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• Technique Recipe: Pasta With Bolognese Sauce

Technique Recipe: Pasta With Bolognese Sauce

MAIN DISH

PASTA WITH

BOLOGNESE SAUCE

You can build a sumptuous feast on budget cuts

This holiday season, taking it slow in the kitchen could spare you some stress and save you some cash. If you're serving up a meaty holiday feast, consider skipping pricey -- and more easily overcooked -- steaks, chops and tenderloins. Instead, consider a low and slow roast of a cheaper cut, such as the shoulders, legs and ribs.

Turning those tougher meats into succulent, memorable meals requires some patience. But in return there is plenty of down time for all that other holiday revelry and a near foolproof holiday dinner that doesn't compromise on flavor.

``I cook with roasts all the time because they are inexpensive and if you know how to cook them right, they are extremely flavorful,'' says Tanya Steel, editor-in-chief of Epicurious.com.

Elevate meal with pan sauce

favor Sunday suppers prepared on the cooktop, rather than in a hot oven. And if I wish to elevate my meal to another level, I will make a pan sauce -- a technique that turns simple pan-fried steaks, chicken cutlets, fish fillets or pork chops into mouth-watering dishes.

Basically, the food is cooked in a sauté pan over fairly high heat until it's done and leaves brown caramelized bits (professional chefs call this ``fond'') stuck to the pan. You want the food to stick; use a heavy non-reactive sauté pan.

After cooking meat or fish, transfer the food to a plate and tent it with foil or put it in a low oven (200 degrees) to keep it warm. Discard any fat in the pan, add liquid to the pan and use a wooden spoon to dissolve the brown bits. This is called deglazing and can be done with wine, broth, cream, or even water, which can be used in combination or alone.

A Chinese meal is faster than take-out

eel like Chinese tonight? This dinner is faster and less expensive than take-out. Crisp, stir-fried pork served in little lettuce puffs with scallions and cucumber takes only minutes in a wok. The meat should be crisp on the outside and tender inside. The secret is to make sure your wok or skillet is very hot before adding the meat and to add the meat a few pieces at a time.

Use the same wok for the rice. Pan juices from the meat will flavor the rice. Fried rice is great made with leftover rice.

To make fried rice, microwave one package of brown rice according to package instructions. Heat wok and add 2 teaspoons of canola oil. Add one cup of the rice and 1 cup of frozen petite peas and toss 3 to 4 minutes. Push rice and peas to edge of wok and add reserved pork marinade in the center. Cook marinade 2 minutes and then toss with rice and peas. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Desperation Dinners Recipe: Jennifer's Special Stir-Fry

MAIN DISH

JENNIFER'S SPECIAL STIR-FRY

Buy ready-cut meat or slice a 12-ounce sirloin crosswise against the grain into 1/4-inch strips. Black-bean sauce is typically stocked near the soy sauce. Start to finish: 25 minutes.