Three Things

Cheesy beans, book recs, and the best ten bucks I ever spent

Credit: Christine Han

Greetings eaters and readers! First things first — you know those women who say things like “I feel naked without that last spray of perfume?” Well, two thoughts about this: 1) I am not that kind of woman and 2) I think of this every time I finish assembling a salad, and reach for that final spritz of flavor on the greens to make it feel not-so-naked. Things like sesame seeds, dukkah, furikake, toasted buckwheat, nutritional yeast, crushed pistachios, peanuts, or pecans. I think of all of these umami-loaded, flaky, crunchy boosters as my “salad sparkles,” and might I humbly suggest training yourself to think about them this way, too? ✨ In other news, we spent less than 24 hours in the Cambridge area over the weekend and yet, thanks to our consummate hosts, Josh and Lauren, managed to hit two destination-worthy spots — the joyous, high-ceilinged La Royal for pisco and ceviche, and bustling Sofra for breakfast. (Still dreaming of those Turkish eggs.) ✨ Lastly, have you taken a look at the itinerary for my Mexico trip next year? It’s going to be crazy cool and there are still some spots open if you’d like to join me and a bunch of Dinner: A Love Story readers as we eat our way through Mexico City and Puebla with some amazing local guides. I cannot wait!

At long last, your Three Things, including those cheesy beans…

My zoom interview with Joe, who is as delightful as he looks

1. Mac & Cheese But Make it Beans

This is so cool — The Washington Post’s Joe Yonan wrote a little thing about me in his “Weeknight Vegetarian" column (no relation!) over the weekend, and featured the recipe that is quickly on its way to becoming a breakout star of The Weekday Vegetarians: Get Simple: Abby’s Brilliant Beans & Cheese, shown way at the top of this newsletter. For those of you who don’t know the origin story of the dish, during the pandemic I was making a regular old pot of beans (probably my classic brothy babies) when my then high-school-age daughter, Abby, walked by and said, “You know what would be really good? If you made beans the way you make Mac and Cheese.” It was my editor, Raquel who suggested naming the crispy-topped, cheesy-peppery result after its brilliant founder. (Hi sweetie, miss you!) It’s a great vegetarian family dinner, just saying, and you can read more about why (and get the recipe) over at the WP (gift link). By the way, I’ve been a fan of Joe Yonan for years and even before he asked to interview me, even before he compared me to Coco Chanel (!), I had been busy dog-earring his latest book — the category-killing Mastering the Art of Plant-Based Cooking — with the intention of cooking an entirely vegan dinner party menu using only his recipes, from the Cashew Queso to the Cardamom Coconut Ice Box Cake. So stay tuned for that one.

P.S. Also for your Weeknight Vegetarian dinner consideration: Last week’s Butternut Squash Tart with Herby Ricotta (above); or Rigatoni with Chard, Honeynut Squash and Hazelnuts; or Quinoa Bowls topped with caramelized onions, soy sauce, spinach and eggs; that Cold Noodle Salad with Peanuts (and cured carrots) I made with two college friends over zoom a few years ago, an activity I can’t recommend enough.

2. The Best 10 Bucks I Ever Spent

Over the weekend my best friend from college, Jennie, texted me a link to Williams-Sonoma’s Knife Set page with this text beneath it: “Knives…Select them please. Cheapest option that is acceptable.” (She is nothing if not direct, one of many reasons why I love her so much.) I clicked on the link, and as expected, found no set that worked. All of them seemed to be selling approximately 40% more knives than a non-restaurant-working human would ever need in order to complete basic kitchen tasks. I told her what I’ve told you all a million times before: I pretty much only use three knives: A chef’s knife, a long serrated (bread) knife, and a classic 3-to-4-inch paring knife.* I will say, though, that lately, the straight-edge paring knife has taken a back seat to the serrated Victorinox 4-incher you see pictured up there. We bought one for the girls when they were little — the knives come in bright, fun colors and we figured the purchase might inspire them to learn some knife skills — but gradually, the spear-tipped little thing became an indispensable tool for me. We own four of them now, and they are in constant use; it seems like I am always fishing one out of the dishwasher to hand-wash, then deploy for tomato or citrus or garlic slicing, or apple peeling, or baguette and loaf cake slicing, or just precision work in general. They are lightweight, making them extremely nimble, and I just love the way they feel in my hand, a crucial variable that is hard to predict until you live with a knife for a while. So I told Jennie to pick up a bunch of them as well. What do you think? Does she need anything else?

*I could also maybe make a case for a great Santuko as a back-up for the Chef’s knife. The difference: A Chef’s knife has a tip that turns up, and is therefore more conducive to “rocking” the knife as you chop; a Santuko has a straight tip, which allows you to slice in a decisive chop without lifting the tip. It’s supposedly more efficient. Also, this doesn’t mean I don’t own a ton of other knives, I just feel like these are the most important.

3. What the Writers are Reading: Catherine Newman

I’m delighted to present the latest guest star in my “What the Writers are Reading” series, someone who probably needs no introduction given she seemingly appears on Dinner: A Love Story every month. Catherine Newman writes the hilarious Crone Sandwich newsletter and is the author of several books, most recently, The New York Times bestselling novel, Sandwich. Here’s her reading-and-eating download:

1) What are the best books you’ve read this year? Oh man I read so many amazing books this year — like Bear by Julia Phillips and Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe. Then there were all of the Miriam Toews books which I re-read like always. I also got an early copy of Fundamentally by Nussaibah Younis -- it doesn’t comes out until February — and it's so funny and devastating and good and I hope everyone preorders it. I think the publisher is calling it a “Muslim Fleabag,” which is an excellent two-word description.

2) What’s on deck? I'm reading the deeply pleasurable The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4 by Sue Townsend because Nina Stibbe mentioned it as an inspiration for her memoir Went to London, Took the Dog, which I adored. Adrian Mole is a middle-grade book from the 1980s, and there's a whole series of them, and I'm planning to get all of them out of the library as total comfort reading during this nerve-wracking month of October.

3) What did you have for dinner last night? It was the last night of my daughter Birdy's fall break (she's a college senior), and she wanted the most deliciously weird dinner: these cottage cheese pancakes and this buttered cabbage. Plus clementines and gluten-free yellow cake with chocolate frosting. Sob! 

Pancakes for dinner — sounds just about right. Thanks, Catherine. ❤️

Related: What is David Sedaris reading? How about Rachel Khong?

Have a great week!
Jenny

🥬🌿 🌺🥬 To Order My Books 🥬🌿 🌺🥬

💚 Volume 1: The Weekday Vegetarians

Penguin Random House | Amazon | Bookshop | Barnes & Noble |
Hudson Booksellers | Books A Million | Powell’s | Target | Walmart |

💚 Volume 2: The Weekday Vegetarians: Get Simple

Penguin Random House | Amazon | Bookshop | Barnes & Noble |
Hudson Booksellers | Books A Million | Powell’s | Target | Walmart |