Setting the Table: Vol. 5
Over the snow, over the cold...looking for spring
Every Thursday, I’m setting the table for your weekend…a little collection of reads, recipes, fun things and whatever else caught my eye this week. It’s the moment before the chaos when you get to decide what kind of experience you want. NOT a to-do list…just some sweet-ass possibilities.
The city got buried in 20+ inches of snow this week. I’m done. SOOOOO over it…Millie is even over it; she didn’t even go sledding! We are O-V-E-R…over the cold, over risking our lives with every slip on the ice, over the grey slush that’s already piled up waist-high on every corner. I’m looking for the light wherever I can find it…in a seasonal old fashioned latte at Black Press, in Ella Quittner’s obsessive curiosity about cooking techniques, in a simmering pot of pozole verde that smells like everything will be okay.
This week’s table is about what’s keeping me going when winter refuses to quit: comfort food that actually comforts, the economics that make restaurant dreams feel impossible (I keep dreaming anyway), Purim cookies from my favorite pastry queen, and the reminder that spring is coming whether February likes it or not.
Pull up a chair.
THE GRAZING PLATE
(quick bites, short reads, things to nibble on)
The Math Doesn’t Work: Ham El-Waylly
How long did someone’s dream survive before the city swallowed it whole? The average is three to five years, and most never make their money back. The window for actual profit…3-5% on a genuinely good month…is so narrow that a single bad week of weather (or the last month of snowy weekends) can wipe out even the best of them (or oldest of them).
I feel this so personally…so deeply…so discouragingly. A recurring dream of mine is to one day own my own little Freckled Fork spot in NYC where people could come literally sit at my table. But the math doesn’t math quite yet (or ever!). So we pivot…we put those dreams on delay for the grim reality…we do the Substack, the podcast, the private chefing…we diversify and hustle in all the multi-hyphenate ways in the face of ever-increasing expenses JUST TO MAKE ENDS MEET.
(Here’s to the hustlers…those of us doing the private dinners, catering, all the extras, etc…Trying to build something sustainable on our own terms, even if it doesn’t look like what we dreamed.)
THE UTENSILS
(tools, recipes, the things that help you do the work)
Quick Chicken Pozole Verde
What’s saving me lately: a big pot of pozole verde on the stove, apartment smelling like tomatillos and cilantro, something I can make on the weekend and eat all week. Bright, warming, substantial…the kind of bowl that makes you feel taken care of even when you’re the one doing the cooking.
Here’s my sneaky, simple one…AND yes, there’s a version of this where you actually cook the chicken from scratch, you roast the tomatillos, etc…save that version for when you have some hours to devote…this weekend? I have none:) So yes, this is my no-recipe-dirty-dirty version:
Grab a rotisserie chicken and shred it (but first, pull that skin off and throw it in the air fryer to crisp up for toppings at the end). Toss the shredded chicken in a pot with a jar of Trader Joe’s salsa verde (or your salsa verde of choice), a can of green chile tomatillos, a diced jalapeño if you want more heat, some cumin, and salt. Mix it all together, then add 2-3 cups of chicken stock. Season to taste…to YOUR liking. Let it simmer so all the flavors get friendly, 15-20 minutes. Longer is better. Add more stock if you want it brothier. When you’re almost done, squeeze in 2-3 limes and stir.
To serve: spoon some hominy (drained from the can…or if you can’t find it, canned chickpeas work nicely here) into a bowl, ladle the broth over top, and finish with fresh cilantro, more lime, thinly sliced radishes, avocado chunks or slices, jalapeños, those crispy chicken skin bits, whatever you want. Shredded cabbage is also nice for a topping if you want to get a little crazy:)
THE VESSELS
(what holds us, what gives our chaos shape and space)
The Light by Jo Sexton
Words I need after getting buried in snow this week. Jo’s writing found me at the right moment and her words are the light I needed to help pull me from the cold.Ella Quittner’s: Obsessed with the Best
Her book launched this week, and I’m so excited! I’ve followed Ella on Instagram for years…her curiosity makes us all better cooks. She’s spent literal years trying different techniques for the same dish, documenting everything, being thorough in a way that’s obsessive but never precious. Her work reminds me why I love cooking in the first place…there’s always more to learn, always another way to see something you thought you knew, and there’s always rules to break.
THE GLASSWARE
(the bubbles, the refreshment, what quenches)
The Old Fashioned Latte at Black Press
I get it as a flat white. It’s the perfect amount of orange, a little molasses & ALL the goodness. Orange and espresso belong together…forever and ever…amen. This drink is getting me through the longest February in history.
THE NAPKIN
(for wiping away the week’s mess, the reset)
Has Somebody Checked on Delroy and Michael B?
My dear friend Dartinia’s poignant piece this week about the N-word being used and literally aired on TV for all to see (& hear) against Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo, despite being on a delay. Why didn’t they edit it out? Why did they let it stand? Raw and real, it’s always important to read the words of those whose lives are different than our own…with a different set of rules…protections… guardrails than others get to inherently have.
THE DESSERT PLATE
(the sweet stuff, pure joy, no justification needed)
Julie’s Hamantashen Cookies
My favorite pastry queen is selling Purim cookies – 8 cuties for $18 – order by phone, local NYC pickup only. Julie’s pastries are the real deal…flaky, buttery, made with her amazing hands that make you taste the difference. Nutella, DF Nutella (Kosher) & Apricot filling available. IYKYK…DM me for her number.Spring is coming…
You guys, I have some REALLY fun things in the works. Like SUPER fun. Equinox…winter giving way to the new life of spring…laughs shared over bowls of cereal…and more. Stay tuned…
How are you digging out of the snow this weekend?!
Much love,
Jess