Three Things

Spring vegetable inspiration, a transporting mocktail, all I want for Mother's Day

Good morning! Hope you all had a nice weekend. The cherry and magnolia trees are in full bloom here in New York, which means, hopefully farm markets will soon follow suit. This week, my podcast will be dedicated to spring produce, so if you’d like to be featured, please email me a voice memo (Jenny AT dinnerlovestory.com) with all your most pressing questions about asparagus, peas, mint, strawberries, faves, ramps and whatever else makes you happy. (Please don’t forget to introduce yourself and where you’re from on the audio!) Thanks as always. Here are today’s three things.

Simple Vegetables, In Time for Spring

I’m in love with the new cookbook, Vegetable Simple. Eric Ripert — the chef and owner of one of New York’s most revered Michelin-starred restaurants, Le Bernardin — is known for his refined seafood dishes, but here, he turns his eyes towards his second love, vegetables. The most amazing thing about it is how actually simple the recipes are. Like not chef-pretending-to-be-simple simple. Real life simple! The guy is a five-star chef who trained under the infamously exacting Paul Bocuse, but somehow all the recipes (some mains, but mostly sides) feel like the ones he’s making for his family on the weekend. So many restaurant chef cookbooks promise this idea, but few deliver on it the way this one does. So far I’ve made his potato-leek soup, braised cabbage, and this bok choy recipe. The vinaigrette is just as good on asparagus and avocado as it is on bok choy.

Bok Choy with Soy-Ginger Vinaigrette

From Ripert: When you cook bok choy, its heart should stay firm while the leaves become soft and tender. Take care not to over- or undercook it by monitoring its doneness. If you place a paring knife through the heart of the bok choy, you should be able to pull it out with no resistance. To keep the leaves together, cook the bok choy whole, then split it in half before serving.

1/2 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 cup canola oil
fine sea salt
about a dozen baby bok choy, trimmed and rinsed
freshly ground white pepper

In a small bowl, combine the shallot, ginger, soy sauce, and lime juice. Slowly whisk in oil and set aside.

In a large pot, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil and season with a large pinch of salt. Add the bok choy and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.

Drain the bok choy, halve lengthwise, and season lightly with salt and white pepper. Divide among four plates and drizzle the vinaigrette over each one. Serve hot or at room temperature.

This recipe from Vegetable Simple was printed with permission.

A Mocktail for Negroni Lovers

I was so pumped to find a case of Sanbitter soda at a local Italian grocer this past weekend. (Locals: Dante’s.) It’s like a non-alcoholic Campari, made by San Pellegrino (also available online) and is my new favorite ingredient for a warm weeknight when I want the transporting power of a sweet-bitter Negroni, but not necessarily the gin that comes with it…

How cute are those teeny tiny bottles? Last night, I mixed one up with seltzer and fresh orange juice (3 parts seltzer/soda water, 1 part Sanbitter, generous squeeze of an orange wedge) and, one sip in, I was a on a beach in Taormina. The soda is also supposedly good with tonic. That’s tonight.

(Related: A Shrub for Dry Weeknights)

Mother’s Day Gift: Quality Meats

To state the obvious, now that we’re not eating as much meat, we are not buying as much meat. Among other things, this helps justify spending bucks on the good stuff when we do decide the night is right for a grilled flank steak or a pan-seared pork chop. So I was thrilled to discover two great delivery services to help with this effort. For locals (NYC, Sullivan and Westchester County) there’s Fresh Catskills, which in addition to local heritage pork, beef, and chicken, offers gorgeous farm-fresh dairy (Freedom Hill yogurt, my favorite) produce, and gift-worthy artisanal pantry items. And for non-New Yorkers: There’s the meat subscription service from Butcher Girls. You can pick weekly or bi-weekly deliveries, and you have the option to include seafood in addition to all the traditional offerings: Beef, pork, chicken, lamb, bacon, sausages. You can customize the box to suit your tastes. Free advice to moms reading right now: Forward this information to Mother’s Day shoppers ASAP.

Have a great week everyone!

P.S. The Dinner: A Love Story Pork Ragu continues to spread its magic. Beautiful piece, Meghan. Happy to have helped, if even just a little.

Housekeeping

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