Page 11 - One-Dish Meals

Vegetable Broth
P R E P 25 minutes C O O K 2 hours M A K E S about 6 cups
Cut off roots and trim dark green tops from 4 large leeks; thinly slice
leeks. Rinse leeks in large bowl of cold water, swishing to remove sand;
transfer to colander to drain, leaving sand in bottom of bowl. In 6-quart
saucepot, combine leeks, 2 to 4 garlic cloves, not peeled, 1 cup water,
and pinch salt; heat to boiling. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook
until leeks are tender, about 15 minutes. Add 1 large all-purpose pota-
to, peeled, cut lengthwise in half, and thinly sliced, 1 small fennel bulb,
trimmed and chopped (optional), 3 parsnips, peeled and thinly sliced
(optional), 2 large carrots, peeled and thinly sliced, 3 stalks celery with
leaves, thinly sliced, 4 ounces mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced,
10 parsley sprigs, 4 thyme sprigs, 2 bay leaves, 1 teaspoon whole
black peppercorns, and 12 cups water; heat to boiling. Reduce heat and
simmer, uncovered, at least 1 hour 30 minutes. Taste and continue cook-
ing if flavor is not concentrated enough. Season with salt and pepper to
taste. Strain broth through fine-mesh sieve into containers, pressing on
solids with back of wooden spoon to extract liquid; cool. Cover and refrig-
erate to use within 3 days, or freeze up to 4 months.

E A C H C U P About 19 calories | 1 g protein | 4 g carbohydrate |
0 g total fat (0 g saturated) | 0 mg cholesterol | 9 mg sodium.

Better Beans

Dried beans that have been soaked and cooked are tastier than canned
and yield a firmer texture. Plus, they are much lower in sodium.
Before soaking, sort through the beans to remove tiny stones or debris.
Place the beans in a colander and rinse well with cold water, running your
fingers through the beans to reveal any bits of dirt. Transfer the beans to a
large bowl. (Dried beans rehydrate to at least double their size, so be sure
to use a large bowl.) Add enough cold water to cover the beans by two
inches. The standard “overnight” (about eight hours) soaking time is really
for the cook’s convenience. The job is done when the beans have swelled
to about double their size, which takes about four hours, but beans can be
soaked for up to twenty-four hours. In hot weather, to prevent the beans
from fermenting, refrigerate them while they soak. If you want to reduce
the soaking time by about half, cover the beans with boiling water instead
of cold. Just before cooking, drain the soaked beans and rinse them again.
Discard the soaking water and cook the beans in fresh water.

Introduction 11