Welcome home (to my new cast iron pan)
Pan pizza, seasonal citrus, and an incredible kimchi video
Hi friends,
Last week felt long and momentous. We have a new president (!), the produce workers at Hunt’s Point in the Bronx successfully went on strike for a $1 an hour raise (with support from AOC, Padma Lakshmi and others), and Riverdale finally returned for a fifth season (I cannot believe I still watch that show).
My day to day changed a bit as well: I got new glasses and I’ve acquired a cast iron pan, a hand me down from Lissette. Now, cast iron pans are not expensive (and they’re often available secondhand), but I’ve always been intimidated by them. There are rules about cleaning, seasoning, and cooking with them. When I brought my pan home on Tuesday, I started googling (this video was great). To my surprise, the instructions were pretty clear. Avoid washing with cold water, don’t put it away wet, give it a little season after each use. There seem to be many ways to clean it, from salt to a metal scrubbing tool to soap (which yes, can be used sometimes on a well seasoned pan). The best thing I found online and in conversations on Instagram was some reassurance: cast iron pans are strong and nearly indestructible (there are videos of rust covered pans being revived). Yes, they require some care and attention, but don’t we all?
I came away from my research less scared of my new pan and more excited. Many new cast irons are pre seasoned, which leads to more immediate gratification—you can get cooking right away. Since mine wasn’t new, I had a solid seasoning to start with. I’ve used it twice so far and have a long list of dishes to try, from frittatas to cornbread to chilaquiles to cinnamon rolls. If you have a cast iron, I’d love to hear your favorite uses for it! The one downside so far: it’s heavy! If you’re cooking for one, I would get a 9 or 10 inch one, which is easier to manage.
Now, let’s dive in.
Something to cook:
I broke in the cast iron with some fried rice, a dish I make all the time. This batch wasn’t the most photogenic (I used a lot of cabbage and greens), but it got so crispy on the bottom and the vegetables cooked really nicely.
Annie’s Mac and Cheese has been a newish addition to our grocery list. I made some the night of the coup and we also had it for Inauguration lunch. It definitely needs some heat: I add chili crisp or a lot of black pepper for a cacio e pepe vibe.
Sometimes all the contents of your fridge result in a delicious plate. I combined leftover white rice with my cilantro sauce and served with black beans seasoned with sazón (leftover from a quesadilla filling), pickled jalapeños my mom gave me, a dollop of Greek yogurt standing in for sour cream, some avocado, and hot sauce. So good.
Julia and Julianne came over on Saturday (we’re a pod). I was too tired to cook but I did ask them to bring brownie mix. I used my favorite enamel pan and added some chocolate chips to the mix, plus a sprinkle of Maldon before baking. Boxed brownies are so delicious and take almost no effort. We ate them with vanilla ice cream while playing scattegories and laughing a lot.
Finally, I made King Arthur Baking Company’s 2020 recipe of the year: Cheesy Pan Pizza. I’ve seen so many people make this during quarantine and once I had the proper pan, it was go time. This is a two day recipe: you make the dough and fold it one day, it rises in the fridge, and then the day of baking you bring it to room temperature about 2 hours before you want to eat. I had no issue doing these steps because I am mostly home these days. The recipe is so well written and detailed, which helped a lot. I’m pleased to report that it was a success! My oven runs cold so I put the broiler on at the end to really get the cheese nice and golden. The crust tasted buttery even though there’s no butter in the dough, there was a nice crisp bottom, and the low moisture mozzarella melted perfectly. I topped it with some parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, and hot honey once it came out of the oven. It was also so easy to get the pizza out of the pan and clean it afterwards, which makes me way more likely to try it again. Also, we ate it and watched Cruel Intentions. It was my first time seeing it, what a movie!
Something to order:
It’s Sumo citrus season, one of the few things I look forward to every January. Sumo Citrus are sweet, seedless citrus with such a great flavor. They’re available at Whole Foods and other markets (use this tool to locate some near you) and worth the splurge (they’re very expensive).
I was a little worried about security prior to inauguration but still wanted to have some festive. I picked up donuts from Dunwell on my morning walk. They’re so good and entirely vegan. I love the chocolate sprinkle one, a real classic.
We ordered Williamsburg Pizza last Monday (half pepperoni for Dale and Julia) and topped it with hot honey. This is the one I have, from Red Clay and it’s so good. It also has a squeeze top which makes it mess free and easy to serve.
