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I recently ran across Rolling Stone‘s recent list of “The 101 Greatest Soundtracks of All Time.” Often with soundtrack recommendations, the quality of the film itself isn’t much of a consideration -- I get why, but I think it’s missing the importance of the vital bond between the music and the film. Is it possible to love a soundtrack from a crummy movie? Of course, but isn’t a fantastic soundtrack from a fantastic film even better?

One of my favorite weekend activities is to cook a great meal while listening to a great soundtrack and then watching that soundtrack’s great film. I don’t know about you, but this seems far superior to making a wonderful dinner and then watching The Bodyguard (let alone listening to the entire soundtrack). Yet, it’s on Rolling Stone’s list at 101! On the other hand, it’s hard to argue with their #1 pick, Prince’s Purple Rain.

I grew up watching films as a very young child. My first movie in the theater was Alien, believe it or not. (I dunno -- this may have had an impact on my not having children? 😅) My family was a very early adopter of Laserdisc(!) and the first movies I watched on home video were the French romantic comedy, Cousin Cousine, and Kurosawa’s Dodes’ka-den. For several years, we’d go to the Little Art Theater in Yellowsprings, Ohio at least once a week taking in everything from the latest releases by Pedro Almodovar to El Norte and Stop Making Sense while drinking peppermint tea in the dark. I was usually the only kid there, but I started my film education right! (I actually worked briefly in film, reading scripts and editing, but switched to ecommerce. I think I made the right decision...)

I have a soft spot for soundtracks as they combine two of my favorite hobbies -- music and movies. They transport you and play a critical role, punctuating important moments and scenes, context and layers, giving dynamic character and plot cues. They are, in essence, another character in the film, and done right, you’ll connect with the music in the movie in a way that is not just special, but enduring. And maybe, just maybe, soundtracks can help all of those film students who are apparently unable to sit through an entire film (not a joke). 🤯

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Here is a kkok-jib* list of 20 fun film soundtracks to cook to from movies that are actually worth watching (in alphabetical order):

1. Ascenseur pour l’echafaud (Elevator to the Gallows): This 1958 debut by Louis Malle is an early French New Wave crime thriller, but even more importantly, has one of the all-time great, improvised soundtracks by Miles Davis. Atmospheric and moody. Spotify

2. Atomic Blonde: Charlize Theron kicks butt and smashes heads to ‘80s hits from Berlin, David Bowie, and Siouxsie and the Banshees. Spotify

3. Baby Driver: A heist getaway driver with a love of music fights to flee a life of crime. Plus, Jon Hamm plays a bad guy! Very entertaining film with a killer soundtrack that includes everyone from Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and Barry White to Blur and Beck. Spotify

4. Broken Flowers: Bill Murray tracks down his former lovers in this bittersweet Jim Jarmusch comedy with an eclectic soundtrack that introduced many to the joys of Ethiopian jazz artist, Mulatu Astatke. Spotify

5. Chungking Express: Wong Kar Wai’s 1994 stylish masterpiece is a must-watch if you are a cinephile -- two parallel stories about connections loved and lost set in Hong Kong with the always amazing Tony Leung and Faye Wong. (If you don’t like the song, “California Dreamin’” by The Mamas and the Papas, though, you’ll need to skip this one.) Spotify

6. Diva: French art house thriller from Jean-Jacques Beineix mixing opera, film noir, and ‘80s gangster. It includes one of the absolute best arias, “Ebben? Ne andrò lontana (Well then? I’ll go far away)” from Alfredo Catalani‘s opera La Wally. Spotify

7. Garden State: You know this one. The one where Natalie Portman’s character hands Zach Braff’s character her headphones and says, “You gotta hear this one song — it’ll change your life; I swear.” “New Slang” by The Shins is just one of the many indie classics on this romantic comedy soundtrack. It even has “Lebanese Blonde”! Spotify

8. Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai: Jim Jarmusch’s crime film about an introspective warrior hitman played by Forest Whitaker has a memorable soundtrack from the Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA. My only complaint is several of the songs I liked in the movie aren’t on the soundtrack. Spotify

9. The Good Thief: Nick Nolte’s turn as a down and out art thief in Monaco and Nice is showcased in this Neil Jordan remake of the classic French heist film Bob le flambeur (1955) by Jean-Pierre Melville. The soundtrack has some real winners, including Khaled’s “Minuit” and Lou Reed’s “A Thousand Kisses Deep.” Spotify

10. Grease: Never mind that all the high school students in this film look about 30 years old and, admittedly, you will probably find the way some of the themes are handled problematic, but Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta still sing and dance up a storm in this sugary, over-the-top musical classic that really everyone should at least enjoy as a sing-a-long, if you’re so inclined. Spotify

11. Marie Antoinette: Sofia Coppola’s lush fever dream of a film made me want to get out my Tibi hoop skirt and run across my lawn with New Order blaring. The new wave, post-punk soundtrack has some real faves from The Cure, Gang of Four, The Radio Dept., The Strokes. Spotify

12. Men with Guns: One of my favorite John Sayles films is this moving political drama set in an unnamed Latin American country with a haunting soundtrack featuring cumbias, hip-hop, and marimba. I learned in researching this that Sayles has had trouble funding new films (his last one was 13 years ago) and turned to novel writing, so I’ll be checking that out. Spotify

13. Pretty in Pink: I adore this John Hughes movie even more than The Breakfast Club. Don’t talk to me about her dress or his hair at the end. Just enjoy this teenage ‘80s cult classic for what it is and the perfect soundtrack that goes with it, from the Psychedelic Furs to New Order, The Smiths, and OMD. On my old blog, my most popular post was about The Rave-Ups “Positively Lost Me” which isn’t on the soundtrack, but is on this playlist! Spotify

14. Pulp Fiction: I imagine you’ve seen this already, but Tarantino’s highly influential, pulp crime film and accompanying soundtrack really did blow minds when it first came out in 1994 and it’s worth rewatching even if just for the nonlinear narrative structure and smart use of music. I must have played Urge Overkill’s “Girl, You’ll be a Woman Soon” about a thousand times by now and I can’t hear surf music and not think of this movie. Spotify

15. Purple Rain: Still one of the best-selling albums of all-time, back in the day, I wore this cassette out! The film is flawed, but if you are a Prince fan, it is worth watching. It’s even on the U.S. National Film Registry. A moment in time. YouTube

16. The Royal Tenenbaums: I almost went with The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou as it has such lovely Seu Jorge songs, but ultimately, I think Wes Anderson’s snappy, frame perfect, The Royal Tenenbaums, starring Bill Murray, Anjelica Houston, Gene Hackman, and Gwyneth Paltrow, is a better movie and the soundtrack is just as good with The Velvet Underground and Nico paving the way. Spotify

17. Touch of Evil: If you haven’t seen an Orson Welles film, start with this classic film noir from 1958, often named one of the greatest films of all-time with a legendary jazz score from Henry Mancini. The opening sequence is a three-minute continuous tracking shot while the Main Title plays. It is studied in every film class. BTW, this is my favorite Henry Mancini song -- I used to always play it on the jukebox at the Lakeside Lounge in NYC’s East Village (RIP). Good times. Spotify

18. Trainspotting: This critically acclaimed film from Danny Boyle is a frenzied film about heroin addicts in Edinburgh with an equally frenzied soundtrack starring Iggy Pop, Underworld, Pulp, Elastica, Blondie. Spotify

19. Until the End of the World: Wim Wenders does it big in this epic, ‘round the world, sci-fi adventure thriller film starring William Hurt. and Solveig Dommartin. The songs for the soundtrack -- from a diverse array, including U2, Crime and the City Solution, Julee Cruise, Talking Heads, Neneh Cherry, R.E.M., and Depeche Mode -- were created just for the film (except for one song released as a different version). The artists were asked to write the songs as if they were making them a decade in the future when the movie was set which I think is pretty cool. Of course, that’s all in the past now (literally). Spotify

20. Zero Effect: A funny, quirky ‘90s detective movie starring Bill Pullman and Ben Stiller with a groovy soundtrack that includes Elvis Costello, Brendan Benson, The Greyboy Allstars, and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Spotify

It was so difficult to pare this list down to 20. I may need to do a part 2! I didn’t include recent mainstream choices like Guardians of the Galaxy, though that’s a fun one. I also didn’t include Xanadu on the formal list, as it really is a so bad it’s good situation, but please do yourself a favor and at least enjoy this clip of the big finale which includes mimes, dancers on roller skates, and Olivia Newton-John, Michael Beck, and yes, Gene Kelly, in all their ‘80s glory performing to ELO. I dare you not to grin at the utter campy ridiculousness. (I saw this film as a child and immediately got white roller skates with royal blue wheels!) And of course, let’s give a special shout-out to Dolly and Tim Curry with 9-to-5 and The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

PISSALADIÈRE

Since we’re still in the last throes of summer, and I’ve got several French films on the list, here’s a recipe for Pissaladière -- a simple “pizza” from the South of France that’s a treat to eat, easy to customize, and perfect for any movie night. The sweet and jammy onions play off the salty anchovies and olives so nicely. It’s what makes this dish work. You can make this with a yeasted dough which will take a few hours or for a quick version, use puff pastry. I include both options below. This is my own mash-up, inspired by recipes from Molly Katzen’s Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant, Melissa Clark’s Dinner in French, and Rebekah Peppler’s Le Sud.

Serves 6.

Ingredients

Crust

• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast

• 1 tablespoon honey

• 1 cup (240g) warm water (You can test with your finger or use a cooking thermometer to ensure the temp is between 105°F and 110°F or 41°C to 43°C.)

• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt (or use kosher and it will be a bit saltier)

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus an additional 2 tablespoons

• 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour, plus an additional 1 to 1 1/2 cups

Topping

• 3 pounds white onions (1.4kg), sliced thinly

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 12-18 anchovies packed in oil

• 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or grated

• 1/4 cup (60g) rosê or white wine

• few sprigs fresh thyme

• 1/2 teaspoon sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

• Pinch of black pepper

• 1/4 teaspoon piment d’espelette

• 1/2 cup (70g) Niçoise or other cured black olives

• 1/4 cup (25g) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard (or both!)

Directions

For Yeasted Dough Version

Step 1: Stir the yeast, honey, and water together in a large bowl and set aside for about 5 minutes to get foamy. Then mix in the salt and oil. With a wooden spoon, stir in 2 cups of flour until a sticky dough forms and then add the 1 to 1 1/2 cups additional flour just to form a soft dough. The dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl. (Start with 1 cup and add the additional 1/2 cup if needed.)

Step 2: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead with your hands for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.

Step 3: Wash out the large bowl and dry it. Oil the inside with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Place the dough in the bowl and turn a couple times to cover it with oil. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours (I use the Raisenne Dough Riser for this) or stick it in the fridge overnight.

Step 4: While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 425°F/220°C and get the topping done. (If you are doing the dough overnight, you can make the onions ahead and store in the fridge or just make the next day before you bake.)

Step 5: Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat in a large skillet. Mince a few anchovies and add to the olive oil (you honestly can just throw them in without mincing if you want as they will melt in quickly). Add the onions, garlic, and thyme. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring regularly. Add salt, nice pinch of black pepper, sugar, piment d’espelette. Cook a bit longer. When it begins to stick, add the wine and let it continue to cook. After 30 minutes or so, the onions will be nice and jammy and the liquid will all be cooked away. Set aside.

Step 6: Punch down the dough and knead it a little in the bowl. Use the last tablespoon of olive oil to oil a standard size baking sheet. Place the dough on the sheet and press and stretch the dough to cover the pan and use your fingers to make a little ridge all around the edge. Let rest for another 30 minutes.

Step 7: With a spoon, spread the Dijon mustard lightly on the bottom of the entire dough. Sprinkle the cheese on top as well. Spread the onion mixture evenly on top then place the anchovies and olives on top in a nice pattern. Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown. Great the next day too!

For Puff Pastry Version

Step 1: Preheat oven to 425°F/220°C.

Step 2: Roll out a thawed sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface into a 13-by-11-inch rectangle. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Step 3: Jump to Step 7 above for the topping and bake for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

What’s the SYP Cooks Score? I use my own KPI Kitchen Scorecard to rate every recipe I make. Want to score yours? Check it out here or download it in Excel or PDF.

A TIP FOR A ROYAL NEGRONI

To go with your pissaladière, I recommend trying A Royal Negroni from The Wes Anderson Cookbook which I bought earlier this year at the excellent museum shop at MASS MoCA in North Adams, MA, one of the country’s best modern art museums, near where I went to boarding school. Or, just drink a chilled glass of rosé and call it a day.

Bonus tip: If you want to pep up your movie popcorn, try sprinkling some Rancho Gordo Stardust Powder on top. It’s one of my favorite secret weapons and a great snack seasoning!

Kkok-jib (콕집): My picks for what’s worth zeroing in on

The SYP Cooks newsletter often includes a Kkok-jib section. In Korean, kkok-jib (꼭집) is slang, loosely meaning highly curated — to pinpoint or pick exactly what you want, like going straight for the best, most appealing bite without hesitation. Learn more in my first post, KPIs in the Kitchen.

N.B. I don’t use affiliate links unless specifically noted.

Life is too short for bad food.

I’m a fan of the wear the white shoes philosophy though, so I have to shrug it off and go all in on action. Before this summer is over, let’s make a pact to do something new, take a very deeeep breath, and live a little extra.

Here are a few kkok-jibs* (my picks worth zeroing in on) for you to consider:

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Slough it off.

Life is dirty and messy and over time, you will accumulate this...film on both your mind and on your skin that is quite difficult to get off on your own. One of the most foolproof ways I have found to both metaphorically and physically remove all of that detritus is a Korean scrub called seshin (세신). This is not your average scrub. Hoo boy, no. It is aggressive. It will likely be a bit painful. You lie on a slippery table in a wet room and a Korean scrub lady will go at you from every angle, even climbing onto your back to get rid of dirt on every little part of you. But in the end, not only will you be incredibly, incomparably baby soft, but any bad mojo will have magically disappeared!

Modern Korean spa culture revolves around jjimjilbang (찜질방) which in Korea are often enormous, multi-level, many-roomed public bathhouses open 24/7 (or nearly) -- they are around the clock wellness complexes complete with entertainment and meals. They have communal areas, but much of the experience is gender-segregated with every kind of sauna and steam room to plunges and massages and other spa services. It’s a totally nude situation, so get over any too shy shyness you have. It’s body positivity all the way!

My new favorite place to do this is The Spa Club in Manhattan’s Koreatown. The fourth floor of an office building has been converted to a no frills Korean spa with steam rooms, hot tubs, and a room for all that vigorous scrubbing. Compared to what you’ll get elsewhere, it’s small and much less over-the-top, but it is conveniently in midtown and does the trick. I might try Juvenex also in Manhattan which claims to be more “luxury.”

The granddaddies of Korean spas in the U.S. are in New Jersey, so if you’re near there, go to King or SoJo or Island. There are some good ones in Queens (and everywhere from Houston to LA too), like Spa Castle. If this all sounds like a bit too much, get a Korean loofah glove and DIY in a very hot shower at home. Make sure you really put a lot of elbow grease into it and don’t freak out when you see what comes off.

Make an effort.

Recently, I read an article in Esquire about “The Lost Art of the Long, Boozy Lunch” and I thought: I’ll show you! Lost art, my eye! I do have to admit I miss the early days of my career when people did in fact do this regularly, so I decided to bring it back at least temporarily.

I had a Friday off and I thought how best to celebrate this than to meet an industry friend in Manhattan for a multi-hour, multi-course, multi-martini lunch at Danny Meyer’s acclaimed Italian restaurant, Ci Siamo? The two of us went the extra mile to each commute 1.5 hours each way just to spend time together for a few hours. It was so fun and energizing. I highly recommend it. Pick someone in your network you like a bunch to be your partner in crime and splurge a bit. You won’t regret it.

(If you, like many I know, including my husband, are a teetotaler, just get a great drink sans alcohol! There are so many fun choices now.)

Surprise yourself.

I have this terrible habit of going far afield to do fun activities when literally I have amazing things to do right in my own backyard. I pick things to do based on what I’m really into, like you probably do too. So for me, that’s usually something related to art, film, music, dance, food, books, fashion, or culture.

I’ve started weaving in a new approach where I look at the map and do whatever is as close to me as possible, whether it is something that interests me or not. Yes, this means you might end up bowling, getting a tour of your local water treatment facility, or visiting the Museum in Spite of Everything which I actually used to live around the corner from. But it’s more about enjoying something outside your comfort zone than anything else.

Luckily, I’ve also got Current Cassis, T Space, and the Omega Institute all within a couple miles of me if I don’t want to play pickleball which I’ve so far avoided, though there’s a spot to do it down the street. Next up for me, a horse sanctuary!

Get in the kitchen.

When all else fails, enjoy that A/C and make easy and scrumptious Zucchini Feta Fritters!

ZUCCHINI FETA FRITTERS (Mücver)

These crispy-edged, savory zucchini pancakes are flecked with salty feta, scallion, and fresh dill and help make the most of summer courgette bounty. They are addictive at any temp, so great for dinner with a salad (or breakfast with an egg or stuffed into a pita for lunch), packed in a picnic basket, or even eaten cold, straight from the fridge! These are adapted from a recipe in one of my favorite cookbooks, Ripe Figs by Yasmin Khan which highlights recipes and stories from Turkey, Greece, and Cyprus.

Makes 12-16. Serves 4.

Ingredients

Fritters

• 1 lb, 5 oz (600g) 3-4 medium zucchini, grated

• 4 green onions, finely chopped

• 3 garlic cloves, grated

• Large handful of fresh dill, finely chopped

• 1 teaspoon ground coriander

• ½ teaspoon sweet paprika

• 4 eggs, lightly beaten

• Zest of 1 lemon

• ½ cup (65g) all-purpose flour

• ½ teaspoon baking powder

• ¾ cup (125g) feta cheese, crumbled (You can also sub in grated halloumi.)

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt to help get out the liquid from the zucchini, plus another 1/2 teaspoon for the fritter

• Black pepper

Sauce

• 1 cup (225g) of plain yogurt

• ½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper

• Kosher salt

• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

Step 1: Place the grated zucchini in a colander (with a plate underneath) and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and toss. Set aside for 30 minutes and then gently squeeze with your hands to remove any excess water.

Step 2: Put the zucchini and the rest of the ingredients except the feta in a large bowl and mix well until thoroughly combined. Add ½ teaspoon salt and a generous grind of black pepper before gently folding in the crumbled feta.

Step 3: In a large, nonstick frying pan, heat 3 tablespoons oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, spoon 1 heaped spoon of batter for each fritter into the pan. You should be able to get a few done in each batch. Lightly press them down with the back of the spoon or a spatula, flattening the fritters slightly, then cook for about 6 minutes, flipping halfway, until cooked through, crispy and golden on both sides.

