The goal is for this email to be as valuable as possible for home cooks -- reply with any feedback, questions, or topics on your mind and we'll add them to upcoming editions.

As always, a grocery shopping list for the recipes is linked in Notion at the end of this email.

In This Week’s Edition:

Try Something New 🤯 — Gorditas (Masa Introduction)

Throwback Time 🍳 — Jollof Rice

The Leftover Shelf 🥡 — Jollof Stuffed Peppers

Extra Helpings 🤤 — Butter Boards, Wok-less Stir Frying, & More

Shopping List ✅ — Ingredients sorted into categories for easy shopping!

Try Something New 🤯

If working with dough and flour is time-consuming for you, then try masa instead.

Learning to use masa with Gorditas

Compared to most baking tasks, using masa is easy, forgiving, and fast.

All you need is masa harina (dried corn flour, and usually gluten-free, btw) and water. Or, you can even buy pre-made masa.

For gorditas, no tortilla press or special equipment is needed, and you can stuff them with almost anything.

Gordita Dough (makes about 5 gorditas)

• 1 packed cup (175 g) masa harina (like Maseca brand)

• 1 cup (240 g) water

Stuffing Suggestions

• Refried beans & cheese

• Shredded or diced meat (like tinga poblana or carnitas)

• Fresh fillings: avocado, cabbage slaw, plantains, cilantro & onion, and salsa​

Instructions

1. Prep: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Mix the masa harina and water. Roll a golf-ball sized dough sample and press it flat between your hands. The edges of the flattened dough should be smooth, not cracking. Add a bit more water until the dough passes the smush test. The masa should be moist but not sticky.

2. Shape: For each gordita, start with a 2” (5 cm) diameter ball of dough. Roll it into a uniform sphere and then flatten it with your palms into an even puck. It should be about 1/4-1/2” (10 mm) in thickness and resemble a small pancake.

3. Cook: On a cast iron pan over medium-high heat, cook all the gorditas for 3 minutes per side or until lightly charred on the exterior. To finish cooking, slide the gorditas into the oven (on the same pan is fine) for an additional 4 minutes.

4. Stuff & serve: While the gorditas are still warm, use the tip of a knife to cut around half the perimeter and open it up into a stuffable pocket, gently using your fingers to widen the interior, which should be cooked but still soft/chewy in the center. Stuff with your preferred ingredients and serve warm.

Extra Credit - Masa by Jorge Gaviria is an incredible book if you want to dive into the subject and learn more recipes. The author’s company, Masienda, provides quality products and cooking guides too (not sponsored).

Throwback Time 🍳

Jollof Rice, also known as Party Rice, is a recipe that everyone should know how to make.

This dish consists of rice cooked in a pepper and tomato-based sauce that results in a spicy and smoky flavor due to a unique blend of spices. It is subtly addictive.

Check out the video, or read the recipe here.

If you make this recipe, you’re going to wish you made a double batch. You can always make extra sauce (even freeze it) and then you’ll be ready to quickly simmer rice with it when you want more.

Party Rice is so flavorful it can almost stand as its own meal, but here’s an idea for how to use any extra:

The Leftover Shelf 🥡

Leftovers are back in style…if you know how to use them.

This week’s move:

Leftover Jollof Rice → Jollof Stuffed Peppers

A few bell peppers are all you need to stretch leftover jollof rice into another dinner.

Dish Components

• Whole bell peppers*, as many as you want or enough to use up any remaining rice

• Leftover jollof rice

• Optional extra fillers: leftover chicken, cooked ground meat, frozen peas, corn, or any other diced vegetable

• Optional toppings: grated cheese, chopped herbs

*Any pepper large enough to stuff would work. For some spice, try poblano or hatch peppers.

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 400F. Cut each pepper in half, lengthwise. Clean out the core and any seeds.

Mix the rice with any extra ingredients you choose to use. Tightly pack the rice mixture into each pepper half, and arrange onto a baking sheet. Top each with cheese, if using.

Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the peppers are lightly charred and softened. Garnish and serve.

Extra Helpings 🤤

🚀 Viral Eats

Food trends explained.

Q: What’s the appeal of a butter board?

A: Butter boards are aesthetic serving spreads that became viral in 2022 and threatened to steal the spotlight from their close cousin, the charcuterie board.

To create a butter board, simply spread softened butter in an artistic way onto a cutting board. Then add toppings such as sea salt, herbs, nuts, seeds, fruit, radishes, honey, jam, or even meats. Serve with toasted bread or crackers.

Butter boards work for a few reasons. 1) Without the barrier of buying and knowing about various kinds of cheese, they’re far more approachable and simple to create. 2) Butter’s spreadable qualities are fun, and making a board feels a bit like painting or sculpting. 3) Fat transports and enhances the flavors of anything it touches, as we always point out. Butter boards give full permission to experience all the pairings with lots of extra fat.

🧠 Reader Q&A

Q: Do I need to get a wok to make stir fries? — Pat T.

A: No, a wok is not necessary to make stir fries. A large, deep frying pan or skillet will work just as well. The key is to have a large surface area to cook the ingredients quickly over high heat.

Additionally, try cooking stir fries in batches or in stages by ingredient. This will let you get a sear on each ingredient without crowding the pan and overwhelming the heat source, which will result in steamed food instead of stir-fried.

If you have an electric range instead of gas, this is especially important as the wok can only get so hot from the limited contact on the bottom of the cooking vessel.

Restaurants have incredibly powerful gas burners that quickly sear food and impart a smoky “wok hei” flavor, which makes recreating that signature takeout flavor difficult at home. Cooking over the highest heat possible, in small batches, and/or using a blowtorch are the best ways to replicate the restaurant wok hei flavor in your kitchen.

🏆 Dinner Winner! Reader Photo Submission of the Week

This week’s dinner winner is Peter R, who made chicken kaarage. Looks amazing!

Reply with a picture of the best meal you made this week for a chance to be featured in a future email.

🍽 More Yummy Content

A Read: Taste: My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci (Autobiography)

In a Minute or Less: Go-To Healthy-ish Pasta​

What We’re Watching: Tootsie is Texas’ Oldest Pitmaster​

Food Science: Faux Feta Cheese?​

Upgrade Your Feeds: Connect with Ethan everywhere​

Ready to shop? 🛒

​✅ Shopping List 3/26