Get Cooking: 150 Simple Recipes to Get You Started in the Kitchen (32 page)

SHORTCUT “HOLLANDAISE”

Real hollandaise is a tricky concoction made by emulsifying butter, lemon juice, and egg yolks over heat. Mayonnaise makes a perfectly wonderful base for a much more practical version. For 4 to 5 servings, just combine ½ cup of your favorite mayo with 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice and ½ teaspoon dried (or 2 tablespoons minced fresh) tarragon. If you’d like some crunch, stir in a tablespoon of finely minced shallot. Serve this anywhere you’ve ever heard of serving hollandaise: over asparagus, on top of eggs Benedict (or just poached eggs), as a sauce for poached salmon or other fish, or as a dip for artichokes. It’s all good. This keeps in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

crispy pan-fried fish fillets

Makes 4 servings

U
tter simplicity is the principle behind these classic crunchy-coated fish fillets. The process is surprisingly easy, once you set up the little assembly line of beaten egg and seasoned breadcrumbs. This fish cooks quickly and needs to go directly from the stove to the table without passing Go, so have your side dishes ready ahead of time. This recipe uses both olive oil and butter. Just a tablespoon of butter will infuse the oil with an extra layer of rich flavor, while keeping the coating crisp and light.

1.
Rinse the fish under cold running water, then pat it dry with paper towels and set aside.

2.
Break the egg into a pie pan, then beat with a fork or a small whisk, adding the teaspoon of water as you go. When no egg white is still visible, stop beating and set aside.

3.
Combine the panko, salt, and pepper on a dinner plate. Have a second dinner plate ready to hold the coated fillets.

4.
One at a time, dip the fillets into the egg and then let any excess egg drip off back into the pie pan. Put each moistened fillet into the panko mixture, pressing it down firmly so the crumbs will adhere. Then turn it over, and press the second side into the crumbs until it becomes completely coated all over. Shake off any extra panko mixture, and transfer the coated fillet to the clean plate.

5.
Place a large (10-to 12-inch—or big enough to hold all 4 fillets) heavy skillet over medium heat. After about a minute, add the olive oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the butter, and swirl until it melts into the oil.

6.
Carefully transfer the coated fillets to the hot pan. Cook, undisturbed, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until deep golden brown on the bottom.

7.
Use a metal spatula to carefully loosen each fillet, being careful to keep its coating intact. Flip each fillet over, and cook on the second side for 2 to 3 minutes, or until that side is deep golden brown. A sharp knife should insert easily into the thickest part of the fish, revealing opaque flesh. If necessary, cook a minute or so longer.

8.
Serve hot, accompanying each portion with a wedge or two of lemon or lime.

WHY PANKO?

Panko is the name of a kind of very light, coarse-textured Japanese-style breadcrumb, often sold either in the Asian section of supermarkets or with the regular breadcrumbs; it comes packed in a box or a bag. The porous texture and rough oblong shape of panko crumbs make them the absolute best choice when you want to create an extremely-yet-delicately-crisp outer coating on any pan-fried or baked food. If you can’t find panko, use ordinary unseasoned breadcrumbs. Their finer, more powdery texture still works for coating, but the result will be less crunchy and light.

pan-seared garlic prawns

Makes 4 servings

H
ere’s a no-fail way to enjoy succulent prawns with just a few minutes of work. I recommend buying frozen large shrimp rather than fresh. (“Prawns” and “shrimp,” by the way, are essentially synonyms: “shrimp” tends to be how they’re sold, and “prawns” is a nice way to refer to large shrimp when serving them.) Why? Because at most supermarket fish counters the shrimp are previously frozen anyway, and the quality of shrimp deteriorates the longer they sit after thawing. Buying good-quality shrimp from the freezer section means you can have them on hand till you need them, and then thaw them just before you’re ready to cook, making for fresher, tastier shrimp. Shrimp are sold by size and classified by the number of them in a pound. In this case, we’re using extra-large shrimp (16 to 20 to a pound). Either “easy-peel” or peeled shrimp will work here. “Easy-peel” are deveined but still have the shell and tail on, which preserves their flavor. When you peel them, I suggest leaving the tail on. It’ll add flavor and makes the shrimp look much more attractive on the plate.

1.
Put the shrimp in a colander in the sink and run cold water over them until they are thawed. Drain well, and pat dry with paper towels. If using easy-peel shrimp, remove the shells and, optionally, the tails.

2.
In a shallow pie plate or bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes; mix well. Add the thawed shrimp and toss to coat well. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes and up to an hour.

3.
Place a large (10-to 12-inch) heavy skillet over medium heat. After about a minute, add the shrimp (leaving the extra marinade behind in the bowl to discard). Cook for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, or until the shrimp turn from glossy to opaque.

4.
Transfer to a serving platter and serve immediately, with many fresh lime wedges and additional red pepper flakes if you like.

peperoni e salsiccia (italian-style peppers and sausages)

Makes 2 servings

T
his traditional home-style Italian dish is a sauté of sweet peppers, onions, slices of browned sausage, and tender potatoes. For this recipe, go with mild or medium-spicy Italian sausage. Meat expert friends of mine say pork sausage is best for this dish, rather than turkey or chicken, but that’s their (very educated) taste. If you’d rather go nontraditional, you can use any of those sweeter, fruitier, or spicier “designer” sausages (like chicken-apple or mango-cilantro). Many of these are fully cooked, so if you use them, you just need to brown them, whole, for a few minutes and then slice them and proceed with the recipe as directed.

This dish keeps for up to 5 days in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator. It reheats well, either on the stovetop over medium heat or in a microwave, and you can do all kinds of tasty things with it.

Polenta (see Chapter 4: Vegetarian Entrées) is a perfect match for Peperoni e Salsiccia. Just spoon the soft polenta into soup bowls and top with the peppers and sausage. Or let the cooked polenta cool slightly, which will cause it to firm up, and then slice or scoop chunks of it onto plates and top with the pepper-sausage mixture.

1.
Put a medium pot of cold water to boil over high heat, and place a colander in the sink. When the water boils, add the potatoes, and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a fork. Drain the potatoes in the colander and leave them there until needed.

2.
Meanwhile, place a large skillet over medium heat. After about a minute, add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the sausages (whole), and cook gently for about 15 minutes, turning them every couple of minutes, until golden brown all over. (The sausages are cooked through when no longer pink in the middle. You can check by cutting in with a small sharp knife to be sure.) Transfer the cooked sausages to a cutting board, let them cool for a few minutes, and then slice them into ¼-inch-thick rounds. Leave them there until needed.