Welp very late sending this week but hey, better late than never! Here’s a little hump day newsletter for you!
Cooking
French Onion Meatloaf: One of my favourite recipes I discovered last year was Julia Turshen’s French Onion Meatloaf from Simply Julia (which unfortunately, I cannot find anywhere online to share a direct recipe link). I had hosted a book club last week and had a lot of cheese board leftovers, so I decided to riff on her recipe to use up those odds and ends. Her recipe has you carmelize onions and add in some balsamic and Worcestershire sauce, so instead, I used carmelized onion chutney I had picked up at M&S. Her recipe also has you use gruyere cheese, so instead I used the remaining brie and white cheddar from my board. Since I was just cooking for myself, I made a smaller version as well - rough measurements at the end of the newsletter!
Other things I cooked:
Sweet Potato, Kimchi and Cheese Pancake: a classic solo meal for me is grating starchy veggies to cook them quickly, and turning them into a “pancake” with eggs. Super fast to cook and so yummy. For this “pancake”, I grated one sweet potato and pan-fried that with some olive oil, salt and pepper, as well as some diced red onion. Once the potato was tender (takes about 7-10 minutes) and getting some colour, I added in some diced kimchi, and grated cheese, and then poured in 4 eggs that I had whisked (makes 2 servings). I let it cook on one side for about 5 minutes, then flip it to cook the other side. Flipping it isn’t easy, so I usually divided it into quarters with my spatula and flip each quarter, letting go of the dream of a perfectly round pancake. I usually eat this with some ketchup, or on its own. Makes for a great work lunch because you don’t have to heat it up (although you can!) - pretty delicious cold or room temp.
Ottolenghi’s Za’atar Chickpea Pasta: one of my fav pantry meals. I used kale instead of spinach and didn’t have fresh thyme so I just used dried Italian seasoning instead. I used a bouillon cube and water instead of chicken broth. I usually just use one can of chickpeas (depending on the size of your can), but keep the ratios of everything else the same for extra flavour. Oh, I also didn’t have parsley, and all was fine.
Alison Roman’s Salted Chocolate Chunk Shortbreads: these are one of my favourite cookies of all time. If your dough feels a little dry, that’s ok, let the heat of your hands help push the dough together when you form the logs. The dough is going to freeze after! I didn’t have Demera sugar so I just rolled them in regular sugar - still delish!
Tofu and Sushi Rice Bowls: I am going to work on recipe testing this because I think it will be one of my fav lunches. I am really into lunches that don’t require the microwave because I go to French classes Tuesday nights after work, and there is no way for me to heat up my food there. For these bowls, I did sushi rice, quick pickled carrots, pan-fried tofu (with a marinade of soy sauce, sambal, rice wine vinegar, and maple syrup), kewpie mayo, sriracha and furikake.
English breakfast: canned baked beans here are truly 10/10. I did Tesco brand baked beans, pork and leek sausages I got at Borough market, then pan-fried some sliced tomato in the leftover sausage fat in the pan. Fried egg plus some sourdough = *chef’s kiss*.
Watching
Do Better by NYTCooking - I enjoyed this little video showing the difference between wet and dry meat going into a pan for searing. Helpful tip!
Following
Food52 - I will be thinking about the Cookie Dough Rice Krispie Treats they posted every day until I make them. What a great idea!!
Listening
In My Sheets by John Vincent III
Using
My ceramic mugs. I brought my favourite mug over to London with me (by my favourite pottery artist Shayna Stevenson - Toronto), which I use for my morning coffee. My flat came furnished so there were plates, utensils, mugs and cups provided. But the mugs (/all of the kitchen stuff basically) make me a little … sad? Like I don’t get excited to have a cup of tea out of these mugs. Part of it is functional (too small), part of it is how it feels in my hand (too light, not a good handle), and most of it is aesthetics. I am a bit fan of buying one mug I really really like, vs trying to have a set of matching ones. This past weekend I picked up a new ceramic mug that’s the perfect size for my afternoon tea and it’s really bringing me a lot of joy.
Thinking
Honestly mostly about those rice krispie cookie dough squares. I actually gasped when I saw them in my IG feed haha. Look at them!!!
Laughing (/Crying?? This is so cute!)
Have a great week,
Kaleigh
Riff on JT’s French Onion Meatloaf
(*this has not been recipe tested, especially the cook time - pls use a meat thermometer to ensure it’s cooked to 165F):
1 egg
¼ cup panko
2 tbsp caramelized onion chutney (store-bought)
¼ tsp kosher salt
Few good grinds of pepper
1lb ground pork
½ cup of diced cheese (I used cheddar and brie)
1 tbsp dijon mustard (to glaze on top)
Preheat oven to 375F.
Mix together egg, panko, chutney, salt and pepper until well mixed. Add in the ground pork and mix until uniform (I find you have to kind of quickly stir to emulsify some of the fat to make a mixture that sticks well together).
Add in your cheese pieces and distribute them into the mixture.
On a lined cookie sheet or a casserole pan, shape into a “loaf” - mine was about 2 inches tall, 6” x 3”.
Bake for 30 mins, then glaze the dijon mustard on top and continue baking for another 20 mins. Check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer - it should be at least 165F. Continue cooking until it reaches temp.