Unwinding With Seven Simple Pleasures

Boiled Potatoes, Sautéed (Or Grilled) Lettuce, Pickled Yellow Peppers, and More

From first-time catering gigs and finding employment at a dog park to focusing on recipe development and trying to get a new dining-slash-event series started, the last two months have flown by in a way I can only respond to the same way a dog does when they’re all wet (cue flapping and shaking sounds). 

I’ve been carefully handwriting menus and drawing tiny illustrations, but also writing sloppy lists of ingredients and amounts of each by weight. I’ve increased my speed moving through farmers’ market runs, but also spent over three hours at them while sampling fruit and asking around about wholesale pricing. I’ve hastily purchased the wrong to-go containers and somehow managed to break a wood cutting board. I’ve spent more time cooking than ever before—waking up at 5 AM to prepare breakfast for 14 by 8 AM, ending shifts at 2 PM and running to get last minute groceries to prep for the next night’s multi-course dinner, and going to sleep at 1 AM after rushing through cleaning before doing the same thing all over again. I’ll say this, truthfully, but perhaps also with a dash of sarcasm: It’s been great.

Over on The Bittman Project, I’ve shared recipes for tinned fish, granita, and meals designed to repurpose leftovers for back-to-back delightful dinners. For those visiting or based in Los Angeles, please reach out if you’re ever interested in a special dining experience (that’s matched with good friends and a very lovely view)—there’s more to come on that project soon.

Now, here we are in July, which has me reflecting on the brightest moments of the last little while—turning 32, sharing dinners with family, spending time with both my own cookbook collection and those of good friends, and mapping out picnics in my mind that feel exactly like what summer is all about. By the way, The Korean Cookbook by Junghyun Park & Jungyoon Choi is something I’d suggest to anyone in search of a good gift idea—courtesy of its brilliance, kimchi made with fish sauce, garlic, ginger, gochugaru, green onions, Napa cabbage, a gigantic daikon radish, and a rice slurry lives (and keeps getting better with time) in our fridge. Beyond that, there have been some kitchen highs that came from very simple dishes that I’m still thinking about:

1. Boiled Potatoes
*Not required: frying, smashing, or roasting and broiling until crispy*
I’ve been following this ratio (listed in the caption) of salt, water, and potatoes, using different varieties—from Weiser Family Farms’ Magic Myrnas to Fingerlings from Ralphs—and the results have been wonderful. A white crust should develop on its own when the potatoes are removed from the water. These are especially delicious when served with your favorite condiment. A thick caper, lemon, dill, and garlic aioli is a good one.

2. Big Bowls of Melon for Dessert
A friend of mine served this recently and I think it makes perfect sense: A hot summer night calls for hydration, simplicity, and sugar, I think.

3. Pickled Peppers (and Onions)
Yellow hots, thinly sliced. White onions, also thinly sliced. Salt, a bit of sugar, and either lemon or lime juice or vinegar. Ideal and transformative for sandwiches, salads, grilled meats, etc.

4. Sautéed or Grilled Lettuce
Little gems are great for this, and by this I mean being delicious and retaining crunch. Chopped and very briefly sautéed in a pan or halved and ~just kissed~ by the grill, then tossed in your favorite vinaigrette and topped with something as simple as toasted seeds, this is it.

5. Goat Cheese Omelets
When was the last time you had one? Blend and whisk spinach into the eggs, whip a little grated garlic into the goat cheese, or garnish with finely chopped chives. Or, just have a goat cheese omelet—they’re good.

6. Fried Fennel
Quarter and thinly slice fennel bulbs, and toss with cornstarch and salt. Fry until crispy. Use for garnishing dips like hummus or add them into your next tomato sandwich for crunch.

7. Beets & Yogurt
Plus, salt, garlic, lemon juice, and dill. That’s it. That’s the dish. That said, it’d probably be very good topped with the above fried fennel.

---

As always, sharing here a glimpse into the recent food-related subject lines of my inbox:

my hamptons birthday menu
LA City Collection Chef Hat LA
Sweet Cherry and Lime Galette
Winner Winner #1: confit tomato chicken piccata
“cook”: Bon Appetit Management Company - COOK (FULL TIME AND PART TIME) and more
Is cheese giving you nightmares?
The Hamptons finally has their own Erewhon.
A Romantic Midnight Pasta
7/1 Salmon Burgers + Kinmedai + Barramundi + Local Sea Bass + Steelhead
Tandoori Mac & Cheese, anyone?
The Importance of Blueberries
Have a Celery Soda Summer
Tiraditos, Aguachiles, and Ceviches…what’s the difference?
Navigate Una Pizza Napoletana’s menu like a pro
My Perfect Plate of Food
What are you bringing to the BBQ?
Garlic Lovers Unite! 🧄
Crab and Miso Deviled Eggs
Grilled Broccolini with Greek Seasoning and Tahini
the pasta salad summer bible
what can’t Bobby Flay live without? 👨‍🍳
Is This The Theranos of Bagels?
Crispy Salmon and Caramelized Ginger-Onion Jam Dinner Plan
Want more energy? Start with what you eat
Spreadsheet shared with you: "Food Cost"
My Edible Week: the case for cold food
Sriracha Energy Drink
Comfort Eating in an Emergency
Gluten Free Churros
Morning Cookies
Chef Short Pants Denim Natural
WHAT TO EAT IN ROME
A summer pasta salad worth slicing into
I'm sharing all my salad secrets
Sweet Potato Salad with Umami Sea Salt Vinaigrette
The Joy of Loafing