The food processor is a virtuoso One-man Band

The food-processor is virtually a coat of many colors, a jack of many trades, a multi- act player, a one man band. It sits on your counter, sometines under it. It is ignored, even forgotten. It was the darling of the mid-to late ’70’s it can change the way you cook. The food processo replaces the whisk, the pastry cutter, the standing mixer, the mandoline, the mortar and pestle, which no matter how lovely, quaint and authentic, is perhaps the most labor-intensive, primitive set of tools in the kitchen: and perhaps most inportant, the grater. I have some rather less than favorable memories of trying to use a grater.

The tasks the processor performs are mundane, but that’s what cooking is mostly about. The difference between shredding your knuckles and straining your triceps with a grater and throwing a root vegetable in a machine is the differencee between rarely making stir-fries of shreded vegetables and making them often.

You can use the food processor for just about every pastry dough and many batters. Use it to grate Parmesan, make pesto and cut even slices of almost anything sliceable.

The Blender can do a lot of these things but it can’t do them all. Some of the new food processors have water-tight seals on the top and bottom, so you can puree liquids for soups and drinks in them.

The food processor can produce nut butters, including those with added flavors: herb pastes, tapenade baba ghabnouj, seasoned oils and compound butters, but its only worth it if you are doing a lot.

STIR-FRIED SWEET POTATOES

4 scallions, trimmed and cut into one-ince pieces

2 garlic cloves

1 piece fresh ginger (an inch long), peeled

1 small fresh hot chile (Jalapeno or Thai) stem and seeds removed

1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-2-inch chunks

3 tablespoons peanut oil

1 tablespoon soy sauce, more for serving

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Put scallions in food processor and pulse until finely chopped, remove.

Add garlic, ginger and chile to the processor and pulse until minced, remove.

Fit the processor with grating blade and grate sweet potatoes.

Put oil in a large nonstick or well seasoned cast iron skillet over medium -high heat.

When hot, add garlic-ginger-chili mixture and fry for 30 seconds. Add half the scallions and all the potatoes and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Cook stirring or tossing, until the potatoes are lightly browned, about 10 minmutes; the potatoes need not be fully tender.

Add soy sauce, toss once, and transfer potatoes to serving platter.

Garnish with remaining scallions and sercve immediately with additional soy sauce, if desired

Houston Chronicle.

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The food processor is a virtuoso One-man Band

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