Hear ye. This newsletter has been straight up resurrected from the dead (I am brave, and holy) for a good time, not a long time. I could sit here clickety clacking away with my press on French from CVS telling you that I “realized it’s been a long time since I gave an update” or some other pithy lie (Do you like pithy as an insult? I think I will coin it. It doubles as pissy with a lisp). In reality I have consciously neglected this newsletter, Casey Anthony style. I’ve been cooking at the wonderful Wildair which has taken up every scrap of my time and might. I truly cannot say enough good things about Wildair and the team that works there. Their grace, skill, and patience is a delight to be around. I am learning so much and working so hard and losing every nerve in my fingertips along the way. I could not be happier. I reign over what I affectionately refer to as the shellfish kingdom. Aka I am a garde manger which for those of you unfamiliar with the brigade style of kitchen hierarchy it means person who prepares cold foods: salads, tartare, oysters, and the like. There are some days where I must clean oysters, cook and shuck clams, and cook and clean mussels simultaneously. On those days I wear a hat that says “ocean navigator” and make pathetic bivalve jokes for hours, no one has gotten mad at me yet. I am so lucky.
When omurice/christmas hit we closed up for a week and I drove to Tennessee to be heartbroken al fresco. I decided Dollywood would be the best place to do this. The first thing I did was buy a press on manicure from the drug store and the second thing I did was buy six honeycrisp apples and those blue corn tortilla chips that they make in the shape of a rectangle. Road trip snacks should be crunchy. I saw a lot of things and met a lot of people along the way and whatever else you tell people when they ask. But this is not a Tennessee newsletter, this is something way more insidious. It’s an end of the year recap. HAH. Keep reading suckers, I reached a higher plane of being this year and plan on forcing it on you all.
Edible Learnings of 2021
January
If it grows together it goes together. I call this sunset salad, I dunno. It’s best to make it in the winter when bitter greens and citrus are in season. This is castelfranco chicory, the prettiest apple in the universe it’s called a Lucy Glo and you can get it from Alimentari, fennel and the best orange on the planet, cara cara. The dressing is citrus juice, a lil mustard, good olive oil, you know the deal.
February
Celery is underrated. Celery salad with sesame seeds & oil and I think that’s dill and parsley? Jammy egg on top. “Breakfast Pasta” aka pasta with smoked salmon. Celery leaves are also tender and delicious and should be used in salads.
March
Plantains are perfect and cheap and easy and should be kept on hand at all times.
April
What should I even call this lesson or learning or whatever. Open your heart and mind? This photo is atrocious and this sounds wretched but it was one of the most delicious things I ate in 2021, stay with me. Pasta with fish, cardamom and parmesan. I don’t understand either. One day I hope to.
Open your heart and mind part two. This is tacaco which is related to chayote or cucumber or squash. It grows on a vine only in certain areas of Costa Rica and is hard as a rock when you pick it and lowkey spiky. Someone far more curious than you or I boiled and peeled it to discover a mellow green flesh underneath. They are delicious with aioli because everything is.
May
Salads taste better on the roof
June
Cottage cheese has a truly horrendous rep and is the most delicious with lots and lots of cracked black pepper, lemon zest and olive oil.
Burnt food tastes better in the summer.
July
If you buy fresh oregano you’ll use it. The dried stuff doesn’t do it justice. Why do we box it into pizza application exclusively. Why. Why do we choose to live this way.
August
The best way to get to know somewhere is via their grocery store.
They sell picnic blankets at goodwill
September
Love is one big dumb hot chip
Butter is not bad? Why were we conditioned to think that butter is bad. Who told us that. Good quality butter is really good for you. This, however, is not good quality butter but I won’t tell if you won’t tell ha ha.
October
Aqua Best on Grand Street carries the best seafood.
November
If you ingest something chic you will become chic in turn.
December
Sometimes you crave to eat house salad at a corner table, indulging in cravings is one of the greatest acts of self care.
Some things never change :)
Thanks for reading, see you next year🤸♀️💟🌿