Step 4: Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate or a wire rack while you cook the remaining pancakes. You’ll need to add more oil to the pan as you go.

Step 5: For the sauce, just mix all of the ingredients together, taste and reseason as necessary. Serve happily with the fritters.

What’s the SYP Cooks Score? I use my own KPI Kitchen Scorecard to rate every recipe I make. Want to score yours? Check it out here or download it in Excel or PDF.

Kkok-jib (콕집): My picks for what’s worth zeroing in on

The SYP Cooks newsletter often includes a Kkok-jib section. This particular post though is really an expanded kkok-jib section all at once! In Korean, kkok-jib (꼭집) is slang, loosely meaning highly curated — to pinpoint or pick exactly what you want, like going straight for the best, most appealing bite without hesitation. Learn more in my first post, KPIs in the Kitchen.

N.B. I don’t use affiliate links unless specifically noted.

Life is too short for bad food.

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There are three main kinds of miso -- white (shiro), yellow (shinshu), red (aka) -- all made from fermented soybeans. White is the mildest, yellow the middle kid, and red is the most fermented, so the punchiest tasting. There’s also a mixed miso (awase) which combines white and red. Different kinds of miso have varying flavor profiles, especially when fermented with another ingredient like rice or barley or even other kinds of beans. Some are sweeter, some are tangier, some are saltier.

I like white miso in particular for replacing cheese in dishes, because it gives a similar nutty savoriness without overpowering. I’m fond of the traditional miso from Yamasan Kyoto Uji which is gluten-free and made in Kyoto. You can get it on their site, Amazon, and other spots. They make a number of varieties that are all available in an easy to use, squeezable pouch, so you don’t have to buy a giant amount. Very handy too if you want to try a few different kinds without a large commitment. Other great miso recommendations are here.

Here’s a pic of my latest, well-used tube of white miso!

The key to using miso is thinking of it not as an Asian ingredient or an ingredient used just in, say, Japanese cooking, but rather as an ingredient based on how it tastes and what notes it can bring to a dish. This will open up a whole new world!

Many years ago, I was out of Parmigiano-Reggiano, replaced it with white miso, and never looked back. It makes a delicious pesto (see below) and is vegan to boot. Other quick flavor boosters I like to make with miso include miso butter and miso caramel. Anyway, excited to share this recipe with you. I hope it will encourage you to experiment on your own!

MISO BASIL PESTO

Miso is a fantastic, economical substitute for Parmigiano-Reggiano in this twist on a classic pesto. It gives all the umami without the dairy.

Makes 3-4 cups.

Ingredients

• 134 grams fresh basil -- 4 cups tightly packed, 6 cups loosely packed

• 1 cup hazelnuts, toasted (You can use pine nuts or walnuts if you prefer.)

• 4 tablespoons white miso

• 1 cup olive oil

• 4 garlic cloves, whole and peeled

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt (optional) (Miso is salty, but depending on which one you use, you may still need to add salt. Make sure to taste first and adjust.)

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

• 1/4 teaspoon piment d’Espelette (Sub in a pinch or two of cayenne.)

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions

Step 1: In a food processor, briefly blitz the nuts and garlic first so they are like rubble. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend into a pesto. Taste and reseason as necessary. At this point, you can store in the fridge where it will keep for several days or freeze. I usually use some and then freeze the rest.

If using right away, toss with cooked pasta or if you want to be a little fancier, caramelize onions in a pan, add sliced zucchini, and cook down. Then add some miso pesto and cooked pasta to the pan and toss. Serve with more pesto and olive oil drizzle. Enjoy!

N.B. I don’t use affiliate links unless specifically noted.

What’s the SYP Cooks Score? I use my own KPI Kitchen Scorecard to rate every recipe I make. Want to score yours? Check it out here or download it in Excel or PDF.

Life is too short for bad food.

Silly me, I actually used to dislike cold soups! Salmorejo changed all that. This silky chilled Spanish soup is gazpacho’s minimalist cousin. It’s quiet luxury in a bowl, relying on premium ingredients, precise technique, and sophisticated simplicity. When the weather turns hot and the local heirloom tomatoes are in abundance, I know it’s time.

We can’t live on soup alone, so this week, I’ve also got teed up a Tomato Galette, Grilled Elote (Mexican Street Corn) Salad, Classic Turkish Meatballs with Skordalia, and Blueberry Muffin Cake.

My salmorejo is inspired by the version at Despaña, one of my favorite spots in NYC. It’s a casual grocer/tapas café and even has a wine store next door. They have a great site as well -- you can have specialty Spanish food goodies shipped to you direct! They always have a large spread of delicious tapas and pintxos -- from marinated white anchovy toast and octopus crisps to croquetas and tortilla española -- as well as bocadillos (Spanish sandwiches), homemade soup and dessert, and always sangria. It is the perfect place to grab a snack when you need a break from shopping in the Soho/Noho/Nolita area.

FROM THIS WEEK’S MENU

Salmorejo

While you could make salmorejo with regular grocery tomatoes, this velvety soup has so few ingredients, you’ll get optimal results with the best tomatoes and olive oil you can find. I’ve tried different versions, including one that blends the hard-boiled egg in with the soup. It makes the soup richer with a bit more body, but it also makes it smell like eggs which honestly I don’t recommend. 🙂 So I quite prefer this plain version.

You’ll want to serve this fully chilled (lukewarm salmorejo is a no-go), so leave enough time to make it and fridge it several hours before serving or make it the day before.

This is not Despaña’s recipe, but it tastes darn close.

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients

• 6-8 of the best summer tomatoes you can find, medium size

• 1 medium baguette with all of the insides removed (You’ll be using the soft insides, not the crust.)

• ¾ - 1 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil, Spanish, ideally

• 1 clove of garlic (Do not add more than one clove as it will overwhelm the soup – not kidding about this and I’m someone who always adds extra!)

• 1/2 teaspoon of Aged Sherry Vinegar (Vinagre de Jerez)

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 2 hard boiled eggs, chopped

Directions

Step 1: First, scald the tomatoes. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cut a small cross in the bottom of each tomato. When the water is boiling, add the tomatoes for about 1 minute. Remove immediately and place in an ice water bath (a bowl filled with ice and cold water). The tomato skin will come right off like magic!

Step 2: Core the tomatoes (you can just cut them out) and blend the tomatoes in a blender for about 30-60 seconds.

Step 3: Add 1-2 cups of the insides of the bread (don’t use any of the crust) to the blender and let soak for a few minutes in the tomato mixture. The more bread you add, the thicker the soup will be, but you’ll need at least 1 cup, most likely 2.

Step 4: Add sherry vinegar, salt, and clove of garlic. Blend until everything is well incorporated and broken down. While the blender is running at low or moderate speed, slowly add the olive oil via the hole in the blender lid. The finished soup should be silky.

Step 5: Taste and adjust levels of salt and vinegar. (And remember that foods served cold often need a tad more salt.)

Step 6: Chill in a container for at least 3-4 hours, preferably overnight. Serve with diced hardboiled egg as a garnish. Other fun garnishes: crisped Serrano ham, minced herbs, roasted, slivered almonds.

Enjoy!!

EDIT: I’ve updated this on 8/5/26 with more specificity for the salt and vinegar. :)

I’ll be sharing my weekly menu regularly, so you can get a sneak peek into what I’m making. If you’d like to see photos and summaries of what I cook and how I make them on a more daily basis, now with SYP Cooks Scores included, check out @sypcooks on Instagram.

Life is too short for bad food.

Ouch.

He was right though. I was consuming all the oxygen. No one else could get a word in edgewise. Just to be clear, this isn’t about whether you know the answer or not. It’s about when to be the one who says it.

I’ve thought back to this moment many times. As a result, one of my most effective strategies has been to admit when I know nothing. It turns out this is a great way for people to give you even more work that you literally have no idea how to do. 😄 I do want to point out this approach really only works if you are smart to begin with. (Since you are reading this Substack, you’re good!)

In the last 25+ years, even though my expertise is in e-commerce, product management, and digital marketing, I’ve been asked to lead many projects and departments in areas I honestly had zero prior experience in -- from direct response television, predictive modeling, and call centers to technical documentation, SaaS marketplace integrations, and cloud environment management.

There is a common theme here, though it isn’t immediately obvious. I’m often brought in as a fixer. Different industries, different problems, different teams. I’m also a growth-oriented person and improving performance is one of my talents. I can make many things a whole lot better pretty quickly.

But, it starts with understanding the problem we’re solving, what the strategy is, context, audiences, data, and how things work. And it has been really so freeing to be able to stand in front of group after group of my peers over the years and say essentially: “Hi, I’m here to help. Who can tell me how this actually works. I don’t know anything about it!” And then take steps to guide the solution from there. Try it. I guarantee you will feel 10 pounds lighter!

It took me a while to figure that out and it started with understanding what my own value proposition and differentiation is, and what really drives me. Once you have this clarity, you can be confident and skilled enough to set it aside and realize that there’s knowing, and then there’s leading. That it never was about me anyway, what I knew or didn’t know.

Leadership isn’t about always being the smartest -- it’s about making the entire room smarter.

Now, let me tell you what’s really smart! A light, savory, back pocket pancake you really can make in 10 minutes. Even with cooking, you don’t need to know everything; you just need a few reliable dishes in your arsenal -- simple ingredients, clever result. Builds your confidence too!

