I tried a new method! I stole it from an anime. Thanks, Emiya!

I subbed out the carrots for peppers and the bullion for poultry seasoning, had a huge single piece of fish that just steamed for a lot longer, and I had a grand ol time.

Chili pan-seared wild-caught pink salmon with a side of quinoa and brown rice. Notice the cat is begging.

Taco night! I love cumin.

• Two cups pasta (I had wholemeal so that’s what I used but any pasta will do, gluten free, noodle, penne, spirals, whatever)
• A cup of almond milk (any non dairy milk is fine)
• Three tablespoons of flour (I used wholemeal wheat, but you could use rice, oat, or cornflour to make it gluten free)
• Half a cup of brewers yeast (nutritional or savoury yeast would work too)
• A pinch of salt
• A block of firm tofu (seitan would work too if you prefer it)
• A big handful of fresh chives (you could use dried as well, but you’ll need to simmer the sauce for longer and possibly adjust the amount)
• White or Apple Cider vinegar (could be swapped for lemon juice)
• A cube of veggie stock (optional)
• A splash of soy sauce (optional)
• A pinch of cumin seeds (optional)
• A few tablespoons of oil (I like to use the oil from sundried tomatoes but any vegetable oil is fine)
• A handful of pumpkin seeds (optional, you could swap for other nuts/seeds if you wanted)
• A handful of sunflower seeds (optional, you could swap for other nuts/seeds if you wanted)
• Olives (optional)
• Sun dried tomatoes (optional)
• Spinach, Kale, whatever vegetables you have spare would do fine, broccoli and cauliflower go surprisingly well in pasta dishes.

1. Put the pasta on to boil. Traditionally you’d add a pinch of salt and a splash of oil, but I don’t usually bother. If you’re using wholemeal pasta like I did it’ll take a little longer to cook.
2. Usually with tofu you’re supposed to press it to get the moisture out, but I’m lazy. Years ago I discovered if you freeze tofu and then thaw it (if you’re in a hurry you can defrost it in hot water), it becomes a lot more like a sponge and you can just squeeze the moisture out without any trouble. Cut or crumble the tofu into chunks however you like it, and throw them a frying pan with the cumin seeds and a splash of oil. I use a non stick frying pan but you can do without (it’ll just take more stirring).
3. Fry the tofu much the same way you would fry onions for a few minutes, then crumble the veggie stock over the top, then add around a third of the brewers yeast, and a splash of soy sauce. Keep stirring.
4. After a few minutes, or as soon as the stock and yeast start to stick or form clumps, add a splash of vinegar, this helps to deglaze the pan and adds a sharpness to the flavour. Keep stirring.
5. Now add any vegetables, seeds, olives, etc to the mix, except the chives and keep stirring till the vegetables are cooked. Chunkier vegetables will take longer.
6. Now, you can mix up the sauce in the pan with everything else or you can mix it up separately. I find it’s easier separate but it means one more container or pot to clean.
7. Mix a couple of tablespoons of oil with the flour, add a splash of soy sauce, and a splash of vinegar, and a pinch of salt. Stir into a thick paste. Slowly add the almond milk, stirring as you go. If the sauce is still thick, add some more milk.
8. Now add the chives and if you haven’t already, add the sauce to the pan, then drain the pasta (which should be done by now) and add that too. Lower the heat and let it simmer, stirring occasionally, for about ten minutes. If the sauce gets too thick in that time, add a bit more milk or even water. You’re looking for the flavour of the chives to spread out and mix with everything else. Add a bit more salt or vinegar if you think it needs it.

This mix should make enough to feed 2-4 people depending on how hungry they are. If you add a salad or bread or something it’ll stretch to six.

His: mushroom, chorizo and spinach stuffed chicken breast in tomato and black bean sauce, with roast potatoes and green beans

Chicken breasts stuffed with mushrooms, spinach and chorizo in a black bean tomato sauce.

I sautéed some diced mushrooms in olive oil with diced (cooked) chorizo sausage, crushed garlic , finely diced onion, chilli and flat leaf parsley .

