asparagus & rhubarb
plus: perfect blueberry muffin loaf + looking back at seven months of cool cookbook interviews
Monday, May 13, 2024
Good afternoon!
The United States of Avocado [Taste]
There’s No Meal Better (or Longer) Than an Italian Sunday Lunch [NYTimes, unlocked]
Are you ready for another very packed newsletter? It’s like a bingo card of my favorite things. First up: Asparagus, which has finally arrived and with it, I get to remind us about all of my favorite ways to cook asparagus in the archives. It was not easy to whittle it down to a list that will fit in an email. Next up: Rhubarb, which is just sneaking up to the farmstands. Every year, I hear from people (hi mom!) who tell me they’ve never had rhubarb and 20 years ago, I was one of them. But it’s pink! It doesn’t make you wait until summer to eat it! And it’s wonderfully tart, which means it’s as perfect for baking (or, as you’ll see, cocktails) as sour cherries will be in another month. Third item: I’ve got a new and long overdue recipe for you this week too, a craggy, towering, crunchy-lidded loaf cake that has all of the blueberry-speckled deliciousness and one-bowl ease of my perfect blueberry muffins.
Finally, seven months ago I decided I wanted to devote more space here to some of the wonderful cookbooks that take residence on my bookshelves by featuring interviews with their authors and today we’re looking back at the first 15. If you missed it the first time around, or are just looking for a great cookbook gift for family, friends, or yourself, you’re definitely going to find one in this list.
Cheers!
Deb
My podcast with J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, The Recipe with Kenji and Deb, launched two months ago and our sixth episode, out last week, is all about Iceberg Wedge Salads. 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.
perfect blueberry muffin loaf
New, Perfect Blueberry Muffin Loaf: Everything we love about perfect blueberry muffins (one-bowl, hand-whisked, the crunchiest muffin top, a comically high concentration of blueberries) in one giant, craggy loaf. We never need to rifle through the cabinets looking for paper muffin liners again!
snacky asparagus
Asparagus, the easy way: Perfectly cooked, crisp-tender, bright green asparagus doused in olive oil, lemon juice, crunchy salt, pepper flakes, and swooped through mayo (but you can use any dressing you like) is my favorite way to accidentally inhale a pound of spears. I can't stop making it, so I have to pass it on.
asparagus and egg salad with walnuts and mint
This is my favorite asparagus salad: fresh, green, crunchy, and bright. I add chopped medium-cooked eggs and eat it on toast, on matzo, or right out of the bowl. Repeat again tomorrow, or for as long as good asparagus lasts.
spring asparagus pancetta hash
This potato hash has bits of pancetta and crisp-tender segments of asparagus, yielding a ton of flavor from only four (!) ingredients. Add an egg or two, then repeat again each weekend.
shaved asparagus frittata
Ribboned asparagus (requires no trimming or parcooking), crumbled goat cheese (requires no grating) and optional crisped (in the final skillet) prosciutto make a quick spring frittata so easy, you’ll want it again tomorrow.
asparagus with almonds and yogurt dressing
Pan-roasted asparagus with everything delicious on top: dollops of smoky yogurt dressing, chopped almonds, eggs, and lemon is my kind of ideal skillet meal for a gorgeous spring day.
shaved asparagus pizza
Down with red sauce hegemony! Thinly shaved asparagus tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper and piled onto a cheesy pizza is teeming with tangled grassy spring deliciousness (and extra-amazing with an egg on top, in case you were wondering).
asparagus with chorizo and croutons
Did you know that Jacques Pépin has a recipe for a 6-minute one-pan sauté that makes a spring weeknight meal so gorgeous, I kind of want to paint it? Crunchy, spicy and colorful, this is my kind of fast food.
asparagus, goat cheese and lemon pasta
Turns out, goat cheese makes a shockingly simple but effective creamy pasta sauce with asparagus and lemon, and since it takes only 20 minutes to make, you'll have more time leftover to read a book, take a walk, or do whatever else makes you happy.
rhubarb upside-down spice cake
I have just the cake for a gorgeous spring day: lemony, pink on top, spiced and cozy underneath. Trust me, we want our kitchens to smell like this.
rustic rhubarb tarts
Uneven sides, floppy edges, no rolling pins or special pans needed, these tarts are just rhubarb, vanilla, and brown sugar and they're impossible to mess up.
rhubarb cordial
The rhubarb is here! Here's an old-fashioned but wonderfully refreshing use for it from David Lebovitz so you can be all ready for a summer of rhubarb gin-and-tonics (with a squeeze of lemon, please).
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 ragú. 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.
LOOKING BACK ON SEVEN MONTHS OF COOL COOKBOOK AUTHORS
My shelves are full of wonderful cookbooks I don’t get to talk about enough so seven months ago, I decided to start interviewing cookbook authors I love so I can share their work with you. I had no idea the project would grow so big and wonderful. Here’s a look back at the first seven months. And just wait — I’ve got even more lined up for the month ahead. , and I can’t believe it’s been almost seven months since I started chatting here with the cool people behind them. Don’t miss any of these great books or Q&A sessions.
sohla el-waylly about start here: instructions for becoming a better cook
anna painter about the official netflix cookbook: 70 recipes from your TV to your table
yossy arefi about snacking bakes: simple recipes for cookies, bars, brownies, cakes, and more
natasha feldman about the dinner party project: a no-stress guide to food with friends
ali rosen about 15 minute meals: truly quick recipes that don’t taste like shortcuts
samantha seneviratne about bake smart: sweets and secrets from my oven to yours
olga massov & sanaë lemoine about hot sheet: sweet and savory sheet pan recipes for every day and celebrations
lidey heuck about cooking in real life: delicious and doable recipes for every day
jess damuck about health nut: a feel-good cookbook
von diaz about islas: a celebration of tropical cooking
alyse whitney about big dip energy: 88 parties in a bowl for snacking, dinner, dessert, and beyond!
alexandra stafford about pizza night: deliciously doable recipes for pizza and salad
sara forte about around our table: wholesome recipes to feed your family and friends
priya krishna about priya’s kitchen adventures: a cookbook for kids
yasmin fahr about cook simply, live fully: flexible, flavorful recipes for any mood
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 — yes including the new braiser! 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!