AVOCADO CHILLA

This speedy dish is so flexible -- you can have it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even just as a snack. Thanks to one of my favorite secret weapons, chickpea flour, these cook fast and are thin and crispy, like a crepe-like Indian socca. This one’s adapted from Anita Jaisinghani’s Masala cookbook which I think is very underrated. If you’re ever in Houston, stop by her restaurant, Pondicheri.

Makes 6 pancakes.

Ingredients

Crepes

• 1 cup (100g) chickpea flour

• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, lightly crushed or ¾ teaspoon ground coriander

• ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric

• ¼ teaspoon garam masala

• 1 teaspoon black pepper

• ½ teaspoon sea salt (a little more if using kosher)

• ¾ cup whole milk (soy or oat works too)

• 2 large eggs

• ¼ cup olive oil, plus more for cooking

• 2-3 scallions or shallot, chopped finely

Topping

• 2 avocados, thinly sliced (after peeling and pitting, obviously)

• Fresh dill, minced

• French feta, crumbled

• Chaat masala (See Kkok-jib below.)

• Honey

• Indian Mango Pickle sauce (I like Mother’s.)

Directions

Step 1: Mix all of the dry chilla ingredients together -- the chickpea flour, spices, salt and pepper -- then whisk in milk, eggs, and oil until the batter is smooth. The consistency should be a bit thinner than pancake batter, so you might need to add a tablespoon or two of water.

Step 2: Heat a small, nonstick skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil on medium heat. Ladle a ¼ cup of batter into the skillet and spread it out with the back of the spoon, then add in the green onion or shallot. Cook for a minute or two and flip when golden brown and cook just for another couple minutes. Transfer the chilla to a plate and repeat until all the batter is used.

Step 3: Serve with your choice of topping — I like sliced avocado, fresh dill, crumbles of French feta, sprinkle of chaat masala, and drizzle of my own Indian hot honey — just a mix of just the saucy part of Indian mango pickle with honey.

What’s the SYP Cooks Score? I use my own KPI Kitchen Scorecard to rate every recipe I make. Want to score yours? Check it out here or download it in Excel or PDF.

TODAY’S KKOK-JIB
Kkok-jib (콕집): My picks for what’s worth zeroing in on

• Chaat Masala is a finishing spice blend that is tangy and savory from a mix that includes amchoor, dried green mango powder, and kala namak, sulfurous black salt. I like the chaat masala at Diaspora and Pinch Spice Market. It is great on everything from fresh fruit to roasted potatoes!

• A few films to enjoy that are about knowing nothing:

  • Songs from the Second Floor: Swedish absurdist vignettes. The first film in a trilogy by Roy Andersson, but I liked this first one the best.

  • The Man Without a Past: Finnish comedy about a man with amnesia. I am a Aki Kaurismäki and this is a good one to start with if you’re unfamiliar with his work.

  • A Night of Knowing Nothing: Indian docufiction — won the Golden Eye award for Best Documentary Film at Cannes a few years ago.

• Even Socrates agrees, “I know that I know nothing.” Read more about The Socrates Paradox.
  

N.B. I don’t use affiliate links unless specifically noted.

The SYP Cooks newsletter often includes a Kkok-jib section. In Korean, kkok-jib (꼭집) is slang, loosely meaning highly curated — to pinpoint or pick exactly what you want, like going straight for the best, most appealing bite without hesitation. Learn more in my first post, KPIs in the Kitchen.

Life is too short for bad food.

Thanks for reading SYP Cooks!

A favorite memory of mine from my second trip to Paris is having Ossau-Iraty, a nutty raw sheep’s milk cheese from the French Pyrénées, with an incredible blackberry jam. It blew my mind; it was so good. I was inspired by that dish to make my own jam that would go perfectly with cheese.

I’m delighted to be able to share my simple template for turning summer’s best fruit into a homemade jam that is much more complex and robust than what you can get at any grocery.

Here’s the formula: Fruit + Wine + Spice (+ Herb)

The fruit, of course, is the base component. It’s important to select wine, spices (and herbs, if using) that really complement the individual fruit and don’t overwhelm.

The wine gives depth and acidity.

The spice gives warmth and tingly notes.

And sometimes I do like a little fresh herb depending on what I’m using the jam for.

(If you don’t drink alcohol, you can use high quality fruit vinegar as a replacement, but just use a couple tablespoons to start, not at all the same amount as what you’d use for wine.)

Here are a few of my favorite combinations:

• Strawberry Rosé Black Pepper (See recipe below!)

• Blueberry Cabernet Cardamom

• Blackberry Pinot Noir Star Anise

• Apricot-Peach Riesling Ginger

Herb-wise, I’ve had a lot of luck using fresh basil with strawberry and tarragon with peach, but get creative. If using a soft herb, mince and stir a little in when the jam is still warm. Add a sturdier herb, like rosemary, while it’s still cooking.

If using a whole spice like star anise or cinnamon stick, just remember to remove it before jarring.

Think of this as a framework you can use to really play around and upgrade your summer jam game!

Remember, jam’s not just for PBJs or toast. Pair your favorite jam with a good cheese, use in a simple tart, swirl in a cake or yogurt, spoon on top of ice cream. There are so many applications. In the summer, I make big salads that mix fresh fruit, raw and cooked vegetables, and beans, and those deserve a bright, fruity vinaigrette with a dollop of jam whisked in. A little jam is also great mixed into a sauce for chicken. You can balance the sweet with something spicy like harissa.

Here, I used strawberry rosé black pepper jam (see recipe below) as an extra flavor base for my Summer Strawberry Shortcake, along with fresh macerated strawberries and whipped cream. For the shortcake, I am fond of Bon Appetit’s recipe which results in biscuits that are super light and tender. It has a fun twist -- you blitz in two hard boiled egg yolks into the dough which adds both richness and lightness and a little fine cornmeal gives extra texture.

STRAWBERRY ROSÉ BLACK PEPPER JAM

Ingredients

• 2 pounds (900g) of strawberries, washed, hulled, in chunks or you can leave whole if they are small

• 1 ½ to 2 cups (300-400g) white sugar (Sugar helps thicken the jam, so you can make a low sugar one, but you might need pectin to stabilize. You can also try grated apple which has a lot of pectin naturally.)

• ½ to ¾ cup (120-180ml) of your favorite rosé

• Splash of water

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

• Splash of vanilla extract

• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper (A fun alternative to black pepper here is crushed pink peppercorns but they are strong, so start with a smaller amount.)

• If adding a couple stalks of rhubarb, you can up the sugar to two cups. This depends also on how sweet your berries are.

Directions

Step 1: Mix fruit, sugar, and lemon juice together in a large pot. Let sit for a few minutes.

Step 2: Add wine, water, and black pepper. I usually don’t measure this, but start with ¼ teaspoon and see how it tastes later on. The spice will become more noticeable once it has cooled. Bring to a gentle boil and lower heat to medium low for about 30 minutes, stirring regularly. Make sure to taste as you go.

Because I start with more liquid than other jam recipes (some don’t have any), I cook mine for longer than what you might see elsewhere. Keep cooking down in 5-minute increments until it’s the right texture even if it’s past the half hour mark.

Step 3: You’ll be able to tell that the jam is thickening up nicely by this time. The jam should coat the back of the spoon and it will set more as it cools. I judge whether the jam is done by eye and feel, but if you want to be precise, the jam should be fully set at a temperature of 220°F (104.4°C).

You can also use the spoon test: Just place a spoon in the freezer before you start cooking. Drop a bit of hot jam onto the cold spoon -- it shouldn’t run when you poke it with your finger.

Step 4: Let cool and spoon into clean jars. The jam will keep in the fridge for a couple weeks. If you prefer (or if you are making a double or triple batch), can this jam and it will keep for months.

Tip: You can throw the leftover strawberry tops in water or sangria!

TODAY’S KKOK-JIB
Kkok-jib (콕집): My picks for what’s worth zeroing in on

• My favorite thermometer which you can use to check temp on everything from jam to steak: Thermapen

• Weck jars -- the cutest jars to store your jam in. If the clamps drive you nuts, try Le Parfait jars made in France with very good screw-on lids.

• And let’s ring in summer with a classic from Stevie Wonder, “Master Blaster (Jammin’)”! (See what I did there?)

N.B. I don’t use affiliate links unless specifically noted.

The SYP Cooks newsletter often includes a Kkok-jib section. In Korean, kkok-jib (꼭집) is slang, loosely meaning highly curated — to pinpoint or pick exactly what you want, like going straight for the best, most appealing bite without hesitation. Learn more in my first post, KPIs in the Kitchen.

Life is too short for bad food.

Back when I first started working, you actually had a phone like this one at your desk! And I had one all the way up until I started being fully remote back in 2013.

(This photo was AI-generated, so not real, but you can buy a similar “vintage” phone on Etsy! )

One of the smartest things I did early on in my career was to take every call. Sure, many calls I got were from salespeople for solutions I might not need, but my theory was I was building my network, learning who was who in my industry. How best to do that than to talk to as many people as I could? And who knows more people than people in sales?

Building a network is like growing your 401k. It is about time, consistency, and contributions. And the network effect will compound. You ideally need to start early. It’s never too late, though you can’t expect to grow as effective a network starting at age 40, as one you started at age 20. Just like it would be tough to build your entire retirement nest egg from zero at age 40 too. That said, if you haven’t been investing in your network, start today.

Building your network may seem antiquated in an age of social media and remote work, but it is actually more critical than ever. In a world of redundancies, AI, and other uncertainties, you’re going to need every advantage, and I do not mean your fantastic ability to keyword stuff your résumé.

