Three Things
A-plus vegetarian bolognese, my current spritz crush, the magic of a cookbook store
How was the holiday weekend, friends? We didn’t do a whole lot because here in New York it felt more like early, rainy spring than it did the first official weekend of summer. Plus, I was a little under the weather, which, by the way, is one of the dozens of expressions with nautical roots that I learned from The Wager*. (In the 1700s, when sailors were seasick or facing stormy conditions, they’d protect themselves below deck, literally “under the weather,” in the most stable part of the ship.) So other than one early-bird restaurant reservation, timed so we could be home for the Knicks, it was a very indoorsy weekend — we read, we re-binged Breaking Bad, we inhaled Hetty McKinnon’s Dan Dan Noodles while watching Jalen Brunson absolutely cook anyone who dared get in his way. All things considered, I can’t complain. Herewith, your weekly Three Things…
*As you likely know by now, the 2023 seafaring adventure is a perennially excellent Father’s Day gift that Andy recommends to anyone who will listen. I once watched him walk into a bookstore with three friends, and each one emerged holding his own copy
1. A Meaty Meat-Less Ragu
I’m guessing that Rigatoni with Mushroom Bolognese is not the recipe that immediately comes to mind in the season when most of us are googling things like “easy grilling ideas” and “ice cream dessert” and “jalen brunson wife.” I wish I could say the same, but the truth is, this particular dish has been on my brain for the better part of spring, ever since ordering it at Loring Place, Dan Kluger’s vegetable-forward Greenwich Village gem in early April, and then again at ABCV last week. Any self-respecting vegetarian home cook has a version of this dish in their rotation, which usually involves cooking down mushrooms and tomatoes to their concentrated essence in order to approximate a ragu’s meaty richness. (Except mine, which is more of a sheet-pan, weeknight family dinner approach.) But what I immediately noticed about both restaurants’ takes was their texture — both had tender, toothsome clusters of ragu that elevated them beyond what I’ve tried to make at home. When I reached out to Dan Kluger to ask for the recipe, he said…well first he said, “You made my day!” which reminds me that both home cooks and James-Beard-Award winning chefs alike are flattered by the morning-after I-need-the-recipe compliment. Next, he told me the texture likely comes from the way the mushrooms are pulsed into meat-like crumbles then crisped up by sweating out their moisture. I was sure he was going to tell me walnuts, which is the more typical strategy, and the one deployed by ABCV as well as this one from The Kitchn (shown above). But Dan was nice enough to pass along his recipe, which is doubly special to me considering Loring Place is closing in mid-July. (Go while you have the chance!) I’m honored to keep a little piece of it going.
Mushroom Bolognese
From Dan: You want to pulse the mushrooms in two batches so they grind evenly rather than turning to puree. Yields 1.5 quarts, enough to serve 4-5. Serve with rigatoni, or use in lasagna.
Set 1
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 small Spanish onion, small dice (~1 cup)
1 medium carrot, finely grated (~⅓ cup)
1 tablespoon kosher salt (Diamond)
3/4 pound button mushrooms, pulsed in a food processor until they look like ground meat
¼ pound shiitake mushrooms, pulsed in a food processor until they look like ground meat
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes (preferably Jersey Fresh)
Set 2 (added at the end)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar (preferably Sparrow Lane)
Combine olive oil and garlic in a Dutch oven over low heat. Cook gently until the garlic is soft and sweet, 3 to 4 minutes; Do not let it color. Add onion, carrot, and the first salt. Cook over medium heat until completely soft, 6 to 8 minutes.
Add the ground mushrooms, and sweat down until they release their liquid, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes with their juice. Bring to a simmer and cook 35 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick and glossy and the watery edge is gone. Stir in Set 2. Taste and adjust salt, sugar, or vinegar to balance.
2. I’m thinking it’s a Hugo Spritz summer
Just to prove to you that I am indeed capable of sunnier content, here is an old photo of what I’ve decided will be my official drink of the season: The Hugo Spritz. It’s refreshing, low-alcohol, and maybe slightly more surprising than your classic Aperol spritz. Plus, as I wrote back in 2024, bundling all the ingredients in a beribboned bag would make a simple, excellent host gift for a lucky someone this summer.
