Play the hits

Plus what's good this month

Since I put To Taste on hiatus, I’ve heard from lots of you asking for a specific recipe that you’d come to love. (What a boost I got from every one of those emails and DMs!) Now that this letter is back, I thought why not put the most requested recipes here so you can have them forevs?

So I made a list of the most frequently requested recipes. They are: Orecchiette with burst cherry tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella; baked oatmeal; my “master” galette recipe; spiced pumpkin pie; Molly Ahuja’s panzanella, and my chocolate olive oil cake… If there’s another one you want, let me know and I’ll happily do it!

I’ll start with the orecchiette because it is a perfectly simple summer dinner, paired with a chilled rosé. Take an evening stroll for some gelato after, if you’re so inclined.

Orecchiette with Cherry Tomatoes and Burrata

1 tablespoon (or so) olive oil
1/2 white or sweet onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, smashed with a knife (no need to chop)
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1/2 pound orecchiette
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 round of burrata, divided

Optional for sauce: Aleppo pepper (or preferred red pepper flakes), pinch of sugar if the tomatoes are too acidic, pad of butter for creaminess

Steps
In a sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium-low and add diced onions, letting them slowly soften and become translucent. As they start to turn lightly brown, after about 7-8 minutes, add the smashed garlic, salt, and black pepper. (Turn the heat down if the onions begin to brown too quickly.) Stir and cook the onion and garlic mixture for 1 more minute. Toss in the cherry tomatoes and cover, letting it all soften and cook together for 10 minutes.

Boil salted water and cook pasta-of-choice for one minute less than the package says.

Uncover and check to see that some of the tomatoes have begun to burst and their juices are starting to create a sauce. Taste the sauce and add Aleppo pepper or sugar or butter (if using) and stir to combine. Cook, covered again, for another 10 minutes. At this point, the tomatoes should have largely burst open and there should be a nice amount of sauce in the pan. Scoop out the cooked garlic cloves and discard, turn the heat to the lowest mark and let it simmer uncovered until ready to toss in the pasta.

Place the burrata in a bowl and cut into the round of cheese. Allow the creamy center to spill out, then roughly tear the outer mozzarella into smaller pieces with your hands. They don’t need to be any particular size, nor do they need to be uniform.
Set aside.

When the pasta is nearly done, drain and add to the pan with the saucy tomatoes. Save about 1/4 cup of starchy pasta water to add to the sauce, stirring well to combine. Spoon pasta and sauce-y tomatoes into serving dish and top with half of the burrata. Mix to allow cheese to melt. Top with remaining burrata just before serving.

Torn leaves of fresh basil make a lovely topping, too.

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Other good things from the month of July

Wake up, drink

Catedral is an artesenal mezcal made in Oaxaca and founded by a father-daughter duo. Each of their six mezcals are made by six different mezcaleros, which points to the spirit’s wild variety based on terroir. Get yours asap.

On a recent trip to the fantastic Jolly Oyster “shuck shack” on the beach in Ventura, CA, I discovered Vervet’s canned Toyo sake & tonic… highly recommend, with or without oysters.

Hunger pangs

LA readers, the Flamingo Estate regenerative farm box (above) is an absolute treat. When I tell you I was like a kid on Christmas morning when it was delivered last week… it is a HUGE box. Mine was filled with beautiful avocados and oyster mushrooms and Japanese eggplant and the best melon and nectarines I’ve tasted in a long time, all sourced from local farms. It also had a lil’ carton of farm-fresh eggs, a bag of homemade vanilla pancake mix, a small boule of bread, and recipes for using up the bounty. I wish this was sponsored. It’s not, it’s just the goods. And yes, you do want to add their Pink Moon rosé to your order.

Also in LA, Market in Venice is great. And at only four or so months old, it’s surprisingly polished. Run, don’t walk to their cocktails, the simple and perfect tagliolini, and the perfect steak with a horseradish sauce so good they should bottle it.

Sign In

I’ve had a few conversations recently about services I thought everyone knew, but didn’t. And I’m not one to gate-keep, perhaps obviously…

First up is Tablet Hotels. I’ve been a Tablet Plus member for ages and it’s always the first place I search for a hotel because their curation is spot on. They add new properties often, they frequently have great deals for members, and the perks you get are legit. Highly recommend.

Second is Libby, the app that lets you borrow digital copies of books from your local library. The great many rom-com novels I read that I don’t need to own physical copies of? Libby. All you need is a digital library card (which you can obtain within the app) and you’re ready to start borrowing.

Add to cart

NYT Cooking editor Tanya Sichynsky posted a query on Instagram last week about fashion these days. She lamented that dresses (and I’d add tops) fit either a “milkmaid or Austin Powers” aesthetics with VERY little else on offer. It’s either countryside puffed sleeves with smocking or wild cut-outs and crop tops. As if clothing has hashtags. But her followers came through with some great brands to check out, here’s a smattering: Nully, Farm Rio, Wray, COS, Everlane, JCrew (which is back, thanks to its new creative director), Tanya Taylor, Ganni, Hillhouse (though, the nap dress is fairly milkmaid-esque), Rixo, Never Fully Dressed, Vince, Quince, Dia & Co, Likely, LoupNYC, Manners London, and Seraphine. Godspeed!

Work up a sweat

I’ve saved the best for last. With the crucial help of one of my oldest friends, I present the To Taste workout plan (below). Barry’s who? I won’t be quickening my pace for less than gelato and fresh mozzarella.

Note: If you can’t actually go to Italy, it’s fine to cosplay being there.

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Signing off to fetch my daily gelato.

xoxo,

Nicole