Mark Bittman's Quick and Easy Recipes from the New York Times (33 page)

1.
Put the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When it is hot, add the mushrooms, then some salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

2.
Add the garlic or shallot and turn the heat to high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to brown and become crisp at the edges. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary, garnish with the parsley if you like, and serve hot or at room temperature.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

TIME: 40 MINUTES

WE USUALLY THINK
of custards as desserts, but they may be savory as well, and in that form they make luxurious starters or light, flavorful main courses. Custards like garlic flan are often served in top restaurants, but the simplicity and ease of this preparation makes them good options for home cooks. Here’s one with a surprise in it: cooked shiitakes. It will be a hit.

1.
Put the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally and sprinkling with salt and pepper, until the garlic is fragrant and the mushrooms begin to soften, just 5 minutes or so. Stir the mixture into the stock.

2.
Beat the eggs lightly and combine with the stock mixture. Put about an inch of water in a baking pan or skillet just large enough to hold four 6-ounce ramekins and turn the heat to high. When the water boils, turn the heat to low, pour the egg mixture into the ramekins, and put the ramekins in the water. Cover tightly with foil and/or a lid.

3.
Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, then check; the moment the custards are set—they should still be quite jiggly—remove them from the water. Serve hot or at room temperature.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

TIME: 1 HOUR, LARGELY UNATTENDED

THE EASE WITH
which this dish can be thrown together and the range of meals it happily accompanies (menus with European, Middle Eastern, or Northern African accents are game, as are good old American cook-outs) guarantee that it makes regular and frequent appearances on my dinner table.

An assortment of olives is far preferable to just one kind. Try, for example, some oil cured, some big fat green Sicilians, and some Kalamatas—just that simple combination will look bright and pretty. If you can lay your hands on more varieties, so much the better.

1.
Toss all the ingredients together in a bowl. Marinate for an hour or longer at room temperature.

2.
After the first day, refrigerate, then remove from the refrigerator an hour or two before serving. These will keep for weeks.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

TIME: ABOUT 1½ HOURS, LARGELY UNATTENDED

ROASTING GIVES AMAZING
depth to vegetables, especially peppers. The simplest way to serve these is to drizzle them with extra virgin olive oil, along with some salt and pepper, but you can also add a few drops of vinegar. The next step is to garnish with anchovies, capers, and/or herbs.

1.
Preheat the oven to 500°F. Line a roasting pan with enough foil to later fold over the top. Put the peppers in the pan and the pan in the oven. Roast, turning the peppers about every 10 minutes, until the peppers collapse, about 40 minutes.

2.
Fold the foil over the peppers and allow them to cool. Work over a bowl and remove the core, skin, and seeds from each of the peppers. It’s okay if the peppers naturally fall into strips during this process. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and olive oil and serve at room temperature. (You can refrigerate these, tightly wrapped or covered, for a few days; bring to room temperature before serving.)

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

TIME: 30 MINUTES

THE STANDARD GRILLED
pepper should be a part of every home cook’s repertoire. They’re a perfect accompaniment to nearly any simply grilled dish. Feel free to use a mix of yellow, orange, and red bell peppers if it appeals to you.

1.
Start a grill or preheat the broiler; put the rack about 4 inches from the heat source. When the fire is hot, put the peppers directly over the heat. Grill, turning as each side blackens, until they collapse, about 15 minutes. Wrap in foil and cool until you can handle them, then remove the skin, seeds, and stems. You will inevitably shred them in this process, and that’s fine.

2.
Drizzle the peppers with the olive oil and vinegar, then sprinkle with the capers if you like and some pepper. Taste and add salt if necessary, then serve.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

TIME: 20 MINUTES

PIQUILLO PEPPERS ARE
wood-roasted peppers from Spain, sold in cans or jars. If you cannot find them, substitute homemade roasted peppers or canned “pimientos.”

