Three Things

Chicken & vinegar, an excellent use for pickle juice, a new running manifesto

Good morning eaters and readers! Today’s newsletter is brought to you by Abby’s zero-effort meze snack platter assembled at some point during the holidays, but just as delightful any time of year, maybe even for those of you already strategizing your Super Bowl line-ups. It’s loosely based on one from That Cheese Plate, and includes all the usual suspects: za’atar-spiked hummus, tzatziki, an artichoke-feta dip, a honey-drizzled Camembrie, olives, cukes, and various selections from the Trader Joe’s cracker aisle. In other news, the kids are back to college, which means the Empty Nest Bar & Grill* has reopened for the season. (Specials this week: Migas Tacos, 15-minute Avgolemeno, and the Chili-Glazed Eggplant and Cashew bowl on page 55 of my book.) And now — put down that Prince Harry book — here are Three Things I’d like you to know about on this wintry Tuesday…

*thank you for coining this, Catherine Newman!

credit: Maialino instagram

1. Chicken and Vinegar

A few weeks ago, we met some friends for dinner at Maialino, Danny Meyer’s recently relocated Roman trattoria and wine bar that is now housed in the Redbury Hotel and, with its checkered tablecloths and sepia portrait-lined walls, still as charming as ever. We ordered the obligatory cacio e pepe and the vongole, and it was all wonderful, of course, but I confess I only had eyes for the Pollo alla Diavola, a half chicken — skin divinely crisped, meat next-level tender — bathing in a pool of bright orange, pickley peppery sauce. (I mean, come on, how good does that sound?) Naturally, the following weekend, when I was flipping through Samin Nosrat’s seminal Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, in search of something Saturday-night worthy, I stopped on her recipe for Chicken and Vinegar. It wasn’t exactly the same, but it was enough of a launching point to get me going in the right direction. I added tomato paste and Tabasco sauce to punch up the sauce (also borrowing a little from Gabrille Hamilton’s famous-in-my-house cider-braised chicken) and, tbh, really regretted not using skin-on thighs because that crispy sear on the chicken is pretty important. Still, I was happy with the bright, tangy result…

…which we served with twice-baked potatoes, because they are Phoebe’s favorite and because, well, we aim to please. You can get the recipe here.

2. Pickle Juice Repurpose

Reminder: Do not toss that empty pickle jar! Especially if it happens to be a jar that once contained a batch of local, artisanal, bla-bla-bla pickled something-other. (Read: Maybe not Vlasic!) Because a splash of that juice with some gin over ice is like a Gibson’s hippie cousin, and a truly excellent way to end a long week.

3. Hand this Book to Your Daughter’s Coach

I was thrilled when I first learned that Lauren Fleshman, one of the most decorated American runners in my lifetime, was writing a memoir, Good for a Girl. A few years ago, she published a “Dear Younger Me” essay that went viral, and I think I am responsible for at least half its page views. She was the first person I knew who wrote about the addictive magic of the sport, but didn't shy away from discussing the dangers of it, particularly for women and girls who get stuck in a cycle of disordered eating when their bodies change, believing the myth that being thinner will make them faster, inevitably leading to injuries, both emotional and physical. (“There are so many ways to lose yourself in this sport,” she writes hauntingly in Good for a Girl.) As the mother of a competitive runner, I can tell you this was never discussed in locker rooms with high school coaches or in meetings with college coaches the way it should’ve been. Let me rephrase that: It was never discussed at all. Fleshman, who won five NCAA championships for Stanford and two national professional championships, before succumbing to her own devastating injuries, wants to change this. Good for a Girl, out today, makes a convincing case that American girls and women are participating in a sports system geared towards boys and men — and it’s failing them. I have more to say about the book here.

P.S.

Thanks to everyone who sent me notes and feedback on last week’s Please-Everyone Dinner Party. Please report back with your triumphs!