Here at the homestead we are all up ons about Mark Bittman. He's been doing his Minimalist column in the NYT Dining section for several years, preaching that good food doesn't have to be complicated or time-consuming to prepare. And for the last few months he's also been doing a (near-) weekly video podcast. In these five-or-so-minute-long videos, he demonstrates the recipe that he wrote about in his column that week, and they are uniformly engaging and informative.And as different from typical food TV fare as you can get. Not only are they filmed casually, he makes messes and even the occasional gaffe which, like my personal goddess of the kitchen, Julia Child, he uses to show that mistakes happen and they're not fatal.
Now he's even started a blog where he discusses various food topics and recipes, as well as his travels, and (gasp!) even answers comments. I'll be putting it on my feed list, and I'll keep you posted if anything intriguing pops up.
I'll have to give Bittman another try. I tried his coffee-braised beef short ribs for Valentine's, to dubious results, and I have been unable to replicate the ease with which others have succeeded using the no knead bread recipe.
ReplyDeleteI can't say I've tried all his recipes, and others I've tweaked to make them more the way I want them. We're still working on the no-knead bread, too, btw.
ReplyDeleteThe No Knead Bread works really well here in Santa Barbara where it is dry—in PDX you will need to reduce the water slightly to get the right texture. Also I add in way more salt, just shy of a tablespoon, and let that sucker sit for 18 hours or so. Then I use a mixed seed topping and WOW. It comes out perfectly.
ReplyDeleteI think it's the moisture thing in PDX because when I have made it here on a wet day, it does come out differently.
Just a thought. I love Bittman too!
Yes, we noticed that it needs much more salt...it was a bit bland. I'll pass on the water suggestion to Dave. Thanks!
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