4 Comments
User's avatar
Lindsay Christians's avatar

OK confession I haven't finished reading yet but as soon as I saw Eric Wareheim's doofy face I had to run and grab my copy of this cookbook and remember what I've made. Andrea at Square in Madison paired this with her club wines for six months and I was mostly stuck at home.

As part of that I cooked: A pork tonkotsu sandwich, a fried fish sandwich, chicken parm, orange chicken, chicken schnitzel. There is SO. MUCH. FRYING in this book -- I literally bought a new pan-and-rack combo midway through.

I made the filet au poive and bought special green peppercorns off Amazon and then only used like 2 tablespoons and the rest sat in my fridge for months. I made the chicken tower with "herb overload" and LOVED IT. I made the ceviche and Patrick bought the wrong kind of fish and (trigger warning) I found a teeny worm in it so I got REAL NERVOUS but we did not die?

We made the negroni and corpse reviver no. 2, which so far as I can tell were both traditional and I liked them both because I like those cocktails. I made the garlicky lamb kebabs and opa salad and the tingle tagine. That was probably my other favorite, I am a sucker for a tagine. I made the quick pickles and the dill dip-sauce crudite thing and feel no real desire to return to them, though I thought the nonna sauce and garganelli with ragu were both pretty good.

OK. *takes breath* going back to the newsletter.

PS If I forget to say this I really want someone (it could be you!!) to professionally review the super-popular new Dylan Hollis cookbook. Everybody's interviewing him but no real "this is how good this book actually is" from a pro, that I can find yet? I find him entertaining and I like the concept, so I'm just curious to know.

Expand full comment
James Norton's avatar

Yeah, frying is prevalent - not that I noticed, because I am a big-time fry guy. Whenever my cooking club does a dinner with a fried element, I end up being the dude, at least in part because I have my own dedicated deep fryer I'm willing to drag around with me.

I too am a sucker for tagine. Whenever I make it, I'm happy, which reminds me that I need to make it more. Maybe there'll be a tagine cookbook in rotation sometime this winter, when this kind of food feeds both body and soul.

I would be pleased to tackle the new Dylan Hollis cookbook. Actually looks like a pretty good combo of vintage and new in a way that's a fun fit for the newsletter. I've got my next few books planned out but that makes sense for October.

Expand full comment
Nori's avatar

Oh man, WI corn in season… 🤤 Thanks also for Tucci’s martini method! You’ve made it for me and it was delicious, but I failed to note the process at the time.

Expand full comment
James Norton's avatar

It seems fussy, and then you're like, "oh, the fact that it's fussy is why it works." I am 100% about de-fussing recipes… but only until just before they don't work as well!

Expand full comment