The Barest Simmer
Food goes in naked. It comes out bursting with flavor. Such is the power of poaching, which calls on hot, tasty brews to transform lean cuts into meals that are as healthy as they are delectable. Now pick a protein, bathe it in a broth … and forget every assumption you’ve ever made about low-fat cooking.
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Beef Tenderloin Poached in Onion Broth
You’ll have a healthy makeover of the classic meat-and-potatoes meal when you cook the beef with root vegetables of various textures and tones. A dollop of beet-enriched horseradish further jump-starts the taste buds.
1 2-pound beef tenderloin, trimmed and tied
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 onions, finely diced (about 6 cups)
1 cup dry white wine
2 leeks (about 1 pound), trimmed and halved lengthwise
1 turnip (about 7 ounces), peeled and cut into 1-inch wedges
1/2 rutabaga (about 8 ounces), peeled and cut into 3/4-inch wedges
4 small potatoes, peeled and halved crosswise
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup jarred prepared horseradish and beets, for serving
1. Tie additional kitchen string to end ties on beef tenderloin. Secure to ends of a wooden spoon long enough to balance on rim of a large Dutch oven. (String should be tied so beef hangs below pot rim and broth but doesn’t touch bottom.) Set aside.
2. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and caramelized, about 20 minutes. (If mixture begins to darken or dry out, add a few tablespoons water.) Add wine and cook, stirring and scraping browned bits off bottom, until almost evaporated, about 4 minutes. Add leeks, turnip, rutabaga, and 10 cups water. Bring to a simmer, then partially cover and adjust heat to maintain a bare simmer. Cook 30 minutes, then remove turnip and transfer to a dish. Continue simmering until rutabaga is fork-tender, about 10 minutes more. Remove rutabaga and transfer to dish.
3. Push leeks and onions to sides of pot and lower beef into center, balancing wooden spoon on pot rim. If necessary, add more warm water to completely cover beef. Add potatoes and bring to a simmer. Cook, adjusting heat as necessary to maintain broth temperature at 190 degrees, until a thermometer inserted in center of beef reads 120 degrees for rare, about 30 minutes. (Meat will continue to cook after poaching.)
4. Remove potatoes and transfer to dish with vegetables. Remove beef, transfer to a cutting board, and let rest, tented with foil, 5 minutes. Keep poaching liquid warm. Remove strings from beef and cut beef into slices. Strain poaching liquid through a fine-mesh sieve. Divide broth, vegetables, and meat among serving bowls. Season with salt and pepper and top with prepared horseradish.
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Chicken Breast Poached in Buttermilk
You can use your favorite salad greens in place of the escarole. The dressing can be made four days ahead and stored in the refrigerator.
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 7 ounces each)
1 quart buttermilk
4 sprigs sage
4 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
1 small shallot, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
1/4 cup finely chopped cornichons or small dill gherkins
2 teaspoons capers, rinsed and drained
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, plus 1 tablespoon juice (from 1 lemon)
1 small head escarole (about 6 ounces), shredded
4 radishes, very thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup), for serving
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted, for serving
1. Let chicken stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Reserve 3 tablespoons buttermilk for dressing; place the rest in a large Dutch oven with sage and garlic.
2. Season chicken with salt and pepper and submerge in a single layer in buttermilk mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until liquid is shimmering but not simmering, about 170 degrees on a thermometer. (Buttermilk will curdle slightly, so stir occasionally and adjust heat as necessary to maintain temperature.) Poach chicken, turning occasionally, until a thermometer inserted into thickest part of each breast registers 150 degrees, about 15 minutes (once liquid reaches temperature; chicken will continue to cook after poaching). Transfer to a dish and let cool; discard liquid. Slice chicken.
3. In a medium bowl, combine yogurt, shallot, cornichons, capers, lemon zest and juice, and reserved buttermilk. Season with salt. Arrange escarole on a platter; top with chicken slices, radishes, and almonds. Serve with dressing on the side.
Salmon Poached in White Wine
Fish and wine, those traditional poaching partners, get an update with an infusion of fresh grapefruit — juice, peel, and zest.
Hollandaise
1/2 Ruby Red grapefruit, room temperature
3 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon white-wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, plus more for serving
1/2 cup mild-flavored extra-virgin olive oil, warmed up
Salmon
Zest from 1 Ruby Red grapefruit, peeled into long strips, plus 1/4 cup juice
1 quart fish or chicken broth, preferably homemade or canned low-sodium
1 small red onion, cut into eighths, or 4 red cipollini onions, peeled
1 small fennel bulb, sliced lengthwise into 6 pieces, plus 2 stalks with fronds
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
10 black peppercorns
4 skinless salmon fillets, preferably wild (about 4 ounces each)
1 baguette, sliced and toasted, for serving
1. Hollandaise: Finely grate 3/4 teaspoon zest from grapefruit, then squeeze 1/4 cup juice; strain. Transfer zest and juice to a small saucepan with egg yolks, vinegar, salt, and cayenne. Whisk together continuously over medium heat until warmed through and slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. (Do not let curdle; if mixture begins to heat too quickly, lower heat.) Slowly whisk in oil; continue whisking until thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Press plastic wrap directly on surface of hollandaise; set aside.
2. Salmon: Place grapefruit zest and juice in a large Dutch oven with broth, onion, fennel, salt, peppercorns, and 1 quart water. Bring to a simmer, then adjust heat as necessary to maintain broth temperature at 190 degrees on a thermometer. Cover and cook until fennel is tender, about 10 minutes.
3. Add fish to poaching liquid and simmer, adjusting heat as necessary to maintain broth temperature at 190 degrees on thermometer, until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer salmon to serving plates alongside fennel, onion, and zest strips. Pour hollandaise over fish and garnish with cayenne. Serve with toasted baguette slices.
Tofu and Sweet Potato Poached in Dashi
Kombu, dried shiitake mushrooms, miso, and silken tofu are available at Asian and health-food markets.
1 12-by-3-inch sheet kombu (dried seaweed), broken in half
3 dried shiitake mushrooms
2 tablespoons miso paste, preferably shiro
1 large sweet potato, peeled, halved, and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 5 cups)
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
4 cups lightly packed tatsoi, or spinach
8 ounces silken tofu, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 large eggs
1. Combine kombu, mushrooms, and 2 quarts water in a large Dutch oven. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Discard kombu. Remove mushrooms; when cool enough to handle, thinly slice and return to simmering liquid. Whisk in miso.
2. Add sweet potato to poaching liquid and cook, adjusting heat as necessary to maintain broth temperature at 190 degrees on a thermometer, until fork-tender, about 15 minutes. Season with salt. Remove from heat and stir in tatsoi. Gently add tofu, trying to not break pieces.
3. Meanwhile, bring 1 1/2 inches water to a simmer in a large, deep skillet. Crack 1 egg into a small bowl. Holding bowl just above surface of water, gently pour egg into skillet. Repeat with remaining eggs. Poach, adjusting heat as necessary to maintain a simmer, just until whites are firm and yolks are still runny, about 3 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer eggs to a clean towel. Divide soup and vegetables among bowls; add one egg to each. Season with pepper and serve.
More from Martha Stewart:
Quick, One-Pot Meal Ideas To Feed the Whole Family
20 Classic Comfort Food Recipes from Martha Stewart
36 Dinners You Can Make in Just 15 Minutes!
42 Slow-Cooker Recipes Worth the Wait
Now that you’ve mastered poaching, try steaming — another lowfat cooking technique.
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