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Every couple
should have one
good meal to prepare for guests.
This dish
fits the bill.
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Newlyweds often face that first night with a mixture of
anxiety and anticipation. They know disappointment at this
crucial moment could signal a rough road ahead. No, I’m
not talking about the honeymoon; I’m referring to that
first night when someone has to put a meal on the table.
So while Cheerios or popcorn might be fine when you’re
alone, they aren’t the dinner meals you want to share
with your new life partner.
Couples would do well to come
up with a few foolproof menus they can prepare in their new
life together—balanced meals that are easy to make,
satisfying and, well—adult. And by balanced, I mean
the normal complement of protein, vegetable and starch. A
person might have a good meat-loaf recipe, but it will not
make a very agreeable dinner if it’s plopped down onto
the table between two plates. Add a bowl of steamed, fresh
green beans and simple mashed potatoes, and you have the
makings of a family favorite. Lots of couples get cookbooks
as gifts, but they often have complicated recipes that lead
to late dinners and hours of cleanup.
Save that fancy stuff
for weekend experimentation. What you need now are one or
two good dinners made with simple, fresh ingredients. And
a word of advice: Stay away from “nouvelle cuisine.” Those
tiny bites of this and that may look fabulous in food magazines,
but they usually have ingredient lists the length of your
arm, require two days of prep and provide all the gastronomic
satisfaction of a celery stick. Even when you’re cooking
for two, a little more is better—and you’ll also
have leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch.And finally, couples
should help each other graduate from the kid’s menu.
There’s nothing wrong with chicken fingers, hot dogs
and grilled cheese—if you’re 12. Challenge yourself
to expand your horizons, especially in the vegetable area,
to include fresh veggies such as eggplant, artichokes, squash
and beets. Here’s a starter menu that should take the
anxiety out of your first night (at the dinner table) together.
As simple as it is, the menu offers recipes that include
basic kitchen techniques such as braising, sauce preparation
and the method for making perfect rice, all which translate
to dozens of other great dinners.
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Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 tablespoons flour
Salt and pepper
4 tablespoons butter
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
1 can (12 ounces) chicken stock
1/2 cup white wine
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup long-grain rice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1 cup frozen peas
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Directions:
1. Trim all the fat and sinew from the chicken breasts. With
your palm on the top of a cutlet, carefully slice horizontally
to create 2 thin slices. Repeat with the other cutlet. You
can also splurge and buy sliced chicken breasts, or ask the
butcher to trim and slice them for you.
2. Season the flour with salt and pepper in a pie dish. Dredge
the cutlet slices and shake off any excess flour.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter in a 12-inch skillet. Brown
the cutlets for a minute or two on each side until light-golden-brown.
Remove to a dish and keep warm.
4. Melt the remaining butter in the skillet and add the mushrooms.
Fry until they release their moisture.
5. Sprinkle the remaining flour from the pie plate into the
skillet. Stir to form a roux.
6. Add the chicken stock and wine, stirring constantly. Bring
the sauce to a boil. When it has thickened, add the chicken
and lemon juice and reduce to a simmer. Cover and continue to
cook on low.
7. In a saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter and stir in the
rice until the kernels are well-coated. (Make sure this is plain
long-grain rice, not converted, not instant, not Minute, not
boil-in-bag.)
8. Add the salt, the cup of water and cup of frozen peas. Bring
to a boil. Reduce to a very low simmer and cover tightly. Cook
for exactly 18 minutes. The chicken will be finished cooking
at the same time as the rice.
9. Remove the rice dish from the heat and
fluff with a fork. Serve it alongside the chicken cutlets.
10. This recipe can be doubled or quadrupled. The proportions
are 1 part rice to 2 parts water. The cooking time never changes.
My favorite long-grain rice is basmati. It has a nutty flavor
and aroma and an extra long grain.
Serves 2.
More Recipes
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TOP
10 ESSENTIALS FOR COOKING
Here's
my top-10 list of kitchen essentials for a well-equipped
kitchen:
1. An
8-inch chef knife and 3-inch paring knife. Make sure they
are high-carbon stainless, forged knives. Avoid the "82-knife
set."
2. Cutting
board. I favor nylon or bamboo. In either case, make sure
it is lightweight and at least 12-by-20-inches.
3. Measuring
cups and spoons. You'll need a 2-cup and a 4-cup liquid measuring
cup, a set of measuring cups for dry ingredients and a set
of measuring spoons. Stainless steel is the most durable.
4. A
12-inch nonstick skillet with cover. Tri-ply such as All-Clad
is the best for even heating. This pan does everything from
omelets to sautés.
5. An
8-quart stock pot. This is essential for boiling pasta, steaming
vegetables or making large batches of chili, soups and stews.
6. Colander.
Get stainless steel with firmly riveted handles.
7. A
3-quart covered saucepan. This rounds out your pots-and-pans
inventory for small boiling projects and heating canned soups.
8. A
four-sided cheese grater. Freshly grated cheese is a big
flavor boost for your cooking. This tool is also useful for
grating vegetables and shredding lemon zest.
9. Sheet
pan. This inexpensive pan has raised sides and can be used
to bake cookies, breads and pizza, or to roast vegetables
and meats.
10. A
6-quart slow cooker. This is a working couple's best friend.
Ten minutes of prep in the morning yields a dinner entree
and loads of leftovers. The models with the thickest insert
provide the slowest, most-even cooking. Be sure it's at least
a 5-quart capacity.
-
Chris Fennimore
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