Hello again,

I love the spring. Maybe it's because I was born on the cusp of the season or some other existential reason that literally none of you came here to hear about. I don't know, I just love spring! But more importantly, in this issue we'll talk about how you should use recipes in pieces as well as whole, a springy twist on whiskey sours, why you should cure some egg yolks right now and a seasonally-appropriate cozy brothy dish. Now, back to spring. 

As previously mentioned, I'm isolating in Ithaca, New York, where (not previously mentioned) spring has fully sprung. There are tulips, daffodils and dandelions, bunnies and little blue unknown-to-me flowers everywhere. It's Spring: Fully Loaded, and it's charming as hell. It's been nearly 10 weeks since I left my Brooklyn apartment (and most of my aesthetic ceramic plates) and I've been trying, with varying degrees of success, to ride the wave of renewal and lightness that spring brings all the way into summer. 

I'm thinking forward to grilling over campfires, socially distant picnics and hiking snacks (of course my plans are all food-centric). I've had conversations about what it would mean to see a few friends safely. I don't have anything solid yet in this new normal but for the first time in 10 weeks, I'm starting to make plans and it feels like my life un-paused. It feels really good.

The best part about recipes with lots of parts is you can actually use as much or as little of it as you like. Think of it as multiple recipes in one and remember you're under no obligation to make all parts of any recipe. I'm certainly not going to come to your kitchen and force you! This recipe includes three things: 1) chicken cutlets with nutty, corn flake crust, 2) zhug, an herby Yemenite hot sauce, and 3) zhug ranch dressing. Here are a few of ways you might use these components:

• make zhug and drizzle it over grilled meat and vegetables
• use zhug ranch for a crudite platter
• bread shrimp, fish or avocado spears in the breading mixture and fry them
• make ranch without zhug and swirl in a handful of chopped fresh herbs

Make them coconutty I know my coconut-hating mom is already taking this personally, but I love coconut shrimp and chicken tenders. You can add a cup of shredded coconut flakes to the breading mix and proceed as directed. If you want tenders, scroll to the bottom of the recipe for instructions. You can use unsweetened coconut flakes for a more subtle flavor, but the sweetened ones will give you that intense coconutty feeling you're familiar with (just omit the sugar in the breading). Skip the zhug ranch and dip them in Thai chili sauce. I'm emotional just thinking about it.

Food processor vs. blender Food processors are made to primarily handle harder, dryer ingredients like vegetables, pastes, dough etc, while blenders are meant more for liquids. However, not everybody currently has both, and that's okay! If you only have a blender right now, keep in mind you may need to add a little extra oil or a couple splashes of water to coax things along. If you only have a food processor (my current situation), leave out half/all of the purely liquid ingredients (if possible) while you blend and stir them in once you're done processing the solid stuff. This is also good to keep in mind if you have both but don't necessarily want to wash both for a single cooking project. Assuming I'm not blending raw meat, I like to fill the bowl of either appliance halfway with water, turn it on for 30 seconds, and pour it out for quick rinses between back-to-back uses. 

Once you've cured some egg yolks, grate them over pizza, pasta, rice bowls, roasted vegetables and anywhere you'd like a little savory oomph. Kind of like Parmesan cheese, but definitely its own special thing. 

You will end up with leftover sour cherry syrup You can drizzle it over ice cream, mix it with seltzer water for homemade cherry soda, or of course you could always just make more drinks.

What about the cherry solids Eat them with yogurt and granola, puree them into a spread or use them as an accompaniment on a cheese and charcuterie board.

If you don't have (or care to use) any egg whites I've spoken at length about using aquafaba, chickpea can juice, in a previous newsletter. This would be a good time to use it, especially if you'd also like to make some easy hummus.

If you find yourself with extra egg yolks Obviously you can (and should!) cure them, per the recipe above. However, you can also stir them into pasta (duh Carbonara), rice and warm soups right before serving for a little added richness.

bonito flakes and kombu can be found online or in the Asian section of grocery stores. I keep them both on hand because they are the powerhouses behind Dashi, Japanese broth with a short cook time and lots of delicate flavor.

sushi ginger colors There are a lot of ways, most natural and a few less so (really just one - food coloring) that pickled sushi ginger gets its light pink color. Most jars are made pink through natural methods. Any sushi ginger will work in this recipe, though pink brands might give your dish a slight, inoffensive rosy hue. 

If someone forwarded this newsletter to you and you'd like to subscribe, click here | If you missed last week, here it is |I drank this floral, smoky Chilean white wine a few days ago and I recommend it| My current long term cooking goal is to get really good at making bagels (just sharing)| Every single equitably-sourced spice I have from here is phenomenal, especially the royal cinnamon

Until next week,