Once the mushrooms had softened, I added in a few handfuls of spinach and let them cook down, too.

I butterflied the chicken breasts, added the filling to the middle and rolled them up before placing in a baking dish and pouring over some tinned tomatoes which I’d mixed with some cooked black beans and the leftover stuffing mixture. Seasoned with salt and pepper. Drizzled with olive oil.

Baked for 40 minutes at 190 Celsius.

Enjoy!

His: asparagus and garden pea omelette with garlic, chilli and herbs, with rice and toasted seeds

Making an asparagus and garden pea omelette with parsley, chilli and garlic

His: pizza with salami and black olives, made by Cosima (she knows the recipe so well now!) roasted vegetables and herbed sweet potato wedges

Made up some roasted vegetable tomato sauce for pasta, pizza toppings etc.

Sweet a spicy roasted chicken with baked potatoes and green veggies

One of our favourite throw-it-together fish dishes.

Simply add chopped garlic, chilli, parsley to an oven dish along with tinned chopped tomatoes (or use chopped, fresh tomatoes ), cooked chickpeas and drained black olives. Mix together and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Place white fish fillets in the dish and spoon over the sauce. Bake for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

His: sweet and spicy roast chicken with red and black rice and green beans

Made a nice tangy spice rub for our roast chicken today. Mixed up plenty so have the remainder in a little jar, for using in the future.

Sweet and Spicy Rub

2 tbsp each: smoked paprika, ground coriander, hot cayenne pepper and dark brown sugar.

1 tbsp garlic granules

1 tsp each ground pepper and sea salt flakes

This is also good on white fish, salmon, tofu or on some chunkily chopped-up root vegetables such as carrots, parsnips or sweet potatoes.

A splash of lemon at the end of cooking really adds something to this as well

Enjoy!

Hers: smoked tofu, paprika roasted sweet potatoes and all the veggies

Spaghetti with a smoked salmon, spinach and puy lentil sauce.

Making stuffed peppers This time I used a mix of brown rice, puy lentils, pine nuts and veggies and baked the peppers in the oven in a dish of crushed tomatoes with finely chopped garlic, diced onion and mushrooms

Hers: chicken and butter bean stew in a Mediterranean tomato sauce with brown and wild rice

His: king prawn and veggie sesame and sweet chilli noodles

His: sausages, puy lentils, brown rice and veggies in a sesame oil and soy sauce dressing

Grilled marinated pork chop with wine sautéed green beans

Grilled marinated chicken, corn and avocado

Bunless turkey bacon burger, manchego cheese cubes, and buttered steamed carrots

Greek chicken pita Sammies for dinner the other night. Homemade pickled red onions and Tahziki sauce with marinated chicken and feta. Soooo good we made it twice in 3 days. Lol

This year, in hindsight, was a real write-off. I had grand plans for it, and while I ushered it in in a very low-key manner since I was recovering from the flu, I’d expected things to look up. Well, you know what they say about plans (RIP, my trip to Europe). I got very, very sick in early February, and I’m not entirely sure it wasn’t COVID. Since March, the days have been a carousel of monotony: coffee, run, work, cook, yoga, existential spiral, sleep. My Own Private Year of Rest and Relaxation, if you will. Of course, life has a way of breaking through regardless; I attended protests, completed my thesis, graduated from grad school, took a couple of road trips upstate, and celebrated the accomplishments and birthdays of friends and family from a safe social distance. It was all a bit of a blur, and not ideal circumstances to re-enter the real world, or whatever this COVID-present is. 

Throughout it all, in lieu of happy hours, coffee dates, and panel discussions, I’ve turned even more to culture and cuisine to fill the the negative space on my calendar where my social life once resided. However, since a global pandemic ought not to disrupt every tradition, here’s my year-end round up of what made this terrible one slightly more tolerable. 

TV

After an ascetic fall semester abstaining from TV in 2019 (save for my beloved Succession), I allowed myself to watch more as the year wore on, and especially after graduation. I caught up on some cultural blind spots by finally getting around to The Sopranos, Ramy, Search Party, andGirlfriends.I wasn’t alone in bingeing Sopranos, it absolutely lived up to the hype and then some; this Jersey Girl can’t get enough gabagool-adjacent content, pizzeria culture is my culture!

