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Miso Soup with Scallops, Soba, and Spinach

Japanese stock, dashi, is a real change from chicken or vegetable broth, and since the main ingredients are sea greens and bonito flakes—a type of dried fish that you can find now in many supermarkets—it’s as simple as steeping tea. It’s easy to do while you assemble the soup and worth using an extra pot. Feel free to vary the vegetables based on whatever you like and have handy.

By Mark Bittman Published March 15, 2025

Lamb Soup with Green Beans and Tomatoes

American-raised lamb is more widely available now than it used to be, and I’m glad. It’s got a distinctive flavor that’s actually quite mild, even though it smells stronger during cooking. That makes it perfect for an assertively spiced but balanced soup. If you don’t like—or can’t find—lamb, use ground beef, pork, or even chicken or turkey instead.

By Mark Bittman Published March 13, 2025

Seared Ham Steak with Maple-Glazed Beets

Ham steaks are better and easier to find than they were when I wrote the first edition, and they’re a great addition to your fast-cooking pantry. Since they’re smoked and precooked, the time in the pan is minimal, and you can focus on cooking the gorgeous beets, which soak up caramelized bits of maple-mustard glaze. If you can’t find smoked ham steaks, have the deli slice some extra-thick pieces of their best sandwich ham.

By Mark Bittman Published March 13, 2025

Miso-Glazed Thick Fish Fillets and Mushrooms

Fish fillets roast relatively fast, by coincidence in just the right amount of time it takes to whip up a quick sauce for a final glazing. Halibut (as shown in the photo), cod, bass, and catfish are all good choices here. And I like salmon or bluefish like this too. Serve the fillets and mushrooms over plain rice, drizzled with the reserved glaze.

By Mark Bittman Published March 13, 2025

Why Not Cook At Home?

Due to a combination of skinflint-ness, disinterest, and disappointment in most restaurants (I don’t even have a favorite now, so don’t ask me), plus an increasing inability to hear in loud places (this will happen to you, too, if it hasn’t already) I have begun cooking for friends at home once again. 

By Mark Bittman Published March 10, 2025

Stir-Fried Lamb and Green Peppers with Cumin

Lamb seasoned with cumin is a beloved combination in many food cultures. Add green bell peppers and red chile flakes, and the flavors are eye opening. If you can’t find a small quantity of the cuts listed below, substitute ground lamb or beef sirloin. Brown rice is good on the side, or tuck this into a pliable, chewy flatbread like lavash.

By Mark Bittman Published March 8, 2025

Vegan Pho

Fish and meat often figure prominently in the Vietnamese meal-in-a-bowl soup known as pho, but there are traditional and fine vegetarian options, chief among them this broth made from soy sauce and a blend of spices like star anise and cinnamon. All that’s required is a willingness to invest in making the broth and a few additional toppings and you’ll be handsomely rewarded.

By Mark Bittman Published March 6, 2025

Kimchi and Snow Pea Salad with Grilled or Broiled Beef

Crunch galore: Combine sliced raw snow peas and kimchi, then top it with tender grilled or broiled beef. For a bigger bowl, start with plain-cooked rice or rice noodles.

By Mark Bittman Published March 6, 2025

Barbecue Sauce

My go-to grilling sauce is ketchup-based and super-easy to make. To spin it in a Chinese barbecue direction, use the rice vinegar and soy sauce options. If you want to baste anything with it on the grill or in the oven, don’t do so until the last few minutes of cooking, otherwise the sauce might burn.

By Mark Bittman Published March 5, 2025

Beans, Root Vegetables, and Chicken

This dish of beans, chicken, and root vegetables happened, first at a last-minute lunch for me and Kathleen, and then in a more refined version the next night for me and my pal Doc. The beet flavor was distinctive and fantastic, and the dish reminded me of nothing I’ve ever eaten.

By Mark Bittman Published March 3, 2025

Green Salad

The side that goes with more dishes than any other. Fortunately, you never have to make it quite the same way twice, especially if you skip the dressing here and make a batch of homemade vinaigrette from the previous recipe. The benefit of having the dressing in the bottom of the bowl is that you can make the salad up to an hour ahead without risking wilted leaves: Don’t toss it right after adding the greens; instead drape the bowl with a damp kitchen towel and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve it; then toss.

By Mark Bittman Published March 2, 2025

Goat Cheese Truffles

We think of truffles as dessert—little balls of chocolate rolled around in cocoa powder, or something along those lines. These take the shape and preparation in an utterly savory direction.

By Mark Bittman Published March 2, 2025

Glazed Brussels Sprouts with Peanuts

A Vietnamese-style glaze breathes sweet and spicy life into crisp-tender Brussels sprouts—or any other sturdy vegetable, like carrots or butternut squash. An abundance of peanuts makes the dish more satisfying, though there’s no shortage of vegetables here. Or see the variations for other protein ideas. Serve any of them over a bowl of rice or rice noodles.

By Mark Bittman Published March 2, 2025

Food Is Everything

If you subscribe to the Bittman Project, my guess is that you do so, at least in part, because you’re interested in what I have to say. And the following is something I just have to say, even though it’s hardly food-related. So it might bother you; on the other hand, you might love it. And it’s a free post, so I hope you’ll share it widely.

By Mark Bittman Published March 1, 2025

Fish Steaks with Salsa Verde

A piquant sauce is perfect with sturdy fish steaks. The photograph shows salmon with fresh tomatillos lightly cooked into a pretty green sauce. You could mix and match tomatoes or olives with cod, mackerel, or halibut. Tortillas—flour or corn—are the ideal companion so you can savor all the sauce.

By Mark Bittman Published February 23, 2025

Fresh Tomato Salsa

The main recipe is a pico de gallo–style chopped salsa. The variation demonstrates how to take the same ingredients and do something totally different with them.

By Mark Bittman Published February 23, 2025

Fried Rice with Cabbage

The most versatile rice recipe ever—one you can use as a model for spontaneous lunch or dinner. While the rice bubbles away on the stove, you pull together a satisfying cabbage stirfry. Then you’ve got a couple different choices for how you eat it. For times when you’ve got leftover rice already in the fridge, see the last variation.

By Mark Bittman Published February 22, 2025

Stir-Fried Noodles with Beef and Celery

Conventional wisdom for cooking stir-fries says you should prep all your ingredients first since once you start cooking, it all goes lightning-quick. But if you keep the ingredients to a few, as in this lo mein–style dish, you can prep as you go without, no sweat.

By Mark Bittman Published February 20, 2025

Toasted Shell Beans with Cherry Tomatoes

First choice here in the frozen shell bean department are green favas, which are sort of bumpy and hooked into a pronounced kidney shape. They split lengthwise easily, and their interiors veer toward a pleasant grittiness. They’re perfect lightly browned this way—almost like nuts. Finding them, however, can be a fickle endeavor. Lima beans, edamame, and even black-eyed peas are good substitutes. Serve this over rice or thick slices of bread, or toss with pasta or torn salad greens.

By Mark Bittman Published February 20, 2025

Eggs, Cooked Four Ways

The fastest way I know to turn something light into a satisfying meal is to put an egg—or two—on it. Scrambled eggs are the most forgiving since the yolk is already broken, so let’s start there with a foolproof way to make sure the texture is exactly how you like it. The variations cover how to cook eggs hard-boiled, fried, and poached.

By Mark Bittman Published February 20, 2025