A Pan for Almost Everything

Great pots and pans make cooking so much more enjoyable. For a number of months I had been admiring a certain All Clad simmer/sauté pan—the perfect size, 12 inches, with high (5 ¾ inch) sides and a lid. My current and somewhat similar 15 year-old pan had a few marks across its non-stick interior—a sure sign to replace it pronto.

I hesitated as the price of the new pan was rather intimidating . . . until a week ago. I opened an early morning email from Williams-Sonoma to find that “my pan” was not only on sale, but for that day only was offered with free shipping. I cannot tell you how quickly I ran to get my credit card and place an order. Within the week my gorgeous new pan arrived perfectly dressed in a black satin bag.

This pan quickly became my partner in the kitchen. The pan heats evenly and quickly, heavy yet not too heavy, stainless steel for avoiding the transfer of flavors or discoloration of ingredients, and easy to clean. And, the pan is beautiful as are the vegetables and every other ingredient that simmers and sautés within it. Everything about this pan is practical, authentic and engineered to be that way.

The best laid plans . . . .

With tremendous anticipation I took my pan from the cupboard to the stove to cook what I thought would be the ideal recipe to put it through its paces. As you can see from the photographs below, it came out great. My pan performed even better than I had hoped and the completed Lebanese-style stew tasted delicious and looked gorgeous. This pan and size is a kitchen workhorse. I love it and love everything about it, though here’s my unexpected caveat: it’s not for this recipe. When you prepare this dish use an 8-quart soup pot, as its higher sides will keep you from having to thoroughly clean your stove top and adjacent counters of splatters afterward (as I got to do). 😉

A True Comfort Food

Long-Cooked Green Bean, Tomato and Chickpea Stew

Inspired by a recipe by Lesley Porcelli that appeared in Saveur

Serves 4-6

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoons sun-dried tomato paste
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 fifteen-ounce can tomato sauce
2 ½ cups diced fresh tomatoes
1 twenty-five-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
½ teaspoon sea salt
Few twists freshly ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
Pinch red pepper flakes
2 pounds green beans diagonally cut into about 3-inch lengths
2 ¼ cups water
2 cups baby spinach (optional)

Heat the oil in an 8-quart soup pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the cumin, onion and garlic and cook until the onions soften and begin to turn golden in color.

Stir in the tomato paste and paprika and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, chickpeas, diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, bay leaves and red pepper flakes. Add the green beans and stir to combine. Add the water and bring the mixture to a boil. Partially cover the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally for about 1 hour, until the beans are very tender and the sauce reduced. Just before serving, remove the bay leaves and stir in the optional baby spinach.

Delicious as it is, or serve the stew over quinoa, brown rice or another grain for a heartier meal.

Note: without great tasting fresh tomatoes, substitute a 28-ounce can of whole or diced tomatoes for the tomato sauce and fresh tomatoes.