In typical February fashion, my cooking didn’t go as planned and there was hardly enough time for what did. Earlier this year I decided to work toward a more plant-based, vegan-ish diet, and Yogurt was left in the dust, due to its inherent nature as a dairy product.
I should have more to say, but I don’t. February has always felt like a transitory month. I’ve had a lot of headaches, real and logistical. I read a lot this month, and I cooked a lot this month, and I tried many new foods this month. That’s probably part of it: transition into a version of myself both more and less like who I was years ago. When I was 10, I could finish a book in a day, and I never dreamt of eating rice. I’m not sure what my motivation was. I was afraid of the possible texture, I think. Reading cookbooks has let me grow softer with my fears. When Samin Nosrat described tahdig in her recipe for Persian-ish rice, I thought it sounded like something I’d like, and if I didn’t at least no one would be the wiser. So I made it, and it was delicious, of course.
Finishing Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat helped me link my love of reading and my love of food in a way that other cookbooks really haven’t before. On an episode of Julia Turshen’s podcast, “Keep Calm and Cook On,” that featured Nosrat, the two discussed their backgrounds in poetry and literature and how that’s affected their approach to food. It was inspirational, and made sense; Turshen and Nosrat both write so lyrically. That’s what I want when I read about food. That’s what I’d like to work toward.
It’s not that that’s missing from Yogurt, obviously. It’s just that, this month, it was harder to limit myself to just one core ingredient when there were so many other tastes waiting for me.
Book: Yogurt, Molly Yeh (Short Stack Editions)
Recipes made: 5/20
Pistachio Rosewater Cake with Labneh Frosting: I loved this. I loved making it, and I loved eating it. I adore rosewater, and when I made a cake with rosewater at the center of its flavor profile, I adored that cake, so combining that flavor with pistachio — another thing I’d never tried before! — called out to me the moment I cracked open the book. I have a lot of slices of this in my freezer still. I’m hoarding it quite jealously. (Also, RIP that cake stand; my cat knocked it over two days ago while trying to get into a counter and it shattered into bits.)
Lazy B Mac & Cheese: I actually didn’t realize until just now that I only made this once this month, which really surprises me because it was so good. I’m not really a fan of traditional mac & cheese; I don’t like the texture of the macaroni, no matter how many times I try it. This version, with pearl couscous, was delicious.
Yogurt Pita: I am going to make these again and again, I can sense it. My girlfriend was very upset when I wouldn’t let her eat the entire batch, though I think she’s glad I didn’t every time we toast one of the frozen ones to have with dinner.
Cheddar, Za’atar & Kale Frittata: I love all three of the central ingredients in this frittata, but the frittata itself wasn’t my favorite. I’m still getting used to food that has onion front and center, and if I make this again, I’ll probably skip the yogurt topping; for me, it didn’t work well with the sweetness of the onion and scallions.
Yogurt Egg Cream: Your eyes do not deceive you: that is not a yogurt egg cream, it’s Samin Nosrat’s Persian-ish rice, specifically the failure I made of trying to flip it. The yogurt egg cream itself was wonderful, but I forgot to photograph it.