Vegetables are springtime self care
A new tradition and a salad that tastes like spring
Hi friends,
Welcome to This Needs Hot Sauce, a weekly newsletter about cooking, dining out and making the most of it! If you’re in New York, save April 25 for our next event. Fingers crossed it will be outside
Let’s dive in.
Something to cook:
The beginning of last week was a restaurant whirlwind and I was really excited to cook come Friday. Planning for a night in felt really good, especially when dinner looked like this.
Julia and I made tofu cabbage wraps with mango salsa and peanut sauce. I fried the tofu instead of baking it to save time. This recipe is so fresh and flavorful, plus it’s lots of fun to eat since you basically get to play with your food as you assemble each wrap. You can 100% buy precut mango and dice it to save time. We drank this Listan from Bichi Wines, a Mexican wine maker which Tira Johnson told me to buy. I wrote about her last week and you should follow her now because she has so much cool info to share,
Sidenote: Cookie and Kate is my go-to for recipes with peanut sauces. She has lots of variations and they’re all winners. Two more favorites: this thai quinoa crunch salad and this soba noodle slaw.
A little cooking accomplishment from this week was making an omelette for a second time! I did a simple cheese one for Dale and me and almost nailed the fold and flip. It’s so hard though, so I’m open to any tips.
Do you remember this article about friday night meatballs? It’s about how inviting people over for meals and creating rituals can change your life. Amber took this to heart when she started Pasta Sundays, a monthly dinner party where she makes pasta. You RSVP via Instagram and bring the wine and any side dishes. Everyone gets real cozy. I went last night with Julia and was blown away at how lovely it was. We were a group of 12 crowded around a table laughing, chatting, and forgetting that it was a Sunday night.
The menu: We had bodega snacks and cheese and crackers to tide us over. Amber made a huge batch of Smitten Kitchen’s mushroom marsala pasta bake (so good!!), Julia made an insane spring salad (she shaved asparagus with a vegetable peeler and added thinly sliced radishes, mint, scallions, peas, slivered almonds, shaved parmesan, and a lemon dressing), someone brought the supplies for garlic bread, and I made tahini chocolate chip blondies. The blondies are from a cookbook that isn’t out yet (sorry to be so annoying) but I’m going to ask the publisher if I can share the recipe with you, so stay tuned because they are fabulous.
This week, I’m making these lemony chickpea bowls for lunches. I’ve never worked with fennel but I will report back.
Something to order:
Teal was in town last week!! We did a fam dinner at LIC Market, one of my favorite restaurants in Queens. It’s right by the subway, a big natural wine spot and they always have at least two, sometimes three vegetarian entrees. I usually get the pasta or the risotto and always have leftovers. I took home Teal’s extra rice and made a little fried rice with an egg for lunch the next day.
We had a younger cousins hang the next day at Dumbo House (Teal’s a member). The views are next level and their spicy margarita, the picante de la casa, is so good.
Isa was in town too (so many California visitors in one week it was the best!) and we all got dinner at Bessou, a Japanese spot in Noho run by two female friends! The food was great, they have a section of vegetarian appetizers and you can select any three for $20. The shiso wraps were really good and there’s a shishito pepper and string bean salad with miso that you must try. I got crispy rice cakes with mushrooms for my entree and the noodle bowls also looked great.
If you want ice cream after, there are two locations of Oddfellows right nearby.
Saturday’s weather meant hanging outside was mandatory. Julia and I kicked off spring with wine and oysters at Pinkerton, where oysters are always a dollar. Pinkerton’s menu is a too small for a full meal so we got arepas at Caracas as a chaser. There’s often a wait for a table but you can order the full menu at the bar and sit by the windows. Then we hung in the backyard at Spuyten Duyvil. Brooklyn spring starting strong.
Something to read:
A trend I didn’t see coming: everyone loves beans!
The link to the LA Times takedown of New York’s restaurant scene was broken last week, my apologies. Make sure you read it here.
Inside the often overlooked world of catering. The details about the vegan option are bleak.
A strong claim: Bay Ridge’s Greatest Italian Hero Is Vegan
The Jews of Serious Eats taste Easter candy.
Ruth Reichl’s new book is out and I can’t wait to read it. She had two good interviews with Grub Street and the LA Times.
France urges its citizens to cut back on wine consumption. France’s response? Deafening silence.
Sobriety Made Me a Better Cook, and Cooking Keeps Me Sober
New from Priya Krishna: How my mother’s travels shaped my world view
She Dreams in Bombolini and Brioche. This story on the baker at Republique makes me want to book a flight to LA stat.
How beer is becoming more like juice. Has anyone tried a Naturday? This is a safe space.
Meet the Lesbian Cheesemongers of the 'LGBrieTQ' Community
The winner of the Piglet tournament is….
Kourtney Kardashian has some pretty good organic wine suggestions.
I liked this story on strategic splurges while traveling. Food is obviously one and I need to expand my hotel mindset.
This is really inspiring: Tartine’s Vinny Eng was just named sommelier of the year. Why he’s leaving it all, for a new start in politics
A fun podcast about a very cool job: What it’s like to work in the Bon Appetit test kitchen. Adam Rapoport, the EIC also did one.
Claire really worked hard to make these cheez-its.
Some updates from me:
This week I’m planning to visit Pop Up Grocer in Nolita to check out some new fancy snacks. I’m also sharing your cooking victories from the week on Instagram, so be sure to follow along.
I wrote about Monika Dalkin, who started her ceramics business at fifty one and a half for Eater.
If you like This Needs Hot Sauce, please forward it to a friend. Like any good dinner party, the more the merrier.
Now let’s chat about what you serve people when they come over:
Isa puts out Truffled Gouda from Whole Foods (aka the greatest cheese out there), some soft cheese and crackers. I’ll also always offer an Aperol Spritz or crack open a bottle of red wine. (Aperol spritzs are a great thing to offer because the recipe is so simple, and on the back of the bottle. Crack open some prosecco and a bottle of seltzer and make sure to garnish with an orange wedge).
Emma and Jesse usually have Sahadi’s spicy hummus (get some if you live nearby) or a delicious cookie hiding in the freezer.
This week, I’m getting a little ~emo~. I officially reached a year of freelancing and SO much has changed since I left my old job. So, I’d love to hear about one food related change you’ve made in the past year. It could be trying a new cuisine, cooking something new or becoming a regular somewhere great. Reply to this email and let me know what’s changed, big or small.
Happy eating and thank you for reading.
xo, Abigail