By Barbara Seelig Brown
(Reviews)
Damsel of de-stress "The Record"
Wednesday, December 11, 2002
By PATRICIA MACK
Food editorBarbara Selig Brown has built a career on "stress-free cooking."
Barbara Selig Brown, if ever we needed you, we need you now! During the holiday season, an unwelcome but constant companion in our kitchens is STRESS.
Brown, however, is the picture of cool, calm, and collected. The Basking Ridge cooking teacher has built a culinary career on what she calls "stress-free cooking." This is also the name of her new self-published cookbook, which details how to prepare healthful, easy meals without fuss and worry.
"I want the home cook to walk into the kitchen at 6 p.m. and fix dinner in a breeze, then sit down at the table with the family," said Brown, a wife and the mother of two grown sons. "The message I want to send is that people should get back into the kitchen to cook nutritious, healthful, and good-tasting food."
The dish we're working on in The Record Kitchen is a perfect example - she calls it "a flash in the pan" but its real title is chicken with jewel-tone vegetables. It has a short ingredient list, and requires just three utensils: a 10- or 12-inch sauté pan with a lid, a meat pounder so that the chicken breast can be hammered thin for quick cooking, and a shallow bowl or pie plate. It takes about 25 minutes to cook.
Serve it with rice or couscous, and it's dinner.
Her book, available at www.stressfreecooking.com or www.lifestyledesigns.com for $19.95, provides a blueprint for many meals similar to this one. She covers subjects such as how to equip a kitchen, stock a pantry, and create the state of mind to cook healthful meals. And, of course, it has lots of recipes.
Creating a delicious meal stress-free starts outside the kitchen, Brown said.
"If you plan your market trips wisely, you will spend less time shopping - thus allowing more time for cooking," she said.
She also advises keeping a basic pantry well-stocked.
"By keeping these items on hand you will be able to make just about anything on a moment's notice, and in less time than it takes to pick up takeout," she said.
Olive oil, canola oil, and vinegar figure large on the list because they not only impart wonderful flavors, they are more healthful than butter or margarine.
She also uses herbs and spices in her cooking. Judiciously sprinkled, they can make all the difference between a good cook and a great one.
"When a cook is comfortable using herbs and spices, fat calories can be cut because they add strong flavors that replace the missing fats," she said.
A good cook works smart, Brown said.
"One of the most important lessons in cooking is to read the recipe thoroughly before cooking," she said. "Then assemble every ingredient you will need."
Brown has been teaching cooking classes in North Jersey for more than 15 years. The book is the product of her classes and feedback from her students. A member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals and president of the New York Association of Culinary Professionals, Brown used non-cooks and novice cooks to test the recipes.
"It worked beautifully," she said. "They helped me clarify directions with their comments and feedback."
One lesson she learned from her many students is that they lack confidence in their own cooking.
"When I develop a recipe, I use my favorite things," she said. "They may not be the same as the students' or their family's, so I tell them to change a seasoning or two. That's OK.
"Cooking is an art, not an exact science."
This dish is one of the easiest and most colorful. Perfect for these busy days, Brown said.
Chicken with jewel-tone vegetables
½ cup Wondra flour (see note)
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast
Olive oil
½ cup white wine
½ cup chicken stock
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups baby carrots, sliced lengthwise
1 red bell pepper, sliced into ¼-inch strips
½ pound fresh green beans, stemmed
½ cup flat Italian parsley, roughly chopped, divided ¼ cup and ¼ cup
Mix flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl
Pound chicken breast to even, ¼-inch thickness. Dredge in flour.
Thinly film sauté pan with olive oil and heat to medium. Add chicken. Brown chicken 3 to 5 minutes on each side until golden. Remove from pan.Add the wine and chicken stock to deglaze pan. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes to soften. Return chicken to pan. Add vegetables and ¼ cup parsley. Cover and simmer 5 to 10 minutes, or until vegetables are done to your liking.
Garnish with remaining parsley.
Servings: 4.Note: Wondra, commonly known as instant flour, is a very fine granular flour that is also used to make smooth sauces. All-purpose flour can be substituted.
| Stress Free Cooking reviewed by Ann Hall Every, CCP |
Stress Free Cooking reviewed by June C. Jacobs, CCP |