Ropa vieja is a meaty Cuban classic that’s still evolving. With a recipe from Kiera Wright-Ruiz, author of My (Half) Latinx Kitchen, adapted for the Instant Pot, dinner can be on the table in no time flat.
Lamb, Ottolenghi Style I made this for Easter with boneless lamb shoulder; it was beyond easy and so delicious. The slow-cooked meat caramelizes over the course of an afternoon; an excellent dish to share with friends.
How to Cook the Perfect Roast Whole New Potatoes This is a new-to-me column from The Guardian. I adore the writing, and the firm but kind hand with which Felicity Cloake schools us on the things we think we already know but could use a little tune-up on.
Kimchi Tuna Salad In my house, it’s high time for a tinned fish pantry stash clean out; this recipe provides an excellent starting point to riff on for endless not-sad-desk-lunches.
Seed + Mill Havla Guys, I did not think this was going to be anything special, and I am beyond delighted to report that I was completely wrong. Made from Ethiopian sesame seeds, this sweet is light, flaky, with a touch of salt — in other words, perfection. I had a special edition flavor: Rocky Road with Cherry and Pistachio, but I seriously don’t think you can go wrong. It would make a wonderful gift, but I’m nervous about ordering some to have on hand because I will most certainly eat it all.
Roasted Strawberry Victoria Sponge Missed last week’s post? Read it here.
One-Hour Vegan: Toban Djan (Doubanjiang) Aubergine If you don’t yet subscribe to Vittles, what are you waiting for?
New influencer obsession, Condiment Clare. Her book on flavor enhancers (aka what to do with all those hot sauces, jams, mustards, etc. languishing in the back of your refrigerator) drops in the US on May 20.
Bradley Cooper Makes an Awfully Good Cheesesteak
A Visit to Costco in France Macarons, Moutarde, Cornichons and more.
Welcome to the Era of Status Composting
Basket Cheese While picking up Easter provisions, I asked my cheesemonger for some ricotta to toss with peas, tubettini, and hella herbs to please the little vegetarian in our house. Instead, I was handed a beautiful hemisphere of basket cheese. Super mild and adaptable to whatever you’ve got planned, it slices beautifully and can be whipped into a pleasingly creamy mess that, drizzled with honey or maple syrup and topped with soft ripe figs, would be just fine. Italians use basket cheese in Easter pie, stuffed with ham and cured meats, giving a necessarily salty punch.
How Organ Meat Got Into Smoothies Not in my house.
It’s Lauren Santo Domingo’s World. You Can Live in It Too For your mean girl fix.
Faced With Death, He Did the Only Thing He Could: Take Notes I dare you to not immediately procure a copy of Exit Wounds.
McNally Jackson Is Starting a Book Festival
Good Night Moon Stamps are coming (here!!)
On my list for summer NYC outings, the newly re-opened Frick which includes these swoon-worthy floral sculptures. Who’s up for a field trip?
Still Born is one of my favorite books of the past decade. I can’t wait to read The Accidentals. A conversation with Guadalupe Nettel.
Sayaka Murata’s Alien Eye Up next on my nightstand, Vanishing World, penned by Sayaka Murata, author of Convenience Store Woman, among other out-of-this-world short and scarily intoxicating tales. If you don’t care for weird musings on reproduction and being alone, she’s not the author for you. But if you like your fiction with a dash of “Thank God this isn’t real life,” give her a go.
Why I Played the Kennedy Center A surprisingly thoughtful take on the quandaries facing both artists and fans in an age of political pronouncements from the lead singer of the Happy Frappy Guster gang.
How Ezra Klein’s YouTube Makeover Points to Podcasting’s TV Future I don’t know about this. One of the things I love about podcasts (and audiobooks) is that I don’t have to sit down to pay attention. I’m not living under a rock. I know the kids all watch their content on YouTube. But I wonder how much of this podcast-to-video transition is a vanity project vs. filling a market need.
The Dark Side of the Moomins Who knew these adorable hippo-like animals were a vehicle for Tove Jansson to tell apocalyptic tales?
I hit a lucky streak of snagging hot-off-the-press releases (thank you, Darien Library!) so that dictated what I read in April.
My favorite read — Flesh, by Hungarian-American author David Szalay, follows the sex-fueled life of the emotionally damaged/detached István. Early chapters explore a deeply imbalanced relationship that the reader, with the gift of readerly distance, can clearly see is doomed in more ways than one. The relationship comes to a dramatic end, but the reader sticks with István through all life stages. Something about the sentence structure creates a surprisingly propulsive reading experience, coercing the reader into just one chapter more to see if the coolly flawed protagonist will ever allow vulnerability to permeate his emotional landscape.
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