Monday, May 16, 2022
Good morning!
This is the simplest demo I’ve ever seen for latte art (although I’ll still fail very hard at it) And this is definitely the coolest way to pick oranges. (Instagram)
“The future of grocery shopping might just be a 100-year-old grocery chain with a cult following.” (Taste)
A Cook Who Never Used a Cookbook Now Has Her Own (NYTimes, an unlocked article)
Welcome to sandwich season! I’d like to make the argument that portable foods have a season, and here in the northeast, it’s just beginning. Hm, okay I realize that normal people might call this picnic season but for me, it’s so beyond blankets at parks. It’s too-nice-to-come-home-so-we-don’t weather. It’s baseball games. It’s long-drive-somewhere-fun and don’t want to stop for lunch. Below, a few of my favorite ways to sandwich in summer. They’re largely vegetable-centric and colorful and oh, I didn’t forget the most important sandwich in our summer arsenal (ice cream!), even if it’s a bit more time-sensitive, I think you know exactly what to do.
Cheers,
Deb
chickpea pan bagnat
A hearty, well-seasoned and picnic basket-/beach cooler-ready sandwich. Inspired by the pan bagnat, which is the sandwich version of a salade niçoise, I swap the tuna here with a smashed chickpea salad, add layers of crunch, richness, and seasoning and might never look back.
focaccia sandwiches for a crowd
A ridiculously easy no-knead, no-fuss, quick-rise focaccia you can use to make sheet pans of sandwiches (I have lots of suggestions, including directions for the two vegan ones shown) to take to the beach/park/pool/airport/wherever your summer weekend takes you.
steak sandwiches
Caramelized onions, peppery arugula, and a creamy-sharp dressing make this steak sandwich our favorite, and such low-key luxury for a summer weekend.
zucchini grilled cheese
Wait, come back. I promise: it works. The zucchini here isn’t merely filler, it adds essential flavor and texture and you’re going to want to make it again and again.
pickled vegetable sandwich slaw
Letter of recommendation: Some pickles for your sandwiches. As simple or colorful as you want it to be, this is an easy fridge pickle that improves everything you pile it on, from barbecue to anything you can throw on a grill.
chocolate ice cream sandwiches
Probably the most important sandwich you’ll ever learn to make, these one-bowl, one-pan classic chocolate ice cream sandwiches with a perfect yield, perfect texture from the freezer, all from perfectly little effort. Our summers are going to be even more amazing with these in them.
one-pan farro with tomatoes
Over on YouTube, you can watch me make a forever favorite, my One-Pan Farro, the recipe that converts all of the farro skeptics. It's easy (everything cooks at once, all together, with ingredients you probably already have around), quick, vegetarian, and yet tastes anything but austere. It's perfectly summery. You should make it for dinner tonight.
I’ve written two cookbooks and a third, Smitten Kitchen Keepers, is now available for preorder, coming out this fall. I cannot wait to share with you all of the new recipes I’ve been working on behind the scenes.
shop my favorites
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. For each item, I've attempted to provide a range of shopping links so we're not just focusing on one giant retailer. I hope you find this page helpful. Let me know if there’s anything I’ve left off that you need.