Easy Whole-Wheat Bread

Over the last couple of days, I’ve been making the whole-wheat bread from Mark Bittman’s book Food Matters. I’m not much of a bread baker, and truth to tell, I feel a little anxious about the mysterious process of proofing, kneading and rising.

Bittman promised that this loaf of bread is “almost no work,” and he was right. No proofing or kneading was required, just 18-24 hours of rising time. The final result was a dark, dense loaf that is very tasty warm with a pat of butter. I would definitely make this bread again, perhaps experimenting with other whole grains.

Pasta, Risotto-style

Have you ever cooked pasta in the style of risotto? I got the idea from Mark Bittman, and I’ve done it a few times now. It really is delicious, and it’s so nice to have an alternative way to cook pasta that doesn’t involve bringing a gigantic pot of water to a boil (it’s probably more energy-efficient, too).

You can probably use any risotto recipe and simply substitute cut pasta for the rice. Last night, I made it using penne. I sauteed some mushrooms, onions and garlic in olive oil first. Then I added the pasta, stirred it around to coat it with oil, and added a little white wine. When that evaporated, I added the chicken stock, one-quarter cup at a time, until the pasta was cooked through. Just before it was done, I threw in some cubed chicken breast.

A different way to cook pasta is definitely appreciated.

A Super-Simple Anchovy-Garlic Dipping Sauce for Chicken Wings (and Other Things)

I recently was moved to make chicken and dumplings, I think by the onset of fall and the fact that my husband was sick. When I make homemade chicken stock, I usually use chicken wings, and this recipe also called for using wings for the soup base. I usually cook stock until the wings practically dissolve (except for the bones). I simmered the chicken and dumplings stock for a much shorter time, and I had a plateful of intact, cooked wings when I was done.

Of course, I saved them. I put them under the broiler for a few minutes to brown and crisp up the skin. I don’t usually like chicken wings because I think they’re too greasy, but these were moist and flavorful. I think simmering them in the stock cooked most of the fat out of them.

I needed something to serve them with, and I found a recipe for anchovy-garlic sauce in one of Mark Bittman’s cookbooks that seemed to fit the bill. It reminds me of the dipping sauce we get with chicken wings at a local restaurant, a lighter, tastier alternative to the traditional buffalo-style sauce. I think this sauce is related to the traditional bagna cauda, but this one comes together in minutes.  I think this would also make a tasty dip for crudites.

Note: I used anchovy paste, but if you have real anchovies, by all means, substitute them. You have to guesstimate amounts, depending on your tolerance for anchovies. Taste frequently and adjust as necessary.

Anchovy-Garlic Dipping Sauce

Yields: ~4 servings

• 3 tbsp. butter
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tbsp. anchovy paste
• Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the butter and olive oil with the garlic over low until the butter melts. Stir in the anchovy paste until it is mixed well. Season to taste. Keep warm until serving.

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Wow, a Quick and Easy Paella

I have never made paella before because I always assumed it was a difficult and time-consuming dish. The recipes I have seen for paella call for a lot of ingredients, usually cooked separately, including a large variety of seafood that would require a special trip to the market.

Paella with Tomatoes and Sausage

But then I ran across Mark Bittman‘s recipe for paella in his excellent book Food Matters (which is full of easy, adaptable recipes suitable for weeknight cooking). His recipe gets paella on the table in 30 minutes (a little longer if you use brown rice), and while it does call for shrimp, the recipe itself is so adaptable that you can pretty much make it with whatever you have on hand. I omitted the shrimp myself — my husband is allergic — and just made it with chorizo sausage, and it was very tasty. It is probably not terribly authentic, but quick and tasty is more improtant when I’m cooking during the week. Next time we might try it with sausage and mussels. Because the vegetables can be varied depending on what’s in season, this recipe is sure to make it into my regular rotation.

Some notes: Probably the only essential ingredient in paella is rice. I used basmati rice for faster cooking time. If you use brown rice, double the cooking time. Generally, paella calls for saffron, an ingredient I do not keep on hand because of its expense and because I am just not all that fond of it. I used smoked Spanish paprika and the flavor was great. I think you could omit all the meat and have a lovely one-pot vegetarian dish.

Paella

Time to make: ~30 minutes
Yields: 4 servings

• 2 cups chicken stock or water
• about 1 lb. of any vegetables that can be roasted, such as tomatoes, carrots, winter squash, mushrooms, zucchini or a mixture, cut into chunks
• salt, pepper and olive oil to taste
• 1 onion, minced
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 tsp. smoked Spanish paprika or other paprika
• 2 chorizo or other sausage links, sliced (optional, or substitute shrimp or mussels)
• 1 cup basmati rice
• 1 cup peas
• fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Warm the stock in a saucepan. Toss the vegetables with salt, pepper and olive oil.

