Hey, everyone!
I appreciate all of the responses to my last newsletter about content you’d like to see this year.
I’m formally committing to writing this newsletter every two weeks in 2022. Announcing it here is my way of holding myself to it.
I have a lot of fun writing this newsletter and collecting all of the various things I’m thinking about and doing in the world of food and cooking. But more than anything, I really enjoy getting questions, comments, feedback, and the like.
So, as always, feel free to reach out!
Cheers,
Myles
What I’m Thinking About
Something I’ve been mulling on a lot lately is the idea that constraint breeds creativity. This is especially true in cooking.
In college, I lived with my vegetarian best friend for two years and would often cook vegetarian meals so that we could eat together. While this technically constrained me in that I could no longer structure a meal around meat, I found that it was a super fun and satisfying exercise that led to more experimentation and creativity.
I’m planning an extended road trip this year, and one of the things I’m most looking forward to is cooking meals with a barebones kitchen setup. While I love having my home kitchen and all of the various cookware and gadgets, they can sometimes be a crutch. When you only have a few things available to you, you’re forced to find a way.
Limitations of any sort— whether that’s in terms of equipment or certain types of food— should be viewed less as a restriction, and more as an opportunity to be creative.
What I’m Drinking
I decided to do dry January this year— I’ve done this almost every year for the past 5 years or so, and it’s always produced good results. My sleep is better, I have more energy, and my expensive natural wine habit is temporarily on pause.
The only thing I really miss is pouring up a glass of wine while I cook. But I have discovered a few alcohol-free substitutes that I’ve enjoyed.
Hop Water is a sparkling water that’s brewed with hops. It’s got a nice body and slight bitterness that makes it feel more like drinking a beer than a flavored sparkling water. But it doesn’t have any sugar or caffeine, which is great.
Surely is an alcohol-free wine brand started by my friend Justin. This is a great option when you’re in a social scenario and want to sip on some wine without any risk of a hangover.
Sparkling Botanicals are really delicious beverages crafted by the company behind Rishi Tea. They’re impeccably sourced, interesting flavor combinations, and they’re all sugar-free.
I haven’t tried them yet, but I’m curious to try Acid League’s wine proxies, as well. I’m a big fan of their vinegars, and their proxies— combinations of teas, ferments, and flavorings— seem really interesting.
Beef Tallow
It’s amazing how underrated beef tallow is. It’s one of the most versatile, nutritious, and tasty cooking oils out there, and yet I know very few people who use it regularly.
As more and more information continues to come out on the disastrous effects of industrial seed oils on human health, I think (and hope) we’ll see a resurgence of people using animals fats in their cooking.
While I love butter, ghee, and duck fat, tallow might be my favorite. If possible, I try to get suet, which is a specific type of tallow that comes from the fat around the kidneys. It’s considered the tastiest and most nutritious.
If you’re looking to buy online, I’d recommend White Oak Pastures, Epic Brand, and Fat Works. Even better if you can find a local rancher or butcher who will supply you.
Off-Cuts
I’ve also been cooking a lot more off-cuts lately — heart, liver, and tongue, in particular.
Organ meats are some of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet. They were staples in ancestral diets, but most people today don’t eat them nearly enough.
In an effort to get lots of organ meats in my diet, I supplement with Heart & Soil (which I highly recommend). But I also try to cook liver and heart at least once or twice a week.
If you’re new to incorporating organ meats into your diet, I highly recommend Force of Nature’s ancestral blends. They incorporate heart and liver into ground meat in order to give it a nutrient boost without really affecting flavor. I love using this for burgers or basic ground beef.
For heart, I recommend starting with chicken, duck, or lamb hearts. They really shine when they’re marinated (I use olive oil, red wine vinegar, soy sauce, hot sauce or sambal, and salt) and then briefly grilled until just medium-rare. I like to serve them with something crunchy and acidic— think sauerkraut, kimchi, or cucumber salad.
If you’re interesting in cooking more of these, feel free to shoot me and email for some extra pointers!
What I’m Watching
The Mind of a Chef is my favorite food and cooking show ever made. I’ve seen about 80% of the episodes, but recently I’ve been going back and watching the rest.
It’s creative, interesting, and occasionally very weird. And I always feel so inspired after watching it.
If you haven’t yet seen it, I highly recommend giving it a watch. The Danny Bowien season is free to watch online, while the rest can be found on Amazon. I particularly love Sean Brock’s season.
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