How to Braise Everything: Classic, Modern, and Global Dishes…

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With one simple, mostly hands-off technique, you’ll unlock deep flavors in meat, poultry, seafood, and even vegetables in this authoritative guide of 200 foolproof, unique recipes.

Braises are far from just stews! The treasured technique of cooking food slowly and gently in liquid is a pillar of cuisines around the world, and How to Braise Everything is a modern master class. You’ll learn that a pot roast cooks much in the same way as a warm-spiced Moroccan lamb tagine, savory Spanish stewed chickpeas, or even a pot full of hearty bacon-enhanced collard greens. The elemental method is simple: Combine your main ingredient with a flavorful liquid, cook (usually) at a low temperature, and you’re left with superbly tender meat or vegetables and a flavorful sauce or broth, both parts benefitting from an exchange of flavors. But this simplicity doesn’t mean there’s not a right and a wrong way to braise. When should you sear your meat before its bath? Should you presoak your beans? What’s better for braising: the oven or the stove? You’ll discover tricks to coax out as much flavor as possible from braised subjects in streamlined recipes. We cover comforting favorites like Old-Fashioned Pot Roast and classics like Chicken Cacciatore while also bringing the technique up to date, exploring international dishes with vibrant flavors like Mexican Chicken with Pumpkin Seed Sauce and Hake in Saffron Broth with Chorizo and Potatoes. Verdant vegetable sides like Braised Spring Vegetables with Tarragon and hearty bean dishes like Curried Lentils with Golden Raisins complete the meal.

From the Publisher

Why braise?

Tender meat. One-pot meals. Hands-off cooking.

Chicken Vesuvio

Braising Gear

When braising meat in the test kitchen, we almost always reach for our trusty Dutch oven. The sturdy, roomy pot conducts heat well, so the meat gets a good sear. It’s also outfitted with a tight-fitting lid.

Let’s Braise

Braise the roof!

Braising is a pillar of cuisines around the world but is not quite as familiar in the United States. That’s changing as more home cooks discover how steady, moderate heat can coax the best flavor out of meat, poultry, seafood, and even vegetables. With braising, the raw, often-tough ingredients go into the pan and emerge tender and with a luscious sauce. How to Braise Everything is the definitive guide to braising quick weeknight meals and laid-back weekend feasts.

A look in the braising pot:

Aromatics: Braises benefit from a base of aromatic flavor for complexity. Common Examples: Onion, carrot, celery, bell pepper, garlic, shallot, ginger, chiles, hardy herbs Beefy Boosters: Umami-rich ingredients increase the perception of meatiness. Common Examples: Tomato paste, anchovies, soy sauce, mushrooms, parmesan cheese rind Liquid: The braising liquid coaxes out and transfers flavors. Common Examples: Chicken broth, beef broth, wine, canned tomatoes, bottled clam juice Main Event: All these ingredients come together to braise something. Common Examples: Beef, pork, lamb, sausages, poultry, fish and shellfish, beans, legumes, vegetables Finishing Touches: Use a bright flavor touch at the end to provide textural contrast. Common Examples: Fresh herbs, lemon juice, vinegar, nuts, gremolata, rouille or chutney

French-Style Pot Roast

This elegant dish traditionally calls for marinating the beef in red wine before cooking and adding collagen-rich veal and pork parts for body. We found easier, quicker ways to generate the same flavor and texture with fewer steps and ingredients. We recommend a medium-bodied, fruity red wine, such as Côtes du Rhône or Pinot Noir, for this recipe.

Southern-Styled Smothered Chicken

Since chicken is relatively mild in flavor, most chicken dishes taste like whatever else is in the dish rather than the chicken itself. Smothered chicken is designed to coax out as much chicken flavor as possible and then bolster it with supporting—not distracting—ingredients, in this case garlic and dried sage. A splash of cider vinegar brightens the sauce just before serving.

Spanish Shellfish Stew (Zarzuela)

Chock-full of shellfish like lobsters, clams, and mussels, this tomato-based stew is seasoned with saffron and paprika and thickened with a picada, a flavorful mixture of ground almonds, bread crumbs, and olive oil. The shellfish release their rich liquors into the pot as they cook to provide the broth with clean, fresh seafood flavor.

Leg of Lamb en Cocotte with Garlic and Rosemary

Fall-apart meat is great, but a roast cut into tender slices is also desirable—and you can get it with braising if you use the en cocotte method. No liquid is added to the pot here; instead, the flavorful lamb cooks in its own juices. Since the meat’s gamey flavor comes mostly from the fat, trim as much as possible before browning the roast then braise the lamb with sprigs of rosemary and a handful of sliced garlic cloves. In just an hour you’ll have a simple, beautifully flavored main.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ America’s Test Kitchen (February 12, 2019)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 408 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1945256710
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1945256714
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.3 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9 x 1.2 x 10.3 inches