Consider this your one-stop-shop guide to grilling steaks. Mark Bittman shares a simple foolproof recipe for strip, sirloin, or rib-eye steaks, along with tips on how to buy various cuts of beef and grill them to the doneness level you prefer.
summer
Mark Bittman’s Sweet Potato–Eggplant Stacks with Lime Ricotta
You can be endlessly inventive with vegetable stacks, discovering your own favorite combinations. You want to cut the vegetables about 1/2 inch thick, and then layer twice—any higher than that and your stack is likely to topple.
Mark Bittman’s Spatchcocked Chicken with Garlic, Parsley, and Orange
Remove the backbone from a whole bird and it will lie flat, instantly doubling the surface area—and the flavor and crisping potential. This easy technique is called spatchcocking or butterflying. I almost always do chicken like this now, and it’s also perfect for turkey and small birds like pheasants and guinea hens.
One-Bottle Cocktail: New World Spritz
This rum punch will please both cocktail newbies and seasoned sippers. Watermelon adds a fresh fruity flavor, while rum contributes a touch of vanilla (and depending on which rum you pick, a little funky richness). Tonic water helps each sip conclude on a mouthwateringly crisp and just slightly bitter note.
Super-Fresh Pasta with No-Cook Tomatoes, Cheese and Basil
When the first good tomatoes appear, I buy fresh basil and a good sized chunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano, and whip up a no-cook pasta. It’s not the heat. It’s the deliciousness. I like it even better than the red sauce of winter.
Faith’s Watermelon-Tequila Cooler
This is one of my favorite cocktails to enjoy all summer long. It’s refreshing and couldn’t be easier to make.
