What's on your grocery list?
Pizza, grocery routines, and a new fridge
Yesterday afternoon, I went grocery shopping. Dale and I met at the store with a bunch of reusable bags, sprung for an uber home, and carried everything up the stairs. After unloading everything into our new fridge!! (read more about the fridge saga here), we were tired. I was tempted to spend the rest of my Sunday doing other productive things like sweeping, cleaning out my dresser, or getting ahead on work (Dale had to go get his second vaccine shot).
Instead, I texted Julia and Julianne to go to Duck Duck and put on a cute outfit. We sat outside, sans jackets, and caught up. I was still stressed when I woke up this morning, but I felt better after letting myself have some weekend fun.
Over on Instagram this week, we had a great conversation about grocery shopping routines. I much prefer to go on the weekend, while some of you make it a weekday or daily task. Last weekend, I didn’t go grocery shopping and my meals were quite different as a result. I definitely feel more prepared for the week with a fully stocked fridge, but also want to give myself (and you) permission to deviate from routine this summer. We have friends to see, work to do, boundaries to protect, and something has to give. There’s always next week.
Now, let’s dive in.
Something to cook:
This week, I went hard on pantry staples. That meant quesadillas with refried beans and spinach with a side of oven fries, a really delicious weeknight meal. Do you dip your fries in mayo? It’s delicious.
After getting home from a park hang to a not stocked fridge, I made a stellar pantry pasta. Here’s the “recipe:” cook pasta until al dente. When there are only a few minutes left, add some chopped broccoli to the pot so it can cook. Drain the pasta and broccoli, reserving some pasta water. In the same pot, heat a bit of olive oil and sauté two minced cloves of garlic. Season with salt and red pepper flakes. Add chopped sun dried tomatoes and deglaze the pan with white wine. Add back the pasta, broccoli, and some pasta water. Cook for a minute or two, then taste for seasoning and add a bunch of parmesan cheese. The end! Basil would be great stirred in at the end.
Julia and I caught up on Younger and cooked in her beautiful new kitchen. I got her an Omsom pack as a housewarming gift and we made the mushroom mala salad from the East Asian box. It had a great kick and was so easy to throw together.
Something to order:
Ordering a pizza was necessary this week. Our delivery go to is Williamsburg Pizza and the leftovers are enough for another meal. I tried Casa Firelli’s Italian hot sauce on it, which was really good. It’s a medium spicy and very flavorful.
I was working on the Upper West Side on Saturday and had a short lunch break. A Mamoun’s falafel recently opened on Columbus and it was so good. The prices have gone up (it used to be $3.50) but it’s still fairly affordable: my falafel with a few toppings was $6.50 and their hot sauce is great!
Alicia (sign up for She Spends, her amazing finance newsletter) and I caught up at Maria Hernandez Park over kombucha from Bear’s Fruit, a local brand. You can get it at City Fresh Market right next to the park.
I ran an errand in Greenpoint and finally visited Edy’s Grocer, a Lebanese Market with prepared foods and groceries. I got some labneh, which I topped with olive oil, za’atar, and sumac and ate with pita and tomatoes. The tahini brownie was good, but very rich (I’d share it with a friend or save half for later).
Something to read:
What Eric Kim learned from a year of cooking with his mom
The hosts of FOH pod have some good tips on being a restaurant customer these days
A mobile vaccine clinic helps restaurant workers get the shot
The history of masala chai, it’s more than spiced tea.
Could not agree more: we need a week long national vacation
Diaspora Co put together a document of ways to help India through vetted organization. I’ve donated to a few and recommend doing the same if you can.
Nisha wrote about the combined joy and guilt of being in a city that’s coming back to life while seeing utter tragedy across the world in India.
Corona, Queens still struggles to recover from the virus
The fun of sharing non alcoholic drinks
Why the Filet O Fish is my gold standard for fast food
The long winding path of wine as medicine
A nice interview with Joe Rosenthal
The Restaurant Staffing Crunch Is Real. Scapegoating Unemployment Insurance Won't Help.
Anela Malik makes great TikToks highlighting Black owned restaurants in the DMV. Her blog also has a huge directory.
I’ve heard great things about Michelle Zauner’s book Crying in H Mart. Here’s her beauty uniform.
I eagerly followed James Park’s trip to Korea, which involved a 14 day quarantine with daily dosiraks. His diary of the experience is moving!
Save the date: my dad and I are teaching a special father’s day class on June 17th! Sign up and you can bring a guest (like your dad or another person you love) for free! My dad taught me so much about cooking and I’m so excited to host a class with him.
Now, let’s talk about pizza! These answers really showcase the variety of pizza styles—there are so many good pizzas out there.
