The Minimalist Cooks Dinner (6 page)
Read The Minimalist Cooks Dinner Online
Authors: Mark Bittman
| WINE | Dry (fino) sherry or beer |
| SERVE WITH | I don’t call it “whole-meal” soup for nothing |
START WITH
canned chicken stock if you must, but don’t skip the step of simmering it briefly with the garlic and ginger, which will give it a decidedly Chinese flavor.
DO NOT OVERCOOK
the noodles. If you use thin ones, they’ll be ready almost immediately after you add them to the simmering stock.
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Add a dried chile to the stock along with the ginger and garlic.
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For the chicken, substitute diced Chinese sausage, or diced raw or roast pork, or roast duck; or use a combination.
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For the broccoli, substitute snow or snap peas or green beans, or use a combination. Minced carrots are also good.
Creamy or
Low-Fat
Even as they become increasingly common, there remains something special, even exotic, about mushrooms. And combining their various forms allows you to make a splendid and impressive soup in less than half an hour. The choices you make determine whether you have a light-tasting, low-fat, dark soup or a rich, creamy traditional soup. In the first, you use olive oil, tomatoes, and parsley. In the second, butter and cream—though not outrageous amounts of either. The soups are both delicious and quite different from one another.
TIME:
30 to 45 minutes
MAKES:
4 servings
2 ounces dried mushrooms (about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons (¼ stick) unsalted butter
6 to 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced shallots Water or stock
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste
Chopped chervil or parsley, optional
Combine the dried mushrooms in a saucepan with 5 cups water; bring to a boil, cover, turn the heat to low, and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until tender.
Meanwhile, put the butter in a skillet and turn the heat to medium-high. When the butter melts, add the sliced fresh mushrooms and turn the heat to high. Cook, stirring occasionally and seasoning with salt and pepper, until they give up their liquid and begin to brown. When the dried mushrooms are tender, scoop them from the liquid with a slotted spoon and add them to the skillet, along with the shallots. When all the fresh mushrooms are browned and the shallots are tender, about 3 minutes later, turn off the heat.
Strain the mushroom-cooking liquid through a cheesecloth-, napkin-, or towel-lined strainer; measure it and add water or stock to make sure there are at least 4 cups. Rinse the saucepan and return the liquid to it. Add the mushrooms and cream and heat through; taste and adjust the seasoning. Add the lemon juice, taste once more, garnish with chervil if you like, and serve.
| WINE | Dry sherry would be ideal, or a big, rich Chardonnay from Burgundy or California |
| SERVE WITH | A rich soup that, with 60-Minute Bread or good store-bought bread and Simple Green Salad , could be a meal. Or follow it with a light main course of chicken or fish. |
SIMMERING DRIED MUSHROOMS
produces a flavorful broth, but it must be strained well to remove any traces of grit.
THE BEST-TASTING
dried mushrooms are dried porcini (also called cépes), which have come down about 50 percent in price over the last few years. Or you can start with inexpensive dried shiitakes, readily available in Asian markets (where they’re also called black mushrooms), or any other dried fungi, or an assortment.
AN ASSORTMENT
of fresh mushrooms is best, but you can simply rely on ordinary button (white) mushrooms or shiitakes (whose stems, by the way, are too tough to eat).
FAST, CREAMY MUSHROOM SOUP
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In step 3, add the cream and half the mushrooms to the mushroom liquid and purée. Reheat and garnish with the remaining mushrooms, heating them through before serving.
FAST, LOW-FAT MUSHROOM SOUP
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Cook 1 chopped medium onion, or 3 or 4 chopped shallots along with the fresh mushrooms in step 2.
TIME:
30 to 45 minutes
MAKES:
4 servings
2 ounces dried mushrooms (about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
6 to 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 cup diced tomatoes (canned are fine; don’t bother to drain)
Water or stock
Chopped fresh parsley leaves, optional
Combine the dried mushrooms in a saucepan with 5 cups water; bring to a boil, cover, turn the heat to low, and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until tender.
Meanwhile put the oil into a skillet, turn the heat to medium-high, and heat for a minute. Add the fresh mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally and seasoning with salt and pepper, until they give up their liquid and begin to brown. When the dried mushrooms are tender, scoop them from the liquid with a slotted spoon and add them to the skillet, along with the garlic and tomatoes. When all the fresh mushrooms are browned and the tomatoes are juicy, about 3 minutes later, turn off the heat.
Strain the mushroom-cooking liquid through a cheesecloth-, napkin-, or towel-lined strainer; measure it and add water or stock to make sure there are at least 4 cups. Rinse the saucepan and return the liquid to it. Add the mushroom-tomato mixture and heat through; taste and adjust the seasoning. Garnish with the parsley if you like, and serve.
| WINE | Châteauneuf-du-Pape or another sturdy red |
| SERVE WITH | 60-Minute Bread or good store-bought bread |
PASTA WITH ANCHOVIES AND ARUGULA
PASTA WITH GREEN BEANS, POTATOES, AND PESTO
LINGUINE WITH TOMATO-ANCHOVY SAUCE
STIR-FRIED NOODLES WITH SHRIMP
FRESH CHINESE NOODLES WITH BROWN SAUCE
Risotto Style
TIME:
30 minutes
MAKES:
3 to 4 servings
Why not cook pasta as you do risotto? That is, add broth a bit at a time and stir frequently, with the goal being a creamy, quickly made pasta (no waiting for the requisite gallon of water to boil!) that requires only marginally more attention than the standard variety. The concept is simple, it makes sense—pasta, like Arborio and other rices used for risotto, is plenty starchy enough—and it just takes the use of good stock and a vegetable to make the dish delicious.
1 pound asparagus
3 tablespoons butter or extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 pound penne, gemelli, or other cut pasta
6 to 8 cups good beef or chicken stock, heated
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, optional
Break the woody ends from the asparagus and peel the stalks if necessary. (If you use thin asparagus you won’t have to peel them at all; thicker asparagus should be peeled from the bottom of the flower to the end of the stalk.) Break or cut off the flower ends and cut the stems into ½-inch sections (it looks a little nicer if you cut the stems on a diagonal, but this is hardly essential).
Put 1½ tablespoons butter or oil in a deep 10- or 12-inch skillet or a broad saucepan and turn the heat to medium-high. When the butter melts, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally until softened and beginning to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally until it begins to brown, about 5 minutes more.
Add a ladleful of stock. As the stock is absorbed and the pasta swells, add more stock and continue to stir once in a while, until the pasta is beginning to become tender,
about 5 minutes. Add the asparagus stalks and continue to add stock as needed, until the pasta is just about done, another 5 minutes or so.Add the asparagus tips and a little more stock, stirring until the tips are crisp-tender, the pasta is cooked to your liking, and the mixture is moist but not soupy (add a little more stock if necessary). Stir in the remaining 1½ tablespoons butter or oil and the cheese and serve.
