Win a Cooking Class (with me)!

Plus, a One-pot 30-minute Green Chicken Chili recipe

I’m gifting a virtual cooking class! Since you’re already signed up for this newsletter, you don’t have to do anything, you’re automatically entered. You can always decline or gift it to your friends or family (or invite them to join, it’s virtual after all!). We can make any of my recipes that you’d like or really anything at all as long as we can pull it off in ~one hour. You can be pretty much anywhere in the world, we just might have to get a bit creative with timing depending on where we both are :) I’m hoping this will be fun for everyone! (*more specific details below.)

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A little video hello!

This giveaway idea came about after a sparked memory of a cooking class I taught in the spring of 2021, as we were just coming out of a tough Covid winter in NYC. A friend asked me to teach a class for his (now) wife’s birthday with her two sisters and mother as they were scattered around the world and hadn’t been able to see each other in almost two years. It was so fun and such a heart-warming experience to see them all together that it still remains one my favorite things that I’ve done in my career. I don’t know if it was just witnessing the love they had for one another and being a part of that during an odd time of life or maybe it made me miss my mom and sister, I’m not sure. Maybe all of that and more, but it was very special, nonetheless, and I felt lucky to be a part of it. So, this experience has inspired me to give away this private class, where we will follow a similar format: you and I pick a couple of dishes that we can make in an hour-ish based on what you’re in the mood for or would like to make. Since it’s virtual, anyone you want is invited to join or it can be just me and you drinking wine and chatting about food, life and books! Really, anything at all. 

The rest of this week’s newsletter is probably only interesting to book/cookbook lovers (I don’t want to use the word geeks, even though how that’s often how I think of myself, but this is likely not a cool kid conversation topic) as it dives a bit into the thought process behind an index, which I find fascinating. While useful, these pages in the back of the book are probably not what you flip through when you’re considering buying a book.

Some of you might have seen that I asked a question on Instagram earlier this week about whether or not anyone used the index in a cookbook or found it helpful. I had just received the index for my new book coming out in April (more on that soon!) and was reviewing it, which made me wonder just how important an index truly is to a cookbook lover and reader. 

Thanks to the many people who responded, it turns out that the index is in fact very useful and often used, especially to look up ingredients on hand or to find a recipe title (in the midst of all the enthusiastic yes responses, there were five absolute nos and nopes, and I appreciate the honesty!). I realize that this is not an official cookbook survey, but I value these responses as everyone who answered, whether they were home cooks and/or professionals, are the ones using the index to figure out what to make for dinner. They deal with the joy of easily finding what they are looking for or the frustration of searching for an ingredient that’s in a recipe title but not listed in the index (maddening!). I truly found your notes and messages inspiring and helpful and have incorporated some of them into this cookbook’s index, so thank you again for your time and thoughts.

As it was explained to me when we were talking about what’s included in an index and what’s not, “Indexing is an art, not a science.” If you have ever analyzed an index and looked at a plethora of other cookbook indexes like I just have, then you’ll realize that’s an accurate way to describe it. They are not written in the same way, and analyzing one feels a bit like diving into someone else’s brain to see how they think and, to a certain extent, value what’s important/helpful in terms of what readers will look up. The idea is to include terms that anticipate a reader’s search habits or needs, and, when you need to make a choice because of page restrictions, exclude ones that are not as vital or important. Basically, (and I think this is standard) the role of a cookbook index is to serve as a tool to help readers search by ingredients.

For example, if you’re looking for a salad, will you look under salads or bowls? (I would think salads. Maybe this was too obvious.) Would you look up salad or lettuce? (I would say both are viable options.) If you’re looking for spice ideas for seasoning chicken or vegetables, would you look under spices or seasonings? If you were looking for a specific recipe I have in my upcoming book, like one titled Easy Sunday Meat Sauce, but you can’t quite remember the name, would you search for meat, beef, sauce or pasta? Sunday? (I think the first four are logical, less so Sunday—would you have searched for it?) It could be argued that maybe Sunday was the one word you remembered in the recipe title, but I would hope that you also would remember it was a saucy, meat-filled dish you ate with pasta, even if you couldn’t remember the name. At the same time, it’s impossible to know how everyone thinks or remembers things. This comes back to indexing being an art, not a science, as an indexer has to make a call and decide on what is included and what’s not as there is limited space, and thinking of the endless possibilities is a bit dizzying.

In many ways, this index experience reminds me of writing a recipe. As my first book editor (we are good friends) kindly told me on the phone a few years ago when we were discussing the best/easiest way to call for various lemon sizes in the ingredient list—some are so big and some so small!—“You aren’t expected to be responsible or accountable for the differences in lemon sizes around the country, Yaz.” We wanted to keep the ingredient list less busy and reduce the word count, but, because the amount of juice you get from a small lemon and a big lemon could differ by 1 tablespoon, I didn’t want to call for the juice of 1 lemon and someone add way too much to their dinner and ruin it. At the same time, I didn’t want to ask cooks to measure out lemon juice every time they used it, as, sometimes, you just want to squeeze a lemon into a dish and be done with it. So we settled on adding the specific amount expected in the front of the book as a note, and calling for 1 lemon in the ingredient list. I also did the same with garlic cloves in my new book as they differ in size and it makes a difference whether you use a large chunky clove or a skinny one—does anyone read the information in the front of the book? I truly hope so. 

