How was your day, dear?" has to be
asked and answered while eating dinner, not cooking it. No sipping of wine,
listening to the news on the radio or sifting through the mail. Get in there and get it
done, then be as leisurely as you want afterwards.
When I was ready to test each of the recipes for this book, my wife
went into her office and closed the door. Then I set the timer and didn’t look up
until the meal was ready, 15 minutes or less later. I prepared all of the meals myself,
and having done so I honestly think it’s easier for one person to handle the task,
especially in a small kitchen. Two people can get in each other’s way. Let the person
who isn’t cooking do everything else for the meal, from setting the table to opening
the wine.
Though just about every cookbook tells readers to scan the entire
recipe before cooking a dish it, they don’t always do so. (I’ve been guilty
myself more often than I care do admit.) Well, this time we really mean it. To make
the recipes in this book work as quickly and efficiently as possible, you should read them
through first. Most people know enough to get out the ingredients because they’re
listed, but they often fail to read the method for what equipment is needed. You
don’t want to be in the middle of a recipe and then go searching for a vegetable
peeler or saucepan, only to find it is dirty in the dishwasher—or not find it at all.
Remember that the timing of these recipes begins when all ingredients and equipment are
laid out and ready to go.
Having equipment within easy reach is important. Because I often use
the food processor I keep it almost at arm’s length. I suggest you do the same. That
avoids rattling around in the cupboards. The same philosophy holds true for other
equipment that you use often. Pots, pans, dishes, and utensils should be quickly available
and not require a foot stool or deep knee bends to find. Put the dim sum molds, spaetzle
mills, and other seldom-used items in the back of a drawer or in the far recesses of a
cabinet.
Give yourself as much counter space as possible, even if it means
putting a few things on the floor temporarily. My kitchen is so small that I routinely use
the top of the refrigerator and the top of the microwave oven as holding areas.
Focus provides something even more important than speed—safety.
Looking one way while performing a task in another direction is a recipe for injury. By
being single-minded on the task at hand, you’ll get it done quickly, enabling you to
move on to the next one.
You’ll notice that recipes will frequently say,
"Meanwhile…" or "While the meat cooks…" This is simply a way
of letting you know that at the same time you are actively performing a task, something
else is taking care of itself. For example, in the Pan Fried Snapper with Tomato Salsa and
Basmati Rice, three things are going on at once. The salsa is being made while the
rice cooks and the snapper sautés. You may be unaccustomed to managing such simultaneous
tasks, but soon you’ll feel comfortable with the rhythm.
Creativity
Creativity involves strategies for preparing meals in minutes,
thinking beyond recipes so you don’t always have to follow a specific formula.
I realize that there is a certain comfort in following recipes. And
I’m confident that the recipes in this book are good enough to be prepared again and
again. Nevertheless, it’s also my hope that you’ll use the recipes as a
springboard, a blueprint if you will, to create many more 15-minute meals on your own.
To do this you need to think about concepts, rather than specific
formulas. For example, Beef and Asparagus Stir Fry is a meat and vegetable stir-fry when
you break it down. If the meat isn’t beef, it could be pork or lamb. Or it could be
poultry, either turkey or chicken. Seafood might be shrimp, scallops, or cubes of tuna or
swordfish. Vegetables might include string beans, broccoli, or several varieties of summer
squash in lieu of asparagus. Obviously cooking times will vary, but you get the picture.
Chicken Fajitas with Mango Salsa is a stir-fry wrap sandwich with a
sauce or salsa. The filling could be beef, lamb, or pork accompanied by onions or bell
peppers in colors other than the red ones called for in the original recipe. The salsa
could be one made with tomatillos, jicama, or avocados, and the tortillas could be corn or
whole wheat instead of white flour tortillas.
Add an ingredient here and there if it happens to be in the fridge
or you just feel like putting okra in the Jambalaya. Maybe you want some red in the Beef
and Asparagus Stir-Fry. So you add some sliced red bell pepper. Of course, spices can
change or vary in intensity to suit your particular taste.
Sometimes you might follow an ethnic bent. Say you’re doing a
pasta and you have fresh tomatoes around. Basil, garlic, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese
are natural accompaniments. But you could just as easily go Greek with feta cheese,
kalamata olives, and oregano. An Asian marinade for chicken breasts might be soy sauce,
sesame oil, rice vinegar, and fresh ginger. A Middle Eastern twist could include cumin,
garlic, coriander, lemon juice, and olive oil.
Once you feel confident, you might want to try some cross-cultural
flavors, like Greek-style fajitas with the cucumber salad from the Middle Eastern Lamb
with Cucumber Salad. But go easy in the beginning. Don’t just throw feta cheese and
kalamata olives together with soy sauce and ginger. Even 15-minute meals have to have some
logic and order.
