Three Things
Salmon chowder, a care package formula, and my accidental dinner hotline
Greetings eaters and readers! Hope you’re all hanging in there. After wrapping up Curtis Sittenfeld’s latest story collection last week, I decided to re-read Prep, because I wanted to prolong the way it feels to live in the worlds she creates — her writing makes me notice the most ordinary things in my own life in higher definition. Or as my daughter phrased it, she makes you “pay fresh attention to what you always felt.” (Another bonus: Bonding with Phoebe over the characters — we could 100% co-host a multi-episode companion podcast devoted to Curtis.) In dinner news, I’m queuing up a batch of Crispy Chickpeas with Yogurt & Tamarind Sauce tonight because it’s been way too long, and today is busy, so I want a no-brainer recipe as opposed to something “meditiative” if you know what I mean. If you’re trying to figure out what to have for dinner, let me remind you that my Recipe Index exists for just this reason. Give it a scan! And now, Three Things I’d like you to know about this week…
1. 1-800-JENNY
When I sit down to write this newsletter every week, I try to come at it from a problem-solving perspective, as in: What kind of food questions are Dinner: A Love Story readers asking themselves right now? Often, I don’t have to look much further than my sample set, aka the latest texts from my friends and family, since the Jenny hotline is always open. Here are some of the most recent:
From Alison: What’s a good pasta salad recipe that could be meal prepped for lunch with protein? Me: Odette Williams’s Antipasto Pasta Salad with chickpeas and pepperoncini.
From Robin: What were your last couple things you made for people who came over for dinner? Me: 1) Braised Short Ribs, with a double batch of baked polenta, and Kale Salad with Pomegranates; 2) Of course, shawarma surrounded by all the fixins. I also sent her the link to my archive of Complete Dinner Party Menus.
From Ingrid: You don’t happen to have a great gluten-free coffee cake recipe? Me: I do not! I pointed Ingrid in the direction of a recipe from a usually reliable source, but she reported back that it was “fine” but sort of mediocre. Anyone out there have a great one to recommend? Like a legit stunner??
From Lori: I’m tasked with bringing the app to a dinner party…what’s your go-to? I sent her a link to…
…this old fave, with the caveat that anchovies — even white anchovies — can be controversial. But it’s so so good. I also told sent her a link to the Bon Appetit roasted vegetable dips, a perennial favorite that is also somewhat surprising. If that’s paywalled, my Sweet Potato Tahini Dip has a similar vibe.
Thanks for texting! 😃 ♥️ 🍲 🥕 🥦 🍰
2. Recipe of the Week: Wild Salmon Chowder
Last month I was scrolling through the recipe index on cookbook author Melina Hammer’s newsletter Stories from Catbird Cottage, and came upon her Wild Salmon Chowder. Like so many of Hammer’s recipes, it called out to me with its technicolor comfort — did I just coin a new genre? — and looks like it hits just the right note for what hopefully will be our last few wintry weeks in March. Melina was nice enough to share the recipe with me, and you can download it here:
Thanks Melina!
3. A Care Package Formula to Remember
My friend Annie has been recovering from back surgery, and she’ll be fine in a month or two, but in the meantime she can’t do much of anything except take it easy. When I was trying to think of what I could do for her, I called up the care package formula that I wrote about in the very first newsletter I ever sent you all, which goes like this:
Book + Beauty Product + Baked Good
Does this sound formulaic to the point of impersonal? Well, yes, but also: Absolutely not! You can customize the care package based on the recipient’s literary and baked good proclivities. Annie and I were in the same book club forever, so I knew she’d like Dolly Alderton’s Good Material, one of the Times Best Books of 2024, which is literary, but also funny enough to have a shot at distracting her from the pain, at least temporarily. For the beauty product, I usually throw in a Burts Bees Face Mask (under five bucks from almost any pharmacy) but last week, I happened to score some Drunk Elephant swag from my beauty editor friend, so I regifted that instead. As for the cookies, well, they are SPECIAL cookies, made with special chocolate, which subscribers will read all about later in the week. Yossy Arefi’s Malted Chocolate Cookies are also an excellent choice here.
But now that I’ve discovered the chocolate chip cookie recipe, I don’t think I’m ever going back. Subscribe now if you don’t want to miss it…
Have a good week,
Jenny
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🥬 🍅 For easy, approachable vegetarian recipes, check out my New York Times bestselling book The Weekday Vegetarians and the follow-up: The Weekday Vegetarians: Get Simple. 🍳🌿
I love the care package formula! Amazing combination
I love Phoebe's quote!