Wait, Doesn't Everyone Name Their Kitchen Utensils?
Hi, have you met Christine?
Food For Thought.
There are things I miss when I leave my flat. Not just the way it feels when I come home or its comfort and familiarity; but my kitchen utensils. Not every one of them, because yes, I do play favourites. There's a close friends list, and most recently Christine, a recent eBay Le Creuset purchase, has cut in line to the front.
Christine is the girl two years above you at school who introduced you to the Arctic Monkey through homemade mixtape CDs, smoked rollies and was generally A Cool Girl but never made you feel like you weren't. Christine lived a big life. She dated multiple front men (and women) of bands but was never one of those out-of-control groupies. She was probably a music journalist for an indie mag (never mainstream media) and later in her life she hung up her dictaphone in favour of retreating to a wood cabin, no musicians in sight, to learn how to cook like Julia Childs. Now she's the kind of gal who tosses potatoes in chicken fat and wakes up early to prep a salsa v. Christine is who I've always dreamed of being. And yes, Christine is a used – but in great condition – classic volcanic orange Le Creuset 18.
Christine with the chicken fat potatoes. What a gal.
She's the most perfect size for cooking enough-for-lunch-the-next-day solo meals. You can boil a few potatoes in her for a side dish; use her to make the perfect little pasta bake; scrambled eggs for four? She's got you. Small batch of sauce for one? She's all over it. She's cute but not in an infantilised girly way. She's small but strong (Le Creuset DNA). She can hold her own, take a few scratches and can definitely handle the heat without getting burned. Christine, you're an inspiration to us all.
Other characters who feature heavily in my kitchen (and my internal kitchen dialogue): my Donabe pot, like your soft squishy aunt who gives the best hugs and always invites you in for a home cooked meal – usually rice – when you pop over for tea. My Lodge cast iron pan, whose more an old school, leathery Harley Davidson hard man who eats a lot of red meat but has a heart of gold. My Kamagata knife that's one of those friends who will always have your back in a fight, but you don't want to get on the wrong side of them because they cut deep. They've got a dry sense of humour (srsly, you want to keep Japanese knives dry because they rust when wet). My Heather Scott wooden spatula who is the earthy type – walks barefoot and generally causes Quite The Stir.
I could go on but it's already a little embarrassing to have revealed such detailed character notes for my kitchen utensils, so we'll leave it there. The moral of this story is that living alone makes you do crazy things, but also you have to have some MVPs in your kitchen line-up: your ride or dies who make cooking fun and simple. The ones you'd grab from a burning building (although we all know Christine would make it through the flames). They're the ones who'll come with you on holidays and would never get left behind during a move. Keep them close, look after them and they'll serve you well.
Here's to the kitchen players who help you win (or at least make you happy to have taken part) each time you cook,
Cat x
PS: a personal list of kitchen utensils I couldn't live without:
Tongs (for pasta tossing + saving the pasta water)
Cast iron (keep it well seasoned and you can do anything from fry eggs in it to roasting a chicken)
Dutch oven (big and small – for big batch sauces and side dishes)
Medium, high-sided enamel baking dish (= the ultimate lasagne receptacle)
Silicone spatula (to get every last drop out)
Donabe pot (the most traditional and effective way to cook fluffy, sticky white rice – or risottos)
A Very Good Knife (it just makes everything easier)
Recipe-not-recipes™️
If you know, you know I'm obsessed with jarred chickpeas, usually Navariccos for their soft creamy mouth-feel. Now there's a new chick in town and she goes under the name of Bold Bean Co, and she's cute and flirty and a lot of fun. I've used Bold Bean's chickpeas and butterbeans and they've got bite, as well as that soft creaminess.
I tossed 1/2 jar of chickpeas in a sad pasta sauce, chucked in some sliced cavalo nero and served it up with courgette-yoghurt (I'll explain).
In a small pot (obviously I used Christine) heat up a generous amount of olive oil then add chopped garlic (about two cloves), a pinch of chilli flakes and thinly sliced shallots (lengthways) on a medium heat. Make sure the garlic doesn't burn (lower the heat if it looks like it's catching, aka turning brown). Once the shallots are looking soft, add 4-5 anchovy fillets and let them melt into the oil. Next a handful of chopped cherry tomatoes until they go all saucy, then a medium squeeze of tomato paste. Stir and season with pepper (no need for salt, the anchovies do all of that for you). Toss in 1/2 jar of chickpeas (I didn't drain them, more spooned them out so some of the liquid came with for the ride). Pop the lid on few a few minutes then stir everything through.
In the middle of cooking the sauce, you could add thinly sliced courgette rounds to a hot cast iron shimmering with oil. Leave them to brown then flip them individually using tongs. Once both brown on both sides, add them to a large bowl of thick Greek yoghurt. Stir through and season with flaky salt and pepper, the zest of 1/2 lemon and plenty of chopped mint and chopped dill.
Serve up with bread so you mop up all that juicy, creamy goodness.
Since I Asked.
When I met Ally Maz at Do Lectures USA in 2016, I was not someone who did yoga. But I heard her story – of setting up Girlvana, a platform for self-identifying teenage girls, helping them move through life through yoga and meditation; of overcoming an eating disorder and making it her mission to help younger girls who have experienced the same feelings – and I felt called to the mat. That was the beginning of my relationship with yoga, and with my teacher. A stint in Vancouver then New York, Ally can now be found living her best and cutest life in LA where she lives with her husband Bill and their chocolate lab Butcher, teaching yoga for online platform Open and generally killing it in bomb outfits surrounded by jacaranda trees and West Coast sunshine. Not jealous at all.
You've been very open about your fractured relationship with food in your early twenties. How do you feel about it now?
Food used to feel like the enemy--like something I needed to control. Restricting or binging food felt like a way to punish myself. Now food feels like a way to honour myself. I eat for pleasure, for connection and to fuel my movement practices.
The meal that you (or Bill) makes that heals and soothes you when you're weepy?
I feel like this is no secret, I love Annie's Mac and Cheese. White Cheddar of course. It has always been my comfort meal because it's so easy to make and truly so satisfying. My husband is a fantastic chef and makes it for me with many fun additions. I call it fancy Annie's. He adds roasted cherry tomatoes, parmesan, prosciutto, sometimes roasted broccoli.
Surprise, you have magic powers and you can literally go to any restaurant (or place) IN THE WORLD. Where are you going, what are you eating and who's coming with you?
Last year I moved from NYC to LA and lately I have been craving all my New York favorites. There is an Italian restaurant in Williamsburg called Lilia and I would order the sheep's milk cheese filled agnolotti with saffron, dried tomato and honey. As for who is coming...can I invite everyone I haven't seen in the past year?
Talk to me about your fridge. What do you feed it and what's always there?
The staples: oat milk, kale, broccoli, spinach, eggs, fruit, brie, prosciutto, olives, kombucha, rose! And don't forget the freezer: frozen berries, and lots of chocolate!
Leftovers.
Another week, another Molly Baz appreciation post. Herby meatballs meet yoghurt and pickle rice? Yes pls.
Forever wanting to recreate the Gjusta brunch plate. Still trying.
It’s time to make your own caramelised onion dip.
An offish guide to tomato mayo toast from Dan Pelosi. It’s an art. Live it.
Obviously it’s sandwich season and this one is tempting me towards the veggie side.
Really into the hashtag #riceseasoningroutine and mine is always sesame seeds, soy sauce and Lao Gan Ma chilli crisp.
An essay on the link between anxiety and food waste from Healthyish.