Light, quick and easy pan sauces
Pan sauces are the easiest way to add a little flavor to your dish. Once the meat or vegetables are done cooking, just add butter and deglaze the pan with a little wine or stock and you are on your way to having a pan sauce. Still, like a lot of sauces, they're not always the healthiest thing on the plate. However, with a little work you can have a flavorful pan sauce without all the calories. Try it. Your next meal will thank you.
Pan tomate
Tomate (tomato sauce) is one of the five mother sauces and it's fairly easy to make. This version embellishes the basic sauce a bit to create a something that packs a lot of flavor without a lot butter or other tasty but not so figure-friendly ingredients.
Serves 2-4
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 1 shallot, minced
- 4 tablespoons tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
Directions:
- Once you are done cooking your protein, there should be little bits of it stuck to the pan. That's called the fond and it's pure culinary gold, but we have to get it off the skillet.
- The first thing to do, then, is to add just enough red wine to cover the bottom of the skillet and turn the heat up to medium-high (or leave it on hot if that's what you were using). Use a spatula to work up the little bits of fond and let the wine boil down for about a minute.
- Next, add the shallots and let them cook until soft, maybe 5 minutes. Then, pour in the tomato sauce and let it cook for thirty seconds before adding the rest of the wine and the pepper. Bring to a boil and serve over your main course.
Piccata sauce
This sauce is going to use a little butter, but you can definitely use low-fat butter or replace it with more olive oil. Most of the flavor will come from the garlic, lemon juice and capers, so the butter really is optional.
Serves 2-4
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon low-fat butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 3 tablespoons capers, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon corn starch (optional)
Directions:
- This time, the butter/olive oil mixture is going to be used to get the fond off the skillet. Once the protein is done, immediately add the butter and olive oil and use your spatula to get the bits off the bottom of the skillet.
- Once the butter has melted, add the garlic and sauté it for 30 seconds, then add the chicken broth, lemon juice and capers. Bring to a boil.
- Also, if you like thick sauces, you can mix the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water and pour it in at the last minute. Let it cook for 60 seconds and the sauce should have thickened nicely.
Asian pan sauce
While the French mother sauces are often the inspiration for most pan sauces, there's no reason not to use some of Asia's favorite sauces.
Serves 2
Ingredients:
- 4 tablespoons chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 4 Asian dried chilies, broken
Directions:
- Mix all the ingredients.
- When the protein is done, pour the sauce into the pan and use your spatula to get the fond off the bottom of the skillet. The sauce will naturally thicken because of the cornstarch.
- When it's thick, remove the chilies and serve.
