Three Things

Easy dinners, banana pudding 2.0, Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney's new novel

Greetings friends! What’s for dinner tonight? I have some Rancho Gordo lovelies soaking in a pot right now preparing for their star turn in Union Square Cafe’s famous Black Bean Soup — you know, the one that calls for a shot of sherry if you are so inclined. (I am sooo inclined.) Also, two people in two days have separately sent me Hailee Catalano’s dramatic pepper-and-egg sandwich reel, which I feel like I should maybe take as a sign. In other news, I saw Mavis Staples at the Beacon on Saturday, and ever since, her cover of “Beautiful Strangers” has been playing on a loop on my Spotify and in my brain. Staples is 86 years old, and even though she had to sit down on a little upholstered stool for a few minutes every now and then, and even though she was gently shepherded around the stage by hand-holders, she had a complete and powerful hold of her audience from the minute she started singing. It was incredible to watch. She’s 86! Promoting a new album! Unreal.

Here are Three (more) Things I’m excited to tell you about this week…

1. From the Archive: Easy Dinners “For A Non Chef”

Hey if u get a chance…

Could you send me a screenshot of one of your favorite easy recipes

For a non chef

It’s almost poetic right? The text came not from William Carlos Williams, but from my friend Ben, who wanted to prepare an easy dinner for his daughter and wife, who would be coming home on a late flight. “Chicken without bones” he texted next, “or pasta ideally.” As you know, nothing makes me happier than receiving requests like this — especially highly-specific requests — and after a quick browse through the Pasta and Chicken sections of my Recipe Index, I landed on this one-dish Chicken Sausage Bake with Feta. I thought about sending him last week’s Chicken Barely Soup or Pasta Con Ceci or even my Lazy Bolognese, but ultimately I just couldn’t think of anything easier than the sausage bake, which I first wrote about back in September under the category of “What to eat when you just want takeout.” It’s since become theee go-to in our house for nights we want a homemade dinner but just don’t feel like cooking. (Hey, it happens.) The front-end work for this recipe is basically roughly chopping an onion, and…that’s it. The rest is just dumping various ingredients into the baking dish and turning on the oven. I’m curious: What meal would you have suggested?

Reminder: When you are a paying subscriber, you have access to 100% of the recipe archive.

2. Southern Roots, by Spring Council

Spring Council’s new book Southern Roots arrived in the mail last week, and I was instantly taken with it. Yes, there are the recipes — mile-high piles of sweet potato pancakes and okra fritters, terrines of Chicken Drop Dumplings, an insane-in-the-best-way Carolina Burger topped with chili and slaw, chicken croquettes plated on thrifted vintage china — you get the picture. But also, Council is the daughter of Mildred Council (known to everyone as Mama Dip), a formidable figure in the Southern food community who ran Mama Dip’s Kitchen, a Chapel Hill institution for nearly 50 years. She died in 2018 and remains known as one of the country’s most important ambassadors of traditional Black Southern cooking. (The family received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Southern Food Alliance in 2024, soon after Mama Dip’s closed.) Spring Council’s book is not only a love letter to her mother, it’s a real-time exploration of the way she carries forward a colossal culinary legacy — honoring generations of tradition while simultaneously making her own imprint on it. I asked Spring if I could share a recipe from the book to show you what that looks like and, lucky us, it’s Mama Dip’s Banana Pudding with Meringue. But with a modern (chocolate) spin.

Banana Pudding with Chocolate Meringue

Serves 8. Excerpted with permission from Southern Roots, by Spring Council

Note from Spring: “This recipe is inspired by Mama’s special occasion dessert—­layers of creamy vanilla custard, ripe bananas, and crisp wafers but with a little twist. While Mama topped hers with classic French meringue (those simple egg whites whipped with sugar, then broiled to golden perfection), I’ve added a hint of chocolate to that cloud-­like topping. It’s still made the same uncomplicated way she taught me—­not heated sugar techniques, just that extra touch of chocolatey goodness. Ushering in a new generation of flavor to a classic dessert.”

You can download the recipe here:

Spring Council Banana Pudding

146KB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

Note from Jenny: I ate this slightly cooled after it came out of the oven, but also found that it just got better and better as it chilled and set in the fridge.

3. What’s Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney Reading?

I’m so happy to introduce you to the next writer in my “What the Writers are Reading” series: Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, whose big-hearted new novel Lake Effect I read in two ravenous binges. Most of the book takes place in Rochester during The Joy of Sex 70s, and follows the fallout from a scandalous divorce and remarriage between neighboring families. Those of you who have read Sweeney’s previous bestsellers — Good Company and The Nest — will recognize the author’s trademark warmth and wit, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention how much I appreciated the role that food plays in the characters’ lives, revealing how they nurture, console, deprive, and define themselves. I asked Cynthia our usual three questions:

What’s the best book you’ve read this year? The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller. I’ve been meaning to read Miller for years and this one caught my eye as it was a finalist for the Booker Prize. It centers on neighboring families enduring the historically brutal British winter of 1962-63, known as the Big Freeze. It’s a beautiful book and features a Boxing Day party that is so vividly drawn and intimate that I don’t think I’ll ever forget it. I love party scenes in books and they’re very hard to pull off. That I read this book after moving back to New York City from Los Angeles during the snowiest, coldest winter in years was strangely satisfying.

What’s up next? It’s such a good year for new books. Tayari Jones, Maria Semple, Emma Straub, Elizabeth Strout, Ann Patchett, the list goes on! I can’t wait to get my hands on all of those and am particularly eager for Patrick Radden Keefe’s London Falling and the new Tana French.

What was your snowstorm dinner last night? Blizzards seem to bring out the meatloaf in me and I’ve been using the same recipe* that I tore out of a Gourmet magazine since the mid-90s. Served with mashed potatoes, of course, broccolini and a glass of Côtes du Rhône to keep away the chill. I’m really ready for spring.

So am I Cynthia! Thank you so much, I love your book.

P.S. Book recs from David Sedaris, Rachel Khong, plus 100 Ideas for Your Next Great Read.

*Here’s another popular meatloaf recipe if Cynthia’s is paywalled.

P.S. Under the category of “How Did I Get So Lucky,” last week, Eric Kim and his fiancé Paolo invited Adam Roberts, Odette Williams and me over for dinner. Among other divine things, the New York Times (and NYT Cooking) writer and contributor made a version of this Ali Slagle roast chicken (glazed with Eric’s gochujang sauce) and you’ll be shocked to hear it was excellent. Plus make-ahead! Plus…four beautiful words…perfect at room temp. Who will you cook it for first?

Have a great week,
Jenny

P.P.S. My love affair with The Silver Palate continues: I wrote about my battered copy over on Carla Lalli’s always-entertaining vintage cookbook column, Recipe Osmosis. Enjoy!

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For easy, approachable vegetarian recipes, and a real-life plan for eating less meat, check out my New York Times bestselling books The Weekday Vegetarians and the follow-up: The Weekday Vegetarians: Get Simple. 🍳🌿