Every professional job I’ve ever gotten came through my network. That’s 9 jobs over 25+ years. Even jobs I was offered and turned down all happened through connections. That didn’t happen by accident. Investing in yourself includes investing in your network. It is a critical asset no one can take from you whether you get laid off, fired, quit, or retire. To wit (in order):

• Wynton Marsalis Enterprises/Jazz at Lincoln Center (Vassar)

• Sensible Solutions Book Marketing (Vassar)

• Charles Hobson Film Productions (Vassar)

• A&E Television Networks (Industry Org: Webgrrls RIP)

• Musician’s Friend and Guitar Center (Recruiter from My Network)

• PennySaver and Harte-Hanks (Friend and Recruiter from My Network)

• SYP Consulting (Friend)

• Oracle (Random Facebook Post and Friends)

• Lakeshore Learning (Friend)

I did not get these jobs by submitting my résumé into the void of job boards. I got them because someone trusted me, respected my work, knew what I was good at, and referred me. And that is the power of an effective personal network.

I’m part of an early wave of people who started doing e-commerce in (gulp) 1998. I began doing online marketing even earlier, when “the information superhighway” was a term people actually used and AOL came in the mail on a CD. 😄 An advantage in those days is that we did things in person and people got to know you fast. And that is something I recommend when building your network. Yep -- eventually, you’re probably going to have to leave your home and meet some strangers.

But first, here’s a starter list of easy ideas to get you rolling, even if you’re an old pro at this -- because networks wither and die when not maintained:

• Go to your LinkedIn profile and ask your network for recommendations. These will live forever on your page and people do read them, including recruiters, in-house HR teams, and hiring managers. This will also remind people you still exist. When you send your thank-yous to the people who wrote you a rec, turn that into something tangible (even if it’s just a touch base call). If you’re not keen to do this, try writing an engaging post and pinning it to your LinkedIn profile.

• Analyze your current network health. If you asked your network for help, who would respond? Who have you helped recently in a meaningful way? Let this guide you in thinking about how you want to cultivate professional friendships, support others in their growth, and what that means to you.

• Reach out to two friends in your industry who live near you and invite them for a coffee. One should ideally be someone you have not talked with in over a year.

• Reach out to two friends in your industry who don’t live near you and invite them for a video call to catch up. Again, one should ideally be someone you have not talked with in over a year.

• In the next 90 days, help at least two people in your network with something -- even something small. Pay it forward by asking two other people in your network for help. Networks only work well when the giving and getting flow both ways.

• Actually attend an industry dinner or event (don’t roll your eyes at me!).

• Feel free to send me an invite on LinkedIn if we’re not already connected.

Remember, it’s not about the network count or tit for tat reciprocation. This is just a fantastic opportunity to get to know and support smart, interesting people and have them get to know you, and that’s something worth investing in. Perhaps instead of thinking about it as building your network, just think of it as making friends, ones that may indeed last a lifetime.

Huge thank you to my own network without which I would be nada! ❤️

BLUEBERRY LEMON ALMOND CAKE

If you were to ask me for help in something critical, like picking an easy-to-make cake that everyone would love and makes the most of summer berries, this would be it. I am thrilled to be able to share it with you! I always put waaay more blueberries than I should, so the cake JUST holds together. And I add extra lemon juice in the icing for extra pow. This cake has a wonderful texture from the 3 eggs and almond meal/AP mix (and no other riser). It’s a bit like clafoutis in cake form. Adapted from the recipe in Ottolenghi Simple.

Serves 6-8.

Ingredients

• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons (150g) unsalted butter at room temperature

• 1 cup (190g) granulated white sugar

• 3 lemons: zest to get 3 teaspoons, then juice to get 3 tablespoons

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 3 large eggs, beaten

• ⅔ cup (90g) all-purpose flour

• ⅛ teaspoon salt

• ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons (110g) almond meal (You can substitute with almond flour by weighing it out at 110g or using 1 cup.)

• 1 ½ cup, heaped (225g) blueberries

• ⅔ cup (80g) confectioners’ sugar

Directions

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Grease a 9-inch loaf pan and line the base (and sides too if you like) with parchment paper. I usually do a sling for this, meaning the sides of the paper are left longer to make it easier to remove the cake later.

Step 2: In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, lemon zest, 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice, and vanilla together on high speed for 3-4 minutes until light. Add the eggs little by little, while beating on medium speed. Don’t worry if the mixture separates. Add the flour, salt, and almond meal in three additions. Then fold in the majority of the blueberries (you’ll be using the rest on top), scrape into the prepared loaf pan, and smooth the top.

Step 3: Bake for 15 minutes, then sprinkle the remaining blueberries over the top of the cake. Return to the oven for another 15 minutes. The top will get golden, but of course, won’t be cooked yet. Cover loosely with foil and bake for another 25-30 minutes until fully done. Test by inserting a cake tester or knife in the middle — it should come clean if ready. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan and placing on a wire rack.

Step 4: Make the icing by whisking the remaining 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and zest with the confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Taste and adjust to your liking both for taste and consistency. I like it super punchy. Pour over the cake and let drip down. Keeps well, so would be great for the upcoming holiday weekend. Regardless, slice and enjoy with fervor.

What’s the SYP Cooks Score? I use my own KPI Kitchen Scorecard to rate every recipe I make. Want to score yours? Check it out here or download it in Excel or PDF.

TODAY’S KKOK-JIB
Kkok-jib (콕집): My picks for what’s worth zeroing in on

In the spirit of networking, here’s a recommendation from one of my favorite people, Marie, who is a former executive at eBay and Intuit, though perhaps better known as “my other husband” (my actual husband knows her and loves her!). We were OG members together of The Councils founded by Phyl Terry (which I highly recommend).

She has made such delicious dishes over the years, but I thought you’d like this Sourdough Bread guide which she swears by if you want to start down the rabbit hole of sourdough breadbaking (talk about an investment). Give it a try and if you are seriously thinking of becoming one of those people who gives their sourdough starter to a neighbor to take care of when on vacation, don’t forget to invest in a good dutch oven (if you don’t have one already) like one from Lodge or Le Creuset.

N.B. I don’t use affiliate links unless specifically noted.

The SYP Cooks newsletter often includes a Kkok-jib section. In Korean, kkok-jib (꼭집) is slang, loosely meaning highly curated — to pinpoint or pick exactly what you want, like going straight for the best, most appealing bite without hesitation. Learn more in my first post, KPIs in the Kitchen.

Life is too short for bad food.

These are the shoes I was wearing.

Here are some white shoes I have and love. (Admittedly, mostly from Tibi. Scroll down to this issue’s Kkok-jib for a few more Tibi-related recommendations.)

And a few examples of me wearing white shoes -- as you can see, they are very versatile!

There are many times when we stop ourselves from making our lives just a little bit more interesting or fulfilling -- and they are completely innocuous actions. I’m not talking about major acts. I’m talking about cooking a new recipe, cutting your hair (OK... that one can be more monumental), starting that hobby you’ve been wanting to try, wearing white shoes.

I’ve always been a wear-the-white-shoes kind of person. Sometimes, this can lead to more significant leaps. And, as much as I am quite prone to thinking things through from every which way, I do have my moments of impulsiveness.

When I was studying Hindi in the Himalayas at the Landour Language School, a few of my classmates decided to get their noses pierced. I thought I was just providing moral support. We went into a dark shack with a tiny mirror. A few old men were sitting on a dirt floor. One of them asked if I wanted to have my nose pierced, and if so, which side (he recommended the left, since we were up north). I looked closely at my reflection and nodded. He pointed to an enormous bottle of Jack Daniels and waved me over. He started sharpening a very long, very thin piece of metal. He dipped the needle tip deep into the whiskey, stood in front of me, gripped my nose, and I closed my eyes. I said, “I’m ready.” I waited. And waited. Someone tapped me on the shoulder. He had pierced my nose already and I never felt a thing. 😄

For me, the recipe equivalent of not wearing white shoes was making pasta from scratch. It felt like a lot of work, messy, time-consuming. I can obviously buy excellent quality fresh pasta pre-made. But, like many things in life, it is less about the outcome, and more about enjoying the process and the journey — the actual doing.

What turned the tide for me was that a chef acquaintance who worked at a restaurant in NYC asked me to test a few recipes and one of them required making homemade pasta. I bought a pasta attachment for my stand mixer, found a ravioli cutter, and got to work. I can’t share his recipe, obviously, but here’s the final version.

Homemade Pea Feta Miso Ravioli with Chardonnay Cream Sauce, Shaved Beet and Carrot Salad, and Hazelnut Pistachio Dukkah

(I added the dukkah. ☺️)

I froze half of the pasta dough from this dish and made my own ravioli from it many months later. See no-recipe recipe below.

What are your wear the white shoe moments?

HOMEMADE RICOTTA RAVIOLI WITH CHERRY TOMATO SAUCE AND BOTTARGA

Homemade pasta has a tenderness that beats both dried and fresh pasta you buy from the grocery. I used the pasta dough recipe from Serious Eats and it made A LOT. Know that you can freeze as much of the dough as you like and use it quite a few months later. While it will take a couple hours to make (less once you get the hang of it), it will return to you in spades. This is an adaptation of Marcella Hazan’s famous tomato sauce and a simple ravioli filling. I did not measure anything for this dish, but I’ll walk you through it.

Serves 4.

Ingredients

• Homemade pasta dough (I made the recipe from Serious Eats.)

