welcome back!
plus: four green recipes, castle breakfast, and soda bread scones
Monday, March 14, 2022
Good morning!
I talked to NPR’s Life Kit about ingredient substitutions. (NPR)
Few things bring me more joy than the number of you who sent me this cartoon. (New Yorker)
Welcome to the new home of the Smitten Kitchen Weekly Digest! Why did I move the newsletter? Don’t I know everyone hates change? What was I thinking? Friends, I’m sorry, but the answer is boring: Substack is easier to set up, has a much less clunky design interface, and doesn’t cost a fortune, allowing me to keep it free, and now ad-free too. I’m happy to be back. I know this space looks different and feels different, I’m sure there are several kinks to work out, so bear with me as I get things set up in this new space. I’m glad you’re here.
This week brings many wonderful things: Today is Pi(e) Day, an excuse for math nerds or aspiring math nerds, to eat pie. Here you can peruse some of my favorite pie recipes, or keep your eyes peeled for a new one on the site later today. The Jewish holiday of Purim begins Wednesday 3/16, an excuse to dress up, make noise, and eat hamantaschen. I have you covered. St. Patricks Day is on Thursday 3/17, which I will take as a chance to reminisce about our visit to gorgeous Ireland a few years ago. And the first day of spring is this coming Sunday, 3/20, on the tail of what promises to be a warm week. I cannot wait.
Cheers,
Deb
castle breakfast
New: Castle Breakfast is our weekend morning ritual which attempts to channel the calm, sunniness, and doting of a fancy hotel breakfast but in a way that's extremely doable in real life. Plus: A recipe for simple brown soda bread scones, easy enough to make half-asleep, as I usually do.
lasagna bolognese
This Lasagne Bolognese is a twenty-layer striation of noodles, ragù, béchamel and cheese, and it's worth every step because it's the highest calling of lasagne. Not yet convinced? Here’s a video demo on TikTok.
FOUR GREAT GREEN RECIPES
green bean salad with fried almonds
Green beans, freed from the heaviness of a casserole — yes, please. This salad has crunchy almonds, pickled red onions, so little fennel and celery, even the haters won't mind. I could eat it every week of the year.
twice-baked potatoes with kale
Twice-baked potatoes with all of the good stuff (cheese, sour cream) but also an entire bundle of greens makes for a perfect light but cozy dinner.
crispy spinach pizza
Please do not judge this pizza by its smooshed Oscar the Grouch-like appearance. Spinach leaves crisp over a small but mighty layer of cheese, a complex salty, stretchy, funky three-fer of mozzarella, pecorino, and gruyere that anchors the spinach to the crust. It so perfectly hits the spot; you are going to love this.
pasta with pesto genovese
My go-to basil pesto recipe, one that's got all of the things I always wish others did (weights, warnings, and lots of tips). It tastes abundantly like summer, even if the weather won’t cooperate.
chocolate stout cake
The stout here gives what is already an exceptional chocolate cake a richer, fuller, nuttier flavor while keeping it from leaning too heavily on the sweet side. This is unequivocally one of the best cakes I know how to make.
five days in london
We surprised our kids with a week in London. Our trip goal was threefold: Show the kids to as many of the don’t-miss spots we could in a short time, take a lot of steps (walking is my favorite activity in cities), and, of course, try as many good foods as we could, in hopes to leave teeming with inspiration. Here’s how we did.
Is there anything more green?! Watch me make Broccoli Slaw here.
I’ve written two cookbooks and a third is on its way for this fall! I can’t wait to share it with you.
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. The last link for each item is for "More stores" and if you follow it, it will take you to a page with two lists: the first is kitchen supply and cookware stores that ship domestically, and the second is independent bookstores that ship domestically. This page has been a long time in the making because we wanted to get it exactly right and I hope you find it helpful. Let me know if there’s anything I’ve left off that you need.
See you next week!
