Three Things

Next level chicken soup, a healthy breakfast I've rediscovered, a new book from Bee Wilson

The Tillerman: Our home away from home in the fall.

Good morning eaters and readers! We were up in Vermont last weekend with friends catching our daughter’s soccer game and maybe it’s because we just moved to the city, but that distinct New England air smelled sweeter than ever. So what’s on your dinner line-up this week? We picked up some kimchi at the Middlebury co-op, so I plan to stir a big spoonful of that into a batch of Definitive Fried Rice. It’s also been a while since we’ve made Pretzel Chicken, so that will probably make an appearance, as will our old favorite Vietnamese-inspired Tofu Salad. Lastly! Thank you to everyone who weighed in on last week’s newsletter question “What food can I throw at your problem?” I plan to tackle them in a dedicated post very soon, please stay tuned. Lastly lastly! A little housekeeping: Whether you are a veteran reader or a newbie, this is your annual reminder that every post and every recipe I write about in this newsletter lives permanently on my substack archive and website. My recipes are there to be searched for (yes, there’s a search function) and browsed and loved and cooked. Got it? Ok then, here are Your Three Things…

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1. Greek Lemon Chicken Soup 2.0

In Vermont, my friend Todd announced that all his food shopping was going to be done with one goal in mind: Soup. Warm-your-bones, hearty, fall soup. Being Miss Impressionable, I immediately donned soup goggles of my own as I perused the aisles of the Middlebury co-op, and when I came upon a small whole chicken in the meat section (I think it was Misty Knoll) I knew what I craved: Avgolemeno, or Greek Lemon Chicken Soup, that classic that gets its creaminess from eggs not cream. Old-timers here know that I love this soup as a 15-minute legit miracle dinner, but built into that recipe is the assumption that you must eat (or more likely: must feed someone) in 15 minutes. I know I’m an empty nester with no kids clawing away at my apron strings, but even still, is it wrong of me to ask if sometimes, maybe, you find yourself in a from-scratch mood? A Sunday perhaps?

Well, either way, I was feeling very from-scratchy after our weekend away, sitting in the new apartment on a rainy late afternoon, craving ways to make my house a home. To say the dinner hit the spot does not do it justice— it satisfied on the most primal level and I don’t know why I don’t do the from-scratch version every Sunday. P.S. A few soup options for dinner this week if you’re feeling in a more 30-minute mode: Chicken Noodle Soup, Potato-Leek, Ali Slagle’s Tomato-Parm (NY Times), or Creamy Cauliflower with Chives.

Greek Lemon Chicken Soup 2.0
This becomes a 15-minute recipe if you use store-bought broth; just skip to the third paragraph. Makes 4 bowls.

Homemade chicken stock
one 3-4 pound whole chicken
1 large onion, quartered
3 medium carrots, chopped in large chunks
small Parm rind (optional)
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper

Avgolemeno
6 cups chicken stock (homemade or store-bought)
1/3 cup uncooked orzo (optional)
salt and pepper
4 eggs
1/4 cup lemon juice
handful fresh dill (chopped)
shredded cooked chicken

Make your chicken stock: Place the chicken, onion, carrots, a bay leaf, a Parm rind if you have it, and a hefty dose of salt and pepper in a medium-large pot. Cover the chicken with cold water and bring to a boil, then turn the heat down so it’s barely simmering. Simmer for at least 2 hours.

When it’s ready, strain the broth from the chicken and vegetables. Remove the chicken to a cutting board and let cool, then shred the meat with two forks. You’ll want about 2 cups of chicken. (You can freeze whatever leftover chicken bones and meat in a zip-top bag for future stocks and pot pies.)

Proceed with the Avgolemeno recipe. In a large saucepan, bring your homemade or (store-bought) stock to a boil. Add the orzo and cook until tender but still al dente, about 7 minutes. Season with the salt and pepper and reduce heat to low; let simmer.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and lemon juice until smooth. Ladle about 1 cup of the hot broth into the egg-and-lemon mixture, whisking to combine.

