Professional Techniques Save Time in Kitchen

All good cooks are lazy by nature, or so I tell myself when I leave the mushroom stems untrimmed and boil the potatoes unpeeled yet again. Certainly working with professional chefs is a lesson in how to save time, and this menu makes use of a few of their tricks of the trade.

Frying, for example, is infinitely faster in a wok than in a regular skillet. When making a dish like ratatouille, which involves browning a varied collection of sliced vegetables, one at a time, a wok is a boon.

Not only do the vegetables absorb less oil, they stay agreeably, if unconventionally, crunchy. For a more orthodox result, all you need do is cook the mixture of sweet peppers, zucchini, eggplant and onion a bit longer until they are tender enough to blend.

An Old French Bistro Favorite

Swordfish Steak Marchand De Vin is a contemporary version of an old French bistro favorite, made with fish instead of beef steak. After frying the fish, the pan juices form the basis of a sauce with shallots and red wine, enriched with cream and butter. No wonder so many contemporary chefs favor this method, for a sauce can be made to order in just a few moments. It can be kept hot, too, as I suggest here, but in a water bath rather than over direct heat.

Red wine sauce and Garlic Fried Potatoes may sound odd companions for fish, but I find they go remarkably well with anything robust like swordfish, tuna or shark. I start garlic fried potatoes on top of the stove until sizzling, then cook them in the oven where they need only a stir or two to brown evenly. Garlic cloves (unpeeled to save work) are added halfway through. When tender, the cloves can be squashed with a knife, yielding a delicious puree to eat with the potatoes or spread on the fish.

Last comes a soup of peaches, a refreshing puree of fruit and yogurt with the peach flavor intensified by a few drops of almond essence. It’s a handy pick-me-up for any time of day.

LAZY DINNER FOR 4

Quick Ratatouille

Swordfish Steak Marchand de Vin

Garlic Fried Potatoes

Peach Soup

Suggested wine: Light Beaujolais-type red wine

QUICK RATATOUILLE

2 sweet red peppers, cored, seeded and cut into strips

2 green peppers, cored, seeded and cut into strips

2 zucchini, sliced

1 small eggplant, halved lengthwise and sliced

1 onion, sliced

Salt, pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon ground coriander

Season peppers, zucchini, eggplant and onion to taste with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in wok. Stir-fry peppers 2 to 3 minutes or until just tender, then remove. Add another tablespoon oil. Stir-fry zucchini about 2 minutes or until browned, then remove. Add another tablespoon oil. Stir-fry eggplant 2 to 3 minutes until browned, then remove.

Heat remaining tablespoon oil. Stir-fry onion 1 to 2 minutes until browned. Stir in all reserved vegetables with coriander and season to taste with salt and pepper. Continue to stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes, until vegetables are well blended. Taste to adjust for seasonings.

Ratatouille can be refrigerated up to 3 days and flavor will mellow. Serve hot or at room temperature. Makes 4 servings.

Note: Only peppers are essential in this recipe, and one or more of the other vegetables can be omitted.

SWORDFISH STEAK MARCHAND DE VIN

1 tablespoon oil

4 (1 1/2-pound) swordfish steaks

Salt, pepper

3 shallots, finely chopped

1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger root

1 cup red wine

2 tablespoons whipping cream

3/4 cup cold butter, cut into pieces

2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs: tarragon, chives, parsley, oregano

1 bunch watercress

Heat oil in heavy skillet. Season swordfish steaks to taste with salt and pepper. Add to pan. Saute 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until fish is browned and no longer translucent in center. Remove and keep warm.

Add shallots and ginger to pan. Cook until tender but not brown. Add wine. Boil, stirring to dissolve pan juices, until reduced to about 3 tablespoons. Add cream. Boil until reduced by half.

Remove pan from heat. Whisk in butter, a few pieces at a time, working heat on and off so butter softens and thickens sauce creamily without melting into oil. Whisk in herbs. Taste to adjust for seasonings. Sauce can be kept warm in bowl in water bath of warm water up to 30 minutes. Do not let get too hot or sauce will separate.

To finish, arrange fish on individual plates. Spoon sauce over. Garnish with watercress. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

Note: For lighter but less rounded sauce, substitute white wine for red.

GARLIC FRIED POTATOES

1 1/2 pounds potatoes

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup butter

12 to 16 whole garlic cloves, unpeeled

Salt

Peel potatoes, then cut into 3 or 4 pieces. Trim sharp edges. Heat oil and butter in shallow flame-proof baking dish. Add potatoes. All potatoes should touch bottom of pan and be half-covered with fat. Heat on top of stove 3 to 5 minutes until bubbling.

Bake potatoes in 400-degree oven 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic. Continue cooking additional 15 to 25 minutes until potatoes are very brown and crisp and garlic is tender. Lift out potatoes and garlic with slotted spoon. Dry on paper towels. Season to taste with salt. Remove garlic skins by pressing with fork and discard. Spread garlic on potatoes. Serve hot. Makes 4 servings.

Note: Leftover fat from frying potatoes can be used again.

PEACH SOUP

1 1/2 pounds ripe peaches

Juice of 1 lemon

1 cup unflavored yogurt

Few drops almond extract

1/4 cup powdered sugar, about

4 mint sprigs

To peel peaches, bring large pan water to boil. Immerse peaches 1 minute. Drain. Peel by slipping skins off. Halve peaches, discarding pits. Dice 2 peaches. Cut rest in chunks. Sprinkle with lemon juice immediately so they do not discolor.

Puree chunks in food processor. Add yogurt and almond extract. Work in powdered sugar to taste. Stir diced peaches into soup. Soup can be kept, tightly covered, in refrigerator 24 hours. Just before serving, spoon soup into bowls. Top each with 1 mint sprig. Makes 4 servings.