Out of the Frying Pan

No, we’re not really frying. We’re searing, sautéing and poaching three delicious main courses.

Even if you’ve sworn off fried foods, don’t give away your frying pan. Instead, use it to prepare one of the imaginative, colorful non-fried entrees we show on these pages. They’re hearty enough for the chilliest winter evening, and tasty enough to delight the most demanding palate. And they’re healthy too. All are based on inspired combinations of main ingredients—turkey and prosciutto, pork and scallops, chicken and pumpkin. And the step-by-step instructions we offer make them simple to create. (Of course, top-quality ingredients will make the alchemy you achieve in your kitchen all the more delectable for your family—or impressive to your guests.)

Recipes reprinted with permission from Farm Fork Food by Eric Skokan. © 2014 Kyle Books.

 

Sautéed turkey with prosciutto, sage & chanterelles (serves 4, pictured above)

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. turkey, cut into ½-inch-thick
• slices
• sea salt and freshly ground black
• pepper
• 2 Tbs. sunflower oil
• 2 medium onions, julienned
• 3 cups sliced chanterelle mushrooms
• 2 Tbs. unsalted butter, softened
• 2 Tbs. white wine
• 3 sprigs fresh sage
• 1 cup thinly sliced prosciutto or dried ham

Instructions

1. Season the turkey on one side with salt and pepper. In a large sauté pan over high heat, sauté the turkey in the oil until lightly browned, about 3 minutes.
2. Turn the turkey slices and cook 1 minute more. Transfer to a platter to rest.
3. Return the sauté pan to the heat. Add the onions, mushrooms and butter. Cook until the onions just begin to brown, about 5 minutes.
4. Deglaze the pan with the wine, scraping to loosen any stuck bits. Add the sage and prosciutto and cook for 2 minutes. Season with salt.
5. Divide the turkey slices among four warmed plates. Top each with the onions, mushrooms and prosciutto and serve immediately.

 

Chicken & pumpkin braised in green curry with pressed ricotta (serves 4)

Ingredients

• 4 cups winter squash or pumpkin, peeled and sliced into rounds
• 3 Tbs. sunflower oil
• sea salt
• ½ cup diced onion
• 4 Tbs. minced fresh ginger
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 4 cups coconut milk
• 4 chicken breasts
• 1 cup fresh chopped cilantro, plus 4 sprigs for garnish
• 1 cup chopped spinach
• 1 cup chopped mizuna
• 2 green chiles, such as jalapeños, deseeded
• ¼ cup garlic cloves
• 2 fresh lime leaves
• 1 Tb. dried shrimp
• lemon juice

Instructions

1. Make the ricotta (see below).
2. Preheat the oven to 450° F. In a medium bowl, toss the pumpkin with 2 tablespoons of the oil. Season with salt and spread the pumpkin on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake until tender and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven to cool.
3. In a medium sauté pan over high heat, sauté half of the onions and half of the ginger in the remaining 1 tablespoon oil until the onion just begins to color, about 3 minutes.
4. Pour in the stock and 2 cups of the coconut milk and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Season the chicken breasts with salt and add to the pot. Poach the chicken until firm to the touch and cooked through. Remove the pan from the heat and let stand 5 minutes.
5. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the cilantro, spinach, mizuna, chiles, remaining 2 tablespoons ginger, remaining ¼ cup onion, the garlic, lime leaves and dried shrimp. Process until the mixture forms a paste, then transfer to a medium pot over low heat.
6. Stir in the remaining 2 cups coconut milk. Heat gently until warmed through. Season with salt and lemon juice to taste.
7. Form the ricotta cheese into 8 equal pieces. Add the cheese and the pumpkin to the curry and heat gently until warmed through. Add the poached chicken.
8. Divide the curry among four large bowls. Garnish with the cilantro sprigs and serve immediately.

 

Ricotta cheese

Ingredients

• 1 quart whole milk
• 2 Tbs. lemon juice
• 2 Tbs. heavy cream
• sea salt

 

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan over high heat, heat the milk until its temperature reaches 145° F on a candy thermometer.
2. Remove the saucepan from the heat and, while stirring, add the lemon juice.
3. Let the milk stand for 10 minutes, then separate the curds from the whey and transfer to a small bowl. If the curds do not fully separate, return the saucepan to the heat until they separate.
4. Stir in the cream and season with salt. Wrap the curds in cheesecloth, forming a ball.
5. Place in a bowl and let drain in the refrigerator overnight.

 

Pork roast with bay scallops (serves 4)

Ingredients

• ¼ cup fermented black beans
• pinch of ground clove
• pinch of ground cardamom
• 1 tsp. ground coriander
• 1 Tb. chopped young garlic, plus ½ cup thinly sliced
• 2 lbs. pork loin
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups gai lan or broccoli rabe
• 1 Tb. julienned fresh ginger
• ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup bay scallops, rinsed
• rice wine vinegar

Instructions

1. In a small saucepan over high heat, combine ½ cup water with the black beans, spices and chopped garlic. Boil until reduced by threequarters. Transfer to a blender and purée until smooth. Set aside.
2. Season the pork with salt and pepper. In a large sauté pan over high heat, sear the pork loin, fat side down, until browned and crisp, about 7 minutes. Drain the rendered fat from the pan and save for another use.
3. Turn the pork over and cook until browned, about 10 minutes more. Reduce the temperature to low and cook until the interior of the loin is cooked but still rosy, about 5 minutes more. Transfer to a platter to rest for 10 minutes.
4. Return the sauté pan with the pan drippings to the heat and add the gai lan, sliced garlic and ginger. Cook until the gai lan begins to wilt, then add the butter and cook for 1 minute more. Remove the pan from the heat and add the scallops. Season with salt and vinegar; the scallops will warm through as the pan cools.
5. Thinly slice the pork crosswise and divide among four dinner plates. Top with the black bean purée and garnish with the gai lan mixture. Serve immediately.