044: July Cooking Notes
Everything I cooked
Welcome to Home Cooking Diary, a newsletter on my journey as a home cook—the successes and failures alike. Cooking log, photo diary, and recipe recommender. This is a recurring installment in which I recap my month of cooking and highlight noteworthy meals. Note: if you’re reading this as an email, you may want to read it in your browser, lest it get cut off at the end.
Last week I had the pleasure of contributing to Leonor Mamanna’s wonderful newsletter, Leave It to Leonor, which I’ve read religiously since she began writing it many years ago. It’s the thing that helps me to stay “with it.” I wrote about anxious mornings, the Barbie movie, and recommended a few of my favorite reads. Read it here.
It’s time for my July Cooking Notes, so that means Leo Season is here. I strongly suggest that you go to the theater to see Greta Gerwig’s Barbie (if you haven’t already)—it made me laugh so hard that I laugh just remembering it—and approach everything you do for the rest of the summer with as much confidence as you can muster. Don’t overthink it. Just do it. That’s the attitude I’m attempting to adopt these days as I get ready to open my bookstore, feeling more and more nervous the closer I get to go-time. That’s been consuming me, but there have been a few diversions. My dad visited, and met Tycho for the first time! We just returned home from Chicago—Tycho’s first air travel, which he passed with flying colors (he slept through both flights), and he attended his first wedding. Brief rant: Why is flying such a drag? Security felt positively dystopian. At JFK they sniff you with hounds now. It was giving Bastard of Bolton. I’m so over the manufactured heirarchies and pettiness of the whole process. I was scolded by a gate attendant for trying to board with my toddler before first class. I lost it a little bit and then felt guilty for all of the reasons (mainly for getting angry in front of my son).
But it was great being in Chicago (shout out to newlyweds Ross and Sarah!). My only regret is that we didn’t go to Johnnie’s for a Chicago Beef and an Italian Ice straight from O’Hare. My mom is from Oak Park, IL and I have many a fond memory of that place. Boy did I need that beef sandwich (and have been craving it since season 1 of The Bear like everyone else). Wedding aside, we took Tycho to the Lincoln Park Zoo where he met a polar bear and penguins and red pandas. And I got so see some of my beloved Chicago family that I don’t often see.
July was a great cooking month too. I cooked a lot but didn’t feel consumed by it. I published more letters here than any other previous month, partly to stay on top of seasonal suggestions (I hope I didn’t wear out my welcome with you all). So many frozen waffles, and eggs, as per usual. For Tycho, on waffle days, I’ve been making a Greek yogurt and peanut butter dip, drizzled with maple syrup, that he loves (I love it too). I’m beginning to switch this routine up by making overnight oats, like Bre Graham’s Bircher Muesli from her book Table for Two (I highly recommend her newsletter, which she recently moved to Substack).
Sohla El-Waylly’s Savory Tomato Dutch Baby gave us a brunch to write home about. I’ve baked many a Dutch Baby in my time, and this one has affirmed my preference for savory over sweet. Many years ago I made a Tarragon version that I still think about, and this Tomato and Cheddar situation really blew me away. I also like that it only calls for three eggs, as opposed to the customary 10-12. It doesn’t rise, but is no less delicious—and sometimes the many many eggs are too much for my taste anyway.
I realized the other day that I had stopped making omelettes, so I made a chive version two days in a row. I’m discovering that I need to make them regularly to avoid getting rusty. Not to reference The Bear for the second time, but I regretted not having potato chips on hand (iykyk).
I feel like I’m constantly making either Salsa Verde or Pesto these days, due to the volume of fresh herbs and greens we’re getting this summer. I put it on pasta and steak and fish, but also use it as a condiment in rice bowls, over beans, and other thrown-together lunches. The baby has been eating it by the spoon(hand)-ful too. Sohla’s Easy Peasy Meaty Spaghetti sauce has been in the rotation a couple of times, and while I appreciate how easy it is, it always ends up being a little too salty for my taste. It calls for both store-bought tomato sauce (I like Rao’s or Carbone, but would love recs) and stock—I think I’ll lose the stock and supplement with water next time. I twice made the Shiso-steamed fish that I wrote about the other week, and the casual shiso onigiri continues to be a favorite snack. Due to our CSA I find myself often roasting vegetables. After our Tuesday pickup, my routine is to pull out any vegetables from previous weeks that I haven’t had the chance to use yet, chop them up and roast them all on a sheet-pan. It feels like a good system—I haven’t had anything spoil yet. Oh and I made those fried zucchini flowers twice. I’m sad that there probably won’t be more of that this summer. My favorite pasta of the month was Rachel Roddy’s incredibly simple Spaghetti with cherry tomatoes from An A to Z of Pasta.
