Cooking a big, elaborate meal can be satisfying, if you don’t mind the work involved. But sometimes, all that’s required is simple, filling food that doesn’t take a bevy of dishes or a whole lot of time.
Tossing some chicken or beef in a pot followed by a bunch of veggies might seem like the easy way out, but sometimes after a long day, the easy way is the only way.
There are hundreds of possible combinations of meat, veggies and spices that can make one-pot meals anything but boring. And if you do the prep work ahead of time, even the most elaborate can be simple to toss on the stove for an easy supper.
A recent cookbook by Jenni Fleetwood, One-Pot Cooking (2010, Southwater Publishing), features more than 120 recipes that come from all over the globe but all share one thing: They are all cooked in one vessel. Some of the recipes require other kitchen prep, such as creating a sauce or dumplings, for example. But for the most part, the recipes can be created with only one pot or pan.
The cookbook was published in Britain, using some terms more familiar in Europe, such as “kitchen paper” for paper towels. But the directions are simple enough to easily follow, and each recipe is beautifully illustrated with photos of preparation steps as well as the finished product.
There are a wide range of dishes, including seafood chowders, pork stir-fries, beef curries, vegetable side dishes and even wild game preparations. One of the simpler, tasty creations is this chicken dish that features a mushroom sauce.
Hunter’s Chicken
1/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
4 pieces bone-in chicken (leg and thigh), skinned
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 can (14 ounces) chopped tomatoes
2/3 cup red wine
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 sprig rosemary, leaves only, finely chopped, plus more sprigs for garnish
1 3/4 cups portabella mushrooms, thinly sliced
Salt and black pepper to taste
Put dried mushrooms in bowl and add 1 cup warm water. Let stand 20 minutes. Squeeze mushrooms over bowl, and strain and reserve liquid. Finely chop mushrooms. In casserole or Dutch oven, heat oil and butter until foaming. Add chicken and sauté over medium heat about 5 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels. Add onion and chopped mushrooms to pan. Cook gently, stirring frequently, about 3 minutes, or until onion has softened but hasn’t browned. Stir in tomatoes, wine and reserved mushroom liquid, then add garlic, chopped rosemary and salt and pepper. Bring to boil, stirring constantly. Return chicken to pan and turn to coat with sauce. Cover with tight-fitting lid and simmer for 30 minutes. Add portabellas and stir well to mix with sauce. Continue to simmer for 10 minutes or until chicken is tender. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Serve hot.
Servings: 4. Serving size: 1 piece chicken with sauce. Per serving: 322 calories, 28.2 g protein, 13.5 g fat, 12.2 g carbohydrates, 2.1 g dietary fiber, 336 mg sodium, 6 mg sugars, 111 mg cholesterol
