Mark Bittman's Quick and Easy Recipes from the New York Times (25 page)

2.
Cook until the meat reaches 120°F on an instant-read thermometer; 125°F if you prefer medium-rare. Remove the meat and let it sit for about 5 minutes, then cut into ½- to 1-inch-thick slices. Serve immediately, with the garnishes.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

TIME: 3 TO 4 HOURS, LARGELY UNATTENDED

WHEN YOU’RE MAKING
a pot roast, the vegetables you add at the beginning contribute to the development of the sauce, but those at the end draw on the sauce for flavor (like the turnip or rutabaga in this dish), often making them the best part.

You can skip browning the meat to save time (and mess) if necessary. Yes, browning creates complexity, but there is so much flavor in this particular pot roast that subtle complexity is overwhelmed.

1.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat, add the roast (you can cover the pot loosely to reduce spattering), and sear for about 5 minutes on each side, or until nicely browned. While the meat is browning, combine the soy sauce, ginger, star anise, and 2 cups of water in a casserole big enough to hold the meat snugly. Bring this mixture to a boil, then adjust the heat so it simmers.

2.
When the meat is browned, add it to the simmering liquid and cover the pot. Cook, turning the meat once or twice an hour and adding more water if necessary, for about 3 hours, or until the meat is just about tender (poke it with a thin-bladed knife; when the meat is done, it will meet little resistance). Fish out the star anise and add the rutabaga, stirring to make sure it is coated with liquid (again, add more water if necessary). Re-cover and cook until the rutabaga is very tender, about 30 minutes.

3.
Remove the meat and carve it, then return it to the pot (or put it on a platter with the sauce and the rutabaga). Garnish with the scallion and serve.

VARIATION

European Pot Roast with Carrots

Use olive oil for searing. Replace the soy-water mixture, ginger, and star anise with a mixture of 2 cups red wine, 20 peeled pearl onions (the frozen ones aren’t bad), 5 peeled and lightly smashed garlic cloves, and 1 cup trimmed, chopped mushrooms. Add more wine (or water) if necessary to the simmering meat as it cooks. Substitute carrots for the rutabaga in step 2 and garnish with chopped fresh parsley in place of scallion.

MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS

TIME: ABOUT 1¼ HOURS

UNLIKE THEIR COUSIN,
the blueberry—which is sometimes used in savory cooking, although almost never successfully—cranberries are not at all sweet and so make a much more natural companion for meat.

One trick I’ve learned over the years is that dusting the meat with a sprinkling of sugar makes the browning process go much more rapidly and leaves behind a caramelized residue that lends a great complexity to the final dish. It’s not an appropriate trick for every occasion, but it’s perfect for this gutsy, appealing, and unusual pot roast.

Most pot roasts depend mightily for their flavor on the juices exuded by the meat itself, but since the meat’s contribution here is minimized by the powerful cranberry-based combination, a faster-cooking cut like tenderloin works perfectly, reducing the cooking time to just over an hour.

1.
Put the butter or oil in a casserole or skillet that can later be covered and turn the heat to medium-high. Put the sugar on a plate and dredge all surfaces of the meat in it; reserve the remaining sugar. When the butter foam subsides or the oil is hot, brown the meat on all sides, seasoning it with salt and pepper as it browns.

2.
When the meat is nicely browned, add the vinegar and cook for a minute, stirring, then add the cranberries and remaining sugar and stir. Strip the zest from the orange (you can do it in broad strips, with a small knife or vegetable peeler) and add it to the pot; juice the orange and add the juice also, along with a pinch of cayenne. Turn the heat to low and cover; the mixture should bubble but not furiously.

3.
Cook, turning the meat and stirring for about 1 hour, or until the internal temperature is 125°F to 130°F (medium-rare); you can cook it longer if you like.

4.
When the meat is done, taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Turn off the heat and let the roast rest for a few minutes, then carve and serve, with the sauce.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

TIME: 2 HOURS OR LESS

CARAMEL IS THE KEY
to what makes this dish distinctive; though it is made from sugar, it gains a certain bitterness if you cook it long enough. Chances are no one will be able to figure out how you made this.

1.
Heat a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat for a couple of minutes, then add the beef. Sear on one side until nicely browned, about 5 minutes, then sear on the other side. Transfer to a plate, turn the heat to medium, and add the onion. Season it with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 5 to 10 minutes.

