Lean meat

Sunset, Nov, 1987

Serving suggestions: Serve on a bed of lightly cooked sliced mustard greens or kale. Or serve with rice.

6. Scaloppine: pound for tenderness, quicker cooking

Purchase meats cut for scaloppine, or cut and pound meat to make the thin slices yourself.

For every 2 servings, you need 8 ounces boneless lean meat (see chart at right), 1 to 2 teaspoons salad oil, a savory sauce (choices follow), and salt and pepper.

Slice meat across the grain into slices about 1/2 inch thick. (Large roasts are easier to slice if first cut in half lengthwise, with the grain.)

Place slices between sheets of plastic wrap and pound firmly and evenly with a flatsurfaced mallet until slices are 1/8 to 1/16 inch thick.

Brush about 1 teaspoon of the oil in a 10-to 12-inch frying pan and place over high heat until a drop of water sizzles and hops around in the pan. Arrange as many meat slices in pan as you can fit without crowding. Cook just until meat changes color around edges, 10 to 15 seconds.

With a wide spatula, turn slices over. Cook just until meat changes color on bottom, 10 to 15 seconds longer. Remove meat from pan and arrange on serving plate; keep warm. (Meat should be slightly pink in center: cut to test.) Repeat until all meat is cooked, brushing pan with oil as needed to prevent sticking.

Remove pan from heat. Pour sauce (choices follow) into pan and scrape to release browned bits. Return pan to heat; bring sauce to boiling and pour over meat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Makes 2 servings.

Mustard-tarragon sauce. In a bowl, mix 1/3 cup regular-strength beef broth, 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch, and 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon (or 1/4 teaspoon dry tarragon).

Thyme sauce. In a bowl, mix 1/3 cup regular-strength chicken broth, 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dry thyme leaves), and 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch.

Wine-blue cheese sauce. In a bowl, mix 1/3 cup regular-strength beef broth, 2 tablespoons dry red wine, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, and 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire. Pour heated sauce over meat, then sprinkle with 1 to 2 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese.

Tapenade-tomato sauce. In a bowl, mix 1/2 tablespoon chopped canned anchovies or 1 teaspoon anchovy paste; 1/4 cup chopped pitted black ripe olives; 1 tablespoon drained capers; 1 clove garlic, pressed or minced; 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard; and 1 small ripe tomato, peeled, cored, and chopped (about 2/3 cup).

Table: What cooking techniques can you use for each cut of meat?

Photo: A whole beef round, when trimmed of surface fat, yields some of the leanest cuts to be found in the meat market

Photo: Packages of lean meat already cut for scaloppine, stir-frying, or shish kebabs are convenient for quick, low-calorie meals

Photo: Thin-pounded slices of pork tenderloin cook in less than a minute in hot fry pan

Photo: Serve quick-cooking pork scaloppine with mustard-tarragon sauce (see page 97 for recipe); this 3-ounce serving has fewer than 200 calories, including the sauce