LETTER FROM THE KITCHEN
I hail from the meat-and-potatoes Midwest. Add growing up in the sixties and seventies — TV dinners, mac and cheese — plus, at times in my life, I have been nutritionally confused.
For many years I thought protein meant meat and chicken. Not my fault — it was the only info I had. Then my brother Donny’s hippie-dippie girlfriend made a lentil dish and proved that vegetarians did not, in fact, automatically end up anemic.
Seafood wasn’t in my purview either. My dad’s annual Lake of the Woods fishing trip, walleye, canned tuna, and the occasional Friday night fish fry at the VFW pretty much summed it up until I was an adult. Growing up landlocked still makes me a little finicky about some fruits of the sea.
And then there was steak. I didn’t have a truly good one until my twenties. I’d had plenty of steak. It had just been cooked to within an inch of becoming road pavement. The meat dishes that actually worked in our house were pot roast and porchetta — both anything but tough.
These days the balance looks very different. More than half our meals are built around plants. Eggs, mostly egg whites, drive breakfast. Chicken usually turns up somewhere in the week. Red meat is occasional.
And when we do it, we try to do it well (not well-done).
LAST WEEK, YOU ANSWERED
Last week’s poll: Where does most of your protein come from?
Meat and eggs were almost an even split. Nobody chose fish and seafood or beans and legumes.
Here’s where I’ve landed with all of this. I know I need protein to live, and the research I trust supports leaning on fish and plant-based sources with meat in more limited quantities. That’s pretty much what I do.
The biggest shift for me has been fish and seafood, and it took some effort for this landlocked Midwesterner. Thank goodness for Spanish tuna in a jar and for the seafood we have access to now locally.
I’ve also learned to stop locking into one type of protein. Lentils one day, fish the next, eggs at breakfast, chicken on occasion, and a really great steak when the mood strikes. Mixing it up keeps things interesting.
Some of my favorites are below.
Fish Tacos with Lime Mayo and Salsas →
Balsamic Braised Beef with Horseradish Mashed Potatoes →
THE PODCAST
From Field to Family Table: A Conversation with Dave Nathe of Riverside Farms.
Dave’s daughter Ashley joins us for part of the conversation. She’s a delight, and they’re a compelling father-daughter combination.
Mark shot drone footage, which makes this worth watching rather than listening — you’ll find it on my YouTube channel Friday morning.
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE KITCHEN
Both pizza classes sold out at the market within a couple of days. Exciting. Thank you.
If you didn’t get a spot — or if you’re not in Minneapolis — I’m teaching a free live online class on Wednesday, September 16th at 7:00 PM CT. It’s a perfect fall class, although — not pizza. I’ll make one pot of soup and finish it in two different ways, and you’ll learn how that shifts the experience and its place in your diet. It’s called One Soup, Two Ways. Bring questions.
Aside from all the pizza prep, we’ve been watching a PBS special about Frank Lloyd Wright because we toured Taliesin last week and became obsessed. Fascinating work, fascinating life. I came home with a new coffee mug. No, he didn’t design it.
THE SKILL: THE NEW BASICS
Good Canned Tuna
THE QUICK WIN
A delicious protein you don’t have to cook.
THE MOST COMMON MISTAKE
Buying tuna that resembles cat food. There’s an enormous difference between the cheap stuff and a good can or jar.
ONE TOOL WORTH HAVING
A fine-mesh strainer — and here’s why. Good-quality tuna is packed in good-quality oil. Strain it instead of draining it. The oil adds umami to your dressings — not appropriate for all dressings, but great for your Nicoise. You don’t have to pour flavor down the sink.
RECIPE SPOTLIGHT
Cod en Papillote
MM BLUE — olive oil and potatoes
THE SOUL
Remember wrapping hot dogs and potatoes in foil and throwing the package in the fire in Girl Scouts? This is just like that, but better.
THE BRIDGE
A rustic-elegant full-meal dish that serves beautifully right out of the package.
THE MEDITERRANEAN EDIT
While we’re on the subject of fish…
TUNA — Ortiz
A family-run business in Spain. Line-caught, hand-packed by the Bay of Biscay. This is the tuna that turned a like into a love. It’s good enough to give as a gift — I’ve done it.
COLLECTION — Coastal Kitchen Collection
This lovely turquoise package contains an oyster knife, a shrimp cleaner, and a crab cutter. Made to last.
BEFORE YOU GO
Next week: Non-stick
Know someone who’d like this? Forward it. Three friends who subscribe, and I'll send you three MM Green soup recipes.
Until next Thursday — keep a good olive oil on the counter and don’t be afraid to use it.
— Chef Laura