title: The Best Recipes in the World
author:  Mark Bittman 
description: When Mark Bittman is cooking--in every sense of the word--he gets results without fuss. Author of the almost subversively approachable <a href="/exec/obidos/ASIN/0028610105/${0}"><i>How to Cook Everything</i></a>, Bittman takes on big assignments and then delivers the goods. In <i>The Best Recipes in the World</i>, a collection of more than 1,000 international recipes, with winners like Chinese Black Bean and Garlic Spareribs; Pan-Seared Swordfish with Tomatoes, Olives, and Capers; and Stewed Lamb Shanks with Mushrooms and Pasilla Chile Sauce, he's done it again. The selection, which covers cooking from Europe and Asia equally, is all can-do and instantly appealing--readers will want to "cook through" the whole chicken section, for example. But Bittman, a master distiller, also knows when more is more, with one caveat: "I don't mind spending a long time cooking a single dish as long as I don't have to pay too much attention to what's going on," he writes. Thus, even fuller-dress recipes like the Indian Red Fish Stew, Fast and Spicy, and Tea-Smoked Duck or Chicken can work for time-deprived cooks. A dessert section that includes the tempting likes of Orange Custard, Walnut Tart, and Caramelized Pars Poached in Red Wine, caps this incisive collection.
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  List of Recipes and Sidebars
  
  
  [In Good Spirits](BittmanChristmas.html#c1)
  
  
  [Appetizers, Soup, and Salad](BittmanChristmas.html#c2)
  
  
  [Stuffed Mushrooms](BittmanChristmas.html#a2)
  
  
  [Nutty Stuffed Mushrooms](BittmanChristmas.html#sr1)
  
  
  [Stuffed Mushrooms with Bacon Bread Crumbs](BittmanChristmas.html#sr2)
  
  
  [Boosting the Flavor of Nuts](BittmanChristmas.html#a1)
  
  
  [Cheese Straws](BittmanChristmas.html#a3)
  
  
  [Pickled Eggs with Oranges and Warm Spices](BittmanChristmas.html#a4)
  
  
  [Creamy Oyster and Potato Stew](BittmanChristmas.html#a5)
  
  
  [Fennel and Orange Salad](BittmanChristmas.html#a6)
  
  
  [_Preparing Citrus Wheels_](BittmanChristmas.html#a7)
  
  
  [Poultry](BittmanChristmas.html#c3)
  
  
  [Classic Roast Turkey with Gravy ](BittmanChristmas.html#a8)
  
  
  [Turkey Gravy](BittmanChristmas.html#a9)
  
  
  [Stock Options](BittmanChristmas.html#a10)
  
  
  [Timing for Defrosting Large Birds](BittmanChristmas.html#a13)