don't ask me why
cookoff returns, and the beans on toast holding me together
Hi, friends. This is a short newsletter because we are entering The Nightmare Zone for retail and warehouse workers (next week’s probably will be, too) and I’ve been busy enough that I haven’t felt too inclined to get creative in the kitchen. But there are still things to appreciate! Like the Cobs Bread coupons which showed up in my mailbox that led to us having seven beautiful scones of assorted flavours and a loaf of fresh sourdough. Or how on Sunday, we held the first cookoff in more than a year! We had a few in the summer of 2021 but just didn’t seem to get around to arranging any this past summer, and when we did the soup swap in October it was suggested we schedule one.
The agreed-upon date happened to be Amanda’s birthday, so she chose pears for the theme since they’re her favourite. We ended up with a good mix of savoury and sweet dishes, which is always nice: quickbread, pizza, crumble, stuffed or poached pears. And it’s just so wonderful to be having these again— cookoff’s always been a great opportunity to see each other. Because they’re always scheduled a month in advance, it usually feels like a more doable commitment than the vague “let’s get together soon!” we as adults are so often guilty of. Incidentally, we’ve started a discord for cookoffs (we used to use a FB group but facebook is essentially an abandoned mall now), so if you’ve attended in the past and want to keep up, message me or reply to this email for an invite!
The cookoff started in the late afternoon, so it was still early when we finished, and since it was Amanda’s birthday, we all took her out for a few drinks at La Fabrique St-George, a wine bar where they make their own wine using Okanagan grapes. The space is beautiful, with a fireplace and stone walls and heavy wooden tables that feel vaguely European, but it’s still casual and inexpensive: food is market-style like a lot of winery tasting rooms, and the bar is counter rather than table service. We had a wonderful time sharing a few snacks while we talked and laughed, marvelling at how early in the evening it was. There were enough of us that we were able to reasonably drink our way through half-litres of two whites and a red, and a full bottle of sparkling, each one uniquely delightful.
For the cookoff I made sourdough focaccia bread, which I’ve done before and loved, and added slices of red onion and d’anjou pear to the top before baking. These were lovely with the rosemary and it also looked great. I think I would add a little more olive oil during the rising process though to give it a crispier bottom crust. I have a cinnamon-pear balsamic vinegar I got as a gift and it’s really great, but so unique that I have few opportunities to use it— this was the perfect time. Lightly spiced and a little sweet, it was balanced with the flaked salt on top of the bread and the mild bite of the onion.
Otherwise, it’s been a busy week for me preparing for Black Friday/Cyber Monday (I really miss the days before this was A Thing for us Canadians), so I’ve been relying a lot on leftovers and my freezer. On Monday I stopped at the grocery store with the intention of buying a loaf of bread (knowing I wouldn’t have time to make one this week) and a rotisserie chicken to turn into meals for a few days, but the chickens were sold out. I guess a lot of other people who finished work earlier than I did had the same idea. I still got the bread, though, and pulled some potato leek soup out of the deep freeze to eat alongside a grilled cheese.
I made the vegan smoky squash mac & cheeze again over the weekend, and had lots of that left to feed me for lunches for a couple of days, too. I’m still up to my eyeballs in spaghetti squash so I’m sure I’ll be making this one a bunch more in weeks to come as I get increasingly desperate for ways to use it up. If you have interesting recipes that might work with this more unique squash varietal, send them my way! Or alternately, if you live nearby and would like a spaghetti squash, please come take one off my hands. I’m begging you.
I roasted some brussels sprouts and fingerling potatoes in miso butter, which is always delicious; super flavourful and satisfying with little effort. I use about a 2:1 ratio of melted butter to miso, then toss everything with salt (skip this if you have salted butter) and pepper, adding a little olive oil if it looks too thick, and some garlic granules for extra flavour. This didn’t feel like enough on its own and I was too braindead to bother with tofu, so I just heated some vegan nuggets in the last little bit of roasting time. Good enough.
Lastly, I made one of my fave pantry meals to make when there’s a loaf of fresh bread I want to use but not much in the fridge: a variation on this tuna and white bean bake. My notes are a few posts down in the ‘most helpful’ comments section of the recipe if you’re looking at the page. I use twice as much of the liquids and herbs called for in the recipe, add capers, and skip the chip topping since I’m eating it on toast. I also cook it at a higher temperature for less time so it doesn’t dry out. The lemon and rosemary are essential to keep this feeling interesting and balanced instead of like a terrifying ‘70s tuna casserole (no shade if you like that, but it’s not what I’m looking for here).
It’s a satisfying sort of tuna melt/beans on toast hybrid and if you have a can of beans and a can of oil-packed tuna, you can make a half-recipe to heartily feed two people in about 20 minutes. It’ll come together quickly on the stovetop and then you can add the cheese— I used a mix of gruyère and cheddar— and throw it in a 425°F oven for 10-12 minutes to brown the cheese and let the flavours come together. I promise, it’s great.
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Again, I haven’t had a lot of time, but this was a fun thing about one of the better pasta shapes, a thing I assume we all have strong opinions about (it’s normal). In talking about what makes this particular one so good, it gets into why we find certain shapes more appealing than others: they’re nice to look at, ensure good sauce coverage, or are simply fun to eat. My personal faves are mafalda corta and cavatappi, and my most hated are penne, farfalle, and lasagne for any purpose other than a lasagna. Feel free to let me know yours in the comments (so we can fight to the death if necessary).
Thanks for reading— if you enjoyed this newsletter, please smash that like button below, or share it with someone new! I like providing this to you for free, but it does still involve time and effort, so donations I can use towards cookbooks or future treats are much appreciated. Anyway, if you need me over the weekend, I’ll be watching Goncharov in my mind palace.
My favourite is orecchiette! I like saying it, I like eating it!
PENNE IS THE WORST. Mafalda, corto or otherwise, is the best for creamy sauces. Mmm.