2.
Return the meat to the pan and season it with salt and pepper; add the stock, bring to a boil, turn the heat to low, and cover the pan. It should bubble steadily but not vigorously. Cook until the meat is tender, at least an hour.

3.
When the meat is done, put the sugar in a small, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat; add a couple of tablespoons of water. Cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until the sugar melts and turns dark golden brown. Carefully add about half the caramel to the beef mixture, then add the lemon and soy sauce. If the mixture is appealingly salty and bitter, it is done; if it is tame, add more salt, lemon juice, pepper, and/or some of the caramel. Carve the meat and serve it with the sauce.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

TIME: AT LEAST 1 HOUR, LARGELY UNATTENDED

BEEF STEWED IN
dashi and mirin seems lighter and more delicate than beef stewed in stock or wine. It’s a dish that’s filling enough to satisfy on a fall or winter day but doesn’t have the heaviness sometimes associated with pot roasts and stews. Serve it with prepared Japanese mustard or wasabi on the side.

1.
In a large skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium-high heat, sear the meat until nicely browned; do it in 2 or 3 batches to avoid crowding. It will take only 5 minutes per batch, since it’s sufficient to brown the meat well on one side. As you finish, transfer the chunks to a medium casserole.

2.
When the meat is all browned, add the dashi to the skillet and cook over high heat, stirring and scraping occasionally, until all the solids are integrated into the liquid. Pour into the casserole with the soy sauce, mirin, ginger, and a couple of grinds of pepper. Peel the lemon and add the peel to the mixture; juice the lemon.

3.
Cover and cook on top of the stove (or in a preheated 350°F oven), maintaining a steady simmer. Stir after 30 minutes and begin to check the meat at 15-minute intervals.

4.
When the meat is tender, or nearly so, stir in the squash and continue to cook as before, checking every 15 minutes, until the squash is tender but not mushy. Add salt if necessary, then stir in the reserved lemon juice and serve.

TO MAKE DASHI

Combine 1 piece dried kelp (kombu), about 3 inches long, with 2 cups of water in a small pan over medium heat. Don’t allow the mixture to come to a boil; as soon as it is about to, turn off the heat and remove the kelp. Stir in ½ to 1 cup dried bonito flakes, let sit for a couple of minutes, then strain. Use the dashi immediately, or refrigerate for up to 2 days.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

TIME: 30 MINUTES

THIS RECIPE
, which is vaguely related to the classic chili, combines chickpeas, meat, and spices and takes advantage of all of those assets. The cooked chickpeas are sautéed over high heat until browned and slightly crisp, and the pan is ultimately deglazed with the reserved chickpea-cooking liquid.

1.
Turn the heat to high under a large, deep skillet and add the meat a little at a time, breaking it into small pieces as you do so. Stir and break up the meat a bit more, then add the chickpeas. Keep the heat high and continue to cook, stirring only occasionally, until the chickpeas begin to brown and pop, 5 to 10 minutes. Don’t worry if the mixture sticks a bit, but if it begins to scorch, lower the heat slightly.

2.
Add the cumin, chile, and garlic and cook, stirring, for about a minute. Add the reserved cooking liquid and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan if necessary to loosen any browned bits that have stuck. Season with salt and pepper, then turn the heat to medium-low; continue to cook until the mixture is no longer soupy but not completely dry.

3.
Stir in the olive oil, then taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Garnish if you like and serve immediately, with rice or pita bread.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

TIME: AT LEAST 2 HOURS, LARGELY UNATTENDED

THERE IS NO
promise of speed here: osso buco takes time. But this classic Italian dish of glorious, marrow-filled veal shanks (the name means “bone with hole”), braised until they are fork-tender, is dead easy to make and requires a total of no more than fifteen or twenty minutes of attention during its two hours or so of cooking. And it holds well enough overnight so that 90 percent of the process can be accomplished while you’re watching television the night before you serve the dish.

Though I’ll concede that starting with good-quality stock will yield the richest sauce, I’ll volunteer that two hours of cooking veal shanks—which are, after all, veal bones—creates a very nice stock with no work, so I never hesitate to make osso buco with white wine or even water.

Try to buy slices of shank taken from the center, about one and a half inches thick. The slices from the narrow end have very little meat on them; those from the thick end contain little or no marrow. Center cuts give you the best of both worlds, though you shouldn’t let it stop you if they are unavailable.