hi friends, lovers + people probably related to me —
94 — it’s funny how each one of these newsletters is like a little time capsule, snapshots of specific moments, click, click, click.
the archive from the january ‘21 & january ‘22, but if we’re being honest really any of the past issues can make me nostalgic for those different moments, in a soft, sometimes sad way — we tend to view the past with more of rose colored tint — the picture a little fuzzy and out of focus
in some ways i miss the simplicity of january, really winter ‘21 where things were relatively quiet socially, the type of loneliness you’re forced to sit with — i had a lot of time, energy, to cook, to create new recipes. there was a whimsical sometimes desperate earnestness to those early ones. re: nacho expert, in particularly
january ‘22 struck a nice balance — a couple of more labor intensive recipes & an easy one, to match an uptick in socializing but also it being desperately cold, spicy noods 2.0. when i think about that particular january as a whole, it feels blurry — a polaroid that didn’t fully develop.
the jury is still out on what january ‘23 ends up being — hoping it keeps getting a lil brighter (quite literally), the sun these last few days has been nice. there’s something promising when it’s cold & bright out — the air a little sharp, it makes you feel alive. some of these days have dragged recently, only for me to blink and another week is over
the new classic
the thing about this newsletter is that the recipes are kind of ephemeral in a way, like a moment can be. each time you make it, i make it, it’s little different, flexible to taste, to mood, to maybe you’re missing one ingredient that’s ~ not that important ~
the recipe this week isn’t new, it’s a small update on the og big italian sal inspired the one @ elina’s in west town, which i had in december. theirs is punchy, bright with acidity & crunch. but what i really loved was the fact that instead of thick chewy pieces of or too skinny slivers of salami / sopressata — there were crisped up sprinkles of it in every bite — coating the lettuce like the way crispy crunchies do a cae sal. needless to say i’ve already made this version six times.
ingredients for the salad
artichokes
salami or sopressata (buy the thinly sliced kind unless you want to slice it that thin yourself, which honestly seems like too much work)
pepperoncinis
basil
mozzarella or fontina
red wine vinegar
olive oil
garlic
sugar
salt + pepper
lil tomatoes
red onion
good bread
parm
steps
1st pour a quarter cup of red wine vinegar in a big bowl, grate 1 large clove of garlic. thinly(ish) slice red onion + mix around with a pinch of sugar & salt. let that hangout for awhile. then tear your good bread into small chunks toss with olive oil + salt & bake in a 375-400 oven till you have nice crispy croutons. you can multi task & have two things in the oven @ once so line a baking sheet with parchment make little salami or sopressata roses basically + cook till crispy(ish) then flip to get the other side. remove once crispy like pepperoni gets on a good pizza. so perfectly salty. chop up to make the meat sprinkles
2nd drain and cut 1 can of artichokes + a bunch of pepperoncinis, cut some cute lil multi colored tomatoes in half, cut or tear the cheese into small pieces, ribbon up some basil, grate a lil parm and add to the bowl. then the croutons & meat sprinkles — with some salt + pepper & a lil glug of olive oil, toss together.
3rd pour yourself a glass of wine, then curl up with the salad bowl on the couch & some 90s law & order
particularly good things i consumed recently
dollar oysters, olives + a few glasses of wine @ red & white to catch up & shoo the sunday scaries away w/ kiera
dove’s after dark w/ kaitlyn — came for the mezcal cantaritos stayed for the chili enchiladas, brisket quesadillas & frito pie. — v. excited for their next menu.
this, this, & this — once i get these things, it’s over for you bitches — going to be the coolest girl imaginable
kate being back in town — did we go to a concert @ thalia, did we get tattoos, did we go to la luna, to doves, to estereo? yes or yes
this deranged, cough amazing roller coaster of an article about lip filler but also about life. annie hamilton is a gem.
currently consuming
some coffee pre-grocery store, pre-run. going to cook all day to avoid the articles i haven’t read yet & the laundry that hasn’t been done. think it’s an absolutely splendid idea.
as always,
mk
big italian sal - an update
Love the salad! No, no to the lip filler. You are naturally beautiful.