Mark Bittman's Quick and Easy Recipes From the New York Times - Mark Bittman [67]
3. Cook for another 15 minutes or so, until the duck is quite tender. Carve and serve.
VARIATIONS
As everyone knows from sad experience, a single duck provides skimpy servings for four people. You can make up for this with side dishes, but there are other solutions as well:
• Braise a piece of slab bacon and/or smoked or fresh pork along with the duck, after adding the sauerkraut; you’ll have to increase the cooking time a bit.
• Peel and cut up some potatoes (or carrots, parsnips, or turnips) and cook them along with the duck and sauerkraut.
• Finally, you can simply cook more duck—start with 2 ducks or use a couple of duck legs or, best of all, sear a duck breast and serve the slices separately.
NOTE
The best sauerkraut is sold in bulk, but you can buy perfectly good sauerkraut in jars or plastic bags in the supermarket. Just make sure the only ingredients are cabbage and salt. Inferior sauerkraut contains preservatives, and that sold in cans tastes tinny.
BEEF AND VEAL
THE MINIMALIST’S MARINATED STEAK
OVEN-“GRILLED” STEAK
SKIRT STEAK WITH COMPOUND BUTTER
STEAK WITH BUTTER AND GINGER SAUCE
GRILLED FLANK STEAK WITH PROVENÇAL SPICES
GRILLED STEAK WITH ROQUEFORT SAUCE
SIRLOIN STEAK WITH CHIMICHURRI SAUCE
RIB-EYE STEAK WITH ANCHOVY-RED WINE SAUCE
BEEF WRAPPED IN LETTUCE LEAVES, KOREAN STYLE
NEGIMA (JAPANESE BEEF-SCALLION ROLLS)
ROAST SIRLOIN OF BEEF
POACHED BEEF TENDERLOIN WITH GARNISHES
ASIAN POT ROAST WITH TURNIPS
POT ROAST WITH CRANBERRIES
BEEF WITH CARAMELIZED SUGAR
JAPANESE-STYLE BEEF STEW WITH WINTER SQUASH
SAUTÉED CHICKPEAS WITH MEAT
OSSO BUCO
BRAISED VEAL BREAST WITH MUSHROOMS
VEAL STEW OF SPRING
VEAL STEW WITH DILL
THE MINIMALIST’S MARINATED STEAK
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
TIME: 30 MINUTES
THERE ARE JUST two reasons for marinating before grilling: to add flavor and promote browning and crispness. Neither of these requires much time, although dunking the meat or fish for a few minutes in what is best labeled a grilling sauce may contribute to a slightly greater penetration of flavor. (On the other hand, if you really have no time at all, simply smear the food with the sauce as it’s going on the grill.)
Promoting browning is easy: anything with sugar browns quickly—often too quickly, as you know if you’ve ever slathered a piece of chicken with barbecue sauce before grilling it.
Which flavor to add is a matter of taste. My favorite is soy sauce; I love its taste, and it always seems to contribute exactly the right amount of saltiness. Any marinade that is made with a sweetener will need some acid to balance it; lime goes best with soy, but almost any acidic liquid will do, from lemon to white vinegar.
One last note about marinades: Marinade that is applied to raw food should not be brushed on during the last few minutes of cooking, nor should it be used as a sauce unless it is boiled for a few minutes. And, as always, marinade brushes and other utensils that are used with raw food should not be used near the end of cooking.
¼ cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
½ teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon honey, molasses, or hoisin sauce
Freshly ground black pepper
Juice of ½ lime
1 to 1½ pounds boneless steak (like rib-eye, skirt, or strip) or 1½ to 2 pounds bone-in steak (like rib-eye or T-bone)
1. Preheat a grill until hot and put the rack no more than 4 inches from the heat source. Mix together the first 6 ingredients; taste and add more of anything you like. Turn the steak in the sauce once or twice, then let it sit in the sauce until the grill is hot.
2. Turn the steak one more time, then put on the grill; spoon any remaining sauce over it. For rare, grill for about 3 minutes per side for steak under an inch thick. For larger or more well-done steak, increase the time slightly.
VARIATIONS
Many other ingredients