Recipes By Mark Bittman
974 recipes found
Braised and Grilled or Broiled Pork Ribs
The barbecued ribs I like best are cooked all the way through, using moist, relatively low heat, then finished over a high flame for a final browning. And you can nicely, if imperfectly, replicate this process by braising the ribs and then finishing them over the grill or in the broiler. Of course the broiler won’t add wood flavor, but then neither will a gas grill or briquettes. What I did for the ribs in the recipe here was brown them, then slowly braise them in the oven (the top of the stove would work as well). When they were nearly falling off the bone I took them straight from the braising liquid and ran them under the broiler, just until they crisped up.
Green Beans and Tofu Skins With Rice Sticks
This light-on-the-noodles, heavy-on-the-vegetables dish comes together in under a half hour. Lots of fresh ginger and dried Thai chiles provide plenty of liveliness, a perfect counterpoint to the warm earthiness of the dark sesame oil. Never heard of tofu skins? They are the sheets that form on the surface of warmed soy milk, and you can find them in Asian specialty markets. They're tender and egg-y, and like tofu, absorb the flavors of the dish they're in.
Paella With Tomatoes
The cooking process for this simple paella is identical to any other: soften some onions in oil, add seasonings (including saffron, if you have it), rice and liquid and cook. Adding lightly seasoned tomatoes is the major difference in this recipe.
Spicy Roasted Chicken Thighs
Here, the bright and zesty flavors of lemon, tomato, ginger, jalapeño and garlic contrast beautifully with the rich, tender dark meat of the chicken. If you like your chicken skin extra crispy, slip it under the broiler for a few minutes after roasting. And yes, you can make this with chicken breasts, but we recommend the skin-on, bone-in variety, and keep a close eye on the time; they'll take less time to cook.
Crabby Crab Cakes
Getting the most out of crab cakes often means putting the least into them. Since crab has the best texture and subtlest flavor of all crustaceans, the best crab cakes are those that showcase the crab, not another ingredient. The loose mix is best chilled before shaping, but it is essential to chill it again for a half-hour or so (longer is better) before cooking. When cold, the cakes will hold together, and once the egg, the binding agent, does its work, they will retain their shape until attacked with a fork.
Whipped Cream
Desserts are good. Desserts topped with a flourish of whipped cream are better. For the best results, start with cold heavy cream as well as a chilled bowl and whisk (or attachment if you're using an electric mixer). Play around with one or two of the optional flavorings, but don't go overboard: Whipped cream should enhance a dessert, not upstage it.
Rick Easton's Pizza With Potatoes
Potatoes may seem an odd topping for pizza, but the Pittsburgh-based baker and cook Rick Easton has developed a crust that is so sturdy it can actually support more than its own weight, and these potatoes – boiled until soft, hand-crushed, flavored with olive oil and rosemary and made even more delicious by the addition of mozzarella – are not only traditional, but amazing. Be sure to bake the pizza until it is good and brown on the bottom; take a peek if you’re not sure. See the other variations on this pizza, and experiment freely.
Orange Confit
This isn’t cooking; it's alchemy. You're taking pretty much everything in the orange except its form and replacing it with sugar, making even the peel edible. It's quite amazing, though it does take time. You can use this technique on all kinds of citrus. Blanching the fruit helps to remove the bitterness of the pith. Think of this as fresh orange candy or sugar in orange form.
Clementine Clafoutis
Clafoutis is a classic French dessert most often made with cherries. But since clafoutis is little more than a rich, sweet pancake batter poured over fruit and baked, substitutions are easy. If you're using tiny North African clementines for this version, you'll need a dozen or so for this recipe; if they're the large ones from California, five or six will probably do. In any case, it's worth spending a little time removing any thick white strands from the sections, and any of the fine webbing that comes off easily.
Cream of Spinach Soup
Puréed vegetable soups can be lean and spare or rich and creamy, spicy or subtle, hot or cold. They can be vegetarian or quite meaty. And much of the cooking time is just for simmering. This spinach soup, with a touch of nutmeg and some cream, is a classic combination, and its flavor justifies that distinction.
Baked Mustard-Herb Chicken Legs
“A model of simplicity” is how Mark Bittman described this 2004 recipe from the San Francisco chef Gary Danko. Painted with mustard and tossed in an herbed mix of bread crumbs, they go right into an oven, to be pulled out about 30 minutes later. It’s dinner party-worthy fare, made just as easily on a weeknight.
Crispy Chickpeas With Beef
Related to a classic chili, this fast-cooking recipe combines legumes, meat and spices, with excellent results. This dish works equally well with canned or home-cooked chickpeas; if you like a bit more kick, double or triple the ancho chiles or chile powder. Turmeric or saffron also work well. Don't want to use ground beef? Ground turkey, chicken or pork would sub in well here; add a little oil to the pan first. For a bit more flavor, add a clove or two of chopped garlic to the browning meat. The point is: improvise.
