Here’s the thing about this newsletter: I have no idea what my readers are looking for. Most of the time I’m writing about home cooking, but lately I’m a little battle scarred after a friend (a very esteemed food writer) told me the world doesn’t need any more recipes. Generally I agree.
There are so many food “personalities” and influencers, as well as really great writers, recipe developers, and chefs out there vying for your attention; if you’re anything like me, your cerebral cortex is at max capacity. The matrix is stuffed with folks telling you what to cook and how. Many of them, like my pal Jenny, are way better at this whole shebang than me.
But my readership continues to grow, and occasionally I’ll hear from some of you. You seem to be enjoying yourselves here. I think $5/month to hear from someone whose taste you trust or opinions you enjoy (assuming that’s the case here) is a steal. I subscribe to many newsletters for this kind of personal touch. But also when I see a New Yorker subscription (some of the best writing in the solar system) costs only a bit more, I feel like a fraud.
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And now, let’s talk food.
This weekend I cooked a beautiful Sunday afternoon lunch for my family and I wanted to share it with you. My wife, in fact, demanded I do so. As my number one reader, I trust she is a decent gauge of what others might want to know.
I made Mushroom Bolognese.
The meal, a hearty vegetarian pasta that riffs on the classic meat-centric sauce, came about for two reasons.
First, I’ve been trying to eat a plant-centric diet for several years now. I’m not a vegetarian, but I’m trying to combat a nascent fatalist streak, and everything I read seems to prove that eating less meat is good for me and good for the Earth. I wouldn’t necessarily call myself an overt environmentalist, but I am a person who is trying to lessen my impact in some ways. I drive a Tesla. I compost my food scraps. I shop local farmer’s markets. As far as I’m concerned, it’s literally the least I can do. I’m not looking for medals, and I’m not here to convert; there’s plenty of other crap I do that probably cancels out my efforts, but it doesn’t mean I won’t keep trying!
And second, my wife and I recently agreed we would make an effort to eat more pasta. For years we thought of pasta as a treat, which is an absurd overreaction to the carbohydrate fear-mongering of the early aughts. We would eat pasta at home MAYBE once a month, at most. This is crazy, and we’ve decided to make a beautiful pasta dish once a week henceforth.
And so, Mushroom Bolognese for dinner! Here’s how I made it:
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