Chapter 6
ACCOMPANIMENTS

You dip a ladle into the pot, scooping up tender chunks of meat and onions; a curl of fragrant steam rises from the sauce. But what to serve with your braise? The answer is in this chapter. There are quick recipes for starches to go underneath, including buttery noodles with herbs, killer mashed potatoes with cheese, shortcut versions of polenta and risotto, and a rice pilaf that complements everything. There are also recipes for condiments and toppings— little bursts of flavor to sprinkle over and around braises and stews. Hot pepper vinegar is the ticket to crank up the heat, horseradish cream is for meat lovers, and herby gremolata is as habit-forming as salt. Speaking of salt, every good cook should have a batch of Lemon-Rosemary Salt to finesse her cooking; keep a jarful on hand in your pantry. Now that you know what to put under, and over, your braises and stews, just add a glass of wine and enjoy.

apricot couscous

This is the essential accompaniment for Moroccan Lamb Tagine, but it’s also great with Winter Market Chicken, and Persian Chicken. Look for plump Turkish apricots in health food stores or well-stocked supermarkets; they aren’t as leathery as the California dried fruit. For an elegant touch, stir in 1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds at the end. [SERVES 6]

In a medium baking dish or heat-proof bowl, stir together the couscous and apricots. Mix 3 cups boiling water and the salt in a measuring cup. Pour over couscous and immediately cover dish with foil. Let stand until liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Remove foil and fluff couscous with a fork. If you need to keep it warm, put couscous, covered with foil, in a low oven until ready to serve.

creamy baked polenta

Polenta is the perfect base for many braises, especially short ribs, Stracotto, and meat or chicken stews. But stirring polenta for forty minutes isn’t much fun, so this shortcut uses the oven, which you might already have on to cook your braised dish. Use coarse-ground yellow polenta, not quick-cooking, for this recipe. [SERVES 4 TO 6]

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking dish.

Combine the milk, 21/2 cups water, butter, and salt in a saucepan and place over medium-high heat until butter melts and liquid is steaming. Whisk in the polenta, then reduce heat to medium. Continue to whisk until mixture thickens to a porridge-like consistency and large bubbles break the surface, 6 to 8 minutes.

Remove from heat and pour polenta into buttered baking dish. Cut a piece of parchment paper slightly larger than the baking dish and butter 1 side of it generously. Place parchment on top of polenta, buttered side down, pressing onto surface of polenta; fold in edges of paper so there is no overhang. Bake until liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes, then remove from oven and let polenta stand, with parchment on, for 10 minutes before serving.

golden pilaf

This universal dish pairs with almost every meat, poultry, and fish recipe in this book. Use basmati rice for a fragrant, nutty variation that’s especially good with Indian or Asian dishes. If you need rice for more people, increase ingredients proportionately. [SERVES 6]

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter in the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and saffron and cook, stirring, until onion is softened, about 3 minutes. Add the rice and stir until coated with fat, about 30 seconds. Pour in the broth and add the salt; let come to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until liquid is just absorbed, about 20 minutes. Turn off heat and let rice sit, undisturbed, for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve.

farrotto

I may have embraced farro on my table only in recent years, but the Italians have been enjoying it since Roman times. A lightly milled form of hard wheat, it looks, tastes, and chews a lot like barley, but is more satisfying. It can be served with most braises you’d serve with rice, including Veal with Mushrooms, Osso Buco, or Coq au Vin. Look for farro in Italian food stores or gourmet groceries. Se miperlato is the most common form and the best for this recipe. [SERVES 6]

In an 8- to 10-inch-wide sauté pan or frying pan, warm the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery, carrot, and a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, rinse the farro in a fine sieve and shake well to get rid of excess water.

Add farro to pan and stir to coat with oil. Pour in 2 cups of the broth and let come to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until broth is almost absorbed, about 20 minutes. Stir in remaining broth, let come to a boil again, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer until farro is still chewy, but no longer starchy, about 20 minutes more.

herbed wide noodles

I suspect a lot of us grew up with plain egg noodles, not fancy pasta, under our stews. While it may have seemed boring then, revisit the idea now, seasoning the noodles with delicious olive oil and a fistful of herbs. Serve with Classic Pot Roast, Tuscan Chicken Stew, Sicilian Swordfish, or Greek Lamb Meatballs, to name just a few. You can also add just about any other fresh herbs you have on hand. [SERVES 6]

Bring a stockpot or pasta pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Drop in the noodles and cook according to package directions. Meanwhile, stir together the parsley, basil, and chives.

