Monday, March 18, 2024
Good afternoon!
How crudités became an art form [NYT, unlocked]
The 17 best cookbooks this spring. [Eater, who cooks from them too!]
Tomorrow — yes, earlier than ever! — is the first day of spring and I do not care whether the weather plans to cooperate, I’m so ready. The magnolias are popping off, the daffodils are up, the days are long enough that I met friends for dinner at 7:30pm last week and it wasn’t fully dark yet, and I’d like to soak every second of it up before we reach, well, “hell’s front porch.” This week’s newsletter is about celebrating the idea of spring even if you know we could be two months from rhubarb and asparagus in New York, with recipes for the season transition. Plus, two of my favorite hamantaschen recipes, for those of you celebrating the Jewish holiday of Purim this weekend. And, a write-up of my last three trips to Paris, long overdue.
Cheers!
Deb
I’ve written three cookbooks and I’m a tiny bit biased, but I think you’d love them all. Wondering what you might cook from Smitten Kitchen Keepers now that spring is finally here? I thought you’d never ask! Try the sesame asparagus and carrot chop, double shallot egg salad, leek and brie galette, toasted ricotta gnocchi with pistachio pesto, and fettuccine with white ragu. To finish, I recommend the bee sting bars, mango curd tart, and/or the carrot cake with brown butter and no clutter. Were you looking for a list of all the recipes in each of my cookbooks? I’ve added these in a separate page and hope it makes it easier for you to find everything you want to cook.
a few trips to paris
It's here! I finally wrote about our family trip to Paris and also managed to include in two previous trips I'd never had the chance to write up. I hope you find it helpful when planning your own vacation to one of my favorite cities.
My new podcast with J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, The Recipe with Kenji and Deb, launched three weeks ago and our second episode is all about meatloaf (the food and the … singer!). You can listen to it anywhere you get your podcasts and I’ve set up a new podcast tab/page where you can keep up on it here, too. We will have new episodes every two Mondays. We’ve been working on this behind the scenes for the last year — I hope you enjoy listening along.
turkey meatloaf for skeptics
New: This turkey meatloaf (and those unmissable crushed potatoes) were a surprise hit from Smitten Kitchen Keepers, my most recent cookbook, and since meatloaf has been the topic of the week over on the podcast, it felt timely to share it here too. It’s going to erase your meatloaf skepticism, too! [Photo styling: Barrett Washburne]
vidalia onion soup with wild rice
While onion soups are usually hulking, hearty, deep-winter affairs, I like to think of this as onion soup's spring-hopeful counterpart: sweet onions, mild broth, wild rice for bulk and pungent croutons. It makes a wintry cold week ahead much more endurable.
roasted carrots with avocado and yogurt
An impossibly delicious avocado and roasted carrot salad that once made the New York City restaurant rounds, streamlined and sheet-panned for weeknight bliss, replete with yogurt and crunch. It's basically the highest calling for the bundle of carrots languishing in our fridge.
mango slaw with cashews and mint
This crunchy/sour/sweet/spicy slaw is one of my favorite ways to celebrate mango season -- it's colorful, refreshing, and never lasts.
leek toasts with blue cheese
Toast for dinner! Toast for dinner! Buttery soft leeks, crumbled blue cheese and a glass of wine (I'll share if you ask nicely).
broken pasta with pork ragu
Looking for a special but not too daunting weekend dinner? I credit the bright salad-y finish of parmesan, lemon, and sharp arugula with making this ragu feel spring-like but still cozy.
sizzling chicken fajitas
Sizzling chicken fajitas scattered with "the works" -- quick pico, avocado, black beans, lazy slaw -- are so popular around here that I no longer ask my family what they want for dinner because they only ever request this.
mushrooms and greens with toast
Dinner tonight? A cross between a rustic casserole and a skillet of torn-up grilled cheese and butter-seared vegetables, this deliciousness from Tara O’Brady takes very little planning, cooking time, and it's all made in a single pan, which is also its serving dish.
potato knish, two ways
Classic Knish, with Russets and caramelized onions, and a Red Potato Knish with kale, leeks and cream cheese. Both as delightful as you would expect from carbs, wrapped in more carbs, brushed with egg, baked until flaky outside and steamy inside and filling enough to require the cancellation of all other meals for the remainder of the day.
apricot hazelnut brown butter hamantaschen
Exceptional, actually delicious hamantaschen (traditional filled, three-cornered cookies for the Jewish holiday of Purim) thanks to brown butter, hazelnuts, and apricot jam (and can always be made dairy-free). Who's hungry?
marbled cheesecake hamantaschen
Crisp, buttery, and marbled hamantaschen, triangular filled cookies for the Jewish holiday of Purim, or for everyone who knows how amazing little chocolate-vanilla cheesecake cookies will be. The recipe and method, even with the marbling, could not be simpler.
shop my favorites
Ever wonder where I get my cutting boards, paring knives, offset spatulas and more than you see when I cook? I've created a page on Smitten Kitchen with links to some of my favorite kitchen items, the ones I'm asked about the most. I recently added several new favorites I’ve bought in the last year. For each item, I've attempted to provide a range of shopping links so we're not just focusing on one giant retailer.
See you next week!