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One-Dish Dinners: The Secrets of Frazzle-Free Entertaining
| Article
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16309 |
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Section : |
LIFE
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| Issue
Date : |
3 / 1989 |
568 Words |
| Author
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Michael Krondl
Michael Krondl is a free-lance writer currently translating
and adapting a collection of Czech and Moravian folktales for
publication. His adaptation of the story "The Night Watch"
was first published in the December 1988 issue of the Canadian
magazine Saturday Night. |
There was a time when the one-pot meal was the rule because just about everyone had only one pot and whatever came out of that single pot was the family supper. This was as true for the American pioneers as it was for the countryfolk of Europe.
The French inns of old are perhaps best remembered for their one-pot creation known as pot au feu, literally pot-on-the-fire. This was French country cuisine at its most robust. The innkeeper's wife always kept a large iron caldron simmering over a low fire, to which she would add whatever meat or vegetables were on hand. The broth lent its flavor to each food that was added. Such a dish was convenient because whenever a guest arrived, the innkeeper's wife could ladle up a bowlful of stew for the traveler. Some of these pots au feu were reputed to have simmered nonstop for years!
The contemporary pot au feu is still made by simmering many meats and vegetables in one pot, though cooking time now is measured in hours, not weeks. In the north of France, the main ingredient is usually beef; whereas in the south, it is often lamb. Whichever meat is used, pot au feu is still a wonderful meal to offer a weary traveler or hungry guest.
Each country and region has its favorite one-dish meals. The Appalachian Mountains were long known for a dish called Brunswick stew, which combined just about any varmint you might think to add to a stewpot (and some you probably wouldn't). It used to be made with squirrel or opossum, but nowadays chicken has become the usual substitute.
Though obscured by legend, the origins of chili con carne (as American an invention as hot dogs and hamburgers) are still hotly debated. There is agreement--among a few at least--that the first chili was a cowboy's one-pot meal, concocted somewhere north of the Rio Grande. A traditional chili is made of chunks of meat seasoned with chilies, the favorite spice of Southwestern Native Americans.
Across the Atlantic, the North Africans have a spicy, sophisticated cuisine that almost always involves cooking in a single pot. The most famous dish is undeniably couscous, which is made in a special steamer. A complex stew is simmered in the bottom half, while semolina grains absorb the stew's flavor and moisture as they cook in the perforated top. Moroccans also favor tajines, full-flavored stews that are somewhat simpler to prepare.
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