Heat a large oven-proof skillet with a little olive oil over medium. Add the onion and saute until limp. (You can add other aromatics according to your tastes; garlic or chiles would be nice.)

Stir in the tomato paste, paprika and sausage. Saute, stirring, until the sausage is browned. Add the rice and stir for 1 minute, until translucent. Stir in the stock and peas. If you are using seafood, add it at this point.

Remove the pan from the heat and place the vegetables on top of the rice. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes, until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is cooked. (If you are using brown rice, increase the cooking time to 30 minutes.) Check frequently and add a little more stock if necessary to keep the rice from drying out. Remove the pan from the oven and let it sit about 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh parsley to serve.

Adapted from a recipe in Food Matters by Mark Bittman.

How to Make Granola

Granola is not something I ever thought of making for myself, even though I eat it with yogurt almost every morning. It just seemed like something you buy, rather than something you make. But when you think about it, there are several advantages to making your own granola. First, it’s cheaper to buy the basic components of granola in bulk. Second, you can put whatever you like in there. And you can also cut down the amount of sweeteners typically used in processed granola. Finally, it keeps pretty much indefinitely in the refrigerator, or it can be frozen, so you can make up a big batch and snack on it for a while.

For my first attempt, I used Mark Bittman‘s recipe from Food Matters. Making granola is much easier than I thought it would be. Bittman’s recipe does make a huge amount — it calls for 5 cups of rolled oats — but I think you can safely cut down the amounts as long as you maintain the proportions (and it might fit better in your baking pan). I also thought the cooking time of 30 minutes was a bit too long, and resulted in a more toasted granola than I normally like, so I would reduce the cooking time to 20 minutes or so. Keep a good eye on it as it cooks and take it out of the oven when it looks and smells done to you.

Now that I have successfully made a batch of granola, I think I will be experimenting with different grains, nuts and seasonings. I definitely won’t go back to buying my own granola!

Basic Granola

Time to make: ~30 minutes
Yields: 9 cups

• 5 cups rolled oats or other rolled grains
• 3 cups mixed chopped nuts and seeds — I used sunflower seeds
• 1 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
• 1 tsp. cinnamon or baking spices
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• ½ cup honey, or to taste
• 1½ cups dried fruit of your choice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Combine all of the ingredients but the honey and dried fruit in a large bowl and toss well. Spread the mixture over the baking sheet. Drizzle the honey over and toss again. (I found it much easier to mix in the honey this way than in the bowl, as the original recipe calls for.)

Bake 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it is browned and toasted to your liking. The darker it gets, the deeper the toasted flavor and the crunchier the granola.

Remove the pan from the oven and let the pan cool on a rack to room temperature. Put the granola in an airtight container or plastic bag and mix in the dried fruit. Store in the refrigerator or freeze any extra amounts. Snack on it as is or mix with yogurt and fresh fruit for a yummy, healthy breakfast.

Recipe adapted from Food Matters by Mark Bittman.

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Homemade Pizza Is Easy — Really

Homemade Three-Cheese Pizza with Fresh Basil

Dear Mark Bittman, I have to apologize for having doubted you and not believing that it really is as easy as you say it is to make your own pizza dough. For a long time I have resisted because I believed that making all doughs is difficult. But I finally broke down and tried your pizza dough recipe, and not only was it incredibly easy, but it was also the most delicious pizza I have ever made. (My husband agrees.) It was better by far than any store-bought pizza dough, even the frozen unbaked dough from the local co-op. I will never go back to store-bought now.

I am sure Mark Bittman won’t mind if I reprint his pizza dough recipe from The Minimalist Cooks Dinner because I am also going to urge you to go out and buy that book or any one of his other excellent books. Bittman really is an advocate for simple, delicious home cooking, and his recipes are all very accessible and adaptable. I did adapt the recipe just slightly to use RapidRise yeast.

Easy Food Processor Pizza Dough

Yields: enough dough to make 2 10-inch pizzas
Time to make: ~1 hour 30 minutes, mostly rising time

• 3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, plus more as needed
• 1 package or 2 tsp. RapidRise highly active yeast or instant yeast
• 2 tsp. coarse salt
• 1 cup hot (not boiling) water
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• food processor

Combine the flour, yeast and salt in the food processor. With the metal blade inserted [updated], turn the machine on and pour the water and the oil in through the feed tube. Process for about 30 seconds, until the dough forms a slightly sticky ball. Add up to ¼ cup more water, a little at a time, if needed.

Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead for a few seconds to form a smooth, round dough ball. Put the dough in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until the dough doubles in size, 1-2 hours. (You can also let it rise more slowly in the refrigerator, 6-8 hours.)

