One Pot Is Enough

Chef Tom Valenti serves up mouthwatering plates of comfort food for some of New York's finest every night at his restaurants Ouest and 'Cesca. But in his own kitchen, he goes for the simpler comfort foods that cook at their own speed and require the use of few pots.

Valenti, who is the co-Author of "Tom Valenti's Soups, Stews, and One-Pot-Meals," visited The Early Show to show some of his delicious recipes.

Valenti says he hates to wash dishes, and his new book grew out of his distaste for the activity. He's almost haunted by the experience, so he uses one pot to cook. Valenti explains, for the most part, one-pots call for a minimum of prep work, usually just chopping some vegetables and measuring the necessary quantities of broth, wine, vinegar, spices and herbs. And there's only one pot to wash when done.

Recipe

Simmered Shrimp Sauté With Shiitake Mushrooms And Scallions
Serves 4

The idea behind this recipe is to combine the tender, succulent result of shrimp cooked in a generous amount of liquid with the appeal of cooking them in something more flavorful than water, in this case a buttery broth enhanced by white wine, garlic, scallion and basil. This Asian-accented dish pairs well with linguine or Israel couscous.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small dice
2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
4 large shiitake mushroom caps, very thinly sliced
coarse salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 plum tomatoes, cut into small dice
3 scallions, white and light green parts, thinly sliced on a bias
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup store-bought, reduced-sodium chicken broth or homemade Chicken Stock
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 pounds peeled, butterflied, deveined large shrimp
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves

Melt the 2 tablespoons room-temperature butter in a wide, deep saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook gently until softened but not browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 1 minute.

Turn the heat up to high. Just as the butter starts to sizzle, add the wine. Boil until the liquid has evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth and lemon juice and bring to a boil, and then lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the diced, cold butter, a few pieces at a time, swirling it in as it's added. (Do not allow the liquid to boil once the butter has been added. The sauce should look like a buttery broth, if it appears excessively thick, stir in few tablespoons of hot water.) Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Season the shrimp and salt and pepper, and add them to the pan, making sure to immerse them in the liquid. Cook over medium-low heat just below a simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the shrimp are pink and firm. Add the capers, toss and cook for 30 seconds. Add the parsley and basil and toss to combine. Remove from the heat.

To serve, divide the shrimp and sauce among 4 warm bowls.

Variations

Simmered Shrimp Sauté with Chanterelle Mushrooms and Leeks

For a more French-leaning recipe, replace the sliced shiitake mushrooms with small chanterelles or halved large ones and replace the scallions with the white portion of one large leek, quartered lengthwise, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, rinsed and dried.