8 posts tagged “mark bittman”

Farming doesn’t have to mean lush and pastoral land.  Novella Carpenter is an urban farmer, growing food and raising livestock on a dead end street 
in the middle of the Oakland ghetto.  Tezo updates us on the South Central Farmers who were evicted from their land in downtown L.A.  They’re now farming on 80 acres in Bakersfield.  Kajsa Alger of Street tells me all about Tunisian Pie.  Mark Bittman of the New York Times explains what it means to be a part-time vegan.  High-alcohol wine is popular, especially in California.  Peter Langensteinhas more on this controversial trend.  Can gadgets really make wine taste better?  Jordan MacKay of Chow.com has answers.  Jonathan Gold stops by with the details on a Mexican restaurant that’s as much about the murals as it is about the food.  Plus intrepid eater Eddie Lin dines on raw chicken right here in an L.A. restaurant.  And Laura Avery reports from the Santa Monica Farmers Market.

The owner of a barbecue joint in New Jersey might be the answer to figuring out how to deal with North Korea.  Rebecca Mead tells us about Bobby Egan and BBQ diplomacy.  Jonathan Gold gets us into Peruvian food.  Picnics mean pasty potato salad.  Chris Kimball of Cook’s Illustrated has a solution. Liran Mezan has some ideas for meat cuts and Mark Bittman sorts out the dilemma behind buying and eating fish.  Bourbon, corn, rye or straight – there is a big difference between these whiskies, says Scott Gold.  Mary MacVean tells us what state budget cuts are doing to our budding chefs.  And Laura Avery eats green beans at the farmers market.

Couscous

This Saturday on Good Food, Mark Bittman joins us to talk about some ideas for your New Year's party.  We thought now would be a good time to share his recipe for Lamb Couscous, a dish with wonderful flavors for these cold winter nights.

Lamb Couscous

MAKES: 4 to 6 servings
TIME: About 1 hour
 
The couscous stretches this dish out quite a bit and absorbs all the lovely flavors of the braising liquid.
Other cuts and meats you can use: cubes of beef chuck, round, or brisket.
Other grains you can use: bulgur, precooked cracked wheat.

2 tablespoons neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn, or extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 to 2 pounds boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1- to 2-inch chunks
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large onion, chopped
3 tablespoons chopped garlic
Two 3-inch cinnamon sticks or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cups lamb, beef, or chicken stock or water
1/2 cup raisins
Large pinch saffron threads (optional)
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves or 1 tablespoon dried mint
1 cup couscous

1. Put the oil in a saucepan with a lid over medium-high heat. When hot, add the lamb, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 10 minutes. Drain off the excess fat, add the onion, and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic, cinnamon, coriander, and cumin and cook for another minute.

2. Pour in the stock, add the raisins and the saffron if you’re using it, add another sprinkle of salt, and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low so it bubbles steadily but not violently; cook, stirring once or twice, until the meat is tender, about 40 minutes. (At this point, you may refrigerate the lamb for a day or two; reheat gently before proceeding.)

3. Stir in the mint and couscous, cover, and turn off the heat; let sit for 5 to 7 minutes without disturbing. Taste and adjust the seasoning and serve.

Chicken Couscous: Substitute chicken thighs or legs for the lamb. Reduce the cooking time in Step 2 to 25 to 30 minutes.

Vegetable Couscous: Substitute peeled and cubed butternut squash, sweet or white potatoes, cauliflower, zucchini or summer squash, eggplant, cabbage, or a mixture of any of these for the lamb. Add 1 cup cooked and drained chickpeas too if you like. Add the vegetables and chickpeas along with the stock (use chicken or vegetable stock) and cook until tender, 20 to 30 minutes.

From How to Cook Everything

How to Cook Everything

Tomorrow on Good Food, I'll be talking to Mark Bittman of the New York Times about soup.  His book, How to Cook Everything has some great recipes for dishes that can keep you warm this winter.  Here's a great one for Macaroni with Prosciutto, Tomatoes, and Whole Garlic Cloves.

MAKES: About 4 servings
TIME: About 30 minutes
 
Not for the timid, but beloved by many, including me.