Speaking of my culture, there was also a disproportionate amount of UK and European shows in my queue. Nothing like being in social isolation and watching the horny Irish teens in Normal People brood. I’m partial to it because I share a surname with the showrunner, so I have to embrace blind loyalty even though there was, in my opinion, a Marianne problem in the casting. Speaking of charming Irish characters with limited emotional vocabularies, I belatedly discovered This Way Up a 2019 show from Aisling Bea and Sharon Horgan. And while Connell and Marianne are actually exceptional students, I found the real normal people on GBBO to bring me a bit more joy. Baking was abundantly therapeutic for me this year, and watching charming people drink loads of tea and fret over soggy bottoms was a comfort. I also discovered the Great Pottery Throw Down, and as a lifelong ceramics enthusiast, I cannot recommend it highly enough if you care about things like slips, coils, and glazing techniques. GPTD embraces wabi sabi in a way that GBBO eschews flaws in favor of perfection, and in a time of uncertainty, the former reminded me why I miss getting my hands in the mud as a coping mechanism (hence all the baking). Speaking of coping mechanisms, like everybody else with two eyes and an HBO password, I loved Michaela Cole’s I May Destroy You; though we’ve all had enough distress this year for a lifetime, watching Cole’s Arabella process her assault and search for meaning, justice, and closure was a compelling portrait of grief and purpose in the aftermath of trauma. Arabella’s creative and patient friends Kwame and Terry steal the show throughout, as they deal with their own setbacks and emotional turmoil. Where I May Destroy You provides catharsis, Ted Lasso presents British eccentricity in all its stereotypical glory. At first I was skeptical of the show’s hype on Twitter, but once I gave in it charmed me, if only for Roy Kent’s emotional trajectory and extolling the restorative powers of shortbread. For a more accurate depiction of life in London, Steve McQueen’s series Small Axe provides a visually lush and politically clear-eyed depiction of the lives of British West Indians in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Lastly, how could I get through a recap of my year in tv if I don’t mention The Crown.Normal People may have needed an intimacy coordinator, but the number of Barbours at Balmoral was the real phonographic content for me.

Turning my attention across the Channel, after the trainwreck that was Emily in Paris, I started watching a proper French show, Call My Agent! It’s truly delightful, and unlike the binge-worthy format of “ambient shows” I have been really relishing taking an hour each week to watch CMA, subtitles, cigarettes, and all.

Honorable mention: The Last Dance for its in-depth look at many notable former Chicago residents; High Fidelity for reminding me of the years in college when my brother and I would drive around listening to Beta Band; and Big Mouth.

Music

My Spotify wrapped this year was a bit odd. I don‘t think “Chromatica II into 911″ is technically a song, so it revealed other things about my listening habits this year, which turned out to remain very much stuck in the last, sonically. I listened to a lot more podcasts than new music this year, but there were some records that found their way into heavy rotation. While I listened to a lot of classics both old and new to write my thesis (Paul Simon, Leonard Cohen, Prokofiev, and Bach) the soundtrack to my coursework, runs, walks, and editing was more contemporary. Standouts include: 

• Saint Cloud by Waxahatchee, which makes me feel like I’m breathing fresh air even when I’m stuck inside all day 
• La Bella Vita by Niia, which was there for me when I walked past my ex on 7th avenue (twice!) and he pretended that I didn’t exist 
• Fetch the Bolt Cutters by THEE Fiona Apple, because Fiona, our social distancing queen, has always been my Talmud, her songs shimmering, evolving, and living with me every year 
• Shore by Fleet Foxes, for the long drive to the Catskills 
• Women in Music, Pt. III by HAIM, because these days, these days…

Musicians have been reckoning with tumult this year as much as the rest of us, and the industry has dealt with loss on all fronts. I’d be remiss not to talk about how the passing of John Prine brought his music into my life, and McCoy Tyner, who has been a companion through good and bad over the years. 

