Read Mark Bittman's Quick and Easy Recipes from the New York Times Online
Authors: Mark Bittman
NOTE
I specify instant yeast (such as SAF) in this recipe and all my baking recipes. This is yeast that can be mixed, dry, with the flour—it’s fuss-free, keeps forever in the fridge, and is sold at every supermarket.
MAKES ABOUT 6 SERVINGS
TIME: ABOUT 45 MINUTES
CORN BREAD IS
a quick bread—that is, risen with baking powder, not yeast—and the most useful one of all. Everyone loves it, too.
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1½ cups cornmeal
½ cup flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
1¼ cups buttermilk, milk, or yogurt
1.
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Put the fat in a medium nonstick or well-seasoned ovenproof skillet or in an 8-inch square baking pan over medium heat; heat until good and hot, about 2 minutes, then turn off the heat.
2.
Meanwhile, combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix the egg into the buttermilk, then stir the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients, combining well; if it seems too dry, add another tablespoon or two of milk. Pour the batter into the preheated fat, shake the pan once or twice, and put in the oven.
3.
Bake for about 30 minutes, until the top is lightly browned and the sides have pulled away from the pan; a toothpick inserted into the center will come out clean. Serve hot or warm.
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
TIME: 10 TO 15 MINUTES
A CROUTON IS
not only a little cube of bread you use in salads or for stuffing, but a perfectly toasted slice that makes a wonderful side dish and a sensational way to use stale bread.
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, smashed and peeled
4 thick slices good-quality bread
Salt
1.
Put the olive oil in a large skillet and turn the heat to medium-low. Add the garlic and cook, turning occasionally, until it is lightly browned.
2.
Add the bread slices and cook, turning occasionally and adjusting the heat so they brown nicely. Remove and sprinkle lightly with salt; serve hot or at room temperature.
MAKES 8 SERVINGS
TIME: ABOUT 1 HOUR, LARGELY UNATTENDED
THIS BREAD CASSEROLE
is a major upgrade from stuffing. Like most puddings and custards, it should be removed from the oven when it still appears slightly underdone, because its retained heat will firm it up just fine. Use good-quality white bread—torn from a loaf, not presliced—and the pudding will be much better.
Butter or extra virgin olive oil for greasing the baking dish, plus 2 tablespoons
½ pound good-quality white bread, cut or torn into chunks no smaller than 1 inch in diameter
2 cups milk
4 eggs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, freshly grated
¼ pound Emmenthal or other semisoft cheese, freshly grated
1 cup sliced shiitake mushroom caps
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or ¼ teaspoon dried
1.
Butter or oil an 8-inch soufflé or baking dish and put the bread in it. Combine the milk, eggs, salt, pepper, and cheeses and pour this mixture over the bread. Submerge the bread with a weighted plate and turn the oven to 350°F. Meanwhile, heat the butter or oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and sauté the mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper and thyme and stir them into the bread mixture.
2.
Bake until the pudding is just set but not dry, 35 to 45 minutes. The top will be crusty and brown. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.
PIZZA IS EASY,
even when you make the dough yourself. And although we have practically been force-fed pizza with cooked tomato sauce, pizza is even easier when topped with raw ingredients.
What the following pizzas have in common is their uncooked toppings; once you get the hang of it, you’ll find it easy enough to improvise with both raw and cooked ingredients.
MAKES 2 12- TO 13-INCH PIES, ENOUGH FOR 4 PEOPLE
TIME: 1 HOUR OR MORE
PEOPLE CAN NEVER
seem to get enough pizza, and how many a pizza will serve depends on the heartiness of the toppings, the thickness of the crust, and whether you’re serving anything along with it. But I’ve found generally that this dough recipe will make two twelve- or thirteen-inch pizzas and that pizzas made with the following toppings will serve at least four people.
3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, plus more as needed
2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 teaspoons coarse kosher or sea salt, plus extra for sprinkling
2 tablespoons olive oil
1.
Combine the flour, yeast, and salt in a food processor. Turn the machine on and add 1 cup of warm water and the oil through the feed tube.
2.
Process for about 30 seconds, adding more water, a little at a time, until the mixture forms a ball and is slightly sticky to the touch. If it is dry, add another tablespoon or two of water and process for another 10 seconds. (In the unlikely event that the mixture is too sticky, add flour, a tablespoon at a time.)
3.
Turn the dough onto a floured work surface and knead by hand 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 to 2 hours. (You can cut this rising time short if you are in a hurry, or you can let the dough rise more slowly, in the refrigerator, for up to 6 to 8 hours.) Proceed to step 4, or wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for up to a month. (Defrost in a covered bowl in the refrigerator or at room temperature.)
4.
When the dough is ready, form it into a ball and divide it into 2 or more pieces if you like; roll each piece into a round ball. Put each ball on a lightly floured surface, sprinkle with a little flour, and cover with plastic wrap or a towel. Let rest until they puff slightly, about 20 minutes. Proceed with any of the recipes that follow.
PIZZA-MAKING TIPS
•
Be sure to allow the dough to relax, stretching it a little bit at a time, when you’re ready to roll it out; pressing the dough onto an oiled baking sheet is the easiest way to get this done. And bear in mind that it’s easier to handle small pies than large ones.
•
You can bake the pies or grill them. An oven lined with a baking stone (or several uncoated quarry tiles) is ideal, but it requires a peel (a flat sheet of wood or metal with a long handle) to move the pizza about. A baking sheet, with or without a lip, is much easier, because you can press the dough right onto its surface. Since you use olive oil to prevent sticking, the process is a snap.
