Help me break in my new saute pan!

[buckytom]

i've been eyeing the 6 qt. all clad stainless steel saute for a long time, but the price seemed ridiculous for my cooking expertise at around $175, on sale.
then on a recent trip to costco, i saw the tramontina 5 qt. stainless steel saute for around $30 and bought it.

so far, it's sat on top of the stove until i can make room somewhere so that it won't get dinged up. i've been thinking of a good inaugural dish to make in it, but then i thought everyone here might have a favourite dish that utilizes such a pan.

so, what's your favourite recipe for a fairly large, covered, stainless steel saute pan, aka a chicken fryer.

(all of the wise guys can relax, i know, "how about fried chicken". ok, how about a recipe. )

 

[Jeekinz]

Sausage & Peppers.....is there truly anything else?

 

[Caine]

I just used 5 quart sauté pan last week-end to make chicken cacciatore. The chicken was excellent, as expected, but the durn pan won't fit in the dishwasher!

 

[mudbug]

bucky, I've got a Calphalon one similar to what you're talking about (ss with a lid- from the clearance shelf at BB&B).

You can make tons of stuff. Stir-fried rice comes out great, as does spag sauce, fish, gravy - plus, it can go in the oven after you've flashed anything.

Just play around with it.

 

[ironchef]

Hey, you're a Joisey boy. Make some braciole baby!

And how about them Red Sox!

 

[buckytom]

i don't think they'll fit in the pan, i.c...

hey, we're on the same wavelength here. i bought some pork shoulder, some of which is just waiting to be trimmed and pounded into scallopini for brasciole.

the rest of the pork will be cubed and made into souvlaki on the grill. hmmm, does the term souvlaki mean the way it's served, with greek-ish salad on a pita with tsatsiki? or is it just the name for grilled and or marinated chunks of meat?

anyone? anyone? beuhler?



caine cacciatore, either veal or chicken, is definitely on the list of things to make. do you make it with chicken on the bone, or boneless? and what kind of mushrooms do you use? (you seem like a real funghi! ) i prefer sliced baby bellas over white.

jeekinz, i'm gonna have to learn salsicce con pepperoni all over again, this time in stainless steel. i've almost perfected it in my emerilware non-stick saute, but there'll be some changes with ss.
can't wait for the tomatoes to come in this summer.
btw, i don't think you're allowed to live in new jersey if you can't make a good sausage-n-peppers.


'bug, experiments to commence this week as i'm on vacation. yay!
i love pan gravies from deglazing bits, so that's the first test.
the flied lice sounds interesting. i've only made a few in a wok, which weren't very good. do you add egg?
i'm going to try making my first risotto in it next week. wish me luck.

 

[ChefJune]

I can't even count all the things I make in my 5 1/2 quart deep sauté! But this weekend, I'm making this!

Burgundy-Style Rabbit, My Way

makes 4 servings

6 ounces red onion finely chopped
6 ounces green pepper finely chopped
6 ounces celery finely chopped
1 small hot pepper, seeded, deveined and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 3-pound (fresh) rabbit cut into 6 pieces
3/4 cup flour
2 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon mace
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon crushed brown mustard seed
2 cups red wine (such as Côtes du Rhône)
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup Cognac
1 basket pearl onions

1. Dredge rabbit pieces in flour mixture. Heat the olive oil in a deep-sided sauté pan. Sear rabbit on all sides to brown very well. Remove from pan and keep warm.
2. Sauté vegetables in the same oil until soft.
3. Blend the mustard and crushed seeds into the chicken stock. Add all the liquid to the pan. Add the salt and crushed red pepper. Return the rabbit to the pan. Cover tightly and allow to braise for 1 hour, or until very tender.
4. Remove rabbit from pan. Raise heat and cook liquid down to one half. Purée vegetables in sauce in a food processor fitted with the metal blade.
5. Return sauce to pan and add 1/4 cup Cognac. Add 1 basket of pearl onions (peeled and trimmed) and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes, or until onions are tender. Return rabbit pieces to sauce to reheat and coat well with the sauce.

Teacher’s Tip: Serve with buttered noodles or mashed potatoes to sop up all the delicious sauce.

Wine Tip: I like to serve a luscious red Burgundy with this …. such as a Nuit St. George. Perhaps a peppery Shiraz from the Barossa Valley or a Châteauneuf-du-Pape would stand up to the assertive flavors a little better, but if you choose a bold Bourgogne, it won’t let you down!

 

[buckytom]

oh man! thanks a million, chef june.

i wuv wabbit. i'll have to make it and not tell the wife what it is until she has a few bites.

and the pearl onions in the sauce does it for me. thanks again.

btw, where do you get your rabbit? in the city, or in joisey? i have to see if the goffle road poultry farm sells fresh rabbit.