Honorable mention to: græ by Moses Sumney; The Main Thing by Real Estate; on the tender spot of every calloused moment by Ambrose Akinmusire; Punisher by Phoebe Bridgers; folklore by you know who; and songs by Adrianne Lenker. 

Reading

What would this overlong blob be without a list of the best things I read this year? While I left publishing temporarily, books, the news, and newsletters still took up a majority of my attention (duh and/or doomscrolling by any other name). I can’t be comprehensive, and frankly, there are already great roundups of the best longform this year out there, so this is mostly books and praising random writers. 

Last year I wrote about peak newsletter. Apparently, my prediction was a bit premature as this year saw an even bigger Substack Boom. But two new newsletters in particular have delighted me: Aminatou Sow’s Crème de la Crème and Hunter Harris’ Hung Up (her ”this one line” series is true force of chaotic good on Blue Ivy’s internet). Relatedly, Sow and Ann Friedman’s Big Friendship was gifted to me by a dear friend and another bff and I are going to read it in tandem next week. 

On the “Barack Obama published a 700+ page memoir, crippling the printing industry’s supply chains” front, grad school severely hamstrung my ability to read for pleasure, but I managed to get through almost 30 books this year, some old (Master and Margarita), most new-ish (Say Nothing, Nickel Boys). Four 2020 books in particular enthralled me:

• Uncanny Valley: Anna Wiener’s memoir has been buzzed about since n+1 published her essay of the same name in 2016. Her ability to see, clear-eyed, the industry for both its foibles and allure captured that era when the excess and solipsism of the Valley seemed more of a cultural quirk than the harbinger of societal schism.  
  
• Transcendent Kingdom: Yaa Gyasi’s novel about faith, family, loss, and–naturally–grad school was deeply empathetic, relatable, and moving. I think this was my favorite book of the year. Following the life of a Ghanaian family that settles in Alabama, it captured the kind of emotional ennui that comes from having one foot in the belief of childhood and one foot in the bewilderment that comes from losing faith in the aftermath of tragedy.  
• Vanishing Half:Similarly to Transcendent Kingdom, Brit Bennett’s novel about siblings who are separated; it’s also about the ways that colorism can be internalized and the ways chosen family can (and cannot) replace your real kin. It was a compassionate story that captured the pain of abuse and abandonment in two pages in a way that Hanya Yanagihara couldn’t do in 720.
• Dessert Person:Ok, so this is a cookbook, but it’s a good read, and the recipes are approachable and delicious. After all the BA Test Kitchen chaos this summer, it’s nice we didn’t have to cancel Claire. Make the thrice baked rye cookies!!!! You will thank me later.

Honorable mention goes to: Leave The World Behind for hitting the Severance/Station Eleven dystopian apocalypse novel sweet spot; Exciting Timesfor reminding me why I liked Sally Rooney; and Summerby Ali Smith, which wasn’t the strongest of the seasonal quartet, but was a series I enjoyed for two years.  

Podcasts

I’m saving my most enthusiastic section for last: ever since 2018, I’ve been listening to an embarrassing amount of podcasts. Moving into a studio apartment will do that to you, as will grad school, add a pandemic to that equation and there’s a lot of time to fill with what has sort of become white noise to me (or, in one case, nice white parents noise). In addition to the shows that I’ve written about before (Still Processing, Popcast, Who? Weekly, and Why is This Happening?), these are the shows I started listening to this year that fueled my parasocial fire:

