I’m in Menorca!!
Two new recipes, a supermarket of dreams, London and reading recs
I just landed in Menorca last week (!), and, while I am very happy to be here and finally settling into a home, I won’t deny that when the captain announced that we were preparing for landing, I had 30 seconds of panic, thinking, ‘WHAT AM I DOING?!’
The reality that this time I was moving here, rather than bouncing around different homes, set in, making me think how nutty I am to have started this chain of events by moving out of NYC and now I don’t have a base in America. It started to make my head spin, even though I have been wanting this for over two years, and I felt like I had just made a huge mistake.
But, as cheesy as this might sound, the island came into view, and the panic flew right out of me. Seeing the water, the land and the greenery as we were getting closer brought back that connection I’ve always felt with this island and why it feels like home to me, even though there’s no logical reason for that to be true. Immersing myself in the nature here is what I think gives me the strength to have made this change and live my life like this, not knowing what’s going to happen next or really have a plan. It feels like much of my life and career is currently teetering on a tightrope, unclear where it’s going to go and, without any pressure, feeling like my book release will one way or another make it clear (just kidding, there’s lot of pressure. This is why it’s so helpful for me to be here).
It’s really quiet during this season, which is lovely with the beaches and town feeling very calm without the buzz of so many tourists (even though I know I’m one), and the sun is strong with even rainy days feeling nice. I have woken up a couple of nights in the dark, wondering, where am I? That disorienting feeling you get when you’ve been traveling a lot, and it feels really nice to remember that I’m here. Part of it is also getting used to the noises of a new house, like how the door rattles with the wind, and, because it’s so quiet at night, it feels like every noise is happening inside my house (luckily, it’s not). If something happened, I have no idea how to call for help, I think I would actually just open my window and start yelling for help. Great plan, right?
Two quick embarrassing stories:
1). I brought a Nordic Ware half sheet pan all the way from LA in my suitcase (ridiculous, I know), and it doesn’t fit in the oven (even more ridiculous on my part). I should have known.
2). While I’m in the midst of searching for a water filter (I loved my Berkey in the States), I accidentally bought a giant bottle of salt water, thinking it was regular water, and spit it out yesterday morning when it became very clear that I had just sipped a mouthful of seawater. I’m sure there is some reason that you would want to buy salt water from a health store, but it feels a bit absurd on an island surrounded by salt water. And now I have no idea what to do with it. Any thoughts? Do I pour it back into the sea? That feels weird and wrong.
Some cute quotes
On a random, but interesting note, while searching for something in my computer files, I found an old cookbook proposal that was my final project in graduate school. In some ways, it has the intention of all of my books: simple, flavorful food without a lot of fuss that’s relatively “good for you” whatever that means. What struck me was the energetic earnestness of my younger self that was evident throughout, and it made me feel affection for my past self. I wish I could give my overeager self back then a hug, saying, oooh sweet girl, as I naively thought I could publish a cookbook at age 27 with only a few years of related work experience. Though, I suppose that is a reality for some influencers now, so perhaps I wasn’t wrong, just a decade or so early and without the millions of followers. (But I think the books are much better because I waited. Or was forced to wait.)
Here are some quotes I used to open up the proposal, which I still love.
“Good cooks always have friends, and are seldom abandoned by their spouses or partners – if that is of any importance to you.”
– Nika Hazelton, cookbook author. (Hehe, I love this one)
“For those who love it, cooking is at once child’s play and adult joy.”
– Craig Claiborne, former New York Times food critic and cookbook author. (True!)
More from Menorca soon! xx
SOME FUN NEWS
Le Creuset Pre-Order Bonus!: We have four pots to give away, and if you have already pre-ordered the book or are waiting to, then this is a great time to do it. Here are the details! And, I know the book is a bit $$$ but Bookshop.org is offering a discounted price AND Tertulia, a new book discovery app, is offering a 50% discount if you sign up for a free trial membership and 20% with the code SIMPLY until April 18th, no sign up required. Here’s the link for that!
In-Person Boston Cooking Class: A New Way to Cook at Milk Street! Here, we use one of my recipes as a frame work so that you can make swaps in ingredients and seasonings in a supported environment and make lots of mistakes or wins! We’ll also talk about how to swap ingredients, use different techniques and seasonings so that you can do so with confidence in your kitchen. Very excited about this one!
