Poach

Cooking the chicken with the skin and bones intact ultimately makes the dish more flavorful (and economical), but feel free to substitute two boneless, skinless breast halves for the whole breast in this salad if you prefer (reduce the cooking time to 15 minutes). Bok choy, abundant with cancer-fighting compounds, makes a nutritious accompaniment.

When poaching a large whole fish, place it in cool liquid first and then slowly bring the liquid to the proper temperature to result in an even texture inside and out. Adding the raw fish to hot liquid would cause the outside to overcook before the inside is cooked. Court Bouillon (page 231) is the traditional poaching liquid for seafood, imparting gentle flavors to the fish without being the least bit overpowering. For the prettiest presentation, remove the skin from the fish while it is still warm, as it will slip off more easily than when cold. A whole fish is always an impressive sight at the table, but even more so when poached and then wrapped in thin ribbons of cucumber, the plump pink fish in stark contrast to the bright-green ribbons.

This is the standard technique for poaching most thick (at least 1 inch) fish fillets or steaks, such as halibut or salmon. Similar to braising, the fish is gently simmered in a flavorful liquid, only in this method the fish is completely covered in liquid. (To poach thinner fillets, follow the shallow-poaching method on page 210, as they may overcook if deep poached.) The cooking time will depend on the thickness of the fillet; plan for 4 to 5 minutes per inch. In this recipe, halibut fillets are poached in chicken stock enhanced with a few aromatics and then served in their cooking liquid (a manner of serving called “à la nage”).

Poaching chicken breasts on the bone results in more flavorful and juicy meat than poached boneless breasts. It’s also harder to overcook the meat. The aromatics used in the poaching liquid below are designed to add flavor to the chicken, but Basic Chicken Stock (page 41) can be used to similar effect. Poached chicken has myriad uses: add shredded chicken to soups, casseroles, pot pies, and Mexican dishes such as enchiladas, burritos, and quesadillas, or to all kinds of green salads. This one’s a particular favorite: Cut the chicken in to 1-inch pieces and toss with chopped tomatoes and cucumbers, torn fresh basil leaves, shredded Romaine, and a creamy dressing, such as Green Goddess (page 359).

You could simply reduce the poaching liquid until it has more body and serve it as is, or enrich it with a bit of cream or butter. This recipe turns the cuisson into buerre blanc, one of the classic sauces of French cuisine, and then emboldens it with more kumquats for color, flavor, and texture. Two sauce variations for shallow poached fish follow.

Unlike most other vegetables, tomatoes release a lot of moisture as they cook, so there’s no need to completely submerge them in the oil (or added liquid). It is this “cooking in its own juices” that makes this dish a “confit” (see page 232). Because this technique cooks out most of the moisture from the vegetables, it concentrates the sugars, for a sweet, jamlike condiment to serve with roasted, grilled, or sautéed meats (such as the calf’s liver on page 253). While the confit cooks, stir very gently, or the tomatoes and onions may fall apart.

In this classic French first course, the vegetables are first poached, then marinated in vinaigrette. For deeper flavor, the vegetables can be braised in stock instead of poached. The leeks are especially delicious when garnished with sieved egg yolk (called “mimosa” for its resemblance to the golden flower and most often used with asparagus). The leeks can also be combined with other components to create an elegant composed salad, such as the one on page 312.

This elegant dish is perfect for brunch. The artichokes resemble flower petals, with the eggs, hollandaise, and thin slices of smoked salmon their centers. See page 296 for how-to photos of trimming artichokes.

Because they are cooked in water, with no oil or other fat added, poached eggs are a healthful alternative to eggs cooked by many other methods. But their true appeal is in their texture, the ideal being a still-runny yolk surrounded by a just-set white. Their no-fat cooking method also suggests that the eggs might benefit from being served with a rich, flavorful Hollandaise Sauce (see page 96), as in eggs benedict. But they are also delicious on a slice of toast, which soaks up the yolk. A bit of practice is required to prevent the egg white from dispersing into the water, causing the edges to become frayed. Some cooks prefer to add a drop of white vinegar to the water to help the white coagulate; others swirl the water vigorously to create a whirlpool (technically a vortex, which traps the egg inside) just before sliding in the egg. Generally, though, you should not have a problem if you heed these suggestions: Use very fresh eggs; keep the water at a bare simmer (it should hardly move); gently slide the broken egg into the water; and spoon the edges of the whites over the egg as soon as it is in the pan.

I order octopus every time I go to Babbo and have done so since long before I partnered with Mario and Joe, so when Mozza came about I knew I wanted to include an octopus dish on the Osteria menu. Most people’s experience of octopus is eating it raw at sushi bars, and we all know how chewy it can be, but, like Mario’s version at Babbo that I love so much, ours is tender and not at all rubbery. That tenderness doesn’t come without considerable effort, but as much effort as it is, the finished dish is certainly worth it. It’s our most popular non-mozzarella antipasto. In Italy people do all kinds of things to tenderize fresh octopus. They pound it with a meat pounder, they hit it with hammers, they throw it against rocks. Matt’s solution is to start with frozen octopus; freezing helps break down the octopus’s flesh the same way that pounding it does. He then sears the octopus, poaches it in olive oil, marinates it, and, lastly, chars it in a wood-fired grill. The wine cork in the recipe is something we do on Mario’s orders. He claims that in Italy they say the wine cork tenderizes the octopus. I think it must be an old wives’ tale, but it doesn’t hurt to throw it in there, so we do. Note: This recipe requires a huge sacrifice of oil. You can keep the oil and reuse it once to make the octopus again within a week.

These pears may be refrigerated in their cooking liquid overnight.

This main dish is delicious served with boiled potatoes or rice.

This recipe yields excess chicken stock. The excess can be kept in plastic containers and frozen for several months.

To keep watercress fresh, wrap it in damp paper towels and place it in a resealable plastic bag. Stored this way, it can be refrigerated for up to 4 days. Just before making the salad, “crisp” the watercress by soaking it in a bowl of ice water for a few minutes, then gently pat dry.

The scallops and vegetables can be poached and refrigerated up to 1 day ahead. Avoid using an oaky Chardonnay, which may add bitterness.