the lemon note from the front of Keeping it Simple + me holding it as I type this newsletter

It’s a bit of a dance deciding what to include and what not to include. For example, ideally, you give the cook enough information that they feel supported and guided through the process; this is often done with visual cues and timing so that they can rely on one if the other doesn’t seem quite right. This can look like, “Cook until the chicken skin is crispy and the juices run clear when pierced with a fork, 40 to 45 minutes.” As I’ve learned in my many Airbnb cooking days, there is so much variety in the strength and quality of stovetops, ovens, pots and pans that there are just too many variables to account for with timing or heat level to be able to stand alone, so it’s more helpful to give both types of information to help cooks as best as you can. 

On the other hand, you don’t want to give so much information and make the recipe too wordy so that newer cooks get overwhelmed and overloaded with information that they give up or don’t even start. (This is one reason why having home cooks test recipes is invaluable as it shows the range of how people cook and what they look for and need.) I’ve found that if the recipe is too long, then someone might skim over it and skip an important cue. I tend to write a lot so this is particularly challenging for me to reign myself in.

Yes, I’m likely overthinking all of this, including this new index, but I am very grateful that I could make the changes I wanted (not always the case in publishing) as I wanted the index to fit this book in particular. Part of my promise to you in it is that you won’t buy an ingredient that you’ll only use once, be it a condiment or grain (and we only use six spices!), and I wanted to make sure this index gave you the ability to search for them.

Depending on the size of the requested purchase, you’ll find at least two recipes for it or three, if it’s something larger. For example, a small can of chipotles in adobo is used in two recipes with a tip for freezing them, so they don’t get wasted (my pet peeve!). There are a ton of miso recipes if you don’t typically keep white miso in your fridge, five that use harissa, four farro recipes and so on. We even have a swaps addition, so if you want to use broccoli or bok choy, it will give you recipes with it, plus others that you can use it as a vegetable swap—I feel very excited about this addition. TBD if anyone uses it. 

I can’t wait to share more about the book, which I will do in the New Year, as it feels very close to my heart. I have a wonderful publisher, publishing team and agent, who have given me so much trust and creative freedom with this book, which I am extremely grateful for and is not always the case in publishing, or has not really been for me. This is likely why I care so much about an index.

I will leave you here with a recipe from my first book, perhaps always the little love of my life, as I’ve been swamped working on recipe assignments and other freelance work, which I hope you will enjoy soon! 

Wishing you a wonderful, relaxing and delicious holiday season, however you celebrate (or choose not to celebrate)! Xx 

30-Minute Green Chicken Chili

Photo by the lovely Patricia Niven

Adapted from my first cookbook, Keeping it Simple, this recipe feels like one of those sleepers that, once you make it, you’ll love it, but you might not be drawn to it at the beginning, for some reason. I ran into one of the stylists who worked on the book when I was in London, and she said how she still made this recipe today, almost five years (!!) later. We photographed the book in March of 2019, and it’s wild to think how much has happened since, in both the world and my career/life, likely yours as well. She was my inspiration to share it with you, and hopefully you will enjoy it as well!

Serves 2 generously

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

• 1 medium yellow onion, diced

• 2 jalapenos, 1 seeded and diced, 1 sliced for sprinkling

• 2 poblano or green bell peppers, seeded and diced

• 6 fresh husked tomatillos or 1 tin tomatillos, drained or 6 fresh green tomatoes, roughly chopped

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 2 garlic cloves, grated or minced

• 1 tablespoon ground cumin

• 1 tablespoon dried oregano

• 1 pound (450 grams) skinless, boneless chicken thighs

• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth or stock

• 4 ounce (125 grams) can mild or hot chopped Hatch or other green chilies

• 2 limes, 1 juiced, 1 sliced into wedges, for serving

• 1/2 (15 grams ) cup fresh cilantro (coriander), tender stems and leaves, gently chopped

• 1 Hass avocado, halved and sliced, for serving (optional)

1. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large soup pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion, jalapeno, peppers, tomatillos, salt and pepper, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, spices and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.

2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then add to the pan. Pour in the chicken stock and raise the heat to maintain a gentle simmer (avoid bringing to a boil). Cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. If the chicken pieces are not completely submerged, then turn them over halfway.

3. Remove the chicken and place on a plate or in a shallow bowl. Use a fork and knife to shred the chicken, then add it back along with any liquid and the green chilies. Cook until the chicken is warmed through, about 2 minutes. Squeeze in the lime and adjust the seasoning as needed. Ladle into bowls and top with the cilantro, avocado, if using, and sliced jalapeno. Serve with the lime wedges.

*The giveaway will close on Dec 13th at 11:59 pm ET. I will pick the winner at random and use the contact email submitted for the newsletter signup. The class will be ~60 minutes, and we will decide on a menu that can be made in that time slot. (We will each be responsible for purchasing the ingredients for the class.) Back and forth emails to determine the menu will continue, within reason. Ideally, the class will be somewhere between Jan 20th and Feb 15th (I can be somewhat flexible on these dates, too, if that’s a busy time for you.) Thank you!