When noodles are done, drain in a colander. Put the butter and oil in the bottom of pot that you cooked pasta in, then return noodles to pot (do not turn on heat). Toss noodles until coated with melted butter and oil. Season with salt, then stir in the herbs and serve.

shortcut risotto

Serve this as the underpinning to Osso Buco, Veal Braised in Milk, or with vegetables, such as Romano Beans or Braised Escarole. For a great match with Beef Stew with Onions, substitute crumbled blue cheese for the Parmesan. [SERVES 4 TO 6]

In a small saucepan, bring the broth to a boil, then reduce heat to low and keep warm on a back burner while you make the risotto. Place a ladle with at least a 1/2-cup capacity nearby.

In a 10- to 12-inch-wide sauté pan or ovenproof frying pan, warm the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the rice and stir until coated with oil, about 30 seconds. Pour in the wine, stirring until it almost evaporates. Ladle in 1/2 cup of simmering broth, stirring until it just evaporates, then add another 1/2 cup. Repeat until you have used 2 cups broth; total cooking time will be about 8 minutes.

Stir in 1 cup of remaining broth, let come to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and cook until rice is just tender and liquid is absorbed, about 12 minutes. Stir in remaining broth and the cheese, then remove from heat. Cover and let risotto stand for 5 minutes before serving.

cheddar mashers

When making mashed potatoes, be sure to use baking, or Idaho, potatoes, which are the starchiest. If you don’t have a potato masher, a sturdy metal whisk (but not a balloon whisk) will work. Serve this with Pub Short Ribs, Classic Pot Roast, Braised “Barbecue” Brisket, or with Romano Beans for a vegetarian meal. [SERVES 6]

Peel the potatoes, rinse, and cut into 1-inch cubes. Put potatoes in a pot with water just to cover, then add 2 teaspoons salt. Place over high heat and boil potatoes until a piece collapses when pushed against the side of the pot with a spoon, about 20 minutes.

Pour potatoes into a colander and leave in sink for a few minutes to eliminate excess water and steam.

Put the butter and onions in pot used for potatoes and set over medium heat; stir until butter melts, then return potatoes to pot, add ⅓ cup of the milk and the cheese, and mash with a potato masher or heavy whisk, blending until fairly smooth (if mixture looks dry, add more milk, a few tablespoons at a time). Turn off heat and season with salt and pepper.

naneita’s coleslaw

The secret to this coleslaw—the specialty of the lovely mother-in-law of a close friend—is briny capers and their juice; the end result is far more sophisticated than the standard picnic dish. Offer as a crisp contrast to stews or chili, stuff into tortillas with Carnitas, or serve on buns with sliced Braised “Barbecue” Brisket. If you don’t want to hand-shred cabbage, use bagged shredded cabbage, as long as it is impeccably fresh. [SERVES 6]

Put the cabbage, parsley, and onions in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk the mayonnaise and lemon juice until smooth. Pour over cabbage mixture. Add the capers and caper juice and toss well. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour or up to 3 hours (coleslaw will get moister as it sits). Season with salt and mix well just before serving.

romesco sauce

This Spanish condiment has become as popular as aioli was a few years ago. It can be used as an ingredient in Spanish Scallops or as a condiment for other braises. Stir a spoonful into stews or spread on toasted baguette and offer alongside Cipollini in Honey and Balsamic. Pimentón is smoked Spanish paprika, and you can find it in specialty food stores and some supermarkets. [MAKES 1 GENEROUS CUP]

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F. Wrap the garlic in foil. Place the tomatoes, bell pepper, and garlic packet on an ungreased baking sheet and roast in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove garlic packet and tomatoes and set aside; turn pepper over with tongs and return to oven. Spread the almonds on a pie plate and place in oven. Roast pepper and almonds for 10 more minutes, then remove.

