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RECIPE BREAKDOWN 🤯

Ropa vieja

Some say that ropa vieja, meaning “old clothes,” is about the appearance of the final dish: the shredded beef and softened vegetables resemble a pile of discarded clothes.

Others claim the name refers to the traditional method of using the meat twice, first to make a flavorful broth and then a second time, shredded, as a hand-me-down in the final dish.

• Modern recipes often combine these two steps, however: The meat is braised in with the vegetables, aromatics, and stewing liquid, which creates it’s own broth during the cooking time. Bolster the flavor with a mix of stock and dry wine for acidity.

A forgiving dish

This recipe can be made with any braising cut, like brisket or chuck roast, although flank steak is a common option. Flank steaks large grain structure creates large, visible shreds of meat. Feel free to use skirt or hanger for the same merit.

• While these steak cuts are more prone to drying out than their connective tissue rich counterparts, the stewed vegetables and tomato puree make for a thick sauce that keeps the lean meat fibers moist.

A balanced dish

Learn from Cuban cooking and balance a heavy, unctuous meat dish with acidity. The dish is commonly finished with jarred pimientos or olives for a briney kick. If those aren’t your thing, you can lighten the dish with a splash of vinegar.

• Braised ropa vieja is good enough to eat on its own, but it’s commonly served with a side of rice, plantains, or salad.

Add ropa vieja to your 2024 braising lineup — there’s a reason its one of the most famous dishes among global cuisines. Try out the framework:

FOOD FRAMEWORK 🍳

The noodle blueprint

What is it?

Think of this noodle blueprint as a protocol or a mental framework to create endless variations at home with anything in your fridge or pantry. Ethan covered this in an early video, but we’re resurfacing it since many of you might not be familiar with it.

Why should you implement it?

A common pain point for us home cooks is learning to break out of a rut of the same few meals. Learning a food framework allows you to rely on a familiar meal, but change the ingredients or flavor profile to keep things exciting.

How do I implement it?

The graphic says it all: keep some noodles on hand, use whatever protein and vegetables you have around, cook and sauce everything together, then garnish.

• If you just want to brush up on your technique, check out our stir-fry or blanch fundamentals.

• See the below for recipe recommendations.

Callouts

When should you use a cornstarch slurry?

• Starch slurries are a great way to control the texture of saucier dishes, like a teriyaki noodle situation.

• For a dryer, more seared, pad-see-ew style noodle texture, you don’t need to use a slurry and instead just cook off extra moisture in the pan.

Get smart with sauces…note the framework within a framework here:

• The 2:1:0.5 salty/sour/sweet sauce ratio is killer and comes up often in common stir-fries sauces.

• Even just batching one sauce to keep in the fridge (or buying one) sets you up for loads of different meals.

For example, start with our all-purpose noodle stir-fry sauce here:

Recipe recs 🥡

Noodle lineup

While the point of the framework above is to make stir-fry noodles with your own ingredients spontaneously, we put together a collection of noodle recipes if you first want to follow a few of our favorites:

FOOD TRENDS 🚀

Community shared agriculture (CSA)

Why are CSAs gaining popularity?

Here's the basic idea: a farmer offers a set number of "shares" to the public. Each share includes a recurring portion of the vegetable harvest, although other farm products may be part of the deal (like eggs, flowers, or bread). Community shareholders pick up their “share” of the harvest during the farming season.

Similar to holding shares at a public company, community members “share” the risk and rewards of farming production:

• On a bountiful week, you might get extra vegetables. On tougher weeks for the farm, the harvest might scale back.

Despite these potential inconsistencies, the CSA model has grown in popularity for both consumers and growers alike.

Advantages for farmers:

• Market and take care of sales during the off-season and before the long days in the field begin.

• Receive payment early in the season, which helps with the farm's cash flow

Advantages for consumers:

• Eat ultra-fresh, nutrient-dense produce and get exposed to new vegetables

• Develop a relationship with a farm and farmer who grows their food

If you’re an adventurous cook, CSA’s are an incredible opportunity to be inspired by fresh produce this summer. Most programs are accepting sign-ups now (and most sell out quickly).

READER Q&A 🧠

Hardening honey

Answer: Bees naturally produce honey that is 17-18% water content by weight, a particular moisture range where it remains viscous but also won’t spoil or ferment.

• Kept sealed, honey can last indefinitely thanks to its low moisture content and acidity. The classic example of its eternal shelf life is the three-thousand-year-old, perfectly edible honey found in sealed clay pots in an Egyptian tomb.

However, honey is hygroscopic, meaning it can absorb or lose moisture depending on its ambient environment. Left unsealed, honey starts losing moisture to the air and might begin to crystalize.

Raw honey (unlike filtered, supermarket honey) is more likely to crystalize because tiny impurities like bits of pollen create starting points for the crystalizing glucose structure.

• Crystallization doesn't mean the honey has gone bad; in fact, some people prefer the crystalized state because it signals the honey hasn’t been filtered or pasteurized

To recrystallize hardened honey, gently heat it before using. Add your honey container to a warm water bath or pulse in the microwave until liquefied. Optionally stir in a tiny amount of water to loosen it up and help prevent recrystallization.

WINNING READER SUBMISSION 🏆

Stroganoff success

This week’s dinner dinner is Randall T, who made beef stroganoff inspired by a previous newsletter edition. Looks great!

Reply with your best home-cooked food photos for a chance to win & be featured!

EXTRA HELPINGS 🍽️

A read: The platonic ideal chocolate chip cookie?

In a minute or less: What cheese gives macaroni the most flavor?

What we’re watching: Chicken wing meal prep

Food science: Fermentation 101

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