Mark Bittman's Quick and Easy Recipes from the New York Times (42 page)

After that, making the tomato paste takes just a moment. Traditionally, the tomatoes are pounded, usually with garlic, in a mortar and pestle. I use a small food processor and like the resulting texture very much.

1.
Put the tomatoes and a tablespoon or so of their oil in a small food processor along with the garlic and a good pinch of salt. Process until fairly smooth, stopping the machine and stirring down the mixture with a rubber spatula as necessary.

2.
Add the basil and lemon juice if you like; pulse the machine a few times to blend. Remove the paste from the machine and stir in, by hand, the nuts and just enough additional oil to make the mixture silky rather than oily. Taste and adjust the seasoning. The sauce will keep, covered with a thin layer of oil and refrigerated in a tightly covered container, for at least a week. But its flavor is best when served immediately.

WHERE TO USE SUN-DRIED TOMATO SAUCE

Some of the many uses for this sauce:

• As a pasta sauce, but sparingly, and thinned with a little of the hot pasta-cooking water

• As a spread on bread or sandwiches

• As a dip for raw vegetables or crackers

• As a condiment for chicken or fish

• As a sauce for cooked bland vegetables, such as boiled potatoes

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

TIME: 10 MINUTES

WHILE THE BEST
way to eat figs is out of hand—few fruits are as delicious when ripe—there are rewarding ways to use them in recipes; this fig relish is one of them. It is especially brilliant on grilled swordfish or tuna (try it on
Grilled Fish the Mediterranean Way
), but nearly as good with grilled or broiled chicken (especially dark meat), pork, lamb, or beef. Note that all of these foods contain some fat; because the relish is so lean, combining it with nonfatty meats or fish—such as boneless chicken or flounder—produces a dish that seems to lack substance.

Gently rinse and stem the figs; chop them into about ¼-inch pieces, being sure to catch all of their juices. Toss in a bowl with the capers, lemon zest and juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Just before serving (you can wait up to 2 hours), add the herbs, then taste and adjust the seasonings.

VARIATIONS

• Add a tiny amount (¼ teaspoon or so) of minced garlic. Alternatively, crush a garlic clove and let it sit in the mixture for a few minutes, then fish it out just before serving.

• Add 1 teaspoon or more minced shallot.

• Add a couple tablespoons chopped olives or anchovies.

• Substitute lime zest and juice or mild vinegar for the lemon.

• Change the herbs; 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or rosemary in place of the basil makes the relish considerably more pungent.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

TIME: 20 MINUTES

IT ISN’T OFTEN
that you can make a condiment with a single dried ingredient, but since dried mushrooms have become widely available, that occurrence has become more common. If you simmer dried mushrooms until tender, then toss them in a blender with their cooking liquid, you get a thick puree, potent and delicious, something you can use wherever you’d use salsa or even ketchup.

You can use any dried mushrooms for this condiment, from the extremely inexpensive shiitakes (also called “black mushrooms”) sold at Asian markets to the prince of dried mushrooms, the porcini. Smoky porcini (usually imported from Chile or Poland) are really good here.

1.
Combine the mushrooms with 2½ cups of water in a 4-or 6-cup saucepan and turn the heat to medium-high. Bring to a boil, then adjust the heat so the mixture simmers gently. Cook until the mushrooms are tender, about 15 minutes.

2.
Remove the mushrooms with a slotted spoon and put in a blender. Strain the liquid through a paper towel put in a sieve or through a couple of layers of cheesecloth; there will be about 1 cup. Add most of the liquid to the mushrooms and puree, adding the remaining liquid if necessary to allow the machine to do its work.

3.
Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve or cover and refrigerate for up to a couple of days.

VARIATIONS

While the basic sauce—mushroom, salt, pepper, and water—is surprisingly complex, you can give it additional depth by adding one—or all—of the following to the blender during step 2:

• A peeled shallot or small garlic clove

• 1 teaspoon or more fresh thyme leaves (or ½ teaspoon dried)

• 1 tablespoon or more port, tomato paste, or soy sauce In each case, be sure to taste the puree before you remove it from the blender; the mushroom flavor is so strong that it may take a relatively large quantity of a complementary ingredient to make an impression.

MAKES AT LEAST 4 SERVINGS

TIME: ABOUT 1 HOUR

ROASTED RED PEPPER
puree is incredibly useful, easy to make, and delicious—you can eat it with a spoon. It contains two basic ingredients, red bell peppers and olive oil, and both are always readily available. And since making a batch is about as difficult as scrambling an egg, and the puree keeps fairly well, there’s little reason not to have some on hand. If you are so inclined, you can flavor it with any number of herbs (thyme, basil, and parsley are fine) or spices, like cumin or chile powder (or minced chiles). I usually leave the sauce unadulterated.

Of course you can use bottled or canned preroasted peppers (“pimientos”) here, though the results will not be as fresh tasting.

1.
Preheat the oven to 500°F. Line a roasting pan with enough aluminum foil to fold over the top later. Put the bell peppers in the pan and the pan in the oven. Roast, turning the peppers about every 10 minutes, until they collapse, about 40 minutes.

2.
Fold the foil over the peppers and allow them to cool. Working over a bowl, remove the core, skin, and seeds from each of the peppers, reserving some of the liquid.

