Today is my last day at my job. I’m leaving advertising and going to a tech company, the one you’d know if you’re ever planned a party or redecorated or fell into a moodboard black hole. It’s a change I’m excited to make, one that marks a big step in my career and a pivot to more personally fulfilling work.
It feels like back-to-school season, but more like the summer before college than switching schools. I’ve got way, way too much summer reading (The Grammarians, The Man Who Ate Too Much, Beach Read, and Issue 2 of Konfekt Magazine), fresh paper goods and pencils; a few first-day outfit options. Most importantly, a renewed sense of purpose and optimism :)
MORE UNASSIGNED READING
“Jane Nickerson made Craig Claiborne possible and put the cheeseburger on the map. Her recipe for lime pie is a taste of Florida sunshine.”
a must-read: “Playing Kerri Strug”
an actually cool application of QR codes
1960s communal dining in Singapore
there is A LOT to love about “Paris Teenager’s New Gig: Would-Be Queen of Italy. A Nation Shrugs”:
“Italy is a republic, having abolished the monarchy 75 years ago for its disastrous support of Mussolini, and Italians have approximately zero interest in a royal restoration.
‘Never say never,’ said Vittoria’s father, Emanuele Filiberto, an Italian television personality who claims the title Prince of Venice, which is also the name of his Los Angeles restaurant and former food truck. (‘We do a lot of film premieres. We did Jumanji,’ he said.)”
CELEBRATORY BEEF SHORT RIB RAGU
Rich, decadent, takes up an afternoon, and is worthy of the return of the dinner party.
INGREDIENTS
4 oz. pancetta or diced bacon
2-3 lbs. beef short ribs
½ cup flour
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
3 medium carrots, chopped into ½” pieces
3 celery ribs, chopped roughly
1 fennel bulb, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 tbsp. tomato paste
2 cups red wine
2 cups beef stock
2 bay leaves
A few sprigs of fresh thyme & rosemary
1 lb. small pasta, like egg noodles or bowties
WHAT TO DO
Preheat oven to 325. Salt & pepper short ribs, and dredge in flour, shaking off the excess.
In a big Dutch oven or oven-safe pot with a lid, heat 1 tbsp. oil and cook bacon until crispy. Remove from the pot and set on a plate, then sear short ribs until browned on all sides, then add them to the plate with the bacon to rest. Saute garlic until just fragrant, then add onion, carrots, celery, and fennel, cooking until soft, adding a dash of salt & pepper.
Add tomato paste and stir around until combined. Pour in wine, boiling for a minute or so to burn off some of the alcohol -- then add beef stock, stirring to combine. Add more salt & pepper to taste if needed, then herbs and bay leaves.
Cover, stick in the oven, and let cook for about 3 hours. Go find something else to do. When it’s done, the meat should be easily shreddable off the bone with a fork -- remove the bones and combine the shredded meat with the rest of the sauce. If it’s still a little loose/liquid, simmer on the stove top for another 20 minutes or so to thicken. Serve on egg noodles and perhaps a bit of baguette.