Little Artichokes, Provençal Style

by Mark Bittman

A lesson I learned this spring: if you have artichokes in your kitchen, you will find new ways to cook them.

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Geyser Peak Sauvignon Blanc 2012

This tastes bone dry, and it offers acidity that's so clean and racy, it makes your mouth feel like it's shining. The flavors of limes, lemons, hay, white pepper and vanilla are delightful.

Serve With: Grilled Pork Chops with Pineapple Salsa

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Stuffed Chicken Breasts

by Mark Bittman

In almost every instance the sole reason to stuff one food with another is appearance. So for me the questions are: Is it easy enough to make it worth the effort? Does the process add or detract from the overall flavor?

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Real Strawberry Shortcake
By Mark Bittman

The bakery-counter version of strawberry shortcake, which at its best is a layer cake bound by whipped cream and filled and topped with strawberries, is children's food, more akin to a Twinkie than to the real thing. Traditional strawberry shortcake is far faster and easier to make - the entire process should run no more than 30 minutes - and at the end you will be able to serve a crowd a humble, simple form that is far more sophisticated.



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Quick Stir-Fried Snow Peas
By Mark Bittman

Back in the early '80s, when I had just begun to write about cooking, I used to hang around in the kitchen of a man named Peter Chang. Mr. Chang ran a one-man-show of a Chinese restaurant in New Haven, and was kind and patient enough to teach me some of what he knew.

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Evodia Old Vine Grenache 2011

This 100% Garnacha offers a lovely perfume of spice box, mineral, and wild cherry. This perfectly balanced mix of flavors lends itself to an intensely fruity wine with loads of taste, a smooth texture,
and a pure, fruit-filled finish.

Serve with:

Grilled Lamb Chops
Roasted Brussel Sprouts
Carrot Cake


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Pasta With Tuna Sauce

By MARK BITTMAN

I was once amazed to learn that some pasta sauces could be prepared in the time it takes water to boil. That was before I realized that quick sauces are the norm for pasta, and that waiting for the requisite gallon or so of water to boil is usually the most time-consuming part of preparing a pasta dinner.


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Easter Baked Ham
By John Havel

In the United States, ham is a traditional Easter food. In the early days, meat was slaughtered in the fall. There was no refrigeration, and the fresh pork that wasn't consumed during the winter months before Lent was cured for spring. The curing process took a long time, and the first hams were ready around the time Easter rolled around. Thus, ham was a natural choice for the celebratory Easter dinner.


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Asparagus Dutch Style

By MARK BITTMAN

In Northern Europe, some towns still ring church bells when asparagus stalks first emerge from the ground, and from April to June it's a rare menu that doesn't feature asparagus in some form or other. My favorite discovery on a couple of trips through the region last spring was in Amsterdam, where I was served asparagus with hard-boiled egg, ham and beurre noisette - butter that is browned until its nutty flavor comes through.


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Irish Lamb Stew
Irish Soda Bread

by John Havel

Ask someone, especially a North American, who hasn't lived or visited Ireland about what Irish food is like, and nine times out of ten, as they grope for answers, they'll mention corned beef and cabbage. However, investigation shows that, while corned beef and cabbage is sometimes eaten there, it's probably eaten a lot less than most people imagine: and it's definitely not the Irish national dish.


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Beef with Broccoli

by John Havel

Stir frying is one of the quickest and healthiest way to prepare a meal and is easily adapted to most cooking styles. There are many advantages to eating stir-fried foods.


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Brownies

By MARK BITTMAN

Whenever I see a new recipe for brownies, I cringe, because some things cannot be improved upon. These days, there are chefs and cookbook authors who insist that only expensive chocolate be used (not 1 in 10 of us could tell the difference) and those who add a huge amount of flour and baking powder to make something that resembles cake. (To me these are not brownies at all.)



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Winter Ribs
By MARK BITTMAN

Ribs are so closely associated with grilling that we can forget that the best ones are cooked very slowly. Once cooked, they may be crisped up on a grill, but the part of the procedure that makes them tender is indirect heat, the mark of true barbecue.

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Dark ruby. Suave black raspberry and Asian spice aromas are complicated by notes of violet and allspice. Juicy and seamless on the palate, offering sweet red and dark berry flavors and showing
remarkable depth and intensity for the price.

Serve With: Pot Roast with Vegetables


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West African Stew
by John Havel

One of the most enjoyable parts of travel is to taste the foods that are indigenous to different countries and cultures. If you judge Mexican food by local restaurants you would miss the incredible variety of moles of Oaxaca, for example. The stews of Hunan province are not served in Chinese restaurants and African food is hard to find outside of large cities.

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