Hi friends! It is hard to believe that we’re in the home stretch of January. I feel like this month whizzed by towards the end but on the bright side, we are slowly slouching towards spring. I hope your meals are bright, nourishing, and comforting to help these drab days go by faster.
Thank you to the 5 new subscribers who joined this week! So excited to have you here!
The past week was quite chill when it came to meals. More riffing than diving through cookbooks and recipe sites and more intuition than instruction. When thinking about what to write this week, I felt this weird disappointment that my meals weren’t eventful or as aesthetic as I would have liked. They were all wonderful because I love eating and eating well and as a home cook, I shouldn’t put that pressure on myself.
I’m a chronic perfectionist who sets lofty (sometimes unrealistic) expectations for myself regarding anything I do. I feel like things aren’t good enough even when I’ve accomplished my best and it’s been a journey to get over this. Yet, when I see the person I share most of my meals with (my boyfriend) enjoy each bite with glee, it fills me up with this sense of comfort. How beautiful it is that food can be a medium to express care and nurture.
Like many of us, I consume a healthy amount of food media on the Internet. Scrolling through Instagram, I feel this combination of inspiration, awe, and honestly a slight pang of not feeling like I’m good enough. I feel so sheepish even admitting this but I marvel at those home cooks who are whizzes at developing recipes with just the right spices and ingredients, chefs who can beautifully quenelle (that oval shape you see at fancy restaurants) ice cream or whipped cream, or green thumbs who manage to keep their home gardens vibrant. For what it’s worth, I’m a decent home cook and a fantastic baker (according to my friends and former co-workers) so I don’t even know why I catch myself in this cycle of comparison.
“Comparison is the thief of joy” is an adage my mom would say when I would find myself sizing up to others. Reminded of my mother’s wisdom, I decided to shift my mindset when I consume. Rather than feel some type of way about how great someone can cook, why not try to learn from them? Instead of feeling not enough, I’ve found myself paying attention to techniques, taking notes, and seeing how I can make them at home. When I do fail (mostly from an aesthetic perspective), I pause, reflect, and give myself feedback. “Maybe next time, watch the temperature and try medium-low for longer.” “Add more fat ” “We definitely need another go at chiffonading.” are some of the little notes I scribble in my notes app. It inspired me to make a doc called “Home Cooking Culinary School” where I document the techniques and tricks I want to perfect. And it doesn’t have to be perfect lol. It has to taste good, it has to be something that I’m proud of and something that I enjoy sharing with my loved ones.
I’m only a few weeks into this journey and I hope that this mindset encourages me to experiment more, fail more and give myself more chances to try foods that wouldn’t have been on my radar. I know it’s not a change that will happen overnight but the constant reminder to find inspiration and root out jealousy will make me a happier and healthier home cook.
I would love to hear about your cooking journeys, what meals have you perfected, and what meals are you hoping to perfect.
Now, here are a few bits and bops I made over the last few weeks that sparked joy!
BROCCOLEEK SUPREME
I’m developing a craft for cooking vegetables and pairing spices with their natural flavours. I had this leek the size of my arm (I’m 6ft lol) in my fridge for a few days and didn’t know what to do. I’m normally a creamed leeks girly but this time I wanted the softness to come from a well caramelized leek. I had a bag of Brussels sprouts and felt that these two needed to join in holy matrimony.
I halved the Brussels sprouts, heated a cast iron with olive oil, and set them in there to brown. After 4-6 minutes, I added a pad of butter (maybe 2 tablespoons) and covered the pan. I’ve found this technique softens your sprouts and you get a better char too. After 5 minutes or so, I put in the leeks along with some salt, pepper, garlic powder, powdered ginger, and paprika. Once the leeks caramelized a bit, I took them off the heat and added some lemon zest and juice. It was a hit and maybe I could play around with spice combos the next go around (fish sauce, cumin??). It was a great side dish to go with some white rice and Yossy Arefi’s Miso Honey Chicken from NYT Cooking.
KITCHEN SINK RICE BOWL
The perks of having friends visit town is we go to these big meals and walk away with yummy leftovers. My friend Natalie was in town and we decided to treat ourselves to a hearty midweek lunch at Mi Compa Chava, one of my favourite seafood restaurants in town. They have this red snapper special
When I got home for dinner, I broke down the fish and heated up in a pan. I had some day old rice from the dinner above which was the perfect base for golden fried rice. I learned this method from my favourite food blog, The Woks of Life, and it’s the only way I make fried rice. Basically you coat rice in egg yolks and it locks in moisture while also adding this delicious eggy flavour. I topped the rice with some Bungus Bakus (favourite sambal ooreng), fresh green onions, chili crisps, and egg whites.