Danielle used pizza to make her quarantine birthdays special: For my birthday this year (my second quarantine birthday!), my husband recreated my favorite Alamo Drafthouse pizza: Bacon, Brussels Sprouts, and Goat Cheese. So many fond memories of ordering this during movie marathons! We ended up making it twice in one week, and used Pillsbury dough as a time-saver. But there's a great recipe (inspired by the Alamo Drafthouse piza) on A Zesty Bite.
I know where Zoe’s pizza loyalties lie: You could have probably written this for me but my pizza opinions: Rubirosa. Rubirosa. Rubirosa. The tie dye pie specifically. Eat it. But then if you ever find yourself near Penn Station pick up a slice of anything from NY Pizza Suprema. The upside down sicilian and regular meatball are my fave and they do not skimp on toppings. As for homemade, for a quick lunch or snack I make the naan from the bread section of Trader Joe's with their refrigerated pizza sauce (the best!!!) and cheese (add ricotta if you have on hand) are my favorite!
Kaitlin has a great rec for any Southern California readers: You likely don't have a ton of Long Beach CA followers, BUT the best pizza is Little Coyote. Every weekend they do a pizza special and it likely never comes back. The best a couple months ago had roasted garlic, potatoes, ricotta and carmelized onion
Erica has a GF recommendation, because everyone deserves good pizza: For the GF folx in New York, Fornino has far and away the best gluten-free crust I’ve ever tasted. I eat gluten, but have dabbled in the world of omitting it and can say that this crust is better than many glutenous alternatives. It’s Neapolitan style, so light, charred, and thin but still chewy. For anyone who’s endured the afterthought that is a piece of cardboard parading as gluten-free pizza crust, the Forninos crust will be a revelation.
Mike has become a pizza pro in lockdown: I got a second-hand Uuni2 pizza oven last summer and eventually got fairly decent at shaping Neapolitan-style pies. Copocollo, black olives, and artichoke hearts was a very frequent combination. When the weather got cold and making pizza outdoors was no longer an option, Joe Rosenthal's exhaustive article about making NY-style pies got me through the winter. I'm looking forward to bringing the skills I've developed outside for another summer. Over the winter I also learned about the style of pizza from Windsor, Ontario, which uses shredded pepperoni so you get some in every bit. So smart! It's how I add pepperoni at home now.
Stephanie’s fridays sound excellent: Friday Night Pizza Night has been the one pandemic tradition we've had that I'm determined to carry on. We've done the King Arthur pan pizza (it was my first time playing with yeast!) and ordered from local favorites. In Chicago, that means anything from Lou Malnati's or our favorite local place, Pizza Art Cafe, which has a brick oven and a chef who somehow manages to cut a pizza into 7 completely unequal pieces. Their pizza diavola is pepperoni and pepperoncini with a very spicy sauce, and it is wonderful. And on a good number of Fridays, there's been the reliable Lozza Mozza pizza from the grocery store. We've dressed it up a million ways with honey, banana peppers, ranch, Flat Iron Dark & Smoky pepper flakes, YellowBird Ghost Pepper sauce, or Potbelly peppers. It's ended up being one of our comforts.
Julianne and I have eaten so much pizza together, she knows what’s up: As you know, I have a pizza sweatshirt and socks and have even gone on a pizza tour of lower Manhattan pre-pandemic (which... We should do together this summer!). Considering this FODMAP diet is getting in the way of indulging, I will consider this an ode to my best friend, the NYC pizza: For the best NYC slice, Joe's Pizza is the move. Their sauce is sweet but not too sweet. I think they have the best cheese, pepperoni, sicilian, or even white slice. For a sicilian baby pep slice/pie, go to Carmine's in Williamsburg. Steps from the Graham L, their slices are *even better* than the Prince Street ones. The pizzeria is super old and family-owned, and you can get either the typical NY slice kind of pizza OR woodfired. If you want woodfired, their tricolor pizza is REALLY GOOD. For cheap pizza, the 99¢ spot on Broadway and 54th is actually good + it needs hot sauce, which they have ready for you on the counters. Currently I will haunt Leo's or Ops since their pizzas are SO GOOD and mostly low FODMAP compliant (since their pizzas are sourdough).
Hilary made her backyard into a pizzeria: We took outdoor dining into our own backyard last year and grilled pizza was our favorite. This was the best technique we used. Build the pizza on parchment, slide the pizza+parchment off of the back of a baking tray onto the grill and the parchment burns off. Full details here. Chef's kiss!
This week, I’d love to hear about your grocery shopping routines. Tell me how you make lists, how often you go, what’s a must buy, do you shop solo or with your household? Some of my favorite childhood memories involve going grocery shopping and running errands so this is a lifelong passion. I’ll share replies next week!
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xo, Abigail