The Minimalist in Spain

Every week Mark Bittman publishes a column called The Minimalist on NYT.com. Why do I love The Minimalist? Because ingredients, if of the right quality and treated the right way, can truly become breathtaking dishes with very little effort. I personally must have had fresh, green market cherry tomatoes tossed in extra virgin olive oil with fresh, green market basil and some grated romano over pasta twice a week this summer just because there is no other way to so simply enjoy the sweetness of fresh summer tomatoes. This idea was also jumped on by Eric Ripert, who entered the blogosphere as well this past summer, focusing on fast recipes using superior ingredients. Why else do I love Mark Bittman? Well I'll give you two reasons. First, this week's update features kasha varnishkes, a classic Eastern European staple peasant food. If you're anything like me, and apparently Mark Bittman too, your grandmother has tried on multiple occasions to shovel more kasha onto your plate because you're so skinny! Eat! The end of that video is priceless if you can empathize with that sentiment.

Second, the man is living out every middle aged foodie's dream (much less any man's dream) by cruising around Spain in expensive cars with Gwyneth Paltrow, Spanish actress/beauty Claudia Bassols, and (just to legitimize the food aspect of the show) Mario Batali on PBS's Spain - On The Road Again. Just look at the type of footage is being shot for this show and the sheer beauty of the food and countryside that they are traversing. Though the show sometimes seems to play out like a couple of high school nerds fawning over a pair of cheerleaders, on the whole Spain is a beautiful, appetite whetting gem in the television food genre. We actually learn about the regions, the people, and the food, something Food Network long ago ditched in lieu of junk like "ultimate wedding cake bake-off." Now, unfortunately, it seems only that Food Network is catering to some new demographic to which I clearly do not belong. Well, as long as Good Eats stays on the air...