Mark Bittman’s Antipasto Wedge, Succotash and Shells, and Cherry Shortcakes

A plant-forward menu for two that takes advantage of the season

Mark Bittman,

AARP

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Published September 05, 2024

Side-by-sides of Succotash and Shells, Cherry Shortcake and Antipasto Wedge; image of Mark Bittman in circle in bottom left

Chef Mark Bittman's Succotash Pasta, Cherry Shortcake and Antipasto Wedge make the perfect meal for two.

AARP (Burcu Avsar and Zach DeSart; Kerri Conan; Aya Brackett; Jim Henkens)

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Antipasto Wedge • Succotash and Shells • Cherry Shortcakes

You’d think that after 20 years of writing recipes and books based on plant-forward cooking, I’d have a catchy name for eating less meat. But my original term remains the most accurate: I am a “less-meatarian” — meaning that while some dishes are vegan, others might include small amounts of animal products, like cheese or eggs.

Legumes and whole grains provide the bulk of the protein in my diet. When I do eat fish, poultry, pork, beef or dairy, it’s almost always as a seasoning in a stir-fry, a stew or soup, or a pasta sauce. Rarely does a grilled steak take up the most real estate on my plate.

This kind of choice began as a way to pay attention to both my health and that of the environment. It’s known, of course, that too many animal products can be damaging to our cardiovascular systems (and can spawn other diseases as well), but it’s equally true that the carbon footprint of meat can be more than a hundred times higher than that of foods from the plant kingdom. “Less-meatarianism” — or, you might say, plant-forward cooking — deals nicely with all of these issues.

How, exactly, might this translate into a three-course summer fruit-and-vegetable-driven menu for two? Easily! The only meat in the recipes that follow is in the appetizer — a salad that’s a cross between antipasto and a steakhouse wedge. There are lots of cherry tomatoes, a few crisped shards of salami or prosciutto, and a creamy dressing spiked with Gorgonzola. Pasta — preferably whole grain — is tossed with a succotash and topped with chopped nuts (or if you prefer, of course, a sprinkling of cheese). Dessert is a true treat, which focuses on fresh fruit and includes a rolled — or quickly dropped — homemade biscuit and a little bit of whipped cream.

Each recipe note includes tips for making ahead or how to vary the ingredients, and all dishes are created just for two but easy to multiply for entertaining. When you take advantage of the terrific produce available now, you won’t miss a thing. And you’ll see how easy it is to be a less-meatarian, too.

Antipasto Wedge

Antipasto Wedge features Gorgonzola dressing, pepperoncini and crisp salami.

Jim Henkens

Total time: 30 minutes

“The Wedge” is a classic steakhouse salad made with iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, crisp bacon and blue cheese dressing. This Italian-style version features Gorgonzola dressing, pepperoncini and crisp salami (or prosciutto) instead. It’s more flavorful than the original and can be prepared in little more time than it takes to crisp the meat. Croutons are the best embellishment, though the salad is satisfying without them. You can make the dressing the day before, then prep the other components up to several hours before serving; refrigerate them separately.

Ingredients

1 cup (or more) ripe cherry tomatoes
2 or more pickled peppers (mild like pepperoncini or hot like jalapeños)
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 ounces thinly sliced salami (or prosciutto)
1 small head iceberg lettuce (or ½ a large head)
¼ cup sour cream
¼ cup plain yogurt (not Greek; reduced fat is OK)
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more to taste
2 ounces Gorgonzola cheese (½ cup crumbled)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Halve the cherry tomatoes and trim and chop the pickled peppers. Keep them handy but separate.

Line a small plate with towels. Chop the salami (or prosciutto) slices into small strips. Put the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. When it’s hot, add the salami and cook, stirring occasionally until crisp, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer the salami to the prepared plate with a slotted spoon.

While the meat cooks, trim the bottom and outer leaves from the lettuce, leaving the core and head intact. Cut the head top-to-bottom into quarters, rinse carefully under cold water, wrap the wedges in a clean towel. (If you’re using a large head, set aside two wedges for another use.)

Put the sour cream, yogurt, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Add the Gorgonzola and stir to combine. Taste and add a little salt and pepper and more lemon juice if you’d like.

To serve, put 2 small wedges (or one large) on each plate, cut side up. Top with the dressing, then scatter the tomatoes, peppers and salami over all and serve.

Succotash and Shells

Succotash and Shells is equally good at room temperature or slightly chilled.

