Three Things
Three Things
A market-forward spring tart, a fun host gift, and "halfway" homemade dinners for end-of-school crunch time
Greetings eaters and readers! What’s for dinner this week? Tonight, I’m making the spring vegetable buckwheat crepes from my new book, The Weekday Vegetarians Get Simple, which, nbd, ARRIVED LAST WEEK IN THE MAIL. (I even broke my instagram strike* and made an un-boxing video about it because that is what one does now apparently.) It’s an advance copy — you’ll get yours in August because you have already pre-ordered your multiple copies, correct? In other book news, NPR rounded up 2024 summer reads to look forward to, which I will be working my way through as soon as I finish Colm Tóibín’s 2009 novel Brooklyn. Are you asking yourself, Does she mean Tóibín’s new 2024 novel Long Island, the one getting so many excellent reviews? Nope! Well, I mean, yes. Long Island is the sequel to Brooklyn, the novel that A.O. Scott called “near-perfect” so I’m devoting June to reading both of them. Lastly, have you tried listening to the Challengers soundtrack during a work-out or a run? I’m pretty sure my splits have gotten at least a minute faster ever since. And now, Three Things I’d like you to know about this week…
*I use the term loosely — like everyone, I have a love-hate relationship with instagram, and part of the reason why I like Substack so much is because it has freed me from social media a bit, allowing me to engage with readers in a more genuine way. (She says hopefully.) More on this later.
1. Always Have This in Your Freezer
There’s a reason why a tomato tart made with puff pastry is on the cover of my next book. Because if you have a box of it in the freezer — I favor the all-butter Dufour brand — you’re halfway to a very special vegetarian dinner. And though yes, this fact holds true in the winter (see: Pot Pies), it’s doubly true during the months of peak market produce (read: now) when you just have to top a sheet of puff pastry with the cheese and vegetable of your choice, set the oven to 425°F, then make a simple salad as your dinner gloriously puffs and crisps away in under 30 minutes. You barely need a recipe (which, by the way, is practically the whole conceit of my next book), but should you want a visual, I suggest starting with Julius Roberts’s Asparagus Tart with Whipped Ricotta, which I became transfixed by on…instagram. Or maybe I was became transfixed by Julius himself — you know I am a fan!
The recipe is also in his market-forward cookbook, The Farm Table, which I’ve only owned for a few weeks, but is already splattered and tattered — and I don’t see myself putting it back on the shelf any time soon.
P.S. You could do worse than serve that asparagus tart alongside pan-roasted baby artichokes with sprouts and herbs. I followed Ali’s instructions for prepping the artichokes, then squeezed with lemon and showered with chives and parsley. An herby yogurt would also be officially sanctioned here.
2. Spritz Season
I’m not much of a day drinker, but I do love the occasional spritz, especially if it comes with a swimming pool on the side. I don’t need more than an Aperol Spritz (nothing is prettier), but my friend Jeni served me the most delicious Hugo Spritz over the weekend (above), made with Prosecco and St.-Germain, and it occurred to me that bundling the ingredients together in a bag with a ribbon would make a simple, excellent host gift for a lucky someone this summer. Also on my summer spritzing radar: Rebekah Peppler’s All Day Cassis made with rosé, crème de cassis, tonic, and lemon.
3. Quick Meals for the Final Stretch
For those of you in the throes of end-of-the-school-year recitals, assemblies, tournaments, graduations, last-day-of-_____ parties, it must be highly entertaining (or maybe you’d use another word) to read about poolside spritzes and leisurely market meals here, when the calendar hasn’t even hit June. Don’t worry, I haven’t completely lost touch with the reality of day-today family cooking — in fact, you were top of mind last week, when I was scrambling for dinner ideas (I do have one kid at home, and a voracious one at that) and discovered shredded pork in the freezer, leftover takeout from a local barbecue spot. The pork was quickly repurposed into quesadillas with cheddar, pickled onions, and cilantro, but the whole operation reminded me that halfway homemade recipes (or fake-it-don’t-make it, or doctored dinners, or whatever you’d like to call it) is an excellent dinner strategy for crunch time. Take for example…
If you have Dumplings ➡️ you can make Dumpling Salad
If you have Falafel ➡️ you can make a Falafel Platter with Hummus, Pickled Onions, Feta, Greens (similar)
If you have Rotisserie Chicken ➡️ you can make, oh wow, so much: Arugula Salad with Chicken and Mint, Avgolemeno, Tortilla Soup, Quesadillas with Cheddar, Pickled Onions…
Good luck wrapping things up. I’m jealous!
Jenny
I'm reading this at my desk and now all I want are artichokes, that tart and a Hugo! Thanks Jenny.
Loved that you broke your IG strike because I loved seeing your unboxing video but hearing about your strike is similarly inspiring 🤣 Also your artichokes look insane... haven't made them in ages and now I'm craving them.