I need to highlight my two favorite dinners separately though. The first was Colu Henry’s brilliant Pan-seared Trout with a Corn Salad—oh my god. This was so good, and the first time I really nailed a perfectly crispy pan-seared skin-on fish. And we devoured the fresh corn and jalapeno salad. I might make it again tonight. The second was a recommendation from my dad. He said that one of his favorite Marcella Hazan recipes is the Chicken Fricassee with Braised Red Cabbage from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. I’ve made it twice. The first time I wayyy overdid the cabbage. It was incredibly caramelized and shrunk down a lot, which meant we had less of it. The second time I tried to do it “right” and we had more but it wasn’t as delicious. If you try this recipe don’t be afraid to use extra cabbage and really take it there.
I had a lot of fun with desserts and breads this month—not something I say often. Thanks to Dufour puff pastry I made a Lemon-Rhubarb Tart. It was a bit too sour, even for me. Next time I’ll include frangipane, or perhaps sweeter berries.
During my dad’s visit he showed me how to make his pie dough, and I made a Sweet Cherry Galette. It was good, but I did burn the bottom and I find that the texture of sweet cherries isn’t ideal for baking. They’re tough to break down and don’t seem to get tender enough (for me). Next time I’ll try chopping them on the small side to see if that helps. The Sour Cherry Pie from Alison Roman’s Sweet Enough was a bit of a miss due to major overflow mid-bake (sad!), but luckily I had more cherries so all was not lost.
I turned out Sour Cherry & Sage Focaccia and made baked oatmeal. A couple days later I made an Heirloom Tomato and Oregano Focaccia as well. I experimented a lot with the clafoutis (see my most recent letter) and found that it was the perfect way to celebrate plum season. The Red Plum and Ginger Clafoutis was the winner for me. And finally, I loved the Raspberry Jam that I made with the guidance of Camilla Wynne’s Jam Bake. I don’t think that I got the right set (apparently it’s hardest to tell/test with raspberry), but that didn’t detract from the taste. I mix it into Tycho’s Greek Yogurt, which I don’t think I would do if I hadn’t made the jam myself. For him, it’s nice knowing how much sugar I’m working with.
xo AV
Everything I cooked in July
7.1.23 / zucchini scramble with toast; Chicken tacos with pico de gallo
7.2.23 / frozen waffle with peanutty yogurt (mostly for Tycho); Curly pasta with homemade pesto and mozzarella and fresh tomato (Alexis deBoschnek); sauteed greens with garlic and red pepper
7.3..23 / scrambled eggs with toast; Tart Rhubarb Tart (on Dufour puff pastry)
7.4.23 / Oatmeal with applesauce and berries; Fresh Tomato Dutch Baby (Sohla El-Waylly); Ribs and Tangy Potato Salad (latter: Colu Henry)
7.5.23 / Spinach frittata; Tuna Salad on Sourdough with leftover potato salad; Bircher Meusli (Bre Graham’s Table for Two); Easy Peasy Meaty Spaghetti (Sohla El-Waylly); Dino pasta with meat sauce for Tycho
7.6.23 / Bircher Meusli with applesauce and berries; leftover rice bowl; Mushroom porridge (I can’t find this recipe now which is killing me. I thought it was Hetty McKinnon but maybe not!)
