Week 45: food voyages, the beauty of block print, toast season is here, and more.
plus, vote (in general) and on what you want to see next here
Welcome to this week’s edition of Five Favorites! A newsletter that’s big on small moments.
Recommendations are served weekly and vetted by a real person, not an algorithm. I appreciate your support!
October 2, 2024
How is it October? Personally, I’ve got a big month ahead — I’m due with my second baby next month. Nothing like growing a human (or raising one) to make you acutely aware of the passage of time. 😅
In many parts of the country the weather still feels more like summer than the crisp cool of fall. October tends to also be the loveliest time of the whole year in San Francisco, and my personal favorite time to travel to Europe (but, already did that this summer with what felt like the rest of social media.)
That hasn’t stopped me from leaning into the comforts and flavors of the season. I’m a big soup fan year-round, but of course soup (and toast!) season is upon us. Give me all the warming spices, the apples and pumpkins, and bowls of noodles.
With that coziness in mind, let’s jump into this week’s favorites.
reading
I continue to read and enjoy Tom Lake (mostly due to pregnancy insomnia, but hey) and am so excited to have Ina’s memoir, Be Ready When the Luck Happens in hand! As you can probably tell if you’ve been reading here for a bit, I have been a fan girl since I was a teenager discovering her interest in cooking.
As someone who owns every cookbook and has seen every episode of Barefoot Contessa (it was my pandemic comfort show,) it feels impossible to share just five of my favorite Ina recipes.
So, to celebrate the book’s release yesterday, here are my five favorite Ina recipes for fall:
Please enjoy these wonderful recipes…I’ll report back with how the book is!
The front page of the news is a heavy place to be these days. Which is why I extra appreciate the new series Food Voyages from NYT Magazine, which adds some joy and levity to my daily news reading.
This week’s piece on The search for the vanishing flavor of wok hei (gifted link) is a particular favorite. It details the writer’s return to Hong Kong with his mother in search of the “breath of the wok” flavor primarily found in open-air food stalls called dai pai dongs, which are rapidly disappearing.
It affirmed the value of food in our memories and sense of place, but also how street food, particularly in Asia, is often worth a journey all its own. It also reminded me of how much Bangkok’s street food scene has disappeared, and why it’s important to preserve food heritage — and to get out there and see and taste these impermanent things for yourself.
Both the writing and the interactive styling of the piece is just phenomenal. Enjoy!
cooking
Now that I’ve taken you on a few more food reading journeys, let’s continue with what I’m actually cooking at home this week.
First up, Stir-Fried Udon with Pork and Scallions. The effort-to-flavor ratio is great, especially if you are craving a bowl of noodles. Although the chewiness of the udon works well here, I’ve also made this with whatever noodles I have on hand (ramen noodles, for example.)
This well-loved Red Lentil Soup (gift link) remains one of my go-tos for an easy, healthy soup. It works better as a starter or even a side than as a main dish, IMHO.
coveting
I’ve always been a sucker for block printing, which has origins in East Asia. I became familiar with it the first time I saw artisans making fabrics in Rajasthan, India.
It’s become much wider spread since then, and you can find block print patterns on pillows in particular without much of a search. If you want to source block print fabric from India, Etsy is the next best thing to bringing home gifts from a trip to India.
I also discovered Les Indiennes, which has some of my favorite patterns in the Kalamkari style from India. There are lots of options to choose from in their online store (or in person, if you happen to be near Hudson, NY.)
Fear not, there are also great quality block print fabrics and products available even from a place like Amazon. (This is the blanket I’m looking at for my daughter’s nursery.)
toasting
Not (yet) toasting as in champagne, but rather the toast I’m eating. Here are some ideas if you’re a fellow toast lover this time of year (or any time.)
Cranberry Walnut Bread with salted butter or goat cheese
Ummm, excuse me - bread from Costco’s bakery has no business being this good! It’s only available seasonally, so hit up your local warehouse asap. There are also recipes online if that’s not on the table for you.
Fresh bread with melted White Stilton
I picked up a hunk of White Stilton with Apple and Pear in my annual fall quest to Trader Joe’s. The English cheese is smooth and mild, and doesn’t have the blue vein flavor so the fruits really shine through. It’s crumbly and best on a salad or melted, so I’ve been enjoying atop toast in the morning!
If you’re more in the mood for a savory toast (or if you, like me, find yourself with chard in your CSA box this week,) this a wonderful grilled bread/garlic-rubbed toast to enjoy with your greens for the day.
polling
Before I get to any polls related to this newsletter, I must remind you that this is the final week to register to vote in many states across the USA.
As a woman, a pregnant woman, and almost a mother to a daughter, there is one crystal clear choice to me in the upcoming presidential election. There’s so much at stake. Please register to vote now if you haven’t already.
Lastly, we’ve got a few options to consider together for upcoming editions of Five Favorites. I’m working to write ahead a bit so I can take a small maternity leave from writing once my baby arrives, so I appreciate your feedback.
And for my paid subscribers, another travel edition is upon us! Please vote for your preference here:
In other news, the Five Favorites Directory of all 250+ recommendations I’ve made in the past year is now live. Paid subscribers should all have access now. It’s a great time to upgrade your subscription, if not!
Until next week!
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