Ravioli Filling

• Lemon zest

• Good quality ricotta, strained

• Soft goat cheese

• Parmigiano-Reggiano

• Nutmeg, grated

• Fine sea salt and black pepper

Sauce

• Sliced garlic

• Onion, cut in half

• Unsalted butter

• Bay leaf

• Crushed red pepper flakes

• Thyme

• Anchovy paste

• Good quality canned cherry tomatoes

• Olive oil

• Shaved Sardinian bottarga (salted, cured fish roe) which you can get at good quality cheese stores or online

Directions

Step 1: Make the pasta dough.

Step 2: For the filling, mix together lemon zest, ricotta, goat cheese, Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated nutmeg, black pepper, and fine sea salt. Taste and reseason, add more of this or that until it has the flavor you want.

Step 3: I used a ravioli cutter which makes this so easy. Just cut and fill, seal, and set aside. You are like your own little factory line. I laid mine out on baking sheets.

Step 4: For the sauce, sauté sliced garlic and an onion cut in half in unsalted butter with bay leaf, sea salt, bit of crushed red pepper, thyme, a little squeeze of anchovy paste, and good quality canned cherry tomatoes. Cook for an hour.

Step 5: Once the sauce is in the right state, the filled raviolis are done in just a few minutes since they are fresh. So they should be the last thing you do. Drain them, toss in the sauce, and plate!

Step 6: Garnish with more lemon zest and Parmesan, drizzle of olive oil, and then shaved Sardinian bottarga. Obviously, don’t use the bottarga if you want to make this vegetarian.

This is such a simple dish, really, but it does take time, love, and care. If you try it, make sure to enjoy the effort it takes.

And yes, get out there and wear those white shoes!

What’s the SYP Cooks Score? I use my own KPI Kitchen Scorecard to rate every recipe I make. Want to score yours? Check it out here or download it in Excel or PDF.

TODAY’S KKOK-JIB
Kkok-jib (콕집): My picks for what’s worth zeroing in on

• A shout-out to the aforementioned Cookbook Social hosted by of The Cookbookery Collective and of The Upstate Table. This was such a great event highlighting cookbook authors and cookbooks, run by a culinary studio near me. As I improve my cooking photography, I will be excited to do workshops here!

• If you are a Tibi fan (and there are many), check out , , and of Well Spent Style. Tibi fans are really good about selling NWT and excellent condition clothing and shoes via Tibi Fans and Future Reference (login required). Tibi has regular sales too.

• For other fashion inspiration from a stylist living her best life in Paris, visit ‘s In Moda Veritas. I even got included in one of her posts about glasses!

• Need more pasta inspiration? I recommend PASTA by Missy Robbins for a more technical take (definitely visit her restaurants if you’re in NYC -- Misi and Lilia) and Simple Pasta by Odette Williams for great pasta dishes you can make anytime.

• The ravioli cutter I use is this one from Norpro.

N.B. I don’t use affiliate links unless specifically noted.

The SYP Cooks newsletter often includes a Kkok-jib section. In Korean, kkok-jib (꼭집) is slang, loosely meaning highly curated — to pinpoint or pick exactly what you want, like going straight for the best, most appealing bite without hesitation. Learn more in my first post, KPIs in the Kitchen.

Life is too short for bad food.

Thanks for reading SYP Cooks!

First up, Stardust Powder. Here’s my well-used jar. (I just noticed the lid isn’t the right one — I must have mixed it up with something else! 😆)

I put Stardust Powder in so much. Tonight, it went into seafood burgers. Last week, it was a dip. Before that, a sauce. I have a problem. 😁

Rancho Gordo, of course, is best known for amazing dried beans, but they also sell a very curated list of non-bean goodies, including ones they make themselves. This powder is a mix of dried chiles, crystallized lime, lime oil, brown sugar, sea salt, Mexican oregano. On their website, they recommend it for rimming glasses for drinks, as a dipping treat for fresh fruit (I go for mangoes!), and as a flavoring for fresh-popped popcorn. All good uses. However, I think while it definitely is delicious as a finishing seasoning, I have had just as good success using it in dishes.

Stardust Powder uses New Mexican chiles which have excellent depth, but not a ton of heat. The lime gives it tang. It’s great in everything from soups and stews, marinades and batter seasoning (say, for fried fish), to dips, dressings, salsas, and sauces, and, of course, beans. I always add some to refried beans — it really helps as a flavor booster.

Here’s a dish I made for a quick meal that uses Stardust Powder as a main seasoning for taco filling and also highlights upcoming Secret Weapons: miso, chipotle, and tahini!

Cheesy Garlic Shrimp and Black Bean Crispy Tacos with Sesame Miso Tortillas, Chipotle Crema, and Creamy Tahini Miso Lime Slaw

This is a fantastic weeknight meal that doesn’t really need a recipe. I hope you take some inspiration from it and make your own version! This goes fast if you are good at multitasking in the kitchen. It will obviously take a bit longer if you do each component in order. It usually takes me about a half hour, including prep.

Ingredients

Tacos

• Your favorite corn tortillas (These are super delicious Sesame Miso ones from Raquelitas Tortillas available for shipping anywhere in the country.)

• Shrimp, 1/2 pound, peeled and chopped

• Can of black beans, drained

• Few cloves of garlic, sliced or minced

• Mexican oregano

• Kosher salt and black pepper

• Lime juice

• Few splashes of Vinho Verde (a light, young Portuguese wine — I used a white one here)

• Grated cheddar or jack cheese

Slaw

• Quarter of green cabbage, sliced thinly

• Couple carrots, grated

• Fresh cilantro, chopped

• White miso paste

• Tahini

• Mayonnaise

• Plain yogurt

• White wine vinegar

• Olive oil

Crema

• Sour cream

• Chipotles in adobo sauce

• Lime zest

Directions

Step 1: Sauté garlic and onion with Stardust Powder, add black beans, Mexican oregano and salt and pepper, lime juice and bit of vinho verde. Then add in chopped shrimp. I had a last bit of cream cheese leftover from something else, so threw that in too for a bit of lusciousness.

Step 2: Lay tortillas flat in a nonstick pan with a little oil. Top with grated cheese and let melt. Add some of the shrimp and bean filling in each one, and fold over until melty and crispy, browned on both sides.

Step 3: While the tacos are going, make a quick dressing for the slaw of tahini and mayo and yogurt, lime juice and olive oil, miso paste and white wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Could add a pinch of sugar. Just kept tasting and adjusting. Toss with cabbage and carrot and cilantro. So fresh and delicious. Played off the sesame miso tortillas nicely!

Step 4: For the crema, mix together a small amount of sauce from a can of chipotles in adobo, sour cream, and a little lime zest, sprinkle of Stardust. Great as a dipping sauce or spooned into each taco.

What’s the SYP Cooks Score? I use my own KPI Kitchen Scorecard to rate every recipe I make. Want to score yours? Check it out here or download it in Excel or PDF.

Life is too short for bad food.

Thanks for reading SYP Cooks!

I use AI, of course. It makes my presentations look better. It analyzes thousands of rows of data in seconds. It speeds up everything from coding to the creation of assets, epics, and stories manyfold. It has countless incredible applications. (In an increasingly AI-powered world, it will be critical for discoverability as well.) But it needs smart direction and engagement from someone who knows what they’re doing, otherwise garbage in, garbage out. It gets things wrong. It misses details. It hallucinates! And when bad information gets released into the world without a watchful human eye, bad decisions don’t just get made -- that bad data now gets scraped, distributed, sourced, remixed, compounded.

Don’t believe me? Anthropic (the AI company that built Claude) released an article today cautioning that in the not too distant future, AI will be able to build its own better version. This would make human oversight and guidance even more important, the smarter AI gets. “Taken far enough, and given enough compute, that trend points to an AI system capable of fully autonomously designing and developing its own successor. This is called recursive self-improvement. We are not there yet, and recursive self-improvement is not inevitable. But it could come sooner than most institutions are prepared for.”

In Terry Gilliam‘s brilliant, dystopian, absurdist film, Brazil, about the perils and pitfalls of authoritarianism and bureaucracy, a literal computer bug accidentally results in a misprinted name (a fly lands on a piece of paper and gets squished in a teleprinter). This identity mixup sets in motion a series of events that can’t be undone, leading to devastating consequences. No one catches it or fixes it. And...the fly wins. (This film, by the way, has my favorite Robert DeNiro performance. Don’t miss it!)

The counterpoint to the fly isn’t better software. It’s better judgment. Nowhere is that clearer than in the kitchen.

Cooking is uniquely personal. It is the only art that uses all five of our senses -- taste, touch, sight, sound, and smell -- and it is built on a foundation of action that doesn’t respond well to poor initial inputs: sourcing great ingredients, developing sound technique, instincts honed over time. Good in, good out. And then there’s iteration — the constant, joyful effort to make something better. You taste, you adjust, you try again. That’s not something you can farm out to an agent. That’s something you have to learn for real and that thoughtfulness takes practice.

If I were graduating today, I’d figure out how to use AI to its fullest advantage — the prompts, the tools, the workflows, all the vibe coding. But I’d invest equally in the skills that can’t be automated: Reading the room. Understanding your audience. Emotional intelligence. Leading with empathy. Integrity. Common sense. Critical thinking. Creativity. Nuance. The ability to know when something is off before hitting send.

The people prompting the prompt need to be trusted to do it well. That takes judgment, judgment takes experience, and experience takes time and a willingness to optimize — in the boardroom and in the kitchen. And if it turns out that is literally AI itself, then all of those soft skills will become even more important. Recursive self-improvement notwithstanding.

