Stewing

As a freelancer, the beginning of a new year is a patternable slow time of year for assignments so I try to take this pocket of time to set new goals and evaluate where I am professionally and where I want to go. Every year it seems there will be plenty of time to network and plan, but once the pace of the year picks up again, I find myself running at full steam just to manage work, home, friends and the semi-regular workout.

While things are slow I also take advantage of the extra time by preparing slightly more involved meals such as long simmering stews and braises. I absolutely adore braising and stewing. Paired with grilling they are my favorite ways to cook. They are a great way to produce big flavors with minimal  hands-on time.

Some people may not think of a stew or braised pot roast or brisket as being a dish with big flavors, but, in my opinion, that is all in the execution of the dish and not the technique itself. Braising and stewing are both wet cooking techniques in which ingredients are either partially or fully covered with liquid and slowly cooked. The idea of slow cooking meats, vegetables or beans is to bring out all of the natural flavors of the ingredients and have them blend with and absorb the flavors you are cooking them in. Flavor osmosis, if you will. A finished stew or braise is way more than the sum of its parts. Instead of having a dish of individual flavors that are compatible, you have a dish of mixed ingredients that have an identity of their own while still tasting a bit like everything else in the pot.





the building blocks...

The key to a tender braise or stew is to allow yourself plenty of time and to keep it simmering low and slow, resisting the urge to turn up the heat the closer it gets to dinner time. One day a piece of beef chuck might be meltingly tender in 2 hours and another day it could take 3 hours. The key to good flavor is all about seasoning. I season my raw ingredients generously, I reseason about halfway through the cooking time and I season again before serving. Also, I don't just season with salt and pepper. Fresh herbs benefit from being added at the beginning of the dish to start building layers of flavor, but also at the end so they are bright and more pronounced. I will also often add a dash of soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and/or vinegar to the sauce at the beginning and the end. They have an umami quality that is all at once sweet, savory, salty and pungent. Start by adding a teaspoon at a time to your dish at the end and tasting. You will find that you don't taste the soy, Worcestershire or vinegar itself, but the dish somehow just tastes like a better version of itself. For a big pot, sometimes a teaspoon or two is all it takes. 

It might not look pretty but it sure tastes good...

There is no magic or forced rules about what ingredients you should use, but at the end of the simmering you will have a warm pot full of rich full flavors.                           

Sunday Supper

Here we are in a new year. Some people feel let down after all the excitement and indulgence of the last month or so and some people feel excited and recharged to make a new start of things, whether it is with diet, exercise or career goals.

Regardless of which way you lean, having a hearty Sunday supper is a great tradition to refuel, relax and enjoy as one week winds down and a new one gears up. The beauty of a Sunday supper is that it doesn't have to be anything you don't want it to be, other than a tasty meal that gives you a chance to pause in your week and relax. It can be about entertaining if you miss all the gatherings of the holidays, not getting out of your pj's if you need time to regroup and reevaluate or making an old family recipe that needs a bit more time than you can spare during the week.

One of my favorite things to make for a Sunday supper is roast chicken. It's easy, inexpensive and very comforting. Although there are many ways to roast a chicken, my favorite way is to roast pieces rather than a whole bird. Although you lose the ritual of carving the bird, I find cooking pieces produces a very crispy* skin and evenly cooked meat in less time.

Start by seasoning the pieces (I cut the breasts in half crosswise) very very generously with salt and pepper. Don't just sprinkle the top, really cover it well. I promise it will not be too salty. Dig out your biggest oven-proof skillet and get it nice and hot over medium-high heat and then add just a touch of olive oil since the chicken skin will render plenty more fat as it browns.

Add about half your pieces, skin side down, and let them cook undisturbed for about 5 minutes. Sometimes I have to leave the room for a minute to resist the urge to poke, prod or peak. I recommend this if you are fidgety like me. When the skin is beautifully golden brown and easily releases from the pan you can turn and brown the second side. This side doesn't take quite as long and will not get as crispy without the skin, except for the legs which is skin on all sides. Take an extra minute or two with the legs to get as many sides brown as possible. Transfer the chicken to a plate and repeat with the rest of the pieces, turning the heat down under your pan if you feel like it is going to burn rather than brown.

At this point it is important to look at the amount of fat in your pan. You really only need a few tablespoons for the leeks or onions and as delicious as all those drippings are, you don't want the end result to be greasy. Spoon off any excess so you have a few tablespoons left behind. Now add either one bunch of trimmed, washed and sliced leeks (white and light green only) or two large sliced onions. It will seem like more than you want, but it will cook down by more than half. Toss them well in the pan and add a pinch more salt and pepper and a sprinkling of your favorite herb (thyme, rosemary or sage all work great). Fresh is best but dried works well too. Sometimes I'll sneak in a touch of ground chipotle chili powder here for a bit of smoky heat, but that's just the culinary mutt in me barking.

When the leeks/onions are wilted, nestle the chicken pieces, skin side up, over top. It will be a little cozy but that's ok at this point. Put in a hot oven (425 will do) and let it all roast together. The leeks/onions will melt down and take on all the chickeny juices from the pieces sitting over top and will also keep the meat moist and the chicken will roast up very crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside.

I like to have some steamed rice or basic mashed potatoes to round out the plate but a piece of crusty bread would also be delicious. A homey meal like this can lift your spirits or steady your resolve. At the least, it will fill your tummy and put some leftovers in the fridge.

*Disclaimer: I may have used the word crisp a bit excessively to describe the chicken skin but I simply cannot take rubbery, flaccid, undercooked chicken skin. It utterly skeeves me out.