What’s Cookin’ Good Lookin’?
Last week I cooked A LOT. Like when I say A LOT, I mean I cooked several dishes a day and not for my mere enjoyment. I’ve been recipe testing for a private client, which means many trips to the supermarket, lots of dirty dishes, and an insane amount of Post-it notes to myself all around the house (I have an addiction to Post-its as if in a past life I was a detective trying to connect the dots and solve a murder. It’s bad). Unfortunately, I can’t divulge what the exact recipes are, but I can show you what I cooked.
I do have a great recipe to share for Ginger Kumquat Marmalade. This recipe is super simple, tangy, sweet, and has bite. Kumquats for those who may not know are grape-sized citrus fruits that look like little oranges. They have edible skin that is sweet and flesh that is tart. They make an amazingly easy marmalade-y jam that goes well on bread and anything else you’d slather jam on. I love it with goat cheese or sharp cheddar.
Ginger Kumquat Marmalade/Jam
1 pound kumquats
2 tablespoons minced ginger (about a 2-inch piece)
Juice of 1 lemon
2 cups sugar
2 ¼ cups water
Cut kumquats into small slices and remove seeds (some say that seeds help with setting it, but I found my jam set without them). In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat cook kumquats, ginger, lemon, sugar, and water. Continuously stir making sure that the jam does not burn. Once the jam comes to a boil, lower the flame to medium and let it cook while occasionally stirring for about 25 minutes. The marmalade will be very thick, dark-colored, and will reduce a bit.
I like to check my jam by seeing if it will run off a clean spoon. If it’s still runny it needs more time to cook. If it’s coating the spoon and not really sliding off then you’re good to go. Put your jam in clean, sterilized glass jars and let it completely cool for several hours with no lid on. I like to leave mine out overnight and then store it in the fridge.
This weekend my copy of The Pandemic Post’s Food Issue arrived. A revised version of my newsletter was featured. The issue is soo good! Not because I’m in it, but because so many amazing writers and artists are featured. Lots of art, photography, recipes, and stories from all over. 100% of the proceeds of the zine will go to Soul Fire Farm, which is a Black-owned farm in Petersburg, New York that is helping fight food insecurity.
The last newsletter was all about the introduction to my latest project Eating A-Z in NYC. Some folks had some questions about the project so here are some very quick answers to some of those Qs.
Are you eating one country per letter?
Nope! I am eating ALL the countries of the world. There are A LOT of them. Over 200...although 195 are independent and others are dependent areas. (This is going to be an expensive endeavor!)
What if you can’t find a restaurant of a certain country?
I will still feature the country by recreating a dish from that country.
How long will this project take?
Not sure how long this will take, but I’m going to say over a year for sure.
Is this project just a ton of restaurant reviews?
I don’t necessarily see myself as a critic or a reviewer. I want this project to highlight cuisine from different places around the globe. Anyone can walk into a restaurant and say if the food and service are good. That’s what Yelp is for. I’m not going into this experience trying to discern if the food is good to me. If anything I just want to showcase what different flavors these cuisines have and generally describe what things taste like. I’m not here to yuck someone else’s yum.
On that note! I went for Afghani food last week and it was awesome. I’ll be sending that newsletter out soon. Here’s a little sneak peek.
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Cook. Eat. Repeat.
Natalie