December / 2023 Round Up
My favorite meals this year, great reads, cool spoons, tips for pasta, and more.
Hey, everyone, and happy almost New Year!
2023 was a big year for me. I left Austin, started a new company, lived in quite a few different places, cooked a ton, learned a ton, and really doubled down on this newsletter. It’s now grown to over 8,000 subscribers, which still blows my mind. I appreciate each and every one of you, and I love hearing from people who reach out and share their thoughts.
I love writing this newsletter— I much prefer long-form, in-depth content to the stuff that’s typical on social media, and this newsletter allows me to explore that. So I’ll continue to write it on a weekly-ish basis, with lots of stuff in the pipeline for the near future. If there’s a topic you’d like to see me explore, please let me know!
Myles
My Favorite Meals of 2023
I was semi-nomadic most of 2023, so I spent time in quite a few different places. A few of my favorite meals this year:
Salita Pizza in Wilmington, NC
Nura in Brooklyn, NY
Pullman Bar + Diner in Iowa City, IA (I randomly stopped here while driving across the country and had one of the best cheeseburgers of my life).
Destroyer in Los Angeles
Little Star Diner in Bozeman, MT
Che Fico in San Francisco
80/20 Cooking
At this time last year, I was still marinating on an idea I’d had for several years— a program to teach a technique and principles-driven approach to cooking that helps home cooks learn how to cook without recipes.
In May of this year, I finally launched it. Now, I’ve gone through two cohorts (with a third happening in January), iterated through the model, improved the curriculum substantially, and landed on something I’m really proud of.
Today, 80/20 Cooking includes two programs— one that’s self-paced and one that’s cohort-based, and everyone in the community gets access to feedback, guest speakers, brand discounts, and a bunch more.
80/20 Cooking will continue to be my primary focus throughout 2024, and I’ve got somre really big plans in the works.
One of the things I’m most excited about is an ongoing guest speaker series. Here are a few of the speakers planned for January/February.
James Arthur from Seatopia is going to join to talk about sourcing and cooking high-quality seafood.
Chef Matthew Duffy is a sourdough expert who will talk about all things bread baking and sourdough.
Anthony Bennedettini is a sommelier who will join to talk about all things wine— with a focus on how to pair wine with food.
Morgan Weeks from Force of Nature will join to talk about sourcing and cooking high-quality meat (including how to source and cook wild game).
We’re also going to kick off our next cohort on January 22nd.
If you’re interested in joining either tier, you can read more about the program here!
Cool Spoons
My friend Frank recently made a quip that I thought was funny and accurate— chefs don’t sit around talking about knives, they talk about spoons.
I love a good spoon, so I’ve compiled a list of a few of my favorites.
I first saw these being used by chefs at one of Sean Brock's restaurants, and I thought they were super cool. They're designed to perfectly measure a single tbsp, with a deep well to cradle liquid, and a tip for pouring. They’re a favorite among chefs I know.
I came across this one recently and thought it was kind of cool. It's a large knife/spoon hybrid that allows you to slice and scoop all at once. Perfect for serving.
Every chef I know loves these spoons. They're extra large spoons specifically designed for basting. But I use them all the time for plating sauces and serving things. I own several.
Mercer Culinary Plating Spoons
These are similar to Kunz spoons, but with a slightly different handle design. They come in regular or perforated, which can be useful for a few other kitchen tasks like poaching/boiling eggs and making pasta.
Great Reads
I have two great reads for you this month.
Cooked by Michael Pollan was my favorite book I read this year. It’s a mix of food history, anthropology, and social commentary that I think is a must-read for everyone who loves to cook. His Netflix series of the same name is great, but I recommend the book even if you’ve seen the show.
America does not have a good food culture by Chris Arnade takes the cake for most thought-provoking article I’ve read recently. I saw the French food/American food discourse happening on Twitter, and I think Arnade’s take is the one that most aligns with mine. America has a unique food culture— one that’s more diverse than almost anywhere, and it has pockets of truly exceptional regional cuisine. But the average American doesn’t eat particularly well compared to citizens of other countries, and Arnade talks a bit about why.
Olio Nuovo
Olive harvests in the northern hemisphere usually happen around November/December, so now is the perfect time to get your hands on some olio nuovo (also called olio nuevo or novello). This is the early-harvest olive oil that’s only available for a limited time.
If you’ve never tried it before, you’re in for a treat. It’s bright green, super pungent, and unlike any regular olive oil you’re used to.
Olive Oil Lovers has a great selection.
Simple Yogurt Sauce
This is a really simple yogurt sauce that’s become a regular part of my rotation. Simple, quick to make, delicious, and versatile.
1 cup Greek yogurt
zest + juice of 1/2 lemon
1 clove of garlic, finely minced (I use a microplane)
1 big handful of finely chopped fresh herbs (any mix of parsley, cilantro, dill, and mint)
salt
Mix everything together in a bowl. Taste it. Add more salt or lemon juice as needed to get the taste you want.
I’ve had this recently with lamb chops, meatballs, fried chicken cutlets, roasted cauliflower and a bunch more. It goes with just about everything.
A Trick For Pasta
I came across this recently in Flour + Water: Pasta (a great cookbook) and thought it was interesting.
Starchy pasta water is an essential component in a lot of pasta sauces. But it works best in restaurant environments because they cook so much pasta in the same water that it’s really, really starchy. Not so much for home cooks making a single batch of pasta.
They propose a simple solution— throw some semolina flour directly in the pasta water to build up additional starch. I gave this a try the other night when I cooked pasta and it worked great!
Love