Salt
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil or butter
10 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
1/2 cup prosciutto or other salted ham or slab bacon, cut into cubes or strips
6 plum tomatoes, cored and roughly chopped, or 11/2 cups chopped drained canned tomato
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound cut pasta, like ziti or penne
1 cup roughly chopped fresh basil leaves
1 cup freshly grated pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese or a combination

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Put the oil, garlic, and prosciutto in a medium to large skillet over medium-low heat. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is deep gold, nearly brown, all over, 10 to 15 minutes.
       
2. Add the tomatoes, along with a sprinkling of salt and pepper; stir and cook while you cook the pasta. Spoon some of the pasta-cooking water into the sauce to thin it out a bit if it looks dry.
       
3. Drain the pasta when tender but not mushy, reserving some of the cooking water. Toss the pasta with the sauce and most of the basil, along with the cheese, adding a little of the reserved water if necessary to thin the sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Chop the remaining basil more finely, garnish the pasta with it, and serve.

A couple of weeks ago we had Yonat Swimmer on Good Food.  She's a fishery biologist at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and she talked about the life of big fish, like tuna and swordfish.  Recently she wrote us an email about a great piece by Mark Bittman which perfectly captured her views on fish-related topics.  Read the article here.

Here's a great last minute roast turkey recipe from Mark Bittman, a guest on Good Food and food writer for the New York Times.  This December on the show, Mark will talk to us about making soup. 

Forty-Five–Minute Roast Turkey
MAKES: At least 10 servings
TOTAL TIME: 45 minutes
 
It’s almost a given that time and oven space are at a premium on Thanksgiving Day, and this method of roasting turkey, unorthodox as it is, addresses both. Split, flattened, and roasted at 450°F (lowering the heat if the bird browns too fast), a 10-pound bird will be done in about 40 minutes. Really. It will also be more evenly browned (all of the skin is exposed to the heat), more evenly cooked (the legs are more exposed; the wings shield the breasts), and moister than birds cooked conventionally. But it works only for relatively small turkeys.

One 8- to 12-pound turkey
10 or more garlic cloves, lightly crushed
Several sprigs fresh tarragon or thyme or several pinches dried
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil or melted butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat the oven to 450°F. Put the turkey on a stable cutting board, breast side down, and cut out the backbone. Turn the bird over and press on it to flatten. Put it breast side up in a roasting pan that will accommodate it (a slightly snug fit is okay). The wings should partially cover the breasts, and the legs should protrude a bit.

2. Tuck the garlic and the herb under the bird and in the nooks of the wings and legs. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.

3. Roast for 20 minutes, undisturbed. By this time the bird should be browning; remove it from the oven, baste with the pan juices, and return it to the oven. Reduce the heat to 400°F (or 350°F if it seems to be browning very quickly).

4. Begin to check the bird’s temperature about 15 minutes later (10 minutes if the bird is on the small side). It is done when the thigh meat measures 155–165°F on an instant-read meat thermometer; check it in a couple of places.

5. Let the bird rest for a few minutes before carving, then serve with the garlic cloves and pan juices. Or serve at room temperature.

Some people say that everything tastes better with bacon.  Stuffing is no exception.  We have a great stuffing recipe to share this Thanksgiving.  It comes from Mark Bittman, a guest on Good Food and food writer for the New York Times. 

Bacon-Nut Stuffing
from How to Cook Everything Revised Anniversary Edition by Mark Bittman (Wiley, November 2009)

MAKES: At least 6 servings (enough for a 6-pound bird)
TIME: About 2 hours
 
A nice stuffing for chicken or turkey.

8 ounces slab or sliced bacon
2 cups roughly chopped onion
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
2 cups bread crumbs, preferably fresh
1/2 cup pine nuts or chopped walnuts
1/2 cup dry white wine, chicken or vegetable stock, or water
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
       
1. If you’re using slab bacon, cut it into 1/2-inch cubes; if you’re using sliced bacon, coarsely chop it. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring or turning until crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain, dry, and crumble.
2. Remove all but 3 tablespoons of the fat from the pan and, still over medium heat, cook the chopped onion, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, bread crumbs, nuts, wine, thyme, bay leaf, and bacon and remove from the heat. Season to taste with salt—you may not need any—and pepper.
3. Pack into a chicken or turkey if you like before roasting or just bake in an ovenproof glass or enameled baking dish for about 45 minutes at 350–400°F. (Or you can cook it up to 3 days in advance and just warm it up right before dinner.)