Recipes By Mark Bittman
974 recipes found
Grilled Pork Chops With Cherry Sauce
If you thought pork and apples were a winning combination, just wait ‘til you try pork and cherries.
Spiced Lamb Burgers
This recipe came from a revelation in the ’70s, when my friend Semeon Tsalbins introduced me to the lamb burger. It is ground lamb — shoulder is best — highly seasoned and grilled rare. Because lamb is the most full-flavored of the everyday meats, it makes a more delicious plain burger than beef. Cooked with nothing but salt, it’s fantastic. Cooked with a variety of spices, as it is here, it’s a game-changer. You can also stuff the burger, as Mr. Tsalbins does on occasion, with smoked mozzarella.
Stir-Fried Chicken With Ketchup
I learned about the genesis of this dish from Suvir Saran, an Indian chef in New York. Loosely inspired by chicken Manchurian, this dish is based on an ingredient that is in almost every refrigerator. It's ketchup, here, stir-fried with chicken. Before you turn your nose up, think how good ketchup can taste. In the dish he cooked for me, Mr. Saran tossed cauliflower in a slurry of cornstarch and egg, then deep-fried it. The crust was exquisite, and the cauliflower perfectly cooked. But it was what happened next that really got my attention: He finished the cauliflower in a sauce, made in about three minutes, containing nothing more than ketchup, garlic and cayenne pepper.
Japanese-Style Beef Stew
This beef stew is loaded with the warmth of soy, ginger, sweetness (best provided by mirin, the sweet Japanese cooking wine, but sugar or honey will do, too), winter squash and the peel and juice of a lemon. These simple and delicious counterpoints make a great stew.
Chicken Thighs Stuffed With Chard
Stuffing boneless chicken has long been reserved for breasts, but most chicken breasts have so little flavor that you almost have to stuff them with fat. Thighs, however, are fattier and more flavorful, so a stuffing can be leaner and brighter. And now that boneless thighs are sold in many supermarkets, the only issues are flattening and rolling. But if you pound a thigh as you would a breast, it becomes large enough to stuff and roll (Because thighs are irregularly shaped, you’ll need to skewer them closed with a couple of toothpicks). Almost any stuffing will work; just don’t overfill. My current favorite uses a light, leafy green, along with pine nuts and raisins. The result is nicely browned meat and a lean stuffing with acidity, crunch and sweetness. For more flavor, I like to finish with a splash of sherry; with the liquid spooned over the thighs and a sprinkle of parsley, the dish becomes downright impressive.
Chicken Chop Suey
Chop suey may sound like something your grandmother ate in the 1950s, but this version from China Café in L.A.'s Grand Central Market — a chicken stir-fry enlivened with plenty of bright bok choy — is honest, simple and plainly delicious.
Kasha Varnishkes
Kasha, toasted hulled buckwheat, is not what you would call versatile. But kasha varnishkes — kasha, noodles (typically bow ties), loads of slow-cooked onions and fat — is an amazing dish, one I used to beg my grandmother and mother to make for me, one that shows kasha in a light that does not shine on it elsewhere, at least in my repertory.
Gingery Chicken Stew
Just 1 1/2 pounds of chicken to serve four people? Yes, because the emphasis is on the winter squash and daikon radish in this stew; unexpected, but substantial. It may seem downright semivegetarian, but the variety of flavors more than makes up for it.
Chicken and Chickpea Tagine
Like many dishes that rely on combinations of spices, a tagine, which is a slowly braised stew, may look more intimidating to cook than it is. Even with shortcuts, the results are exotic in flavor and appearance. My version of this tagine may not compare to those that begin with toasting and grinding spices and peeling grapes, but it is easily executed and, I think, divine. Some things to look out for: First, work with dark-meat chicken only and be aware that tagines are on the dry side, so don't add liquid to the sauce unless it is threatening to burn. Home-cooked chickpeas and fresh tomatoes are, of course, preferable to canned varieties, but in this dish the differences are not marked. Do, however, use a vanilla bean, not vanilla extract.
Braised Lamb Shanks With Lemon
Many of us had our earliest experiences with braised foods not at the pricey restaurants that have recently rediscovered their appeal but at the Greek diners that never forgot it. So it's not surprising that I associate braised lamb shanks with egg-lemon sauce, a Greek staple. But when I set about to recreate this standard dish I found the sauce superfluous. Though a slow-cooked pot of braised lamb shanks and root vegetables becomes so sweet that it begs for something to counter it, it is also so rich that the thick sauce (a primitive form of béarnaise, really) is overkill. Better, it seems to me, is to finish the braised shanks with what you might call lemon-lemon sauce, using both a lemon's zest and a lemon's juice. That little touch converts this dish from a delicious but perhaps one-dimensional stew to something more, a braise that may never look particularly elegant but tastes that way.
