Three Things
Memorial Day menus, coming-home-from-college dinners, and a documentary I can't wait to watch
Good morning eaters and readers! We had a busy weekend, and by busy, I of course mean rich. Abby is home from college (one down, one to go) and for her Coming Home Dinner, did she request her mom’s salmon salad or her dad’s crispy fish sandwich or that Chickpea Caesar Salad from my book that first convinced her she could love plant-based eating? She did not. She requested only a slice of New York pizza. I can’t really blame the kid, and it made me think of Adam Roberts’ interview last week with Eater’s main restaurant critic Ryan Sutton, “Where to Eat in NY.” When Adam asked him what the best pizza in the city was, his answer was “the slice that’s on your corner.” How much did I love that? It’s so true, and reminded me how lucky I am to live in the New York area where even the most basic slice is going to deliver on quality. (This is not meant to be a flex or a hot take, Chicago people! More like one sentence in a gratitude journal.) In other news, after being stuck in a dinner rut, I’ve been cooking like crazy, which brings me to your week’s Three Things…
1. A Side of Protein with Your Salads?
The plan for our Memorial Day Cookout is…pretty much the same thing as any other summer cookout in the DALS house: A few grilled proteins surrounded by three or four or five as-fresh-as-possible salads. I like this strategy for a lot of reasons, but chiefly because, when people are coming over, it favors advance planning — I generally make all the salads ahead of time, which allows me to sit back and relax with my guests and our rhubarb-infused gin & tonics (below!) while Andy throws some sausage or fish on the grill.
I do set a few ground rules for myself with the menu planning though: One salad must be gluten-free and dairy free; one of the salads should do its best to show off the season (including something like fava beans or ramps this time of year); and one of the salads must be protein-heavy, something that feels like it could anchor the plate for a vegetarian…
Here is an example of that, my take on an old Ottolenghi lentil salad, which taught me about the value of oven-dried tomatoes. I realize I’ve mentioned this a few times already (you can ask my husband: I tend to seize on things) but even out-of-season tomatoes, when roasted low and slow, become sweet and jammy and totally addictive. Here, they play very nicely with the salty feta and a shower of herbs. The recipe, Lentil Salad with Feta and Jammy Tomatoes is over on DALS today. Again, I like protein-y salads like this for vegetarians in the mix. (It’s also gluten-free.)
My biggest success of the weekend, though, was this tri-color slaw with a lime-yogurt-curry dressing. I had a very specific vision for what I was after, and it was one of those rare times that I actually nailed it on the first try. The recipe, which has a few little delightful surprises in it, will definitely be in my next book — but it will also be sent to subscribers on Thursday for this week’s bonus content. Subscribers, look out for it then, along with some other Memorial Day menu planning ideas.
P.S. The potato salad shown in the first photo, the one tossed with vegan green goddess dressing and fava beans, is not quite ready for its close-up yet, but it will be very soon!
…PS: If I’m feeling motivated, I also like it when one thing on the table feels a little indulgent, and checks two boxes: Cheesy ✅Carby ✅; Take these baked cheesy grits I made for my friends this past weekend — it was almost obscene how good they were. They’re from the new cookbook by Emily Meggett, one of the most important Gullah Geechee culinary figures alive, and I plan to cook my way through a chapter or two next time I’m down in South Carolina.
2. Leftover Rhubarb?
I know this might sound shocking, but after making my strawberry-rhubarb crisp last weekend, I actually had a little leftover rhubarb. The only problem: It was only two or three small stalks, so I wasn’t exactly sure how to optimize them. Enter the David Lebovitz Rhubarb Cordial, which arrived on my instagram feed by way of Deb Perelman. The instructions call for 3 1/2 quarts of gin, but I took some liberties, and third-ed the recipe so a stash would fit into my trusty Bonne Maman jam jar. The color is so beautiful, and once it’s ready (it still has two more weeks to steep), I think I might off-road a bit and use the rose-colored gin to make a rhubarb gin and tonic: 1 part rhubarb gin to 2 parts tonic, garnished with a lime or maybe an orange slice. I’ll be sure to keep you posted on this very important topic.
3. Mark Your Calendars
When I start to feel down about the state of the world, I think about José Andrés and his World Central Kitchen, the organization that responds to people in crisis all over the world with a simple, powerful gesture: providing hot meals. Does a more inspiring person exist? Andres, one of our original celebrity chefs, was not content to run his empire of 30-plus restaurants, and in 2010 re-channeled his considerable energy towards helping people in need…on a massive scale. I for one am excited to see that energy on display as well as learn exactly how he does it (I mean, WCK is on the ground seemingly within seconds of a crisis) in the new Ron Howard- directed documentary “We Feed People.” The doc is out May 27, and here is the trailer.
Have a great week,
Jenny
I made some rhubarb infused gin last summer and it was fabulous! If it’s your thing, I would suggest adding a splash of Campari to your rhubarb G&Ts. It brings out the orange flavor in the gin and makes the drink even more delightfully pink.
Just wanted to say this is a newsletter I read EVERY WEEK. Thank you so much and thank you for sharing José Andrés's doc that is coming up!! I adore him in all things and almost forgot the doc was coming out soon.