7.7.23 / Frozen waffle with butter and smashed blackberries; Shiso-steamed fish with black rice
7.8.23 / scrambled eggs; Gnocchi with leftover meat sauce
7.9.23 / scrambled eggs; Grilled skirt steak and a salad; casual onigiri: shiso with leftover rice and steak
7.10.23 / frozen waffle; Shiso-steamed fish with black rice and salad
7.11.23 / Tangy yogurt with applesauce and strawberries; casual onigiri of leftover fish, shiso and black rice; Rainbow carrots roasted with sage
7.13.23 / Scrambled eggs and toast; Quinoa and kale salad with tomato and feta (Madelyn Beckles); Blueberry clafoutis; Slow-cooked tuna (Alison Roman) with white beans and a salad
7.14.23 / frozen waffle; Leftover quinoa bowl with tuna, white beans and avocado; Cumin-roasted arctic char with arugula (Mina Stone’s Lemon, Love and Olive Oil)
7.15.23 / scrambled eggs; Sweet cherry galette with Dad’s pie dough; fried zucchini flowers; Pork ribs (Alison Roman); grilled hot dogs with yellow mustard and onion, Chicago-style; grilled zucchini (Alison Roman)
7.16.23 / scrambled eggs; fried zucchini flowers; fresh tomato and fennel pasta (Alison Roman); Red plum and ginger clafoutis
7.17.23 / frozen waffle; Leftover tuna with arugula, mayonnaise, and white beans; Sour Cherry Pie (Alison Roman’s Sweet Enough)
7.18.23 / Baked oatmeal with almonds and sour cherries; Sour cherry and sage foccaccia
7.21.23 / zucchini scramble; Italian Sausage with roasted veggies (Mina Stone’s Lemon, Love and Olive Oil); Heirloom tomato and oregano foccaccia
7.23.23 / scrambled eggs; Spaghetti with Pesto and Eggplant
7.24.23 / frozen waffle and peanutty yogurt; Pan-seared Trout with corn-jalapeno salad (Colu Henry)
7.25.23 / zucchini scramble; Vermouth spritz; big CSA salad with microgreens and cherry tomatoes and shiso; Chicken fricassee with braised red cabbage (Marcella Hazan’s Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking)
7.26.23 / scrambled eggs; Spicy salsa verde; Gyeran bap with greens and spicy salsa verde; Italian sausage with roasted veggies (Mina Stone’s Lemon, Love and Olive Oil); Yellow plum and ginger clafoutis
7.28.23 / frozen waffle with yogurt and berries; Citrus-roasted salmon with thyme (Alison Roman); fresh CSA salad with cherry tomatoes and lettuces and shiso
7.29.23 / scrambled eggs; Tuna Salad (Alison Roman)
7.30.23 / frozen waffle with yogurt and berries; Raspberry Jam (Camilla Wynne’s Jam Bake); Fresh Cherry Tomato and Garlic and Basil Pasta (Rachel Roddy’s An A-to-Z of Pasta)
7.31.23 / Chive omelette; Cold sesame noodles (Colu Henry)
While I have you, some recommendations
Something to drink / A Vermouth Spritz is my chosen alcoholic beverage of late. I began experimenting with them when we ran out of our usual go-to (gin) recently. The spritz I made did not involve champagne or prosecco—only club soda and a garnish. To make, simply fill a tall glass with ice (lots and lots of ice is my preference), then fill it about 2 inches with sweet (red) vermouth, top it with club soda and a wedge of lemon for garnish. You might as well be in Spain! (not really, but this is the closest I’ll get for awhile…). I genuinely can’t remember which vermouth it was that I first tried—will update this down the road if I find it again. I was very excited to try it with Antica (my favorite vermouth), but the flavor didn’t stand up to such a simple application (it’s best for your negroni). Next I hope to use Punt e Mes, and also Cocchi di Torino. Needless to say, I’m here for your vermouth recs! Drop ‘em in the comments.
Something to wear / My new favorite item(s) of clothing is a Rosette twinset. I had been eyeing them since the launch of the brand and finally took the plunge during their anniversary sale, when the set was 40% off. I’m so happy I did. It’s so comfortable and light and satisfies my early ‘90s/Gen X/Reality Bites nostalgia. Doesn’t it feel like something Bridget Fonda would have worn in Singles? Actually maybe better costuming for Uma Thurman in The Truth About Cats and Dogs. Word to the wise: they run pretty small. I wear a large (normally a small or medium, depending on desired fit).
Something to read / I always look forward to a new issue of Cake Zine, and their most recent, Humble Pie, might be my favorite so far. I love the butter-yellow and orange design of this issue. I picked my copy up at Little King in Beacon (which is a must-visit if you’re ever in the area, by the way). This issue features the writing of Kate Lebo (queen), Josh Gondelman, Isle McElroy and others. Oh and a pie recipe from Camilla Wynne, whose book Jam Bake I recommended in my last letter.
Note: All of the Bookshop.org links direct you to my bookstore, Golden Hour Books’s page, where we might get a commission if you make a purchase. Thank you for your support. We need it now more than ever as we prepare to open our brick-and-mortar location in Newburgh, NY.
Ok, inspired to try the trout with corn salad! Sounds incredible. Also inspired to rewatch The Truth About Cats and Dogs, a classic.
I love Spanish vermouths for a vermouth spritz- they’re got stronger flavour profiles that can stand up to the soda. Casa Mariol Vermut Negre is quite delicious!