Lightly toast the bread. Top each piece with a tiny bit of garlic, then layer with a piece of piquillo and an anchovy. Drizzle with a little anchovy oil and/or olive oil. Serve within an hour.

MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS

TIME: 45 MINUTES

TREAT NEW POTATOES
simply, using what little work you need to do to highlight their fresh and full potato flavor. I like to use heartier herbs, like rosemary, lavender, or thyme, to flavor roasted potatoes.

This preparation is classic and easy, as long as you remember it’s better to overcook the potatoes than undercook them.

1.
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Put the potatoes in an ovenproof casserole or saucepan and toss with all the remaining ingredients. Cover and roast, shaking the pan occasionally, until the potatoes are tender, 30 to 45 minutes.

2.
Uncover, stir once or twice, and serve.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

TIME: 40 MINUTES

TO SEASON BOILED POTATOES
, I like to use delicate herbs like mint, tarragon, or parsley. Mint makes a huge difference here, countering the potatoes’ earthiness with its bright flavor.

1.
Put the potatoes in a pot with salted water to cover; bring to a boil over high heat. Add the mint and turn the heat down to medium. Cook at a gentle boil until the potatoes are nice and tender, 20 to 40 minutes, depending on their size.

2.
Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot over the lowest heat possible. Add the butter and cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until all traces of moisture have disappeared, about 5 minutes. Garnish and serve hot.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

TIME: 40 MINUTES

THIS IS A
fast method for producing a delicious potato gratin. I discovered it accidentally, and it’s since become a personal favorite.

1.
Layer the potatoes in a large nonstick ovenproof skillet or roasting pan, sprinkling salt and pepper and, if you like, garlic or nutmeg between the layers. Dot with the butter, then add enough half-and-half or milk to come about three-quarters of the way to the top. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2.
Turn the heat under the potatoes to high and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to medium-high and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the level of both liquid and potatoes has subsided somewhat. Put in the oven and cook, undisturbed, until the top is nicely browned, about 10 minutes. Turn the oven heat down to 300°F and continue cooking until
the potatoes are tender (a thin-bladed knife will pierce them with little or no resistance), about 10 minutes more. Serve immediately or keep warm in the oven or over very low heat for up to 30 minutes.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

TIME: ABOUT 40 MINUTES

MASHED POTATOES ARE
easy to make. If you like them lumpy, mash them with a fork or potato masher; if you like them creamy, use a food mill or ricer. If you like them lean, omit the butter and substitute some of the potato-cooking water for the milk.

1.
Boil the potatoes in salted water to cover until soft, about 30 minutes.

2.
When the potatoes are done, drain them, then mash them well or put them through a food mill. Return them to the pot over very low heat and stir in the butter and—gradually—the milk, beating with a wooden spoon until smooth and creamy. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately, keep warm, or reheat in a microwave.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

TIME: 45 MINUTES

THE LATE, GREAT
Pierre Franey—author of
The 60-Minute Gourmet—
showed me how to make these twenty years ago (of course he used butter), and I have been making them weekly ever since.

1.
Bring the potatoes to a boil in salted water to cover, then lower the heat to simmer until nearly tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain well.

2.
Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a 12-inch nonstick skillet for 3 or 4 minutes. You can use more oil for crisper potatoes or less oil to cut the fat. (You can also use butter or a combination if you prefer.) Add the potatoes along with a healthy sprinkling of salt and pepper and cook, tossing and stirring from time to time (not constantly), until they are nicely browned all over, 10 to 20 minutes.

3.
Add the garlic and continue to cook for 5 minutes more, stirring frequently. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary, then serve.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

TIME: ABOUT 30 MINUTES

THESE ARE SIMPLER
than traditional scallion pancakes, which are made from a breadlike dough, and they taste more like scallions, because the “liquid” is scallion puree. The flavor is great, the preparation time is cut to about twenty minutes, and the texture is that of a vegetable fritter.

1.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil while you trim the scallions. Roughly chop about three-quarters of them and mince the remainder.