I’m gonna be honest, I don’t really want to comment on the state of things. We’re all varying degrees of bored, tired, anxious, allergic, grumpy. And nobody is suffering for lack of “helpful” content on “surviving” a work-from-home reality (ugh).
Anyway, I’m letting distraction be a virtue. Cooking, reading, retroactively thanking myself for creating Twitter lists that don’t spit up breaking news. Getting motivated to start this newsletter, a project I’ve been threatening for quite some time. So thanks for being here :)
HOW IT’S GONNA BE
Weekly, in your inbox. With a few links I think you’ll enjoy reading, and a recipe that isn’t fussy, even if it seems like a lot going on. Maybe some bonus Gloria Grey content for the true fans. I only ask for your patience as I wrangle this thing. Thoughts and feedback are gladly received. Bad vibes will not be tolerated.
DISTRACTIONS THAT HAVE YET TO GO VIRAL
When it’s time to party, we will party hard. “Being and drunkenness: how to party like an existentialist.”
“It’s true that ribeyes and oysters and even pizza and tacos share a soothing simplicity, but nothing is more nothing than a chicken tender.” Helen Rosner on chicken tenders.
A 45-minute sound bath on Instagram.
Quarantime topics I’ve noticed popping up quite a bit: sourdough, totwaffles/savory waffles (notably, an unsavory looking garlic waffle that I keep seeing in my timeline and wish I didn’t), Rancho Gordo beans.
MUSHROOM BOURGUIGNON, BECAUSE WE GOT RIPPED OFF ON WINTER
Prep time: 1 hour
Cook time: 1.5-2 hours. The longer you can let it bubble lazily, the better.
This particular meal is one part NYT Cooking, one part Smitten Kitchen, one part pure improvisation (I recognize not everyone subscribes to this philosophy, but I see recipes more as strong suggestions). Adrian has described this dish as being “at the top of the top 5 dinners” I’ve made for us. It is simple. It is a good project for the homebound. And it is insanely good as leftovers.
If you didn’t have one before, this is a great reason to run over to the Pitch ‘n’ Putt package store drive-through over by East Lake and pick up a lil thing of Hennessy.
Ingredients:
3 tbsp. unsalted butter.
~1 lb. sliced, hearty mushrooms (that’s 2 Publix boxes of sliced Baby Bellas, but scale up or down depending on your love of mushrooms/overall work ethic).
A couple of shallots or 1 medium yellow onion.
2 big carrots.
2 big stalks of celery.
2-3 (or if you’re me, 5-6) cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp. of tomato paste
1 cup dry red wine (I promise it does not matter which. Pick the kind you like to drink. Don’t let anyone bully you.)
2 cups beef stock. Sub out vegetable if you’re of that nature.
A few sprigs of fresh thyme (dried is OK, if you have to)
1 tbsp. Cognac (I use Hennessy, as noted above)
1 cup pearl onions, thawed
S&P to taste (a couple of teaspoons of each, likely)
Egg noodles for serving
What to do:
Melt 1 tbsp. of the butter on medium heat in a medium Dutch oven or pot with a lid. Doing this in batches so as not to steam them, sauté the mushrooms with a wooden spoon until they darken up but don’t get soggy. Add in the 2nd tablespoon of butter as you’re cooking them up. Set the batches aside as they’re done.
Melt the last tablespoon of butter, adding in your celery, carrots, onion/shallot and let them bathe in earthy butter glory until they start to soften (5 minutes). Add garlic and thyme and let sizzle (but not brown; about 1 minute). Recommend salting & pepping a bit here to get the party started.
Add tomato paste, scratching around the pot with your wooden spoon to loosen up the brown bits as you build up a bit of a vegetable paste. Once it’s all combined and a little paste-y, add wine, turn the heat up to boil and let the liquid reduce until it’s almost all gone. Throw in your pearl onions and mix them around.
Add stock, salt & pepper (tasting as you go; you’re not a monster), Cognac and bring to a boil for about a minute. Give it a friendly stir, reduce heat to a simmer, then partially cover and let it think about what it’s done.
Check on it a few times, but the liquid should reduce and thicken up after about 30-45 minutes. Let it go longer on a low heat for richer flavor and your preferred viscosity. Use the time to make the egg noodles. Serve with parsley if you’re a garnish queen, or on its own is fine, too.