Which brings me to this week’s Leftover Makeover! Great foundation. Human input. Even better output.

Here, I’ve used Ixta Belfrage’s Chicken with Pineapple and ‘Nduja from Mezcla as the foundation for a spin on her Cannelloni Enchiladas from the same book to come up with Chicken Al Pastor-ish Cannelloni Enchiladas. (Ixta Belfrage was an Ottolenghi Test Kitchen recipe developer and co-author with Yotam Ottolenghi of a wonderful cookbook, Flavour. and I adore her taste combinations.) But guess what -- I’m not going to give you a recipe for the second dish -- just a no-recipe recipe. Because that’s the whole point! Put your improv hat on. 😄

For this first dish, I will give you the recipe for this one because again, it’s the foundation.

CHICKEN WITH PINEAPPLE AND ‘NDUJA

This one-pan bake from Ixta Belfrage’s Mezcla is a perfect blend of sweet and savory with some heat from the spicy sausage. You could make this a great vegetarian dish using oyster mushrooms with a bit of harissa or Calabrian chili to replace the chicken. You could also make your own vegetarian ‘nduja with a mix of blitzed mushroom and tofu, so it’s a bit like a spicy mushroom pâté or leave it out.

Serves 4.

Ingredients

Chicken

• 4 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs

• 4-6 cloves of garlic, crushed or sliced

• 1 onion, sliced

• 1¾ cups (300g) fresh, ripe pineapple, cut into large chunks (You could use canned or frozen pineapple chunks, though would reserve the juice and add it back to taste so the sauce doesn’t get too sweet.)

• ½ cup, scant or (100g) fresh tangerine or orange juice

• ½ cup (100g) chicken stock or water

• good drizzle of maple syrup if not using canned pineapple (otherwise you could replace this with some of the canned juice)

• splash of white wine

• 2 tablespoons heavy cream

• fresh cilantro

• 1 lime cut into wedges

‘Nduja Paste

• 3-4 tablespoons (50g) ‘nduja spread (spicy, spreadable sausage -- you can find at good groceries or cheese stores)

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 teaspoons tomato paste

• ½ smoked paprika

• ¾ fine sea salt

• ¼ black pepper

Directions

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400°F or 180°C fan/200°C.

Step 2: Mix all of the ingredients for the ‘nduja paste together in a large bowl. Add chicken, garlic, and most of the sliced onion (save about a quarter back for garnish) so it’s evenly coated. In a cast iron skillet or baking dish, spread out the chicken thighs and arrange, skin side up, on top of the onions and garlic.

Step 3: Add pineapple to the bowl that had the chicken with the remnants of the paste, mix together, then arrange the pineapple around the chicken.

Step 4: Pour the citrus juice and splash of white wine around the chicken (avoid getting the skin wet) then bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and pour the stock or water (and a drizzle of maple syrup or a bit of leftover pineapple juice, if using) into the pan around the chicken, again without getting the skin wet. Return to the oven to bake for another 20-25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and browned and crispy on top. You can blowtorch the pineapple a little to char it if you like. I used fresh pineapple and it charred a bit on its own.

Step 5: Rest the chicken for 5-10 minutes, then drizzle with cream, and garnish with cilantro and the leftover sliced onion mixed with a tiny bit of olive oil and sea salt. Serve with lime wedges.

LEFTOVER MAKEOVER
CHICKEN AL PASTOR-ISH CANNELLONI ENCHILADAS

Now for the No-Recipe Recipe. The leftover chicken with ‘nduja and pineapple reminded me of al pastor, so I made this Mexican Italian fusion deliciousness! 😋 It’s kind of like next level manicotti. That said, feel free to use the leftovers from the first recipe in whatever way you want! Definitely would work well as regular enchiladas. The leftover filling could even be used as a base for a soup or stew (separate out the chicken and use the liquid as a base and then shred and add the leftover chicken later on). I might try this myself for a spin on tortilla soup. I’m giving you estimates on the measurements and a summary of the steps below which is actually more than you typically get with a no-recipe recipe! But it’s not quite a full one either.

Adapted from Cannelloni Enchiladas from Ixta Belfrage’s Mezcla.

Serves 4.

Ingredients

• Leftover roast chicken, chopped -- mine, obviously, from the chicken and pineapple dish above

• 2 tablespoons lime juice

• ½ teaspoon fine salt

• 8 fresh lasagne sheets (cooked) or dried ones, boiled

Cumin Béchamel

• 40g unsalted butter

• 40g all-purpose flour

• 450g whole milk (plain soy milk will also work)

• 1 clove garlic, crushed

• 1½ teaspoons ground cumin

• ½ teaspoon chipotle or red pepper flakes

• 100g mozzarella, chopped + a bit extra for the baking

• grated Parmesan

• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt

Salsa Roja

• 250g chicken stock, veg stock, or water

• 200g tomato passata

• 30g tomato paste

• 15g melted unsalted butter

• 3 cloves garlic, grated

• pinch of mace or nutmeg

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• ½ teaspoon dried Mexican Oregano

• 1 teaspoon chipotle flakes

• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt

Directions

Step 1: After we enjoyed the original dish, we stored the chicken and sauce separately.

Step 2: Preheat the oven to 400°F or 180°C fan/200°C.

Step 3: Mix chicken with lime juice and salt.

Step 4: Make a béchamel by melting butter, whisking in flour, and then after a minute or two, adding in the milk, constantly whisking until smooth. It will thicken up nicely and coat the back of a spoon. Add salt and cumin, pinch of mace or nutmeg, crushed garlic, oregano, chipotle flakes. Set half aside. Off heat, mix in mozzarella and then the chicken into the remaining sauce.

Step 5: Mix together all of the salsa roja ingredients with the leftover sauce from the chicken with pineapple and ‘nduja dish. Taste and make sure it’s delicious! Spoon half of the sauce into the bottom of a large baking dish.

Step 6: Roll the chicken béchamel mixture into each cooked lasagna sheet and roll up tightly. Repeat with each sheet and set into a single layer in the baking dish.

Step 7: Top with the rest of the salsa roja, the leftover béchamel, drizzle of olive oil, and extra cheese if you’re into that (I am). Bake for 30 minutes.

Step 8: Serve with salsa fresca of your choice, for example a mix of raw tomato, onion, jalapeño, sea salt, and lime juice.

What’s the SYP Cooks Score? I use my own KPI Kitchen Scorecard to rate every recipe I make. Want to score yours? Check it out here or download it in Excel or PDF.

Life is too short for bad food.

Thanks for reading SYP Cooks!

This week I’m making Giulia Scarpaleggia’s Ricotta + Broccoli Rabe Tart from Vegetables the Italian Way. The roasted eggplant and zucchini I’m making with it will pull double duty in a Za’atar Feta Couscous Bowl later in the week. (Recipe’s all mine, but the dukkah is Susan Spungen’s.)

I love doing this — one cook, two completely different meals. Individual components will find their way into other dishes as well. Leftover makeovers are one of my superpowers; I’ll be posting about my approach soon!

Brinner is on the menu too, which means my husband is cooking that night. He always claims Brinner. Who am I to argue?

Somewhere along the way, I’ll need to make time for Ottolenghi’s Walnut Halva Cake from Plenty More before the pitchforks come out (the dessert lover in the house has been patient long enough!).

What’s on your menu this week?

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FROM THIS WEEK’S MENU

Ricotta & Broccoli Rabe Tart

I made this Sunday afternoon. If the dough’s already made, it can be made on a weeknight, as long as you have enough time to spend (baking time is approx. 45 minutes, plus you’ll need time to make the filling and roll out the dough).

The recipe is from Giulia Scarpaleggia’s new cookbook, Vegetables the Italian Way and you should check out her Substack, Letters from Tuscany. (I am seriously thinking about taking a class at her cooking school in the Tuscan countryside!)

I scored this high — it ticked all the boxes for me — and it is very flexible. Key changes I made to this recipe:

• Made the dough in a food processor instead of by hand.

• Shortened the resting time for the dough to 2 hours.

• For the filling, used more garlic, replaced the mint with fresh tarragon, and added piment d’espelette, a mild French chili pepper that is flavorful, but not fiery. I made a couple other tweaks too.

I’ve made adaptations to this recipe from Giulia Scarpaleggia’s Vegetables the Italian Way, including some that make it speedier than the original. It is so tasty — and honestly, who can resist a flaky savory pie? I can see myself enjoying a big slice at a summer picnic.

NOTE: Prep time includes the dough resting time. I recommend using that window to get everything else ready.

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients

• 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour

• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt

• 11½ tablespoon (160 g) unsalted butter, cubed

• ½ cup (100 ml) ice cold water

• fine sea salt and black pepper

• large bunch or two of broccoli rabe (up to 2 pounds or 900 g), tough stems removed and roughly chopped

• ¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil

• 1 leek, thinly sliced

• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

• few pinches of piment d’espelette or Aleppo (or another mild chili powder)

• handful of fresh tarragon, chopped

• ¾ cup (200 g) whole milk ricotta cheese (if homemade or artisan, you may need to drain)

• 1½ ounces (40 g) Pecorino Romano, grated

• 1½ ounces (40 g) Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated

• 1 egg, beaten for the egg wash

Directions

Step 1: For the dough, pulse the flour and salt together a couple times in the food processor. Then add the unsalted butter. Pulse again until you get rubble. Slowly add the ice cold water. You may not use it all (though I did). You’re looking for it to come together, but just. Because you’re using the food processor, the dough will be smoother than if you made it by hand. Pat into a round shape and wrap in plastic wrap. Stick in the fridge for at least 2 hours (or overnight).

