Three Things

Memorial Day ideas, an easy umami-packed vegetarian dinner, and why we should all be English majors

Greetings eaters and readers! My younger daughter, Abby, is home from her semester abroad, and I’m telling you this not only because, well, because I’m thrilled that she’s home — but because her presence almost always translates into exponentially better newsletters, so you are in fact the main beneficiary here. Abby is an enthusiast about everything, but particularly food, and has extremely strong opinions about the dinner line-up for her first week home. (OK, fine, everyday.) If this sounds like a lot of pressure, let me assure you it is the most helpful thing in the world for someone to wake up, wander into the living room still in their pajamas and announce, “You know what we should have for dinner tonight? Your Caesar Salad with that amazing dressing.” What else does she suggest? Veggie Burgers (been a while!); Smash Burgers, cooked over steamed white onions, Oklahoma-style; Tomato Soup and a Big Salad; Braised Turkey Meatballs with Polenta, the Refried Black Bean Tostadas and Pickled Onions from The Weekday Vegetarians, a Chipotle burrito bowl (of course), and her go-to one-bowl Stewy Tomato Miso Beans, which you’ll read about below. In other news, 🚨 BREAKING! 🚨 I’ve decided that Salt Chairs (and stools) are the perfect dining chairs — simple, elegant, literally appropriate for every space, from traditional to modern, from urban kitchens to country houses, to restaurants to coffee shops. You heard it here first!* And now, your Three Things…

*or maybe the first time today.

1. For Your Memorial Day Consideration

Welp, it’s the first big weekend since moving to the city that I know I’m going to be seriously missing my backyard. More specifically I’ll be missing our Weber and its rusty little charcoal chimney buddy, which saw us through twenty years of grilled yogurt-marinated chicken, grilled salmon salads, grilled salt and vinegar “campfire” potatoes, grilled soy-glazed pork chops, grilled yogurt flatbreads… I’m going to stop before I get really envious of all you readers clicking those links. This year, I will just be the one texting “What can I bring?” To that end…I’m considering a Spicy Thai-ish Slaw with Peanuts (see the headnote of this Grilled Cabbage recipe for how to turn into a slaw; grillers can stick with the original recipe!); a Pasta Salad to get excited about; my dad’s favorite, a sweet-and-tangy German Potato Salad; and for dessert: that Strawberry-Rhubarb Cobbler up top, all buttery and biscuit-y, and best served with vanilla ice cream. P.S. This time of year, I feel legally obligated to point you in the direction of all the recipes in my rhubarb-rich archives: Rhubarb Simple Syrup for cocktails or mocktails, Rhubarb Daiquiris, Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote for yogurt, pancakes, crepes, or no-bake ricotta cheesecake, Sarah Kieffer’s Cream Cheese and Rhubarb Swirl Muffins. Whatever you make, make it soon; the worst thing about rhubarb (but maybe weirdly also the best) is that the season is short, so we have a responsibility to revere it while we can.

2. Abby’s Miso Beans with Blasted Tomatoes

As mentioned, Abby has returned from studying abroad where, among other things, she learned about Gothic architecture, Shakespeare, global politics, and the fine art of figuring out dinner for herself every night. To hear her explain it, she made these tangy-tomato beans a few times a week, and when I asked for the recipe, she said “I’ll make them for dinner tonight and you can watch.” Apparently it’s one of those different-every-time situations — sometimes she uses leeks, sometimes onions, sometimes she adds wine, sometimes she swaps in white vinegar for of red or white wine vinegar, sometimes she adds Parm at the end if there’s no white miso lying around. (You do not want Parm if you have miso — she was firm on this point.) The important part of this recipe is blasting your tomatoes to optimum sweetness in the oven, stirring them into your beans, then “popping” them to release the concentrated juices. These juices mix with the miso for maximumami. (It’s a word, look it up.) Here’s the how-to.

Miso Beans with Blasted Tomatoes
Serves 2-3 (can be halved)

8 ounces tomatoes (preferably grape but any kind)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 large onion, chopped (or 1 large leek, sliced into rings)
Red pepper flakes
2 14-ounce cans cannellini beans (or butter beans), drained except for 1/2 of one can
1 tablespoon white miso, whisked into 1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon vinegar (white, white wine, Prosecco)
1 tablespoon butter

Toss tomatoes in olive oil on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake in a 450°F oven for about 20 minutes, or until they are shriveled and almost bursting.

While they roast, add olive oil to a deep-sided skillet or soup pot set over medium heat and add garlic, onion, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until softened and golden, then the add beans and the bean liquid and bring to an aggressive simmer until warmed through. Stir in miso-water, vinegar, and butter. Keep the beans on low heat until the tomatoes are ready. Serve beans in bowls topped with tomatoes and a good drizzle of high-qual olive oil, like Graza, and some crusty bread on the side. No Parm necessary!

P.S. Blasted tomatoes are a good move to remember in general, especially as we all eagerly await real tomato season — here, they’re scooped onto a bed of cold Greek yogurt (Ottolenghi-style) with olive oil and herbs.

3. If Emily Dickinson Gave a Commencement Address

Two years ago, every headline seemed to be announcing the Death of Humanities, so I laughed pretty hard when my brother sent me this story from Fortune, “The Rise of the English Major: Wall Street Looks to Liberal Arts Students.” (There’s a paywall, but you can get the gist from the headline.) Who knows if BlackRock hiring poetry majors is an AI-fueled trend or just clickbait, but I’ve been hearing about the irrelevance of an English major my entire life (“What are you going to do with that degree?”) and expect to hear it even more after the newest English major of the house, my daughter, Phoebe, graduates next month. She’s got a lot going on with sports, finals, and the whole wrapping-up-college thing, but when I asked her how she was faring, she mentioned she was thinking a lot about this poem from Emily Dickinson, the subject of her thesis:

Much Madness is divinest Sense

Much Madness is divinest Sense -
To a discerning Eye -
Much Sense - the starkest Madness -
’Tis the Majority
In this, as all, prevail -
Assent - and you are sane -
Demur - you’re straightway dangerous -
And handled with a Chain -

“I hate saying that it’s ‘grounding’ because that’s such a yoga word,” she told me, but there’s some truth to that. Emily’s words, she said, bring reassurance for those times when you need some encouragement for going against the grain. WHO SAID AN ENGLISH DEGREE ISN’T PRACTICAL? “Much Madness is divinest Sense” — feel free to quote it in your next job interview.

Have a great week,
Jenny

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(🥬🌿Or pick up a copy of the first Weekday Vegetarians if you’re behind on your homework. Thanks for the support! 🌺🥬💚 )