3.
Put the pepper pulp in a food processor with about 2 tablespoons of the reserved liquid. Add a large pinch of salt and turn on the machine; drizzle the oil in through the feed tube. Stop the machine, then taste and add more salt and/or olive oil if necessary. Store, well covered, in the refrigerator (for several days) or the freezer (up to a month).

VARIATIONS

• Add a couple tablespoons of puree to the cooking liquid of any simmering grain—rice, couscous, or quinoa, for example.

• Use in place of or with tomatoes in pasta sauce. For example, sauté several vegetables and bind them with the puree during the last minute of cooking.

• Fold into omelets or scrambled eggs, with or without cooked vegetables.

• Combine with chopped fresh basil, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, and minced garlic for a pesto-like pasta sauce.

• Emulsify with fresh lemon juice, salt, and pepper to make a beautiful salad dressing.

• Spread on crostini or pizza before baking.

• Use as a finishing sauce for roasted eggplant, zucchini, or other vegetables.

• Serve as a condiment with grilled or roasted fish, meat, or chicken.

• Stir into soups or stews just before serving.

• Mash a couple tablespoons of puree, with a little olive oil, minced garlic, and cracked black pepper, into fresh, salty cheese—like feta or goat—to make a dip for bread or vegetables.

MAKES ABOUT 2/3 CUP

TIME: 10 MINUTES

IT’S HARD TO IMAGINE
five minutes in the kitchen better spent than those spent making vinaigrette, the closest thing to an all-purpose sauce.

The standard ratio for making vinaigrette is three parts oil to one part vinegar, but because the vinegars I use are mild and extra virgin olive oil is quite assertive, I usually wind up at about two parts oil to one part vinegar, or even a little stronger. Somewhere in that range you’re going to find a home for your own taste; start by using a ratio of three to one and taste, adding more vinegar until you’re happy. (You may even prefer more vinegar than olive oil; there’s nothing wrong with that.)

Be sure to use good wine vinegar; balsamic and sherry vinegars, while delicious, are too dominant for some salads, fine for others. Lemon juice is a fine substitute, but because it is less acidic than most vinegars—3 or 4 percent compared to 6 or 7 percent—you will need more of it.

The ingredients may be combined with a spoon, a fork, a whisk, or a blender. Hand tools give you an unconvincing emulsion that must be used immediately. Blenders produce vinaigrettes that very much resemble thin mayonnaise in color and thickness—without using egg. They also dispose of the job of mincing the shallot; just peel, chop, and dump it into the container at the last minute (if you add it earlier, it will be pureed, depriving you of the pleasure of its distinctive crunch).

This is best made fresh but will keep, refrigerated, for a few days. Bring it back to room temperature and whisk briefly before using it.

1.
Combine all ingredients except the shallot in a blender and turn the machine on; a creamy emulsion will form within 30 seconds. Taste and add more vinegar, a teaspoon or two at a time, until the balance tastes right to you.

2.
Add the shallot and turn the machine on and off a few times until the shallot is minced within the dressing. Taste, adjust the seasoning, and serve.

VARIATIONS

You can integrate almost anything that appeals to you into your vinaigrette. Some quick ideas, many of which may be combined:

• Any fresh or dried herb, fresh by the teaspoon or tablespoon, dried by the pinch

• Minced fresh garlic and/or peeled ginger to taste

• Soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, meat or vegetable stock, or other liquid seasonings, as much as 1 tablespoon

• Honey or other sweeteners to taste

• Whole-grain or dry mustard to taste

• Cayenne or hot red pepper flakes, minced fresh hot chiles, or grated or prepared horseradish to taste

• Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or other hard cheese, or crumbled Roquefort or other blue cheese, at least 1 tablespoon

• Capers or minced pickles, preferably cornichons, at least 1 tablespoon

• Sour cream, yogurt, or pureed soft tofu, about 2 tablespoons

• Ground spices, such as curry powder, five-spice powder, or nutmeg, in very small quantities

MAKES 1 CUP

TIME: 10 MINUTES

WHETHER YOU WORK
by hand or with a blender or food processor, it takes just five minutes to make mayonnaise, and when you’re done you have a flavorful, creamy dressing that is so far superior to the bottled stuff you may not recognize it as the same thing. Next to vinaigrette, it’s the most useful of all dressings, and despite its luxurious nature it contains little saturated fat. If you’re worried about the health aspects of using a raw egg, start with bottled mayonnaise and beat in a little oil and/or any of the suggested additions.

1.
To make the mayonnaise by hand: Combine the egg, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. Use a wire whisk to combine, then add the oil in a thin, steady stream, beating all the while. When the mixture becomes thick and creamy, you can add the oil a little faster. When it is all integrated, whisk in the lemon juice. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

To make the mayonnaise in a blender or food processor: Combine
the egg, mustard, and salt and pepper in the machine’s container and pulse on and off a few times. With the machine running, slowly add the oil through the top or feed tube. When the mixture becomes thick and creamy, you can add the oil a little faster. When it is all integrated, pulse in the lemon juice. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

2
. If the mayonnaise is thicker than you like (a distinct possibility if you’re using a machine), thin with warm water, sweet cream, or sour cream.

VARIATIONS

Like vinaigrette, the flavor of mayonnaise can be varied almost infinitely. Many of the suggested ingredients can be combined; use your judgment.