I ran an errand in Soho and picked up lunch from the Tacombi in Nolita (there are Tacombis everywhere now but that location will always be my favorite). Everything traveled well and the black bean tostada and mushroom quesadilla are a great combo.
Gracie and I were talking about which foods travel best for takeout. I prefer to order directly from places that are close by, which cuts down travel time. Indian food, which I order from Tikka, always arrives hot (sadly takeout french fries are always a disappointment). Their samosa chaat and saag paneer are my favorites and I’m working way through all their naan options.
Something to read:
This video of Kwang Hee making kimchi is wonderful. I learned so much and wish I could try the kimchi myself. This is also a great example of showing an international cuisine without a (white/male/American) host as a go between.
How to use up almost rotten produce
Tejal Rao lost her sense of taste due to Covid. Mala is helping it come back.
How the Soom Sisters continue a family tradition of working in the food industry. I love their tahini.
If you want to celebrate Black food, you have to include it all.
Watch my brilliant friend Oset make Yayla Corbasi, Turkish Yogurt Soup
Sarah Jessica Parker’s Grub Street Diet did not disappoint
Of course Stanley Tucci is working on a food memoir
My friend Erica launched her newsletter The Fresh Letter! The first issue is about caramelizing onions and it’s chock full of tips!
How Food & Wine responded to an important mistake in food styling a mole recipe
A great interview with Alicia Kennedy about she eats (love the Costco representation)
Trying the Shawn Mendes Chipotle Bowl in a Canadian parking lot
Flour tortillas finally get their due in New York (big fan)
One recipe developer shares her approach to ingredients.
Something fishy is going on in American kitchens. Are you cooking more seafood at home?
A thoughtful newsletter about fonio and myths about superfood supply chains
Meet the Vermont teacher who made Bernie’s mittens
An interview with Jonathan Nunn, of Vittles, on London, food media, and more.
Klancy Miller’s For the Culture Magazine is coming so soon! Order your copy here and read more about how significant a food magazine by and for Black Women is.
For Greenpointers, I got some drinking recommendations from local wine shops.
My composting site closed back in May and I’ve admittedly fallen out of the habit. I wrote this story on North Brooklyn compost options and started collecting again. I’ll be making a trip to the park this weekend to drop it off. And if you’ve never composted, here’s how I got started.
Now, let’s talk about fun! I really appreciated these suggestions (you can add yours on Instagram).
Bernadette’s approach to un-optimized outings is great: Something fun is going to state parks-we have used the recent long weekends to take a drive out of town and walk in the woods. We're not reaching peaks or going for the top-rated parks, just seeing a new landscape. Honestly seeing new billboards is a novelty (recent: "Armed, licensed and fabulous"-this for a woman-owned plumbing business)! And yesterday we got panera sandwiches before heading home for chores and napping. There are definitely cooler, better, local options but part of the fun was not putting a lot of work into the plan. A thoroughly un-optimized outing that was a real treat!
Charlotte has an outdoor rec in NJ: I, too, am missing fun lately but two weeks ago I did take a trip to Grounds for Sculpture, an outdoor sculpture garden in NJ! It was a great way to see some art safely since a) everything is outside and b) they’re limiting reservations to help with social distancing. Highly recommend.
Emily’s approach is the opposite of doomscrolling: A recent fun thing is getting inspired by all the fun social media platforms teaming with beautiful and stylish ladies to get style inspo from.
Camille’s response is such a good reminder to call your people: I'm loving simply talking on the phone these days. A longtime friend called last night just because and it was great to catch up while I prepped a few different roasted vegetables to eat with some leftover Qabuli Palow.
This week, I’d love to hear about your favorite storebought shortcut, or the thing you never make from scratch. Brownie mix is a big quarantine favorite (and we made it all the time as kids) and I grew up on Bisquik pancakes and waffles. I was talking to Alicia about the joys of canned whipped cream—it’s so much fun. What’s your favorite shortcut product? Reply to this email with your favorite and I’ll share them next week.
On Thursday, I’m writing about Tu BiShvat, the Jewish Holiday known as the birthday of the trees, for paid subscribers. I’m also announcing something exciting there first! Your subscriptions also help keep Monday’s newsletter free for everyone and are so appreciated.
Take care this week and thank you for reading.
xo, Abigail