• You’re Wrong About: If you like history, hate patriarchy, and are a millennial, you’ll love Sarah Marshall and Michael Hobbes’ deep dives into the most notable stories of the past few decades (think Enron and Princess Diana) and also some other cultural flashpoints that briefly but memorably shaped the national discourse (think Terri Schiavo, Elian González, and the Duke Lacrosse rape case).
• Home Cooking: This mini series started (and ended) during the pandemic. As someone who stress baked her way through the past nine months, Samin Nosrat and Hrishikesh Hirway’s show is filled with warmth, banter, and useful advice. Home Cooking has been a reassuring companion in the kitchen, and even though it will be a time capsule once we’re all vaccinated and close talking again, it’s still worth a listen for tips and inspiration while we’re hunkered down for the time being. 
• How Long Gone: I don’t really know how to explain this other than saying that media twitter broke my brain and enjoying Chris Black and Jason Stewart’s ridiculous banter is the price I pay for it.
• Blank Check: Blank Check is like the GBBO of podcasts–Griffin Newman and David Sims’ enthusiasm for and encyclopedic knowledge of film, combined with their hilarious guests and inevitable cultural tangents is always a welcome distraction. Exploring a different film from a director’s oeuvre each week over the course of months, the podcast delves into careers and creative decisions with the passion of completists who want to honor the filmmaking process even when the finished products end up falling short. The Nancy Meyers and Norah Ephron series were favorites because I’d seen most of the movies, but I also have been enjoying the Robert Zemeckis episodes they’re doing right now. The possibility of Soderbergh comes up often (The Big Picture just did a nice episode about/with him), and I’d love to hear them talk about his movies or Spike Lee (or, obviously, Martin Scorsese).      

Odds & Ends

If you’re still reading this, you’re a real one, so let’s get into the fun stuff. This was a horrible way to start a new decade, but at least we ended our long national nightmare. We got an excellent dumb twitter meme. I obviously made banana bread, got into home made nut butters, and baked an obscene amount of granola as I try to manifest a future where I own a Subaru Outback. Amanda Mull answered every question I had about Why [Insert Quarantine Trend] Happens. My brother started an organization that is working to eliminate food insecurity in LA. Discovering the Down Dog app allowed me to stay moderately sane, despite busting both of my knees in separate stupid falls on the criminally messed up sidewalks and streets of Philadelphia. I can’t stop burning these candles.Jim Carrey confused us all. We have a Jewish Second Gentleman! Grub Street Diets continued to spark joy. Dolly Parton remains America’s Sweetheart (and possible vaccine savior). And, last, but certainly not least: no one still knows how to pronounce X Æ A-12 Boucher-Musk.

It’s 1 am and I am extremely close to finishing finals, so of course I need to stop to blog about how much I love Samin Nosrat and Hrishikesh Hirway’s podcast mini-series about home cooking in quarantine. 

It’s warm, entertaining, and well worth a listen, with a fantastic guest list:

1. Bean There, Done That with Joshua Malina
2. Here’s What Else You Knead To Know Today with W. Kamau Bell and Stella Parks
3. Cod Save America with Wesley Morris
4. Guess What? Chicken Butt Is Delicious with Yo-Yo Ma

Happy cooking, happy listening. (I baked blueberry scones today.)

Asian style noodles under 20 minutes - my type of meals

* click on photos for a better quality

1. What is required:

• 300 g. noodles
• shiitake mushrooms (I bought the package of 30 g. dried mushrooms. I soaked them in hot water for several hours until soft)
• 250 g. frozen edamame or green beans
• ~ 100 ml. rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp soybean paste (I am using the Korean one. You can use miso paste. In this case take 3 tbsp because it’s less saltier)
• 2-3 garlic cloves
• 2 tsp maple syrup
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 80 ml. tahini
• raw radishes and sesame seeds to garnish (optional)

* I am also using lemon grass powder and the mix of Asian spice.

2. Cook the noodles according to the package instructions. Rinse under cold water.

3. Chop mushrooms into quarters.

4. Heat a large pan. Cook mushrooms and green beans/edamame in water or oil over medium heat. 

5. While vegetables are cooked, mince the garlic cloves.

6. Mix tahini, soybean paste, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and maple syrup in a bowl. Add the minced garlic.

7. When vegetables are soft, add noodles and the tahini sauce. Mix well and cook for 5-7 minutes.

8. Garnish with sesame seeds and sliced radishes.

lunchtime xx

chicken and pepper

back into baking ʘ‿ʘ

Fresh pumpkin bread is amazing for a hang over

Pumpkin picked fresh from the allotment and made into a moist cake bread…honestly the house smells amazing right now!