The Missing Meatballs.
Also: cacio e pepe deviled eggs.
I’ve been promising meatballs for awhile, and it’s ready, it’s written, but here’s the thing: it just feels dumb. There are literal wars being waged against all sorts of innocent people right now, and every time I get another food-media mailer that’s all, like, “Hey, happy Tuesday, let’s make EMPANADAS!” right beneath a news update that’s all, like, “Hey, doesn’t matter what day it is, more rights are being threatened,” I have a small existential crisis. And listen, I don’t judge anyone their (a) need for distraction, or (b) need to continue doing their job by writing about making empanadas. Truly. But for my part, I struggle with knowing how to insert myself in a balanced way.
So for now, I think we’ll take a marked break from the heavy stuff; you’re going to see more frequent Butters, but shorter Butters: less science, more simple food, because we all just need to feel good, man. Dig? Don’t worry - the science will be back, in time. Let’s call this a summer break: a time to focus on things like seasonal ingredients, and farmer’s markets, and fighting the good fight against the assholes, and giving our brains a little break. The time of year to cook as little as possible, to revel in ripe bounty, to not futz around with corn and cherries and peaches but to instead just eat them quickly, abundantly, while they’re still sun-warm: that time is so close. And that, at least, feels good - feels not dumb.
And hey, on that note, some good news to kick off the summer vibes around here: last week’s Politichicken generated over $900 in donations that I know about. You guys are just the BEST. I think it’s safe to assume, too, that there were probably a few donations that I didn’t know about??? Meaning that maybe henceforth we’ll call that one Thousand Dollar Chicken??? If you haven’t tried it, it’s not too late - and if you haven’t donated yet, there’s no time like the present. xo.
Reader Q.
Question: “I keep reading that inflation has sent grocery prices up 4%, or maybe 6% - the number varies a bit. But I’m seeing my grocery bills go up a LOT more than that. As in, like, two- to three-digits more dollars. Forgive the expression but WTAF? Where are these low inflation numbers coming from? What I’m experiencing right now is much more severe.” - Allison, PA
Answer: That number feels so misleading because it’s an average of the price increases across an entire hypothetical grocery store, which in the US can carry as many as 70,000 different items - and the majority of them are frozen, refrigerated, and shelf-stable foods. Those items are less susceptible to immediate fluctuations in market: they have longer production times, they suffer less waste, and they are often produced by huge corporations who either (a) can’t immediately pass increased costs through to customers due to pricing contracts with the grocery chain, or (b) won’t pass increased costs through in the name of maintaining some customer loyalty. Perishables, on the other hand - meats and seafood, dairy, eggs, and produce - are skyrocketing. Perishable food requires a lot of fossil fuel to transport (which is costlier now than it has literally ever been), and a lot of human labor to raise, harvest, and process for sale (which is also costing employers more now than it ever has, and remains in short supply due to the pandemic). What’s more, if either of those things falls short, perishable food perishes - it goes bad - meaning that rates of food waste are up, and that waste drives consumer prices up with it. It depends on the source and the day but I think meats are up something like 24% (and even that number is an average of a category; some meats are even higher), dairy and seafood consumer price increases are in the teens, eggs are over 100% more expensive than they were this time in 2019. Fruit, too, is in the high teens to low twenties (vegetables seem to be much lower). If you’re someone who cooks a lot from whole ingredients, rather than buying a lot of processed food - and I’m guessing you might be, since you’re here - you’re going to be seeing your grocery bill climb much higher than those industry-wide average numbers would have you expect. And to make matters worse: as global grain shortages intensify, packaging supply chain issues persist, and the cost of fuel remains high, even the price of those packaged and processed foods are going to start creeping up, as well.
Links.
It has just occurred to me that if I were more design- and tech-savvy I would create a little banner for this section that was decorated with sausages.
» I really enjoyed this transcript of a SmartMouth podcast episode about the history & ethos of Trader Joe’s. It reads like a transcript of a podcast, but in a fun and bumpy sort of way; still, if you prefer to listen, it’s linked on the episode number.