Coconut-Nut Macaroons
The reward of these classic one-bowl cookies far outweighs the effort of making them. They are so easy – just dump and stir – and you don't need any special equipment. Here, Mark Bittman adds a generous handful of pistachios for crunch and color. They are also gluten-free, and the perfect treat for Passover.
Spaghetti and Drop Meatballs With Tomato Sauce
This fast version of spaghetti and meatballs with red gravy is ready in less than 30 minutes, but you’ll be chopping, stirring and monitoring heat — actively working — from start to finish. You’ll be busy, but not frantic, and rewarded not only with the twirling of pasta in half an hour, but with the satisfaction that you made every second count.
Pan-Roasted Corn and Tomato Salad
You can take a corn and tomato salad in a number of directions, but at the end of the day it shouldn’t be much more than a dish you can make perfectly only in mid- to late summer, and one that showcases its primary ingredients. My version here marries corn and tomatoes with chile, avocado, cilantro and lime. It is just plain good. At the end, you’ve got meaty smokiness from bacon; that incredible sweetness of corn; the fruity acidity of tomato; the tender, smooth fattiness of avocado, and the sharpness of chile. It’s a summer winner, one that you shouldn’t even try after the first frost.
Fastest Pasta With Spinach Sauce
The very best pasta is often the simplest. Jack Bishop, the author of “The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook,” has refined his technique for pasta and vegetable sauce to breathtaking efficiency: He cooks the greens with the pasta and adds the seasonings at the last minute. While the pasta is cooking, Mr. Bishop prepares the seasonings. Allow at least a gallon of water to a pound of pasta, because you need a large pot to accommodate the greens and because, if there is too little water, the addition of the greens will slow the cooking too rapidly.
Radish Salad
Radish salad is something you see in places around the world (in the last couple of years, I have been served it in similar guises in both Mexico and Turkey), but almost never in this country. Salting the radishes first reduces their harshness while accenting their crispness. At that point, they can be dressed with a traditional vinaigrette or the more tropical (and oil-less) version here. The only trick is to slice the radishes thinly. For this, a mandoline is best.
Shrimp Jambalaya
This relaxed take on the popular New Orleans shrimp stew comes together in about an hour, so you can get a taste of the Big Easy on a weeknight. Just make a quick slurry of onion, bell pepper, ham, parboiled rice, garlic, cayenne, thyme and tomatoes. Let it simmer until the rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in the shrimp, cook for a few minutes, and voila. You're done, cher. Just don't forget to season well with salt and pepper and taste as you go.
Minty Fruit Salad
Summer is the season of stone fruit — juicy cherries, sweet peaches, perfect plums. Add a little mint and honey and you’ve got an amazing summer salad that is a turn away from the usual melon-heavy versions popular on picnic tables and at barbecues.
Pico De Gallo
The strong flavors of scallions, cilantro and jalapeño complement the sweet juiciness of summer tomatoes in this traditional salsa. It makes the perfect accompaniment to grilled steak or tortilla chips.
Aioli (Garlic Mayonnaise)
The renowned chef Alice Waters makes her aioli in the most inefficient and old-fashioned way possible: using a mortar and pestle to mash the garlic, a fork to whip up the emulsion and no lemon juice, vinegar or any other acid at all. It was the best mayonnaise I've ever tasted, but then again, she did use a wonderfully perfumed olive oil. For this recipe, you should do the same.
Escabeche Salad
The “escabeche” here refers to the acidic vinaigrette for this very easy, refreshing salad. This meal is built to take care of leftover meat and vegetables. Simply toss everything together and dress it. It will keep for a few days.
Simplest Steamed Fish
If you have forgotten how delicious a great fillet of fish can be, try this: Steam it, with nothing on it. Drizzle it with olive oil and lemon juice. Sprinkle it with coarse salt. Eat.
Bouillabaisse With Orange Zest, Fennel and Saffron
This Mediterranean fish stew is more difficult to spell than to prepare, and it is traditionally neither an idée fixe nor the centerpiece of a grande bouffe, but a spur-of-the-moment combination of the day's catch. Trying to duplicate the real bouillabaisse is an exercise in frustration, as the traditional combination of fish is not found in American waters. But creating an admirable local version is no more difficult than making clam chowder. Though some will argue that bouillabaisse must contain fish stock, any time you add a few pounds of fish to a simmering stew there is enough fish essence to make stock superfluous. If additional liquid is needed, water will do just fine.