With summer quickly turning to fall, I find my cravings following suit, moving away from the grilled meats and vegetables of summer to the in-the-oven, slow cooked meals of fall and winter.For me that usually means one thing: braising.
I love braising, I think it’s the ultimate method of cooking. You can take just about any cut of meat, sear it, and throw it into a pool of braising liquid and let it simmer away slowly for hours on end. It’s a great way to warm your house and fill it full of delicious aromas as your meal cooks away.
Sure, braising takes some time. It’s not something you can whip up and have on the table in a half hour, but sometimes good things take time. I love lazy Sundays in the fall when I can braise a pot full of chicken thighs, or some beef, my whole house smelling of herbs and wine as I watch football all day. Is there anything better than that? I’m not so sure.
One of the huge benefits of braising is that it is tailor made to improve tougher, cheaper cuts of meat, so you save money! By cooking it slowly in liquid, the tough connective tissue breaks down and tenderizes the meat. If you’ve braised everything properly, the meat should fall apart with very little coaxing. I love that moment when you open up the pot, aroma wafting out in a puff of steam. You reach in with tongs, grab a piece of chicken, or beef, or veal, or pork, or lamb and as you lift it from the pot it literally falls apart from the weight of itself, shredding into delicious, tender little pieces.
Clearly, I like to braise. My favorite thing to slow cook, though, is definitely chicken thighs. There’s something about the way the chicken falls apart, how it soaks up the flavor of the braising liquid more than any other meat.
The other great thing about braising is that it’s so easy. You don’t even need a recipe. Sear the meat, dump it in a pot with some wine, or stock, or both, maybe some tomatoes and juice, season it to taste with lots of herbs and whack it in the oven. It’s really as simple as that. Let it simmer away for hours and deliciousness will await you.
Clacked by Bob Degon
on Sep 24, 2009 @ 12:00 EST5EDT
