This can mean so many things. Before the advent of instant-on switches and more labor-saving kitchen devices than we know what to do with, both good and bad cooks were forced to consider the power of natural consequences just to make it through their day. To be resourceful and self-reliant. To conserve and preserve. To haul in water and wood. Keep the fire burning and the kettle on. But even though most of us now face a different set of daily challenges, we're all still trying to survive. And learning how to cultivate the essence of these think-ahead, ripple-effect practices can certainly help ease the way. Particularly as we rev up for the holidays.
In my previous post ("Cooking from Scratch"), we made the most out of a hot oven. So now we're going to light up the burners on top and start with a pot of boiling salted water. What could be more basic than that? Let's say we need to cook some pasta. Take advantage of a deep steamer basket insert, so all the water can remain in the pot as you pull things out to drain. That sets you up for blanching a succession of vegetables, moving from mild to stronger flavored and/or colored varieties (e.g., first peas, then leeks, carrots, wax beans, green beans, asparagus, spinach, chard, broccoli, kale...). The resulting light vegetable broth will enhance the taste of your pasta (potatoes, rice, polenta or other grains) cooked in it next. And now we also have vegetables ready to combine with the pasta, use as a side dish, or refrigerate to keep for another meal. The leftover starchy cooking liquid can either help sauce the pasta, deglaze a roasting pan, or help create a soup base. All these possibilities from just one pot of water, and the chance to use every last drop of it.
Now pull out your favorite large, heavy skillet. You know the one. Let the others keep dangling clean on the pot rack, while we figure out everything we might do without them. Nuts, whole spice seeds, pods and dried chilies toast up nicely in a dry pan; then remove and reserve them. Next brown any meaty things. Could be bacon, sausages, ground meats, chops, chicken pieces or fish; remove and reserve. Pour out or add fat as needed to saute or braise any aromatic or main event vegetables, which will scrape up and absorb residual pan flavors. Depending on their use, you may or may not want to remove and reserve these vegetables. Stop there or continue on to add wine, stock, tomatoes and/or cream to make a sauce, stew, rice or grain dish. Any reserved ingredients may either be put away for another purpose or added back in to finish cooking with the rest. Each step building flavors and creating liaisons along the way.
The same dry-to-wet, mild-to-strong progression concept can be applied to cooking utensils as well. For example, a single measuring cup can first portion out nuts, grain, flour or sugar; then water, stock, lemon juice, vinegar, oil, honey, or molasses cycled through in that order. So that maybe at the end of this cooking session, we not only have one or more meals good to go, but just one pot, one pan and a few utensils to wash up. And if you didn't use that leftover hot pasta water for anything else, then you could always squirt some soap into it for soaking the dirty dishes while you waltz in to sit down, relax and replenish yourself at the table. Makes sense to me. Try it. You'll be amazed at how clever and satisfied you can end up feeling.
Bon Appetit! Kay
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