Form the dough into a ball and divide into 2 pieces. Roll each piece into a round ball. If you are not using the dough right away, wrap it in plastic wrap and freeze it; it can be defrosted in a covered bowl or in the refrigerator. Place on a lightly floured surface, sprinkle with a little flour and cover with plastic wrap or a towel. Let rest until puffed slighly, about 20 minutes. Proceed with making pizza (see below).

How you want to top your pizza is up to you. I think homemade pizza tastes better if you use a light hand with the sauce and toppings, because then the crust doesn’t get too soggy. (You can also skip the sauce altogether and make a “white” pizza.) I have been experimenting with sauces beyond just traditional pizza sauce, such as pesto and even barbecue sauce. As for toppings, I like to choose one or two cooked vegetables, some fresh herbs and a mixture of shredded cheeses. But it is your pizza, and you should put whatever you like on it.

Here is how to finish cooking the pizza:

1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
2. Oil a baking sheet or pizza sheet.
3. Roll out the dough on the baking sheet. I have found that the easiest way to do this is by stretching and patting it with my hands, and crimping the ends to make a crust. I don’t worry too much about it being a perfect square or circle. If the dough starts to tear, let it rest for a few minutes before stretching again.
4. Add the toppings (except for fresh herbs).
5. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the cheese melts and the crust browns. If using fresh herbs, add them only for the last couple of minutes of baking time.

Of course, now that you have homemade pizza dough, you can use it for much more than just pizza. I plan to try making calzones, breadsticks, foccacia and even rolls. With dough this easy to make, there’s no reason not to always have a little on hand.

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How to Cook Dried Beans in the Slow Cooker

Update: Please note that dried beans cooked in the slow cooker have a potential toxicity, as explained here. To be safe, you need to boil beans for 10 minutes. Thanks to a commenter for pointing this out, as I wasn’t aware of this potential risk!

I have been wanting to cook more of my own beans lately. Mark Bittman’s book Food Matters inspired me, with his descriptions of how nutritious and tasty beans can be when you cook them yourself. Dried beans are supposed to have a better flavor and texture than canned beans, and you can control the salt content. They’re much more economical, too. In his book, Bittman describes how to freeze cooked beans, and with the little freezer out in the garage, I have no excuses.

Well, I have one. It just seemed so time-consuming to cook dried beans, between soaking them and then boiling them for several hours. I never seemed to get around to it.

So I started researching how to use my slow cooker to cook the beans. With the slow cooker, I figured I could either let them cook overnight or during the day even if I had to leave the house. It turns out that it is not at all difficult to cook dried beans in the slow cooker. In fact, it’s not that much different than cooking them on the stovetop, except you don’t have to monitor them as much.

Here’s the method:

1. Rinse the beans and pick over them for stones.
2. Soak the beans in a good amount of cold water in the refrigerator for several hours. I let them soak all day, with the intention of cooking them overnight.
3. Drain the beans and rinse again. The water was fairly dirty, so I do think the soaking step is necessary.
4. Put the beans in the slow cooker with plenty of fresh, cold water to cover by at least an inch.
5. Cook on low for 8 hours. I let mine cook while I slept. I didn’t add any seasoning because I figured I would season them when I used them in the final dish. The beans turned out tender but not mushy, and even without seasoning, they were very tasty, so I think it is true that dried beans taste better than canned.

Some notes: 1 cup of dried beans results in approximately 2-3 cups of cooked beans, depending on the type of bean.

I used cannellini beans, which are my favorite type of bean and very versatile. They are often used in Italian cooking, and they go well in soups, salads, dips, pasta dishes and with sausage, so I figured I would get a lot of mileage out of a batch. Different kinds of beans may require different cooking times, and you also have to take into consideration the dish that the beans are destined for. For instance, you may want to stop the cooking after about 5-6 hours if the beans are then going into a long-cooking soup or chili, where they will get the chance to cook more. Tougher beans may need up to 12 hours to cook. I found that 8 hours resulted in a very tender bean, so I may shorten the cooking time to 7 hours for a firmer result. Ideally, I should start tasting the beans every half-hour or so after 5-6 hours and keep notes on the best cooking times for different kinds of beans. Of course, this strategy doesn’t work when cooking the beans overnight, but 8 hours seems like a safe cooking time in most cases.

Store the beans in their own liquid in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I found that the cooked beans actually kept longer than leftover canned beans in the fridge. To freeze, divide into portions, such as 1 or 2 cups. Freeze in freezer bags with their cooking liquid, pressing out as much air as possible.

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Review: Food Matters

Cover via Amazon

Food Matters by Mark Bittman (2009)

In Mark Bittman’s latest book, he claims he has discovered a method of eating that can help you lose weight, improve your health, save money and stop global warming. It sounds too good to be true, but his commonsense approach to food — as if it “matters,” hence the title — can do all of those things. It did for him.

