whitewashing of recipes + tomato season is upon us (rejoice!)

Hi friends,

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Last week felt busier than others, and the weekend was exhausting, because Andrew worked about 18 hours on Saturday and a portion of Sunday, and I was on sole childcare duty for those periods. We read a lot of "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban", and Avi is hypothesizing if Sirius Black is Lord Voldemort. I'm keeping mum as best as I can. We drew a lot, also, and made sourdough waffles and carrot-ginger dressing. The intensity of the weekend has left my brain is a little fuzzy and devoid of many things to share, but here are a few that I think are worth your time.

stuff to read: When did recipe writing get so whitewashed? A worthwhile read for anyone, but especially if you're in the food biz. I'd have to extend the whitewashing to anything considered non-mainstream white food. The number of times I was told certain Russian dishes weren't "accessible" or "appealing" to Western audiences, well, I've lost count. After reading a New Yorker story about Georgia and it being described as "one of the last great undiscovered food cultures of Europe," I thought to myself, "Undiscovered by whom?"

Everyone's a foodie now. "Somewhere between cold brew and Cronuts, food crossed over from being a basic necessity to being something we styled for hot Instagram content. When food — eating it and making it — becomes an off-duty obsession, it can quickly morph into a competitive sport."

stuff for better living: I'm currently on a mission to figure out a more eye-friendly, functional and durable way to dry our hand-washed dishes. Our drying rack has started to grow things on it I'm unable to get rid of. And this feels very Goldilocks to me — where to find a drying rack that looks good, doesn't take up too much real estate, drains well, functions as should, and is durable? I'm considering this number from simplehuman; if you've had experience with this one, please let me know!

stuff to cook: Here in Maryland, we're entering tomato season, which I impatiently await every year. When a perfect summer tomato is within your reach, there's little you need to do to make it truly shine. A simple tomato sandwich (a little mayo, sliced tomato, salt), a BLT that hits the spot, or a pasta from Amy Chaplin's fantastic cookbook "Whole Food Cooking Every Day" that my boss made last summer and one I've been waiting all year to recreate — a chorus of tomatoes, basil, and pine nuts, with backup vocals from balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, and garlic. I made it a few nights ago and, unsurprisingly, it was a huge hit. I'm putting it on weekly rotation as long as good tomatoes are coming my way.

stuff i wrote: If you're still looking for ways to use your sourdough starter, consider pizza dough. The recipe I developed for WaPo is made for home cooks who may plan to have pizza one night, but life comes up and they have to push it off a day... or three. This dough that doesn't mind waiting on you — exactly the kind of accommodating recipe I need in the time of quarantine. Life's hard enough these days. Avi was supposed to start kindergarten, but our county is virtual-only through at least November and likely through January, so trying to figure that out has been time-consuming and draining. Try getting a 5-year-old to sit through 20 minutes of virtual learning, let alone 4 hours. It's precisely these kinds of obstacles that make me especially grateful for an Instant Pot that will do some of the heavy lifting when I'm feeling over dinner, and the idea of cooking strikes me as so utterly depressing. Instant Pot risotto is my savior on nights when I simply can't be bothered. And about half the time, Avi will eat it and not wrinkle his nose, which passes for a smashing success in our household.

easy recipe to cook right now: Lastly, our CSA delivered us some lovely tomatillos, and after much thinking, I decided the best way to use them would be in a salsa cruda. I loosely based mine on a recipe from Enrique Olvera's excellent "Tu Casa Mi Casa", so feel free to adjust as your taste buds dictate. The ROI on this recipe — effort and time versus the result — is through the roof. It's fast, herbaceous, and zippy — I can't wait to have some with quesadillas tonight, or as a sandwich spread later. Or maybe, even, make enchiladas verdes or chilaquiles later on. Last night we made veggie burgers and I dipped mine in some of the salsa — Andrew's awesome idea — highly recommend!

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tomatillo salsa cruda
(makes about 3 cups)

6 medium-sized tomatillos, husked and quartered
2 serrano chiles
1/4 large white onion (all I had was a yellow onion)
1 large garlic clove, charred in its paper then peeled (I charred in a small, dry cast iron pan over medium-high heat)
A generous handful of fresh cilantro
Kosher salt, to taste

Place the tomatillos, chiles, onions, garlic, cilantro and salt in a blender and puree until smooth. Taste, and season with more salt if needed. Eat immediately or transfer to a lidded container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
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That's it from me. Hope your week is off to a good start!

xo,
olga

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