contents

soups 1

41

braises 81

pastas and baked dishes 109

sautés and stir-fries 139

167

light fare contents

index 208  | introduction What is a one dish meal?

our first reaction to the title of this book may that we needed to define what we mean by a one dish meal very well be to imagine a large soup pot, sitting on a stove carefully, because we didn’t want to leave anything out. y and bubbling away. We began thinking about some tradi- Cooks have more than one need, and a more complex cu- tional options: stews, braises, hearty soups, and layered pasta linary personality than some books give them credit for. This dishes like lasagna. book accommodates a trusty pot roast that you leave alone in We also took a look around at what everyone else was say- a gentle oven as well as a fiery curry from Thailand that cooks ing about one dish meals and we found a lot of different names in less time than the nightly news. You’ll find dishes that cook for this style of cooking: for hours and dishes that are not “cooked” at all but are simply • Fix it and forget it built, composed, or assembled. As we worked on this book, • Cook once a week (or once a month) we smashed some one dish “myths.” • Meals that make themselves Myth #1: One dish meals are only for cold weather. • Slow cooking • Peasant cooking One dish meals can be served anytime of the year, in any kind • Wash-day cooking of weather. Some are rib-sticking classics like cassoulet or pot • Sabbath meals roasts that do call out for a nip in the air and a fire in the grate. Others are perfect for the dog days of summer. When you look at the list, you begin to realize that it’s all Myth #2: One dish meals take hours and hours to cook. about taking charge of the time you spend in the kitchen. Sab- bath meals, for instance, are made the night before and left to Yes, stews and braises can take hours to cook. Dishes based on cook so that prohibitions against working on the Sabbath can beans take a long time, too, but you can put together a one- be observed. Wash-day meals are the answer to making din- dish, main-course salad or sandwich in about 15 minutes. If ner on a day when the cook simply can’t be spared from other you are making a stir-fried or sautéed dish, you may have a bit household chores. Peasant cooking is all about coaxing fla- of prep to do beforehand, but once you start to cook, you are vor from foods and frugality. Cooking once a week or once a finished in a short time, often less than 10 minutes. month is a way to avoid the feeling that you cooked all day just Myth #3: One dish meals are comforting, but staid. to have your work devoured in ten minutes. The more we thought about it, the more we realized that You can’t deny the magic of a melt-in-your-mouth , and you can make a one dish meal without using any pots and we’ve made sure that those dishes are represented here. That Meals pans at all. What is a sandwich or a pizza but a one dish meal? said, we know that building flavor into every dish is one way Then we thought about dishes like chef’s salad, delicate om- to make sure that your stews stand out. Whether you are Dish

elets, silken quiches and tender-crisp stir-fries. We realized using culinary techniques to build flavor (sautéing onions One i | v introduction | vii - - or for a friendlya for or gathering. famille en This category includes pasta dishes, casseroles and This category pasta gracasseroles includes dishes, and

We hope that you enjoy thecollection thatdishenjoy hope you one meals of in We As you can see, a variety of dishes, food types,prepara food dishes,varietyand a of see, can you As a focus on a few simple ingredients fewsimple a focus a mealon or components. whether dinner, inspirationfor the become it let and thisbook areyou cooking even be obtained already prepared, making assembling the disheven easier. Assemble it in a potserve or pan, let it minimumprepareda with cook be can pizza.dishes These tins,and “on its own,” thentimetheinkitchen spent of during theactual cooking, which can take place unattended for a long stretch of time before needingdealtbe with to further. tiontechniques can in termsdish”bethought their of of “one adaptability. The consisistent theme among them all seemsto be an emphasis on concise preparation and serving, as well as - - - This cate

This category includes dishes like sand

wiches and salads. The real effort in preparing theseof dishes is the kinds ingredient prepartion. Some ingredients can preparation. Assemble then serve gory includes soups, stews, braises, stir-fries, sautés, and om elets. These are dishes that require themost “cooking” in the their for stove the at willtheyattention that require yoursense as a basic guide:basic asa Put it in the pot or pan, let it cook, then serve There are three basic approaches to preparing a one dish meal. dish preparing one to a approaches basic three are There just straddlebetweenline but categories,the may dishes Some fully-developedflavors. Preparing a One Dish Meal for aroma, for instance) or introducing pungent ingredients likecapers, anchovies, orlemongrass, you can count onrich, 134 | One Dish Meals cassoulet add the beans and bacon. Return the mixture to a add the simmer the and and beans mixture bacon. Return 1. flat-leaf 2 chopped parsley tbsp 11/2crumbs cups bread 13/4 lbduck confit plum 1 tomatoes cup chopped broth 6 cups beef dry wine white 1/3cup flour 1/4cup all-purpose garlic 1 minced tsp parsnips 1 cup sliced carrots 1 cup sliced 1 leeks cup diced 6 oil tbsp needed as pepper black ground Freshly cut cubes into large leg, 11/2 or lambshoulder boneless lb cut cubes loin, 11/2 into large boneless lb needed as Salt (see garnis note)2 bouquets cloves 3 garlic whole and left peeled 2 onions, small yellow 1 lb garlic 1/4-inch 1 sliced thick lb bacon, slab pre-soaked beans, navy 3 cups dry s 12 cups chicken broth g n i v r e s 2 1 s e k a M it pushes and into down stew.the crust the breaks peatedly re cook the tradition, to According forms. crust rich a until c Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a large saucepot and and saucepot large a in boil a to stock chicken the Bring smoked meats and , baked in a stew of beans beans of stew a in baked sausages, and meats smoked is assoulet a robust meal, filled with cured and and cured with filled meal, robust a - until the beans are tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. Strain the the Strain minutes. 25 to 20 about tender, are beans the until 3. bouquet garni. and garlic, onions, the discard and the bacon. sausage utes. Remove Remove and and reserve min 30 about tender, fork is bacon the and through is cooked sausage the until cook and simmer a to mixture the turn 2. about 40 minutes. tender, nearly are beans the until occasionally, stirring cook, tinues hour. 1 tender, forkabout are meats the until sary, neces as surface the skimming oven, the in meat the braise 7. moistened. Bring to a slow simmer over medium-low heat. confit. Add more brothif necessary to keepthe meat completely role, along with any juices they may have released, and the duck meatscasse tothe seared the Return bouquet garni. maining re the and tomatoes the in Stir smooth. until stirring or ing 6. about is pasty, 5 minutes. mixture the until frequently, stirring cook, and flour the Add aromatic, minute. 1 about until cook and garlic the Add minutes. 15 about brown, golden are leeks the until occasionally, stirring sauté, 5. the meat towarm. keep a and pan Transfer brown. deep until necessary, as turning sides, all on oil the in lamb and pork the Sear shimmer. to starts it until heat medium-high over oven Dutch or casserole a in oil 4. later use. for sauce the Reserve minutes. 30 about thicken, to ginning be is and 1/2 by reduces liquid the until simmer to Continue to pot. the liquid cooking the and return them, reserve beans, Season the beans with salt to taste continue to simmer simmer to continue taste to salt with beans the Season Re and 1 bouquet garni. onions, garlic, Add the sausage, Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cover the casserole and ofcupsbroth3 andcasserole, to the whisk wine theAdd and casserole the to parsnips and carrots, leeks, the Add pepper. Heatand the salt with pork lamb and the Season on page xxx) (recipe

con ------