Add the mixture back to the simmering saucepan. Stir just until the soup becomes opaque and thickens as the eggs cook, 1 to 2 minutes. Add dill, salt and pepper (to taste) and shredded chicken. Serve warm with bread if you’d like.

2. Chia Pudding: Yes or No?

I’ve been in such a breakfast rut lately and decided to revisit chia pudding, making a large Mason-jar sized batch last Sunday then dipping into it all week. I feel like I go in and out of chia pudding phases — does this happen to you? I get super into it for a few days straight, then can’t look at it for months. (When Andy spied the jar in the fridge he was like “Oh, no, is this going to be here until next year?”) But the version I’ve been making this week — topped with figs and really good honey — might just have staying power. I followed the general ratio instructions on the back of the Trader Joe’s chia seed bag, mixing 1/2 cup chia seeds with 2 cups almond milk, and this time added about a 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract to make it a little more marzipan-y. (Then let it sit in the refrigerator overnight.) I do love that you can throw it together quickly at night so breakfast is waiting for you first thing, and that it hits that perfect note of satiation that lasts all morning. How else should I be preparing my chia puddings? Please share ideas.

3. A New Book from Bee Wilson

Bee Wilson might be the most honest food writer out there. You might know her from Consider the Fork, about how the evolution of cooking tools and techniques throughout history have shaped the way we cook and eat. Or First Bite a fascinating examination of the way family, culture, and early food experiences shape food preferences throughout our lives. (I reviewed that one, if you want to read more). What I’m saying is that technically I think of Bee Wilson as a food scholar — more anthropologist than recipe-writer — so I was delighted when her new book The Secret of Cooking: Recipes for An Easier Life in the Kitchen broke the mold and gave us both. Here’s a nice quote from the intro:

“When I talk about the secret of cooking, I don’t mean the secret ingredients that top chefs once guarded so jealously for their signature sauces — an extra pinch of saffron or an undetectable hint of anchovy. The hard part of cooking is almost never the cooking itself (which is one of the many reasons why being a home cook is so far removed from being a chef). The truth is, the hard part is all the other stuff that has to happen before you can find your way to the stove ready and able to cook. It’s those things that the TV chefs don't talk about…It’s one thing having the skills to rustle up a perfect plate of lemon linguini. It’s another thing deciding what to do when one person at the table thinks lemon zest is too bitter and another won’t eat linguini because it’s carbs…What trips us up on the way to the kitchen is time, money, guilt, brain space, and other people, and yet, for some reason, most cookbooks don’t say anything about how to handle these vital ingredients.”

She’s totally right. Wilson wrote the book in the wake of a divorce — her husband of over two decades left her during the pandemic — and she writes beautifully about the ways cooking grounded her during that period of despair. And in addition to simple, comforting recipes that she really truly walks you through, the book is packed with advice on “cooking from a standing start” (i.e. when your best self didn’t think to soak the beans overnight) and three things she knows to be true about feeding picky young eaters. (Each of her three kids was particular in their own way.) Other chapter titles that tell the story: Cut Yourself Some Slack, What No One Tells You About Cooking, Treat Cooking As a Remedy (Because it is), The Sweetness of Routine, Welcome All Eaters. You get the picture. Wilson’s book is out this week.

Have a great week,

Jenny

P.S. New Newsletter Alert!

Here’s something fun: Last week, Joanna Goddard and the Cup of Jo squad launched a Substack called Big Salad that promises to be as entertaining as her flagship lifestyle website (but completely separate). Each issue will feature a well-known personality — like comedians, actors, designers, chefs, writers — who will share their 10 favorite things. The pastry chef-activist-author Natasha Pickowicz was first up last week, and I already plan to rip off her nail polish, her favorite apron, and her workout. You can read more details about Big Salad here.

Thanks as always for the support!