•
Generally toppings should never be too wet, or the dough will become soggy. In practice, this means fresh tomatoes should have some of their juice squeezed out and be thinly sliced, and preferably salted for a little while, before using; the same holds true for other moist vegetables like zucchini.
•
It may be that there are more possible combinations of pizza toppings than moves in chess or atoms in the universe; in any case, there are a lot. Simple combinations are best, however; too many ingredients merely serve to muddy the flavors.
MAKES 2 TO 4 SERVINGS
TIME: 35 MINUTES WITH PREMADE DOUGH
1 recipe
Pizza Dough
4 or 5 ripe tomatoes
Coarse salt
1 medium red onion or 4 shallots, chopped
20 black olives, such as Kalamata or oil-cured, pitted and chopped
Olive oil as needed
1.
For grilled pizza, start a medium-hot charcoal or wood fire or preheat a gas grill to the maximum. Roll or lightly press each dough ball into a flat round, lightly flouring the work surface and the dough as necessary (do not use more flour than you need to). Let the rounds sit for a few minutes, then roll or pat out the dough, as thinly as you like, turning occasionally and sprinkling the top with flour as necessary.
For baked pizza, preheat the oven to 500°F. Oil one or more baking sheets, then press each dough ball into a flat round directly on the oiled sheet(s). Then pat out the dough, as thinly as you like, oiling your hands if necessary. If your oven is equipped with a baking stone, roll or pat out the dough as for grilled pizza, putting it on a peel to transfer it to the oven.
2.
Meanwhile, core the tomatoes, cut them in half horizontally, and gently squeeze out the liquid and most of the seeds. Slice as thinly as possible, lightly salt and let the slices sit for at least 10 minutes. Drain off any excess liquid.
3.
To grill the pizza, slide it directly onto the grill. Cook until brown grill marks appear, 3 to 5 minutes, depending on your grill heat. Turn with a spatula or tongs, top with the tomatoes, onion, and olives, and drizzle with olive oil. Cover the grill and cook until the bottom is crisp and brown and the tomatoes hot, 7 to 10 minutes.
To bake the pizza, top with tomatoes, onions, olives, and a little olive oil, slide the baking sheet into the oven (or the pizza itself onto the stone), and bake for about 15 minutes, depending on the oven heat, or until nicely browned.
MAKES 2 TO 4 SERVINGS
TIME: 45 MINUTES WITH PREMADE DOUGH
1 recipe
Pizza Dough
4 small or 2 medium zucchini
Coarse salt
2 or 3 sweet Italian sausages, the meat removed from the casing and crumbled
2 teaspoons minced garlic
Olive oil as needed
1.
For grilled pizza, start a medium-hot charcoal or wood fire or preheat a gas grill to the maximum. Roll or lightly press each dough ball into a flat round, lightly flouring the work surface and the dough as necessary (do not use more flour than you need to). Let the rounds sit for a few minutes, then roll or pat out the dough, as thinly as you like, turning occasionally and sprinkling the top with flour as necessary.
For baked pizza, preheat the oven to 500°F. Oil one or more baking sheets, then press each dough ball into a flat round directly on the oiled sheet(s). Then pat out the dough, as thinly as you like, oiling your hands if necessary. If your oven is equipped with a baking stone, roll or pat out the dough as for grilled pizza, putting it on a peel to transfer it to the oven.
2.
Meanwhile, thinly slice the zucchini. Salt the slices lightly and let them sit for at least 20 minutes, then drain off any accumulated liquid.
3.
To grill the pizza, slide it directly onto the grill. Cook until brown grill marks appear, 3 to 5 minutes, depending on your grill heat. Turn with a spatula or tongs, then top with the zucchini, sausage, and garlic. Cover the grill and cook until the bottom is crisp and brown and the sausage cooked through, 7 to 10 minutes.
To bake the pizza, top with the zucchini, sausage, and garlic, slide the baking sheet into the oven (or the pizza itself onto the stone), and bake for about 15 minutes, depending on the oven heat, or until nicely browned and the sausage is cooked through.
MAKES 2 TO 4 SERVINGS
TIME: 40 MINUTES WITH PREMADE DOUGH
1 recipe
Pizza Dough
2 large or 4 small green tomatoes
Coarse salt
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
½ cup coarsely chopped or torn fresh basil
Olive oil as needed
1.
For grilled pizza, start a medium-hot charcoal or wood fire or preheat a gas grill to the maximum. Roll or lightly press each dough ball into a flat round, lightly flouring the work surface and the dough as necessary (do not use more flour than you need to). Let the rounds sit for a few minutes, then roll or pat out the dough, as thinly as you like, turning occasionally and sprinkling the top with flour as necessary.
For baked pizza, preheat the oven to 500°F. Oil one or more baking sheets, then press each dough ball into a flat round directly on the oiled sheet(s). Then pat out the dough, as thinly as you like, oiling your hands if necessary. If your oven is equipped with a baking stone, roll or pat out the dough as for grilled pizza, putting it on a peel to transfer it to the oven.
2.
Meanwhile, thinly slice the tomatoes. Salt the slices lightly and let them sit for at least 20 minutes, then drain off any accumulated liquid.
3.
To grill the pizza, slide it directly onto the grill. Cook until brown grill marks appear, 3 to 5 minutes, depending on your grill heat. Turn with a spatula or tongs, then top with the tomato, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and basil. Cover the grill and cook until the bottom is crisp and brown and the top hot.
To bake the pizza, top with the tomato and Parmigiano-Reggiano, slide the baking sheet into the oven (or the pizza itself onto the stone), and bake for about 10 minutes, depending on the oven heat, or until nearly done. Sprinkle with the basil and cook until the pizza is nicely browned.