 

[mish]

If it's ovenproof, I'd have an indoor clambake, & make corn on the cob, on the side:

http://recipes.betterrecipes.com/betterrecipes/printRecipe.jsp?recipeId=00000002514

 

[buckytom]

thanks mish. copied, pasted. definitely on my 'things to make this summer" list.

it is ovenproof. that's the main thing that i was looking for; that it had ss handles instead of the "oven proof" material that only goes up to 450 or 500. i know i'd melt the sucker the first time i was distracted.

 

[mish]

An added thought. If two chickens are too large for the pan, two cornish game hens might work. Enjoy!

 

[Caine]

caine cacciatore, either veal or chicken, is definitely on the list of things to make. do you make it with chicken on the bone, or boneless? and what kind of mushrooms do you use? (you seem like a real funghi! ) i prefer sliced baby bellas over white.

Normally I use a whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces, but this time I just happened to be Legs & Thighs man because my local market had legs or thighs in 8 piece packages for 99 cents a pound. But I never, ever would use boneless chicken parts for cacciatore. Mushrooms, I have to go with what happens to be available at the time I'm shopping. Usually whites or creminis. I save the portabellas for dishes that need something really meaty added.

 

[buckytom]

thanks caine. agreed about the bone-in chicken for cacciatore. for veal, i like to use shoulder and neck, with the bones tossed in as well.

i think creminis, or criminis, are the same as baby bellas.

 

[Andy M.]

I like bone-in thighs for cacciatore as well. They always come out moist and succulent.

 

[boufa06]

the rest of the pork will be cubed and made into souvlaki on the grill. hmmm, does the term souvlaki mean the way it's served, with greek-ish salad on a pita with tsatsiki? or is it just the name for grilled and or marinated chunks of meat?

anyone? anyone? beuhler?

BT, the term souvlaki refers to the cubed and skewered meat. It can be served in a variety of ways, one of them being what you mentioned. Another way is to wrap the meat in the pita after adding a bit of tzatziki, onion and tomato slices, just like Gyros.

In Greece, when it is served as a meal, it is accompanied by fried potatoes only, the salad being a separate order. I do think the way you suggest is definitely healthier. Do marinate the meat with spices such as salt, pepper, thyme and a bit of lemon juice. You should allow for enough time before grilling to let the spices penetrate into the meat.

 

[buckytom]

boufa, what can i say. efharisto poli.

{{{{{{doing greek dance with handkerchief}}}}}}}}

i am going to marinate pork and chicken cubes for the grill as you've suggested, and will probably make them for sunday's dinner.

for tourists and new yawkuhs alike, some of the best souvlaki, served wrapped in pita with chopped greek salad, steak fries and piaz (bean salad) is at an ecclectic little place across from the beacon theatre, on broadway (southbound) between 76th and 77th.
apparently, it's the real deal.

 

[AllenOK]

Hey, Bucky! If it's just you, your wife, and daughter, maybe a small batch of Beef Stroganoff?

I've been grilling just about every time I cook these days, with the warm weather and all, so I'm kind of lost when I want to deglaze a pan.

 

[ChefJune]

oh man! thanks a million, chef june.

i wuv wabbit. i'll have to make it and not tell the wife what it is until she has a few bites.

and the pearl onions in the sauce does it for me. thanks again.

btw, where do you get your rabbit? in the city, or in joisey? i have to see if the goffle road poultry farm sells fresh rabbit.

I get my rabbits from a farmer at the Union Square Greenmarket who is from upstate New York. I think I remember that Griggstown Quail Farm has them, tho.. Is that anywhere near you?

 

[buckytom]

thanks chefjune. i'll have to take a trip down to union square on a saturday. i wonder if they'll remember me, in union square?

tell all the gang on 42nd street, that i will soon be theeeeeeeere!

sorry, i broke into song and dance there for a second.

(yes, i know it's herald square.)

so far, in my new pan i've made cicken cacciatore (thanks caine ), with floured chicken thighs, eggplant, mushrooms, onions, fresh rosemary and parsley, and of course, tomatoes to make the sauce. it was the best chicken "catch" i've made to date.

also, my first risotto, also delicious. btw, how do you not keep tasting your risotto to make sure it's done, and end up eating half of it. i kinda liked it as it went throught the stages of crunchy to just right.

 

[Robo410]

anything (chicken pork veal swordfish even) alla Milanese ... pound, flour egg breadcrumb (panko with parmesan is awsome) shallow pan fry till crisy ... squeeze of lemon, a light tomato sauce, or a light vinegrette over pasta or mixed greens either cold or sauteed. so good and quick