A slower way to think about pickles
Use what is in season and the recipe largely writes itself. A kitchen scale altered my baking more than any recipe did. I make a double batch and freeze half for busy weeks.
What changed
For a long time I treated stock as an afterthought. It took me twelve attempts to see the pattern. For a long time I treated flatbreads as an afterthought.
You can get surprisingly far with a mortar and pestle and some persistence. Modest, repeatable steps beat big plans nearly every time. I would rather do one thing carefully than five things quickly. A dutch oven helps, but it is not the point. Nothing here requires a sharp knife, though it does make things easier.
This got going as a quick note and gradually turned into something longer. I wrote most of this on a quiet Thursday morning. Serve it with good bread and whichever greens look best. It is not glamorous, but it holds up.
Where it started
Good braised beans is largely a series of modest, unglamorous decisions. I keep coming back to sourdough, largely because it rewards persistence. The result is not perfect, but it is truthful. Between preserving and shopping at the market, the second one taught me more. I keep a short list of things to try next; cooking for friends is near the top.
I like soups that shows the marks of how it was made. I like seasonal greens that shows the marks of how it was made. It is effortless to overthink preserving. It is harder to just start.
In practice
None of this is new, and that is partly why it works. The trick, if there is one, is to leave sufficient room for slip-ups. A sharp knife helps, but it is not the point.
Every autumn I revisit the same questions about weeknight dinners. Between shopping at the market and baking bread, the second one taught me more. It is effortless to overthink baking bread. It is harder to just start.
I keep a short list of things to try next; baking bread is near the top. The difference showed up gradually, then all at once. I like weeknight dinners that shows the marks of how it was made. Some of this will be obvious; some of it took me years. You can get surprisingly far with a sharp knife and some persistence.
Lessons
For a long time I treated stews as an afterthought. Nothing here requires a dutch oven, though it does make things easier. I altered my mind about roasted vegetables twice while writing this.
Below are a few jottings, roughly in the order I picked up them. Every winter I revisit the same questions about pastry. In February the light changes, and so does the work.