Fast, Fresh & Green by Susie Middleton Page B

cook, stirring infrequently (they will squeak when you stir them), until the mushrooms are shrunken, glistening, and some parts have developed a deep orange-brown color, about 10 minutes (the bottom of the pan will be brown).
    4
Turn the heat down to low
, and add the garlic and remaining 1 Tbsp butter. Stir and cook until the butter is melted and the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Whisk the soy sauce mixture again and very carefully add it to the pan. You’ll need to scrape out the brown sugar, but don’t stand directly over the pan as there will be sputtering. Stir and cook just until the liquid thickens slightly and coats the mushrooms, 15 to 20 seconds more. Season with a few grinds of pepper and quickly transfer the mushrooms and all of the sauce to a serving dish.
    Serves 4

Chapter 6
Walk-Away Sautéing
    METHOD: Walk-away sautéing
    EQUIPMENT: 10-in/25-cm straight-sided sauté pan, heat-proof spatula, tongs, wooden spoon, liquid measure
    HEAT: The stove top—not too hot
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    RECIPES: Foundation Recipe for Walk-Away Sautéing • 100
    Gingery Sweet Potato and Apple Sauté with Toasted Almonds • 102
    Dark and Crispy Pan-Fried Red Potatoes • 103
    Sautéed Broccoli with Mellow Garlic and Thyme • 105
    Caramelized Green Beans and Sweet Onions • 106
    Sautéed Turnips with Ham and Molasses • 107
    Southwestern Butternut Squash Sauté • 108
    Smoky Spanish Carrots and Fennel with Toasted Hazelnuts • 109
    Bacon and Rosemary Sautéed Brussels Sprouts and Baby Bellas • 111
Walk-Away Sautéing: How It Works
    Something pretty cool is going to happen to you if you cook from this chapter. You will learn (or improve your ability) to cook using all of your senses—sight, smell, touch, taste, even hearing. This is kind of scary and exciting at the same time, because what I’m really saying is that this method is not an exact science. But that’s actually a good thing in terms of flavor, because the transformation these vegetables undergo during cooking is nothing short of magic.
    Here’s the big picture: You’ll start with hearty vegetables (like carrots or Brussels sprouts) and cut them into even (usually medium-size) pieces. You’ll combine them with some aromatics—like mushrooms, garlic, or onions—and cook them slowly in a decent amount of olive oil in a sauté pan until they’re tender and deeply golden. Often a bit of pancetta or bacon and some fresh herb sprigs go in the pan, too. The pan will look quite crowded, but that’s intentional. The vegetables will help each other cook by giving off some of their own steam. (That’s why this method is great for low-moisture vegetables and not so great for things like zucchini, which would get mushy cooked this way.)
    The finer point is this: There is an ideal amount of heat and time to both brown the vegetables slowly and cook them through. It’s a slow, gentle heat (usually what’s labeled “medium” on my stove, but it could be “medium-low” on yours). With a generous amount of olive oil, the vegetables will usually be perfectly cooked in 25 to 30 minutes. You may have to do a little fiddling around—adjusting your heat or adding a little more olive oil—when first trying these recipes on your stove and with your pan.
    Usually the vegetables don’t brown at all in the first several minutes of cooking (at least they shouldn’t!). They will release their moisture (you will hear a gentle sizzle), and you’ll only have to stir them occasionally (you can
walk away
). About halfway through cooking, the vegetables will begin to brown (and sizzle a little more loudly). Sometimes, though, if the heat is initially too high or there isn’t enough olive oil, browning can happen more quickly, before your vegetables have had a chance to start getting tender. The solution here is to simply turn the heat down—the browning will slow down, giving the vegetables more time to become tender.
    Also, depending on the vegetable mix, sometimes the pan can get