The Minimalist Cooks Dinner (22 page)
Read The Minimalist Cooks Dinner Online
Authors: Mark Bittman
“Cutlets” with Parmesan
TIME:
20 to 30 minutes
MAKES:
4 servings
I call these “cutlets,” though they are in fact burgers. But calling something a chickenburger might make it sound like a 50s throwback or an unappealing fast-food offering. Still, if you produce such an item with up-to-the minute ingredients, the taste is undeniably fine, far better than any other burger alternative I’ve come across. Leave out the filler and skip the bun, and it becomes nearly pure protein and very contemporary.
1 ounce dried porcini or shiitake mushrooms
4 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano (about 1 cup grated)
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch salt
1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken or turkey breasts, cut into large chunks
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Put the dried mushrooms in a bowl and cover with hot water.
Cut the cheese into chunks and put it in the container of a food processor along with the garlic; process until well grated. (If the cheese is already grated, just pulse the machine on and off a couple of times.)
Add the pepper, salt, and chicken and pulse the machine on and off until the chicken is chopped, not puréed. Squeeze the excess water from the mushrooms but do not wring them completely dry. Add them to the machine and pulse 2 or 3 more times, until the mixture is more-or-less combined but, again, not pureed.
Put the olive oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet and turn the heat to medium. Shape the chicken mixture into eight small burger-shaped cakes. Cook for about 3 minutes per side, or until nicely browned. Do not overcook; when the cutlets are firm, they are done. Serve hot or at room temperature, with any condiment you like.
| WINE | Beaujolais, Zinfandel, inexpensive Pinot Noir, Chianti, or any lively red |
| SERVE WITH | 60-Minute Bread or store-bought bread, or hamburger buns and ketchup; Simple Green Salad or any salad |
TAKE CARE
in preparing these: The chicken must be chopped, not puréed; too fine a texture will create a dense, almost impenetrable patty. This can be done in the food processor as long as you pay attention and don’t overprocess.
THE MEAT
must be cooked through, but must not be overcooked or it will become tough and dry; when the burger feels firm to the touch, it’s done.
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Grill these if you like, or cook them in butter instead of olive oil.
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Add a teaspoon or so of minced garlic or ginger to the seasoning mix.
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Substitute a fistful of cooked, squeezed-nearly-dry spinach for the mushrooms, or add about ¼ cup chopped parsley or other herb to the food processor along with the chicken.
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Substitute pork, beef, veal, or a combination for the chicken.
with Sorrel
TIME:
40 to 50 minutes
MAKES:
4 servings
A leafy green that looks something like flat-leaf spinach, sorrel is also known as sour grass, which deftly describes its flavor. Its tendency practically to liquefy when cooked has determined its destiny, usually as an ingredient in sauces or in an Eastern European soup called schav. This rare capacity to create a sauce simply by being cooked, while adding a creamy texture and lemony flavor, makes it a natural if unusual partner for braised chicken.
2 tablespoons unsalted butter or extra virgin olive oil
One 2½- to 3-pound chicken, cut into serving pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large or 2 medium onions, sliced ¼ inch thick
6 cups sorrel (about ½ pound), trimmed and washed
Put the butter in a large skillet, preferably nonstick, and turn the heat to medium-high. When the butter begins to melt, swirl it around the pan; when its foam subsides and it begins to brown, add the chicken, skin side down. Cook, rotating the pieces after 3 or 4 minutes so they brown evenly. As they brown on the skin side, sprinkle them with salt and pepper and turn them over; sprinkle the skin side, now on top, with salt and pepper as well. If at any point it becomes necessary to prevent burning, lower the heat to medium. When the chicken is completely browned all over, which will take 10 to 15 minutes, transfer it to a plate.
Immediately add the onions to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften but still hold their shape, just 5 minutes or so. Add ½ cup water and cook for a minute, stirring occasionally, until it reduces slightly. Return the chicken to the pan, turn the heat to medium-low, and cook, covered, for about 10 minutes. Uncover, add the sorrel, stir, and cover again.
