Three Things

Slaw 101, a great host gift, a podcast update!

Greetings eaters and readers! It’s the most wonderful time of the year, by which I mean…it’s tomato and corn season. Well, almost. We might have a week or two more to wait here in NY before we reach that exalted peak perfection bla bla bla moment, but getting lucky is not out of the question, as evidenced over the weekend by the tomato sandwiches we ate for breakfast, lunch, and snack on both Saturday and Sunday. And on deck for dinner? This Corn, Tomato, & Shrimp Spaghetti showstopper above, which btw, is very satisfying even without the shrimp. Before we get to today’s Three Things, I have a favor to ask. I would be so incredibly grateful if you answered this super quick survey, which will hopefully help make this newsletter more entertaining and useful for you. Thank you as always and now let’s get to it….

1. Slaw 101

I write about slaw a lot. For good reason — I eat it a lot. This is especially true in the summer, when it is almost always the answer to the question: What can I add to dinner that will give my plate that hit of freshness and texture? (You mean you don’t ask that?) I realized though, that I haven’t ever really written about it beyond a side dish or afterthought. (“Serve this pork chop/salmon/tofu with your favorite slaw.”) So here is the official write-up. (It will also live here.)

Basic Everyday Slaw
Note: This is maybe what you’d call classic American picnic slaw. (Or at least, what I’d call it.) But if you think about slaw more like a salad made of cabbage with interchangeable dressings, then your choices are endless. Switch out the green cabbage for red or Napa or Savoy. Switch out the dressing for any one of these.

Slaw
1/2 medium head green cabbage (6 cups)
1 small carrot, shaved (optional, just for color)
3 tablespoons dill, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely mince red onion or shallot
salt and pepper

Dressing (or one of these)
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons mayo
1 teaspoon celery seed (optional)
1/3 cup olive oil
salt and pepper

In a large bowl, combine all slaw ingredients. In a jar or measuring cup, whisk together mustard, vinegar, sugar, mayo, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Then, slowly stream in olive oil whisking the whole time until emulsified. Toss cabbage mixture with dressing.

2. The Best Host Gift

One of Phoebe’s college friends is staying with us and arrived with the most thoughtful host gifts: Two Yeti to-go coffee mugs, one for Andy, one for me (plus a bag of coffee from his hometown shop) and one Yeti thermos for Abby (plus a ream of Trent Alexander-Arnold stickers; he knew she was a fan). Yeti makes the best insulated drinkware — they’re more pricey than most, but they keep whatever you are drinking cold or hot all day, and last forever. Plus, Andy can add one more item to his ever-expanding shelf of Coffee Nerd Gear.

3. Podcast update which includes you possibly winning a free copy of my next book

I’m so happy to announce that To Asia With Love author and all-around food genius Hetty McKinnon will be joining me on my next episode to talk about my favorite topic: go-to summer dinners — including this cold dumpling salad, which, no joke, I have been thinking about for 48 straight hours. She also absolutely crushed it on a round of my new favorite game: “Spin that Vegetable into Dinner.” You’ll understand soon enough. Look for the episode to drop later this week.

ALSO: For a future episode I’d love to hear any questions you have about vegetarian cooking. ANYTHING at all, such as:

• How do I get my partner/spouse/kids on board with vegetarian eating?

• If I’m not anchoring the plate with an animal protein, what do I anchor it with?

• Do you have to like tofu to be a vegetarian?

• I want to eat less meat, but that usually means I eat more cheese and carbs. How do I prevent this?

Send a voice memo with your question (don’t forget to introduce yourself and where you’re from) to Jenny@dinneralovestory.com. If your question is selected you will get a FREE copy of The Weekday Vegetarians.

Reminder: You need to subscribe in order to have access to the podcast. (You’ll also get bonus posts, book teasers, and access to my monthly Q&A hotline). It’s $5 a month or $50 a year.

Thank you as always for your support.