Virtual Cooking Class: Winner, Winner Three Chicken Dinners!! Also with Milk Street, I am SO excited about this class. When April and I were discussing ideas, she wrote me back saying something along the lines of, “I can already feel your joy coming through in that one.” Truly I can’t wait. We are using chicken in three forms, bone-in thighs, ground and boneless, including a ginger + garlic chicken burger that I think you’ll love. Here are some discount codes:
50% off, but only for the first 25 uses: SIMPLY50 (I haven’t shared this anywhere else yet, just for you all!)
15% off with no usage limit: WINNER15
Books are Magic Cookbook Panel—In person + YouTube: New Yorkers, I hope you’ll join us in person for this panel where we talk about how cookbooks are made and answer any questions you have, no matter how big or small. If this is something you’re aspiring to get into or just want to know more, then you can learn more about food photography, styling and writing. Super happy to be joined by Lish Steiling and Matt Russell, both exceptionally talented and all-around good people and friends of mine.
Some recommended reading
Books: Homecoming by Kate Morton, it’s a journey, technically a mystery and quite long, but whoa. All of my many guesses and theories were wrong as this book has some twists and turns that left me gaping. I’m still thinking about it. I just finished The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, which is also a show apparently. My friend Nicole and I did a book swap in London, and she gave me this one, which was beautiful and heartbreaking. Loved them both and, oddly enough, both were set in Australia. Homecoming had a touch of London, too. Both made me want to go there except that I’m a tiny bit terrified of the stories I’ve heard of the giant snakes, spiders and sharks. (I will go though, despite these fears, as a close friend recently moved near Melbourne.)
Online reads: Andrea’s newsletter on Why the Mediterranean Diet Needs a New Name was spot on, and this piece about the lack of cookbook criticism I found interesting and there was a good amount of discussion in the food community if you happened to fall into it. It’s essentially saying that cookbooks aren’t reviewed thoroughly, it’s mostly good press and promotion, but there are some people who are reviewing cookbooks and IACP does a good job of it too (I was a judge two years ago and a super judge last year, and I will tell you, it is A LOT of work. When you’re testing a few recipes from a book, it takes time.) Though I have heard a famous writer, who I won’t call out here, write in her book something alone the lines of, “Start with something small and easy, like writing a cookbook” as a way to encourage writers to get creative and write—anyone who has written a cookbook can tell you that there is NOTHING easy about it. In fact, I often wonder why I do it (it’s because I love it, despite it all). I would say my favorite part is the writing of it and my least favorite the part I’m currently in, which is promoting the book and preparing for it to come out—so many nerves, so many worries and so much out of my hands. Plus, I feel a bit guilty I’m annoying all of you with talk about my book all the time. (But I really love this one! That’s probably why I feel so emotional about it all.)
My rants aside…
Some new NYT recipes
Spiced Chicken with Sweet Potatoes Super crispy skin, tender vegetables on the bottom and lightly crispy on top with sweet, caramelized onions, this is a very simple dish that you throw in the oven and let it cook without interference. You can swap the sweet potatoes for potatoes.
Crispy Smashed Sweet Potatoes Inspired by my friend Joni who asked me after I published a smashed potato recipe, “Can we smash sweet potatoes?” Why yes we can and they are delicious!!
I have two recipes publishing in this week’s Guardian Feast, in Saturday’s UK paper, please grab a copy if you’re within reach!
Mini London recs
(see more here from my last trip in the fall). This was much shorter so there’s not a lot.
Supermarket of Dreams What a name! It’s in Holland Park and by the team that also owns Notting Hill Fish + Meat (which I love, as it also has a good selection of produce, too). Supermarket of Dreams also had a coffee bar, so I went there in the mornings, then again later to shop, and one day, the barista says to me (in a friendly way), “So… this is visit number three today?”
Tamil Crown From the same team as Tamil Prince, it’s also set in a pub-like setting with great food and a nice neighborhood feel, though I will say I prefer the setting of Tamil Crown a bit more.
Toklas This was a lovely lunch spot! There’s a huge outdoor patio for nice days and the food was good, thoughtful and seasonal. Highly recommend it if you need a good place in this part of town.
Otherwise, I did go to other places, but one I didn’t love so I’m not recommending it, and then went to an old favorite, Smoking Goat with two friends who also worked on Cook Simply, Live Fully (out so soon!).
Thank you for reading!! xx
Always love your substack! Stories, recipes, quotes, laughs! You include it all and so enjoyable to read! I love the start of both your indoor and outdoor kitchen and I’ll look forward to seeing how it evolves as you settle in! I know you will enjoy all the beauty that surrounds you!