Pull skins off tomatoes and discard; cut tomatoes in half and squeeze or scrape out seeds. Cut bell pepper in half and remove stem, seeds, and ribs. Peel garlic. In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, combine tomatoes, bell pepper, garlic, and almonds. Pulse until finely chopped, then add the toast (torn into pieces), vinegar, pimentón, and salt, and pulse until blended. Add the oil through the feed tube, processing until sauce is blended, but not perfectly smooth. Transfer to a bowl and serve at room temperature or store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

horseradish cream

This is the traditional condiment to serve with Classic Pot Roast, Stracotto, Pub Short Ribs, or Lamb Shanks. [MAKES ⅔ CUP]

In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream and horseradish and season with salt and pepper. Serve, or cover and refrigerate up to 1 day.

yogurt-mint sauce

Spoon this over Greek Lamb Meatballs or Cauliflower and Potato Curry, or as an alternative topping to Braised Stuffed Cabbage. Be sure to use whole-milk yogurt; if made with low-fat or nonfat yogurt, it lacks oompf. [MAKES 11/4 CUPS]

In a small bowl, stir together all the ingredients until smooth. Serve, or cover and refrigerate up to 1 day.

kat daddy’s pepper vinegar

In the South, this is used to season braised greens, meats, barbecue, beans, and whatever else you might want to spice up a bit. It’s very easy and fun to make at home. For a pretty bottle, buy French sparkling lemonade in a 750-ml glass bottle with a self-stopper. Once you’ve consumed the lemonade, wash the bottle very well with hot, soapy water, remove labels, then sterilize bottle with boiling water or run it through the dishwasher cycle. [MAKES ABOUT 31/2 CUPS]

Rinse the chiles and pat dry with paper towels. Stuff chiles into a clean, sterilized 750-ml bottle (see recipe introduction), slitting the sides of 2 or 3 of them to let extra heat come through (if the chiles jam in the bottle neck, push through with a skewer). In a saucepan, heat the vinegar and sugar just to the boiling point; pour through a funnel into bottle. Close bottle with stopper. Store vinegar in a cool, dark place for 3 weeks before use. Vinegar keeps for up to 3 months.

lemon-rosemary salt

Adapted from Susan Hermann Loomis’s recipe in the Italian Farmhouse Cookbook, this salt has become the secret weapon in my kitchen. It makes the flavors of everything pop, which is why it is called for in recipes throughout this book. You’ll find lots of other ways to use it, too, such as seasoning lamb and pork chops, and for the world’s best roast chicken (the recipe for which is in Susan’s book). [MAKES ABOUT 1/2 CUP]

Pare the zest off the lemons with a zesting tool or grater. In a food processor, combine the rosemary, garlic, and zest. Whirl until finely chopped. Add the salt and pulse once or twice to mix. Store in a cool dark place in an airtight glass jar for up to 2 months.

basil gremolata

Think of this as a seasoning like salt: It pumps up flavors (without any sodium of course) and you use it sparingly. Sprinkle over Osso Buco, Pappardelle with Ragù, or Stracotto. Mix any extra gremolata with hot pasta or into Herbed Wide Noodles, or even stir it into Shortcut Risotto. [SERVES 6]

Remove the zest of the lemons with a zester that cuts it off in thin strips, if you have one. Slice the garlic, then combine zest and garlic on a cutting board and mince together. Transfer to a small bowl. (If you do not have a zester tool, just grate zest and mince garlic separately, then combine them.) Stir in the basil and parsley and serve.

preserved lemons

This is the Moroccan condiment, so it’s a must for Lamb Tagine or Vegetable Couscous. I also sprinkle preserved lemons on vegetable braises, like Green Beans with Dill or Swiss Chard with Cannellini, for a citrusy, salty note. They need to be made at least three weeks ahead, but are a cinch to prepare. When serving, scrape away the pulp and dice the peel; that’s the part you eat. [MAKES 1 PINT]

Sterilize a 1-pint glass canning jar and lid.

Cut 6 of the lemons, 1 by 1, into quarters through 1 end without cutting all the way through other end—you want lemon to open out like a flower, but not to separate. Place cut lemon on a piece of parchment or waxed paper, spread quarters open and sprinkle flesh with a heaping tablespoon of salt; put lemon into jar.

Continue with remaining lemons, sprinkling salt on each one. Pack lemons in jar tightly, filling it to the top (you may need more or less than 6 lemons, depending on their size). When finished, lift the parchment and pour the excess salt from it into jar.

Slide the bay leaves down the insides of the jar, placing on opposite sides. Juice remaining lemons 1 by 1, adding juice to jar until it reaches the top. Seal jar, shake well, and let stand at room temperature, shaking well every 12 hours, for 1 week. After 1 week, transfer jar to the refrigerator. Lemons are ready to use after 2 more weeks and keep up to 3 months in the refrigerator. To use lemons, pull out a lemon quarter and scrape away pulp. Dice peel and serve as directed.