MONDAY
Giona had a guest for dinner. He recently asked about a #RoR: sausage and broccoli pasta. We haven’t eaten it in a while - so that was the plan for his date. I like this Gourmet recipe because it’s super rich and flavorful - it features raisins, chicken stock, butter (it’s a recipe from 1994…). I can’t find broccoli rabe here in the Netherlands, I use plain broccoli florets instead.
note 1: Don’t throw out the stems! Peel and blanch them, then freeze until you’re ready to make Manuel’s creamy pasta sauce by melting some anchovies in oil with garlic and (optional) chopped onion. Add the (thawed) chopped stems, and after they release some water, a tablespoon or two of miso.
note 2: I have finally figured out why I can’t ever find this recipe in the Epicurious app (besides the fact that I could just save it): they misspelled broccoli -> brocolli. Typos Matter. (I should make a T-shirt.)
note 3: Speaking of the now-defunct Gourmet. Ruth Reichl was its editor in chief for 10 years and this summer I read, and loved, her memoir “Tender at the Bone”.
TUESDAY
To celebrate the end of summer, and before it’s too late, I made Ottolenghi’s zucchini-pea-basil soup. Temperatures drop 10 degrees tomorrow.
WEDNESDAY
Woke up at 5am (for the last two days) to work in this bakery. Besides the bread, I also helped with the pastries. Did you know, I did not, Almond croissants are dunked in a sticky, sugary, rum-vanilla syrup before they are filled with frangipane? Savor every calorie next time you eat one.
By dinner time I had little inspiration left in me. One of our “fast food” options is gnocchi with Marcella Hazan’s tomato sauce. The gnocchi are actually “chicche”, half the size of traditional gnocchi. You cook them directly in the sauce for just a few minutes. Used my last ounce of energy to make a salad.
Mixed my sourdough sandwich bread in the evening and freestyled a bit too much with the recipe. I believe testing rule #1 is to change one thing at a time.
THURSDAY
It was our first year in Amsterdam when Manuel and I were introduced to the term “kapsalon” by someone at our office. For normal people, it translates to hairdresser salon. For folks looking to consume a “culinary murder weapon” it’s a dish concocted by a Cape Verdian hairdresser in Rotterdam in collaboration with his Turkish shawarma store neighbor. (And why it’s considered “an epitome of transnational culture”). I would say it’s a distant cousin of poutine. The following ingredients are layered:
1. fries
2. shawarma meat (could be veal, chicken, lamb)
3. shredded Gouda
at this point it goes under the broiler for melting
4. iceberg lettuce
5. sliced tomatoes, onions, pickles or cucumbers
6. dressing like garlic and hot sauce (typically sambal)
I had it for lunch.
I came home to a roasted chicken (rescued from the depths of the freezer!) with potatoes and beets, a tomato and feta salad, and smokey eggplants.
FRIDAY
Woordvis catch of the week was skate. I bought a tortilla press during quarantine. I love tacos, and I love Mexico, and I don’t see us going to Mexico anytime soon. I have made it my mission to make tacos at home.
If you’re out of things to watch on Netflix, Taco Chronicles is now in its second season.
SATURDAY
I had leftover croissant dough from the bakery and the baker suggested I use it for cinnamon rolls.
SUNDAY
My giant basil plant needed a trim, so I made pesto in the food processor.
A new testing round for the sourdough sandwich bread yielded what looks like a much better loaf than my previous one from earlier this week. I’ll cut into it tomorrow morning and will know more.
Until next week, ciao!
Anna
PS: My friend Daria sent me this za’atar paratha challenge. Which is serendipitous because I had my eyes on aloo paratha since I saw this Story. So I had this thought: if you have a recipe that you’re curious about but haven’t had time to try, send it to me and I will test it for you!