The Hugo Spritz How-To: Fill a wine glass with ice. Add 1/2 ounce St. Germain, 4 ounces Prosecco, and 1 ounce club soda. Garnish with mint or lemon wheel or both. (Makes 1 drink.)
P.S. If you need more sunny summer content this week (plus tons of grilling ideas), you can check out last week’s Substack Live Chat with Caro Chambers.
3. NYC’s Wild Sorrel Cookbooks
In the past, when I’ve done book events at places like Portland’s Vivienne, Seattle’s Book Larder, and San Francisco’s Omnivore, I’m always struck by the very specific energy of a dedicated cookbook store. To me, they feel more like neighborhood hang-outs and all-day parties where everyone is invited, everyone is open to delight and gossip, and everyone speaks food as a second language, name-checking Meera & Ina & Samin & Adeena, no last names necessary. (Btw, why is that not a T-shirt?)
So you can imagine how thrilled I was to hear about New York’s latest entry into the genre: Wild Sorrel Cookbooks, owned by Troy Chatterton, a 14-year alum of the legendary independent Three Lives Bookstore across town. He opened the East Village shop only five weeks ago after raising $70,000 from a Kickstarter campaign, and since a sizable part of me has always dreamed of doing the exact same thing (somehow I feel like I’m not the only one) I decided immediately I wanted to check out the store, meet Troy, and pick up a new cookbook or two. I invited my pal Adam to come along, and I know I am an Olympic-level over-romanticizer, but after only a few minutes with Troy, I couldn’t help but feel like I was talking to someone who was doing exactly what he was supposed to be doing at the exact time he was supposed to be doing it. “I’ve had a lot of ideas over the years,” he told us, but from the moment this one showed up on the radar, he couldn’t shake it. (He elaborated on that over on Jenna Helwig’s wonderful Cookbookery Collective.) Troy’s goal is to turn WS into a community spot. “The potential and the point of all book shops,” he said, “is to connect and become an integral part of the neighborhood.”
Wild Sorrel is small but has delights in abundance, and for Troy, one of the more appealing things about owning a cookbook store is that he’s able to showcase authors who don’t necessarily get prime billing in a regular bookstore. He pulled a copy of Sally Clarke’s Book from the shelf as an example. “She’s like the British Alice Waters,” he said eyes wide, “and no one even really knows about her over here!” When Adam asked him to suggest cookbooks for a friend who was already an avid collector, he handed him Weekend Recipes, a personal recipe collection by Edinburgh-based Jess Elliott Dennison that was propped on one of the main table displays. He also suggested Anna Stockwell’s slim and gift-y The Butter Book, cased in a vellum jacket which makes it looks like an actual butter wrapper. “Can you believe how great that design is?” He said, handing it to Adam. (Adam bought both.) Outside, a woman pushing a double stroller on the sidewalk stopped mid-stride to yell “I’M SO EXCITED YOU ARE OPEN!” Troy excused himself to say hello, while Adam and I discussed where to grab a drink in the neighborhood. Another customer leaned in and said, “There’s a bar on the corner that makes great Indian cocktails, and another next door with a good happy hour.” We took her advice.
You can sign up for the Wild Sorrel newsletter here.
Have a great week!
Jenny
P.S. I Have Some Questions for You
Do you value food writing by someone who has been doing it since Vamp nail polish was in style? (Anyone?)
Do you value human-generated prose in general? Related: Are you enraged by the fact that I even have to ask the question?
Are any of my recipes requested by your family members on a regular basis?
Do you read and/or use Dinner: A Love Story regularly?
If the answer to any of those questions is YES, 1) I appreciate you so much! And 2) please consider becoming a paid subscriber. This whole thing would literally not be possible if it weren’t for the readers who step up and support the operation. (Thank you current supporters! 🙏 ) Whether you can swing a full year subscription or even just a month or two, I am grateful for all of it.
And as always, please get in touch if you can’t afford a subscription right now — we can definitely work something out. xx
If you have a sec, hit the ❤️ button at the top left or bottom left of this newsletter. It helps spread the word about Dinner: A Love Story and also really makes my day.
For more easy, approachable vegetarian recipes, check out my New York Times bestselling books The Weekday Vegetarians and the follow-up: The Weekday Vegetarians: Get Simple. 🍳🌿