» Catherine Newman is one of my favorite food writers, and I especially loved this (not-especially-but-perhaps-tangentially food-related) piece she published recently - the part about grocery shopping gave me a real kick in the feels.
» This is an oldie but a goodie: a deep-dive into how new cuts of meat are “invented.”
Recipe.
Cacio e pepe deviled eggs.
(Or, if you have neither the Time nor the Patience: cacio e pepe egg salad!)
Does the world need another recipe for a cheese-and-pepper something? No. Do I care? Also: no. Bring ‘em on, I say: they’re salty and funky and spicy and bright, and also usually comfortingly creamy (always a selling point). I appreciate the cacio e pepe power to bring balanced depth of flavor with remarkably minimal effort and ingredients.
We’re closing in on picnic and barbecue season, too, so, let’s call these “seasonally appropriate,” while we’re at it. Wins, all around, these.
Ingredients
One dozen eggs
1 scant tablespoon of freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon of avocado or other neutral oil
1/2 cup of finely grated Pecorino (or Parm, or any hard, salty aged cheese)
2 tablespoons of prepared mustard (whatever your preference)
1/2 cup of prepared mayo
salt & lemon juice for seasoning
Instructions
Hard-boil your eggs via your preferred method. (Mine: the Instant Pot. I hate that big clunky thing but goddamn does it make perfect eggs.)
While your eggs are cooking, warm the ground pepper in a dry frying pan set over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, stirring or shaking occasionally. It should smell warm, peppery, and floral. Add the oil, remove from the heat, and set aside to infuse and cool.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the cheese, mustard, and mayo; when the peppery oil mixture is cool, add that, too, taking care to scrape all of the bits into your bowl. (Alternatively, you can just do this in a food processor.)
When the eggs are done, rinse them in cold water until they’re cool enough to handle, then peel, rinse, and dry. Halve the eggs (my egg platters allow me to cut them cross-wise; you do you) and carefully separate the yolks from the whites. Arrange the whites on your serving platter, with their empty bellies face-up.
Press/crush the egg yolks into the bowl of peppery cheese mixture; you can use a potato ricer, a small food mill, or a fine strainer. (Or just mash with a fork, if you really like punishment.) (Or, of course, just throw them into the food processor, if that’s the route you chose.) Fold the fluffy yolks into the cheese mixture until everything is nice and smooth (for a super creamy, silky filling, do all of this in a blender, or use an immersion one), then taste for seasoning:
Different brands and kinds of cheese, mayonnaise, and prepared mustards will have different levels of salt and acidity and even water, which is why we season this recipe last. Taste. Adjust the salt as needed. Add more mayo if things seem too dry; add more cheese if you’d like more funk. A squeeze of lemon will add brightness. Add more pepper if you can stand to grind any more. Make it yours.
Transfer the filling to a piping bag fitted with the tip of your choice (or: to a Ziploc bag with a corner snipped off) and fill each white (or: just use a little spoon to fill them, and be neat about it). Garnish with chives, or crispy garlic, or garlicky breadcrumbs, or gremolata, or more pepper, or a little crispy noodle!, or shaved Parm, or nothing. Serve chilled. xo.
Butterpat.
A little something extra.
My nudge for you this week is one that I needed hear: It’s time to clean the fridge.
Here’s why:
We are staring down the barrel at farmer’s market season, at You-Pick season, at CSA season, at cookout and firepit and graduation party season. I bet the number of jars of jams and jellies and butters, of locally-made salsas and pickles and kimchis and krauts, of summery Trader Joe’s condiments (hello Truffle Ketchup from Summer 2021, will I be seeing you again??) that will be rolling into your kitchen over the course of the next 4 months numbers in the dozens. Give yourself a clean slate: empty out your fridge doors, the top shelf, all of the places where little jars of goopy goodness go to die. Toss what’s old. Do it on trash night. Wipe out the shelves. You’ll feel so good. And when Sauces & Condiments Season officially starts in a few weeks, you’ll be so glad you did it.
xo. See you soon.