Kerri Conan

Total time: 30 minutes

One-pot pastas — where you cook the sauce and noodles together “risotto-style” by gradually stirring in liquid and other ingredients — are perfect for busy days. You can easily vary the recipe to accommodate all sorts of whims and wants. The batch shown here uses gluten-free shells made from corn, brown rice and quinoa. Or substitute any whole wheat cut pasta. (There are benefits from the fiber and nutrients in whole grain noodles, but regular pasta is always another option.) The vegan topping in the recipe is a savory peanut seasoning. But you can always skip that step and finish the dish with grated Parmesan cheese, leftover chopped grilled or roasted chicken, crumbled cooked bacon, or any plain chopped nuts. And since this is one of those pastas that’s as good at room temperature or slightly chilled, it’s a candidate for making ahead to enjoy later.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
½ red onion, chopped
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
4 ounces any whole grain or legume-based shells or cut pasta
1 cup frozen lima beans (about 5 ounces)
¼ cup roasted peanuts (salted or unsalted)
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
1 cup fresh corn kernels (or use frozen)
½ red bell pepper
Several fresh sage leaves (or ½ teaspoon crumbled dried sage)

Directions

Put the oil in a 3-quart pot over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add the onion and garlic, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the pasta and lima beans and ½ cup water. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat so the mixture bubbles enthusiastically and cook, stirring frequently and adding more water ¼ cup at a time so the mixture stays saucy and the pasta just begins to get tender, 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the kind you use. (Figure you’ll need another 1 to 1½ cups of water.)

While you’re minding the pasta, chop the peanuts as finely as you can manage and toss them in a small bowl with the nutritional yeast and smoked paprika. Taste and add salt and pepper if you’d like. (Or pulverize the seasonings together in a small food processor or with a mortar and pestle.) Then core and chop the bell pepper and mince the fresh sage leaves.

Stir the corn into the pasta along with the bell pepper and sage and cook, stirring occasionally and adding water 1 tablespoon at a time, until the vegetables are hot and the pasta is tender but still has some bite, another 3 to 5 minutes Taste, adjust the seasoning, and serve hot or warm, garnished with the seasoned peanuts.

Cherry (or Strawberry) Shortcakes

Cherry Shortcake with whipped cream on a plate

Cherry Shortcake with a little whipped cream is the perfect end to any summertime meal.

Aya Brackett

Total time: About an hour

Makes 2 servings, plus a couple extra biscuits!

Fruit-filled, not-too-sweet biscuits topped with a little whipped cream is a versatile way to end any summertime meal. This recipe will give you four generous biscuits —or six or eight smaller portions — so you’ll have a little something extra to reheat for breakfast the next day. Feel free to make them a few hours before serving. You can also prepare the fruit up to an hour in advance. You can even shortcut the process in Step 3 and make drop biscuits. And of course, if you don’t feel like whipping cream, use store bought, preferably unsweetened. You can even adjust this recipe for peaches!

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose or cake flour, plus more for kneading
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons plus 1½ teaspoons cold butter, cut into ½-inch slices
7 tablespoons buttermilk or whole milk yogurt
2 to 2½ cups ripe cherries (or halved strawberries or diced peaches or nectarines)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup cream
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Powdered sugar for dusting

Directions

Heat the oven to 450°F. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and work it into the flour mixture, breaking it into tiny pieces with your fingers until the mixture looks like coarse meal.

Add the buttermilk and stir until the dough comes together and forms a ball. Spread some flour (just a couple tablespoons) on a clean work surface and turn the dough out onto the flour. Knead the dough a few times, adding a little more flour to your hands only if the dough remains very sticky.

Press the dough out ¾-inch thick and cut into rounds with a biscuit cutter or sturdy drinking glass. Put the biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet. Press together the scraps; repeat patting and cutting until all the dough is shaped. (Or if you don’t feel like kneading, rolling, and cutting, spoon heaps of the dough on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake the same way.)

Bake until the biscuits are golden brown on the top and bottom and firm when gently pressed, 5 to 10 minutes, depending on their size. Let cool before splitting and filling. (Or wrap in foil to keep them fresh for a little later.)

Rinse, stem and pit the cherries. To do this without a special tool, gently smash them with the flat side of a knife so you can pick out the pits. (Or trim and slice or chop the strawberries or peaches.) Toss the cherries with the sugar and let them sit while you whip the cream.

Put the cream in a medium bowl and beat with an electric mixer (or whisk by hand) until it holds soft peaks. Add the vanilla and keep beating until it forms peaks as stiff as you like, 1 or 2 minutes more, careful not to overwhip and curdle the cream. Split as many of the biscuits as you’d like, fill them with cream and fruit, and serve right away, dusted with some powdered sugar.

Recipes adapted from The Bittman Project for AARP.

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Mark Bittman, a leading voice in global food culture and policy for more than three decades, is the author of the How to Cook Everything series, and Animal, Vegetable, Junk: A History of Food from Sustainable to Suicidal, which The New York Times called “epic and engrossing.” Bittman spent three decades at the Times, where he created The Minimalist, was the Sunday Magazine’s lead food writer and became the country’s first weekly opinion writer at a major publication to concentrate on food. Bittman is currently the editor-in-chief of The Bittman Project, which sponsors a newsletter, website and the podcast Food, with Mark Bittman. He is on the faculty of Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health and is the founder of Community Kitchen, which he describes as “the most important project I’ve ever tackled.”

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