Recipes for when you accidentally set your life on 1.6 speed and you can't find the setting to turn it off
Everyone sounds like tiny little mice and I don't understand a gd thing.
Hello, chefs.
I’m on week two of my new job, and man, I forgot how good it feels to have the energy of a new problem to solve, new opportunities to take advantage of, and a brand new miles-long to do list. Seriously. Sometimes getting spun up at a new job can feel exhausting because there’s a lack of shit to do, but I feel like I hopped off one treadmill that was slow walking an incline and right onto another one that’s in a full sprint. In this metaphor, I suppose what I’m feeling is a runner’s high.
My dear friend Maria and I also re-launched our podcast this week. It’s called What’s a Job, and we interview people about what their jobs are. Work stuff can feel weird and taboo to talk about, so we ask people all the questions you really want to know: how tf do you make money? Does everyone else feel like they’re just winging it, or is that just me?
This feels like a particularly relevant time to be talking about jobs, given the chaotic nature of our economy right now. We wrap up so much of our identity and self worth into our careers, which sometimes feels freakin’ GREAT, and sometimes feels terrifying, especially when that job changes, and especially when it’s not our decision.
We do this podcast for fun—we genuinely are super nosey about people’s jobs—and to stay in touch, since Maria left me all alone in Nashville for greener pastures in DC last year. But I forgot about the hustle of being in season. I have a pretty strict no work on weekends personal policy, so my weekdays recently have been laughably full: up early to edit episodes or work out or write this newsletter, a day of work that makes my brain feel like it’s on an absolute freight train, and then recording or teaching a spin class or testing recipes or connecting with my friends and boyfriend in the evenings.
These are all things I am incalculably lucky to have in my life! Like my #blessings are absolutely staggering! But frankly, the days of a leisurely dinner prep at a normal time are, at least for now, long gone. So here’s a few recipes that have been keeping my love affair with great food alive and can be made when your brain is in low power mode.
-Faith
Cabbage noodle stir fry
I made this last night and got two “babe, this is really good”s out of Mr. Faith, which means I’m dangerously close to that Michelin star. Incredibly easy and cheap and only dirties one pan. Feeds 2 very hungry people.
Thinly slice 1/4 of a large cabbage (or 1/2 of a small cabbage) and a small onion.
In a large frying pan, heat a bit of oil on medium. Add your cabbage and onion and spread out evenly. Let cook, undisturbed, until the bottom gets a bit browned and caramelized, ~7 minutes. Stir and top with a good spoonful or two of minced garlic and let cook undisturbed for another ~5 minutes.
Add 2 cups of water, a few drizzles of soy sauce, and red pepper flakes to taste. Bring to a simmer.
Nestle in two blocks of Raman noodles (Yes! Raman noodles! Like the Maruchan ones!), cover (if you don’t have a lid for your frying pan, use a cookie sheet), and cook until your noodles soften, ~3 minutes. Remove the lid and cook until your liquid is mostly gone. Remove from heat and divide into bowls.
Top with sesame seeds, green onions, chili crisp, and a fried egg, if you want.
Crispy slow cooker pork
This one is from Sarah DiGregorio at NYTCooking. Y’all know I’m a slow cooker hater, but this tastes super special and not like your usual slow cooker mush.
I made it for a mid-week family dinner that I knew I wouldn’t have the time, energy, or desire to cook after a long workday, and served it with rice and some quick pickled cucumbers (just slice a couple cucumbers, drizzle them with rice vinegar and some sesame oil, sprinkle with salt, and let sit for a bit).
In the morning, set your slow cooker:
Drop in a ~3lb pork shoulder or tenderloin and top with several heaping spoonfuls of minced garlic, a good squeeze of ginger, red pepper flakes to taste, and the zest of 1 lime.
In a large measuring cup, whisk 1 cup honey, 1 cup soy sauce, and a tbsp of sesame oil. Pour the sauce over your pork and turn it over a few times. Set your slow cooker on low for 8-9 hours.
A few final touches before serving:
Remove your pork from the slow cooker, put on a serving platter, and shred.
Skim off whatever fat has accumulated at the top of your slow cooker, then transfer the remaining liquid to a pot. Simmer on the stove until it becomes more like a syrup.
Top your meat with a squeeze or two of lime juice, the reduced sauce, sliced green onions, cilantro, sesame seeds…whatever you have on hand.