OKONOMIYAKI
I’m trying to become a breakfast person this year and am always looking for creative ways to bring joy to the most important meal of the day. I had this craving for okonomiyaki and thought I could make it at home. In college, I loved going to HanaMichi for this Japanese-style pancake after class or on a weekend post-studying fancy NYPL.
This was not my best work. My cabbage wasn’t thin enough, I put too much batter in the pan so it fell apart when I attempted to flip it, and I didn’t have bonito flakes or okonomiyaki sauce as a finishing touch. Nevertheless, I persisted. It tasted good for a terrible attempt and I topped it with some mussels from Island Creek Oysters because I saw this cool creator do it. I think I’m going to give it another attempt this week. Will report back!
SOHLA’S FRITTATA
On the flipside, I did have a successful attempt at a frittata. My boyfriend and I have been going to YouTube culinary school watching the egg episode of Sohla’s Cooking 101 series for New York Times Cooking. I learnt so much about eggs and decided to follow up by making the cheesy frittata she taught at the end of class.
I sauteed some pancetta, took it out so it dried out a little bit, added some cherry tomatoes, leeks, seasoned with garlic and chilli powders and topped with queso Oaxaca. I don’t have a broiler on my oven so had to do the old flip with a plate situation to make sure both sides cooked evenly. It was a big hit and the perfect breakfast to make when you need to clean up the fridge.
“FEELIN’ GREEN” SAUCE
Speaking of cleaning the fridge, I love making a blender sauce based on pantry essentials and my mood. I’ve been making a variation of a green sauce for the last few years and it’s always a hit. You can slather it on a protein, use it as a salad dressing, or even coat it in some pasta.
For this riff, I eyeballed some cilantro, spinach, lime zest and juice, full fat Greek yogurt, kosher salt, black pepper, chili powder, parmesan cheese, and some water. I want to add a charred jalapeño next time and maybe some other spices too. I should have blanched the greens but I feel like it’s not an issue when the sauce runs out in a few days.
WINE A WEEK
The irony of getting into wine during Dry January is not lost on me but also isn’t the new year the time to start those hobbies you can’t stop talking about? I remember going to tastings in Napa during my days living in SF pretending to pick up notes the sommeliers mentioned or reaching for bottles simply because they sounded fancier. It felt like I had to know it all to appreciate wine but I’ve recently come to find that it’s not the case. Ignorance is bliss!
Each bottle is a relic of a particular place, the terroir, and the conditions that impacted the grape. In the last few months, I’ve come to see wine as an extension of food. I like asking a sommelier for the best glass to pair with a meal, finding a well-stocked wine store with friendly staff that can answer all my questions, and slowly understanding the difference between grape varieties and producer regions. As a nerd, the world of wine is expansive with so much to learn. Maybe if I pick up more than 3 notes in a glass, I’ll study for the WSET (wine test if you want to become a sommelier)
Each week, I’ll share a bottle I liked, the notes I picked up, what I paired it with, and maybe a fun resource or two.
This week’s wine is from Basque Country, Spain. I spent a week there this summer and kept reaching for these chilled white wines during our nightly tapa crawls. The grape is a Hondarriba Zuri and this particular bottle is produced by the Rezabal family who have been making wine for three generations. Their vineyard is in beautiful Zarautz, half an hour from San Sebastian. You’re bound to find this wine everywhere and its especially poured with some height to help aerate it.
Don't hate me for saying this but it’s a gorgeous wine. It’s crisp, refreshing, and I was able to pick up notes of green apple, pear, and lemon
I’m always looking for recs so if you’re an oenophile, please share your favourites. I can’t wait to try them!
Thanks for reading! Can’t wait to hear about your cooking journeys and favourite bottles in the comments below.
Eat well and drink well!
Cheers,
Abena
wait Abena also these riffy food creations from the week actually all look delicious and well thought out! exactly the kind of thing I would imagine seeing videos of on Instagram and thinking, "Wow man I really need to step up my food game." funny the way it is
Who are some of the people whose food imaginations you love following here on Substack, Instagram or elsewhere on the internet?
> Rather than feel some type of way about how great someone can cook, why not try to learn from them? Instead of feeling not enough, I’ve found myself paying attention to techniques, taking notes, and seeing how I can make them at home. When I do fail (mostly from an aesthetic perspective), I pause, reflect, and give myself feedback. “Maybe next time, watch the temperature and try medium-low for longer.” “Add more fat ” “We definitely need another go at chiffonading.” are some of the little notes I scribble in my notes app.
I love this attitude. Beautiful reflection on your relationship to it all Abena!