Here is his solution: Eat a lot less meat and dairy. Drastically reduce how much junk food you eat. Cut back on refined flour. Three simple rules, easy to remember and follow. And you don’t have to sacrifice anything, just cut back a lot. Think of meat, flour and sugar as “treats,” and treat yourself daily. But mostly eat fruits, vegetables and whole grains. The way Bittman does it is by eating mostly vegan during the day (I think he allows himself some yogurt and cheese), and then have whatever he wants for dinner. By making this simple change, he has lost weight and lowered his cholesterol. Plus, he just plain feels better.

In the first few chapters, Bittman explains how the meat industry and big agriculture impact the environment and our waistlines with a myriad of negative results. He describes how advertising and government have colluded with these industries to create an unsustainable demand for meat, produce monocultures of corn and soy, and convince us all that we need to eat these things to be healthy. The hypocrisy of a government that tells us we’re all too fat on the one hand but subsidizes the production of high-fructose corn syrup on the other is staggering when you think about it. I’ve certainly heard these arguments before — in fact, Bittman authoritatively quotes one of my favorite authors, Michael Pollan, frequently — but Bittman’s style is straightforward, commonsensical and convincing. So much so that not only do I want to follow his advice (which, truthfully, won’t be much of a lifestyle change for me), but I want everyone I love to read this book and become convinced as well.

The biggest sacrifice for me would not be reducing my consumption of meat and dairy, which I eat in very small quantities anyway, but cutting back on junk food and refined flour. I do like my bread, and “junk food” is defined as any processed foods with more than five recognizable ingredients. That’s an easy enough rule to remember, but take a look in your pantry and you’ll see how difficult it is to put in practice. Still, treats are allowed, and Bittman emphasizes making slow, gradual changes.

He provides a lot of useful advice that will help. For instance, he advocates cooking more than you need whenever you cook vegetables, beans or grains, and tells you how to store and reuse the extras. This is a technique I’ve already put into practice, so that I’ll have plenty of healthy choices for lunch and snacks when I don’t have time to cook.

The last half of the book is taken up by recipes. I haven’t tried any of them yet, but leafing through them, I see an assortment of useful “master recipes,” emphasizing vegetables, fruits and grains, that can be endlessly varied to suit what you have on hand and what you like to eat. These are my favorite kinds of recipes, the kinds that after you make them once or twice, you don’t really need the recipe anymore.

As someone who loves to cook and eat, I do think that “food matters.” And I would love it if everyone would read this book and implement at least some of Bittman’s advice.

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What’s Cooking in April

It has been a cold and rainy March in North Carolina. There have been no opportunities to get outside and even start to prep the garden. There is a lot to do, and time seems short. I am very much ready for spring to start in earnest, but that’s what April is all about.

The farmers market opens next weekend, and that for me always gets me geared up to cook. I love the comfort foods of winter, but after a while, you start craving some really fresh veggies. I’ve been wanting to make salads and simply cooked fresh vegetables, such as asparagus with a sauce Gribiche. Speaking of asparagus, nothing beats the combination of pan-roasted asparagus and fried eggs. This is a perfect late-night supper dish, which I’ve already had twice this asparagus season.

Here are some recipes from the Interwebs that have caught my eye recently:

• Fast Potato Gratin from Mark Bittman (because you can never have too many gratin recipes)
• Cashew Chicken, one of my favorite Chinese restaurant dishes, from Smell & Taste Are My Memory
• Another Chinese restaurant favorite, Chicken with Ginger from Mark Bittman
• Hobo Bread, an interesting take on the no-knead bread recipe, from Doris and Jilly Cook
• And because who doesn’t love breakfast, here are seven quick breakfast ideas from top chefs’ kitchens (from Esquire)

Review: The Minimalist Cooks Dinner

Cover of The Minimalist Cooks Dinner

The Minimalist Cooks Dinner by Mark Bittman

The Minimalist Cooks Dinner is one of Bittman’s smaller cookbooks, comprised of about 100 recipes that were previously published in his Minimalist column in The New York Times. This is a solid collection all-around, with a lot of interesting dishes that were new to me, although a few of the recipes–green salad, boiled rice–may be too simplistic for anyone but the beginner cook. I did learn a couple of wonderful new techniques from this cookbook that I have since incorporated into my regular repertoire, such as cooking pasta risotto-style and pan-roasting boneless chicken breasts. Most of the recipes I tried from the book were very successful; the only failure I can think of was the 60-Minute Bread, but I have never had much luck with Bittman’s baking recipes.

If you don’t already own a Bittman tome like How to Cook Everything, this book would certainly be a good introduction to his cooking style, and a lot less daunting to get through.