Chicken Scaloppine With Lemon
In order to make this chicken scaloppine, you'll first make a paillard, which just means you'll flatten the thighs by pounding them with a meat pounder, a wine bottle or the bottom of a heavy skillet. That broadens the surface area of the meat, which in turn browns and becomes crisp during cooking. It's delightful with this simple and bright lemon and white wine sauce.
Conventional Poached Eggs
Blowout Rib-Eye
A huge rib-eye, cooked slowly then quickly – whether on a grill or in the oven – will yield perfectly cooked meat. The cost of the cut may seem like a lot to pay for a piece of meat, but if it’s local and well raised, with better flavor, texture and karma than cheaper commodity beef, it’s worth it for a table of four. You might think sauce is overkill with a rib-eye like this, but playing steakhouse chef means dreaming up the accompanying sauces that you would most like to see on the table. My favorite is what I call ‘‘blue butter,’’ a blend of blue cheese and butter. If blue cheese isn't your thing, try creamed spinach sauce, chile chimichurri, tomato nam prik or bourbon balsamic syrup.
Tomato-Rice Soup
Many vegan dishes (like fruit salad and peanut butter and jelly) are already beloved, but the problem faced by many of us is in imagining less-traditional dishes that are interesting and not challenging. Here are some more creative options to try.
Scones
Traditional English scones are barely sweet — they are usually eaten with sweet jam and clotted cream — and they are lighter, flakier and tastier than their American counterparts. You can make the dough in the food processor (do not overprocess), but if you’re willing to incorporate the butter by hand it is of course fine to do it in a bowl. You’re looking for a slightly sticky but not messy dough; start with a half cup of cream and increase it as needed. Serve the baked scones warm, with the best jam you can lay your hands on, and a dollop of crème fraîche, mascarpone or, if you can find it, clotted cream.
Broiled Steak with Pineapple and Onion Salsa
Most modern broilers are now unfortunately equipped with thermostats, so they cycle on and off, never really getting hot enough. Start by heating your oven to its maximum temperature, typically 550 degrees; then turn on the broiler. While the oven is preheating, leave a skillet or a grill pan (a ridged skillet) inside. The best pans for this are cast-iron, enameled cast-iron, or heavy-duty steel — not stainless steel, but what chefs call “black steel.” Almost needless to say, this pan must be all metal and not flimsy. Keep potholders handy. In most cases, that skillet will stay as close to the heating element as possible, about two or three inches away. That’s roughly the distance you want if you have an old-fashioned under-oven broiler, even though it will allow you to put the food closer, almost in contact with the flames. Adjustments may also be needed with a really powerful broiler, of the kind more often found in restaurants, where two or three inches may be way too close. After a little experimenting, you’ll find the ideal distance for your broiler.
Cold Seared Steak With Tomatoes And Soy
Grab-and-go offerings of picnicky food are almost universally mediocre and exasperatingly expensive. Resist the temptation to outsource and make your own. This recipe is built to last. You can make it a day or two ahead of time, or leave it out on the counter if you're going to eat this steak within a few hours of making it.
Really Old-Fashioned Marinated Rib-Eye
This is an ancient Northern Italian preparation. To improve the flavor of the meat, this powerful marinade relied on rich local wine, along with aromatic spices. Start with a relatively thin rib-eye. Marinate for one to three days. (We tried one of these steaks after a 30-minute marinade; it was good, but different. Try longer first.) The cooking should be quick and hot, in a heavy pan, for just about two minutes per side; you might generate a bit of smoke but the cooking time is short enough that it will be tolerable.
Grilled Flank Steak With Kimchi-Style Coleslaw
It is easy enough to take the basic ingredients and flavors of kimchi and create a fast cabbage salad that puts ordinary coleslaw to shame. Use it as a bed for grilled beef – or anything else that has the flavor to stand up to it – and you have a great summer dish. All kimchi packs a punch, thanks to plenty of garlic and chili peppers, and appropriate quantities are listed here. Increase the amounts if you like, though these should be strong enough. If you can get to a Korean market, buy some of the ground chili powder labeled co chu karo, which is hot but also flavorful. Otherwise substitute any good ground chiles or crushed red pepper flakes. Fish sauce is traditional, although you can use soy sauce if you prefer.
Tater Tots
There's no need to peel the new potatoes for these otherwise labor-intensive tots, which are little short of a revelation. Serve with ketchup, of course.
Steak Diane for Two
Though you can follow this procedure with almost any tender cut of beef (and with chicken breasts, if that direction appeals to you), it's a perfect treatment for tenderloin medallions (filet mignon).
Classic Caesar Salad
There’s a reason clichés like Caesar salad and iceberg with blue cheese dressing have become hyper-common: they’re just good. The combination of cold crunchiness, mild bitterness and salty dressings is everlastingly refreshing and satisfying. This authentic version (get out those anchovies and eggs) from Mark Bittman does not disappoint.
Iceberg Lettuce With Blue Cheese Dressing
