Dayrecipe Food Community

Jason Corrigan, chef at A Touch of Garlic in Springfield, Massachusetts, writes: “In the past, I’ve worked at large restaurants, catering to hundreds of people every night. That alone taught me every possible shortcut to speed up the cooking process: For instance, slicing raw potatoes to reduce boiling time, pounding meat thin so it cooks more quickly, and of course, the mise en place — getting everything prepped so you’re just reaching for ingredients at the last minute.”

Pounding the meat reduces cooking time.

Makes 4 servings.

INGREDIENTS

• 3tablespoons butter
• 2large shallots, sliced
• 1 1/2pounds mushrooms, thickly sliced
• 1tablespoon all purpose flour
• 1cup zinfandel
• 1/2cup ruby port
• 1/2cup low-salt chicken broth11 1/4-pound top sirloin steak, about 3/4 to 1 inch thick
• 3/4teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots; sauté 2 minutes. Add mushrooms; cover and cook 5 minutes. Uncover and sauté until mushrooms are browned, about 10 minutes. Add flour and stir 1 minute. Add Zinfandel, Port, and broth. Boil until sauce thickens enough to coat spoon thinly, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Meanwhile, place steak between sheets of waxed paper. Using mallet or rolling pin, pound steak to 1/2-inch thickness. Coat both sides of steak with 3/4 teaspoon pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in another heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add steak to skillet and cook to desired doneness, about 2 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer steak to work surface; do not clean skillet. Add mushrooom sauce to skillet; bring to simmer, scraping up any browned bits.

Thinly slice steak; transfer to platter. Spoon mushroom sauce over and serve.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 50 min

Makes about 12 dozen chips.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4cup olive oil
• 2large baking potatoes (1 lb total), scrubbed
• 3/4teaspoon coarse salt
• 1teaspoon coarsely ground black pepperspecial equipment:a japanese benriner or other adjustable-blade slicer

DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 375°F.

Brush 2 large shallow (1-inch-deep) baking pans generously with some olive oil. Cut 1 potato crosswise into 1/16-inch-thick slices with Benriner and immediately arrange in 1 layer on baking sheets. Lightly brush slices with more oil and sprinkle with half of coarse salt and pepper.

Bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until golden, 10 to 20 minutes (check frequently after 10 minutes), and transfer as cooked with a metal spatula to a rack to cool. Make more chips with remaining potato in same manner.

Cooks’ note:
• Chips can be made 3 days ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 3 1/4 hr

Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

INGREDIENTS

• 1medium onion, chopped
• 1red or orange bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1cup dried apricots (6 oz), quartered
• 1/2cup water
• 3/4cup cider vinegar
• 1/4cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 1/2teaspoons curry powder (preferably madras)
• 1/4teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS Bring all ingredients to a boil in a nonreactive 2-quart saucepan, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until chutney is thickened but still saucy, about 50 minutes. Cool chutney, uncovered, then chill, covered, stirring occasionally, at least 2 hours (to allow flavors to develop) and up to 1 week.

Active time: 35 min Start to finish: 2 3/4 hr

Makes about 24 hors d’oeuvres.

INGREDIENTS

• for crispbread crackers
• 1teaspoon active dry yeast (from a1/4-oz package)
• 1cup warm water (105–115°f)
• 1cup rye flour
• 1 2/3cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1tablespoon caraway seeds, toasted and finely ground in an electric coffee/spice grinder
• 1 1/2teaspoons kosher saltfor pepper-dill crème fraîche
• 1/2cup crème fraîche
• 2tablespoons chopped fresh dill
• 1/2teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4teaspoon saltfor topping
• 4oz thinly sliced fine-quality smoked salmon, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1teaspoon finely grated fresh orange zestgarnish:fresh dill sprigs

DIRECTIONS Make crispbreads:
Stir together yeast and warm water in bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add rye flour, 1 cup all-purpose flour, caraway, and salt and beat at medium speed until incorporated. Attach dough hook to mixer and gradually beat in remaining 2/3 cup flour at medium speed. Beat dough until it begins to pull away from side of bowl, then beat 5 minutes more.

Gather dough into a ball and put in a lightly oiled large bowl, turning dough to coat with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Punch down dough and divide in half. Flatten dough with lightly floured fingers to form 2 (6- by 4-inch) rectangles and let stand 3 minutes. Roll out each piece of dough on a floured surface into a 15- by 10-inch rectangle (1/8 inch thick). Transfer each rectangle to a lightly oiled large baking sheet, trimming any overhang. Cover each rectangle with a dampened kitchen towel or with plastic wrap and let stand 15 minutes.

Make perforated lines lengthwise and crosswise on rectangles, about 2 inches apart, with tines of a fork (to facilitate breaking crispbreads into crackers). Bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until golden brown and crisp, about 20 minutes total. Transfer to racks and cool. Break each crispbread into about 24 (roughly 2-inch) crackers.

Make pepper-dill crème fraîche and assemble hors d’oeuvres:
Stir together crème fraîche, dill, pepper, and salt. Spoon 1/2 teaspoon crème fraîche onto each cracker, then drape a piece of salmon on top and sprinkle with zest.

Cooks’ notes:
• If you don’t have a standing mixer, stir together yeast and warm water in a bowl, then add rye flour, 1 cup all-purpose flour, caraway, and salt and mix with a wooden spoon until incorporated. Turn dough out onto a work surface and gradually knead in remaining 2/3 cup flour with your hands, then continue to knead dough until smooth, about 8 minutes.
• Crispbread crackers can be made 3 days ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature.
• Pepper-dill crème fraîche can be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered.

Canned chipotle chilies — which give this dish a smoky depth — are available at Latin American markets and many supermarkets. Top the chili with chopped cilantro and green onions, and serve sides of corn bread and spinach salad. For dessert, try lemon sherbet with sugar cookies.

Makes 6 servings.

INGREDIENTS

• 6tablespoons olive oil
• 112-ounce onion, coarsely chopped (about 3 cups)
• 1large yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 1 1/2tablespoons cumin seeds
• 4teaspoons minced canned chipotle chilies
• 315-ounce cans black beans, well drained
• 214 1/2-ounce cans diced tomatoes with roasted garlic
• 2cups vegetable broth

DIRECTIONS
Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and cumin seeds; sauté until onion is soft and golden, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Add chipotle chilies and stir 30 seconds. Add black beans, diced tomatoes with juices, and vegetable broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer uncovered until liquid is reduced by half, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Transfer 2 cups chili to processor. Blend to coarse paste; return to pot. Simmer chili to thicken, if desired. Season chili to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover and keep refrigerated. Rewarm over medium-low heat before serving.)