Step 2: Boil salted water. Add the rabe and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Immediately plunge into ice water which will help cool it fast and keep the green color. Drain, then squeeze the water out. Chop finely and set aside.

Step 3: While the rabe is going, sauté the leek and garlic in olive oil on medium low heat for 5-10 minutes. You can use a large skillet or chef’s pan. Season with salt and pepper, and I added piment d’espelette as well. I really let this get caramelized and it was so good this way. Add the broccoli rabe and continue to sauté, making sure any liquid has evaporated and the veggies are nicely coated in the oil. Season again. Once cooled, mix with ricotta, a bit of chopped tarragon, Pecorino, and Parmigiano. I still like adding salt and pepper here again to taste.

Step 4: When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Butter a 9 to 9½ inch (24 cm) tart pan, ideally with a removable bottom.

Step 5: Take two-thirds of the dough and roll it out, on a lightly floured surface. Roll it out larger than the pan and set the dough inside, fit it well all the way around, and use the top of the pan to “cut” off the excess dough. (You can use a knife for this or even your fingers.)

Step 6: Prick the bottom of the dough with a fork and sprinkle a little of the grated cheese all around to help prevent a soggy bottom (you can also use egg wash or dijon mustard for this). Spread the filling in the tart pan.

Step 7: Take the remaining one-third dough and roll it out. With a sharp knife or pastry cutter, slice the dough into even strips about ½ inch (13 mm) wide. You can arrange half of them on the top of the tart parallel to each other and then arrange the remaining half to create a lattice pattern. If you want to fancy, you can do it so the strips go over and under each one, like you are weaving the dough, but this isn’t necessary. It will still look lovely!

Just make sure to cut off any excess dough all the way around and pinch the ends together. Brush with egg wash.

Step 8: Bake the tart for 40 to 50 minutes until golden brown. Mine was done at 45.

Recipe adapted from Giulia Scarpaleggia’s new cookbook, Vegetables the Italian Way and you should check out her Substack, Letters from Tuscany. I have three free 1-month gift subscriptions ($18 value) to Giulia’s Substack. If you’re interested, just comment here or send me a note.

I’ll be sharing my weekly menu regularly, so you can get a sneak peek into what I’m making. If you’d like to see photos and summaries of what I cook and how I make them on a more daily basis, now with SYP Cooks Scores included, check out @sypcooks on Instagram.

Life is too short for bad food.

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Not heat, not salt — tang. Tartness, but nothing sharp. So I reached for coconut vinegar. It worked perfectly. The first time I made this soup, I really liked it. The second time, with that one addition, it was a different dish entirely. That’s the one I make now, always — plus the full amount of coconut milk, and a note to myself that good quality powdered ginger can stand in for fresh when I’m out.

The next time I made it, I replaced the crushed red pepper flakes with Aleppo pepper and the fresh cilantro with ground coriander. And I started adding a good pinch of sugar to this soup as well.

Depending on my mood, the soup ends up being a little thicker, sometimes thinner. I often play with the garnish. Want more richness? Thin a little whole yogurt with water and drizzle on top. Feeling snappy? A little lime zest goes a long way. Need a bit more pop? Top with sizzling fresh curry leaf and mustard seed tadka.

I didn’t follow a different recipe. I just couldn’t stop optimizing.

That’s a cooking instinct, but it’s also a business instinct. And I’ve started to think they might be the same thing.

So how do I know when I’ve actually nailed it? Same way I’d measure anything that matters. Here’s the framework I use — five KPIs (or Key Performance Indicators for those of you wondering what that means!).

1. Conversion rate (Completed Cooks/Attempted Cooks) — Did the recipe actually work

2. Consumption rate (Clean Plates/Completed Cooks) — Did they finish it (The plate doesn’t lie!)

3. Lifetime value or LTV (Meal Multiplier) — Leftover potential. One soup = four dinners, two lunches, and a thing you ate standing over the sink at midnight. That’s value.

4. Repeat rate (# of Repeat Cooks/Total Cooks) — Is it good enough to make again, is it going into your regular rotation

5. Guest test — Would you serve it to guests, would you recommend it

The best home cooks and the best executives share (more than) one trait: They’re never really done. Every dish is a version. Every meal is a data point.

I’ve made this soup probably 30 times or more, and I have to admit, I always tweak it and it never turns out exactly the same way. But it is always delicious, fits my vibe at that moment, and is a hit with whoever I serve it to. Constant iteration and optimization.

Measuring success doesn't kill creativity and improvisation. It can set it free!

Want to give this soup a try? Scroll to the bottom of the post.

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INTERACTIVE SCORECARD

In honor of my inaugural post, I’ve made a fun, interactive KPI Kitchen Scorecard that you can use at no cost! It not only allows you to score each recipe with just a click, but you can customize the fields and change the weighting of the individual metrics. Measure your recipes in real-time and save the results. I’ve also made downloadable versions in PDF (non-interactive) and Excel (interactive) (see below). It’s very simple to use, but a how-to for the KPI Kitchen Scorecard will be in an upcoming post.

. Interactive KPI Kitchen Scorecard

Syp Cooks Kitchen Scorecard 1

7.27KB ∙ XLSX file

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Download

Syp Cooks Kitchen Scorecard 1

5.8KB ∙ PDF file

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WELCOME TO KKOK-JIB

The SYP Cooks newsletter will often include a Kkok-jib section. In Korean, kkok-jib (꼭집) is slang, loosely meaning highly curated — to pinpoint or pick exactly what you want, like going straight for the best, most appealing bite without hesitation. Not to be confused with “the last bite,” which in Korean culture refers to leaving the final bite of a shared dish to show proper dining etiquette and consideration of others. When I was young, my mother just always told me to leave the last bite for the maid. 😂

N.B. She really did say this, but her response yesterday to learning this line was being included in the post: “I am disowning you. I would never have treated my maids like that!” Gold.

Kkok-jib (콕집): My picks for what’s worth zeroing in on

• On Repeat: “Maybe Not Tonight,” I never tire of this wonk pop song from British indie band, Lime Garden. It’s best heard loud. In a funny coincidence, their record label is called So Young!

• My favorite wooden cooking utensils are these flat wooden spatulas from Earlywood. I use them every day — far superior to sautéing with a spoon. They make great gifts too.

• Weee! I’m embarrassed to say I only learned about America’s Largest Online Asian Supermarket a couple years ago and they just celebrated 10 years! They have a huge selection of Asian and multi-ethnic groceries and ship all over the U.S. — you can go to their site to see all of the locations they currently support. When you can’t get to H-Mart, this service will deliver all the goodies right to you at home. (referral link)

N.B. I don’t use affiliate links unless specifically noted.

CURRIED RED LENTIL SOUP

This winner from one of my favorite chefs, Ottolenghi, has a coveted spot in my regular rotation. Not only is it healthy and delicious, but it’s easy and pantry-friendly. I have adapted it over the years, so try my version and make sure to buy his book.

Adapted from Curried Lentil, Tomato, and Coconut Soup, Ottolenghi Simple

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil and 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped

• 4 garlic cloves, finely grated

• 1 2 ½-inch (6 cm) piece ginger, peeled, finely grated or ½ tsp. ground ginger

• 1 heaping tablespoon medium garam masala

• 1 teaspoon ground coriander

• ¼ teaspoon Aleppo pepper

• ¾ cup (140g) red lentils (rinsed)

• ½ to 1 teaspoon coconut vinegar (I like the one from The Coconut Company or Coconut Secret.)

• 1 14.5-ounce (400g) can crushed tomatoes

• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

• ¼ teaspoon sugar (optional)

• 2½ cups (600 ml) water

• 1 14-ounce (400ml) can unsweetened coconut milk, shaken well

• juice from the quarter of a lime

• Lime wedges (for serving)

• 2 tablespoons (30ml) whole milk plain yogurt, thinned with a little water for easy drizzling (Just add a little water at a time and keep stirring until you get the consistency you want.)

Directions

Step 1: Heat oil in a medium pot or saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion, stirring often, until softened and starting to brown, 5-10 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, garam masala, coriander, and Aleppo pepper, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Once the mixture starts to stick a little, add the coconut vinegar to deglaze a bit. Throw in the lentils and cook, stirring, 1 minute, so all the goodness coats the beans.

Step 2: Add tomatoes, two generous pinches of salt and pepper, sugar, and 2½ cups water. Add all of the coconut milk as well. Bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until lentils are soft but not mushy, 20–25 minutes.

Step 3: Midway through, taste and add more garam masala if necessary. It will still be watery, but you should be able to tell if it needs more flavor. Once lentils are soft, taste again and add more salt and pepper, Aleppo, and/or sugar if needed. Stir in juice from 1/4 lime.

Step 4: To serve, divide soup among bowls. Drizzle with thinned yogurt. Serve with lime wedges and any garnishes, if using. Freezes well, though we usually just eat it twice. (It’ll taste even better on Day 2!) When heating up leftovers, just add a little bit of water to get things going.

Do Ahead: Soup (without toppings) can be made 2 or 3 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill.

What's the SYP Cooks Score? I use my own KPI Kitchen Scorecard to rate every recipe I make. Want to score yours? Check it out here or download it in Excel or PDF.

Life is too short for bad food.

Thanks for reading SYP Cooks!