Cook for about 10 minutes longer, uncovering and stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and the sorrel dissolved into the onions and liquid. Taste, adjust the seasoning if necessary, and serve.
| WINE | California Chardonnay |
| SERVE WITH | 60-Minute Bread or good store-bought bread; Easy Rice ; Glazed Carrots |
SORREL IS
a perennial that survives northeastern winters and is in season most of the summer. You can buy it at many greenmarkets and farm stands, at good food stores, and at some supermarkets. It is usually sold in small bunches. Wash it well to remove all traces of grit before using.
SPINACH IS
close to sorrel in many ways, and although it won’t fall apart as sorrel does in a sauce, its astrin-gency makes it the best substitute in this recipe.
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After the sorrel has dissolved, remove the chicken and stir ½ to 1 cup cream or sour cream into the sauce.
Chicken with Garlic
TIME:
30 to 40 minutes
MAKES:
4 servings
Sautéed chicken should be crisp, moist, and flavorful, and you can accomplish this easily. But like many dishes with few ingredients, one requirement is quite specific: You need a good chicken—this is not the place for the cotton-textured, mass-produced birds. My personal preference is for kosher chicken, but that may be because for me the paradigm of pan-cooked chicken is my maternal grandmother’s, and she kept a kosher home. You might choose a free-range bird instead, which has a similar taste and texture.
1 small chicken (2 to 3 pounds), cut into serving pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Chopped parsley, optional
Lemon wedges, optional
Put the chicken skin side down in a nonstick skillet large enough to comfortably accommodate it without crowding; use two skillets if necessary. Turn the heat to medium and season with salt and pepper. About 5 minutes after the chicken begins to make cooking noises, peek at the underside of the pieces. If they are browning evenly leave them alone; but if some adjusting of heat or shifting of the parts is necessary to accomplish even browning, do it. Don’t turn any piece until it is evenly golden-brown on the first side—not very dark, but crisp-looking—then turn them as they’re ready. It should take about 10 minutes to brown on the first side.
Season the skin, now up, with salt, pepper, and paprika. Cook the second side as you did the first; when it is nearly done, add the garlic to the skillet. As the pieces finish browning, turn them skin side down once again.
Continue to cook, turning once or twice more if necessary until the pieces are done (if you have any doubts, cut into a piece or two; there should be no traces of red blood, but some pinkness is okay). Breast pieces will undoubtedly finish first; you can keep them warm in a low oven or just serve them less than piping hot. When the chicken is ready garnish with parsley and lemon wedges if you like, and serve.
| WINE | Light or even full-bodied red, from Beaujolais to Burgundy |
| SERVE WITH | Roasted or baked potatoes; Simple Green Salad ; Steamed Broccoli (or Other Vegetable) or Glazed Carrots |
USE A LARGE SKILLET
, or two smaller ones, because crowding the chicken pieces prevents them from browning. There should be sufficient room in the skillet so that the pieces barely touch each other, and they should certainly not overlap.
BECAUSE THIS RECIPE
contains no added fat—the bird provides plenty of its own—the skillet should be nonstick, or at least very well seasoned.
THIS PREPARATION
is far from difficult, but it does require attention. If the heat is too high, the chicken will scorch and dry out; if it is too low, the chicken will become soggy and never brown.
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A mild, high-quality chile powder, like that made from ground ancho peppers, provides a more distinctive taste than paprika.
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Other spices, or a spice mix, are also good—curry powder; five-spice powder; a mixture of cinnamon, allspice, and a pinch of ground cloves, for example—but in similarly small amounts.
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For the garlic, substitute ginger, scallions, onions, or shallots.
Apricots
TIME:
40 to 50 minutes
MAKES:
4 servings
Chicken with dried apricots is hardly a new idea, but it’s almost always too sweet, and the routine addition of cinnamon and cloves makes the whole thing taste more like dessert than dinner. Take them away, add a little vinegar to counter the fruit’s sweetness, improve and simplify the cooking technique, and you have an attractive dish for a winter meal.
