A New Book! A Reporting Trip!

And one million things to do with a jar of kimchi!

Hey, friends.

I’ve paused paid subscriptions on this newsletter because as you perhaps can see…lately I have not been able to be consistent in getting it out, so I don’t feel comfortable taking your hard-earned money for it! But please know how much I appreciate all subscribers—and you can still subscribe, but there’s only the free option—and this newsletter will go on (much like the show) with recipe ideas and health/health care reported stories, and random lists of Things I Love. Maybe I’ll open back up for paid subscribers at some point, I’ll let you know.

In the meantime: As I mentioned last time, I’m writing a new book!

This is going to be my most narrative book yet—very story-driven and rooted in the world of Nazi-occupied France, but of course it is also HIGHLY relevant to our current political reality. I am at a new publisher, Abrams Press, with a new editor, Sarah Robbins.

Next week I’m going to France on a 12-day archive and reporting deep-dive trip, and you can follow along here and on my Instagram.

I’m going to go looking for Marie-Louise, who ran an underground abortion service and was murdered by the state; for Elisabeth, a nurse who drugged Gestapo agents so that resistance fighters could escape; for Bertie, another nurse who ran an underground antifascist newspaper, who was captured and then rescued by her own daughter, then recaptured, tortured and killed herself rather than naming names; and for Madeleine, a teacher and communist activist who organized illegal protests around food shortages.

I’m nervous and excited, as usual. I can’t wait to share these women’s stories with you.

What’s For Dinner?

Sausage-Kimchi Hash

This is not a proper recipe, but it is something that I do almost every week because Mira loves it. It comes together in 20 minutes. If you have a packet of raw sausage and a jar of kimchi you’re more than halfway there:

Squeeze the sausage (preferably hot Italian) out of its casing and sauté it in an ovenproof skillet in sesame oil or olive oil over high heat until you have seared crumbles. Then add a cup of kimchi and cook just to soften and mellow the kimchi, about 8 minutes. Top the skillet with slices of fresh mozzarella and pop the whole thing under the broiler to melt and brown. Then top with sliced scallions and sesame seeds if you have them. Serve with thick toast.

You can riff on this forever. Throw in parboiled potatoes or tofu. Sauté an onion and a bunch of garlic first. Use leftover roast chicken or pulled pork instead of the sausage. Add gochujang and some water for a more saucy result. Use the hash as a pasta sauce. Use salmon for a dish much like this one I wrote for NYT Cooking.

And since I don’t have a pretty picture of the sausage-kimchi hash, please accept this pretty photo I did not take instead.

It’s a new recipe up on NYT Cooking—a super fast, chickpea dinner inspired by porchetta seasoning. Here’s the free recipe.

Unsolicited Opinions

Things I’ve loved lately:

Big Swiss by Jen Beagin— so dark, so weird, so funny.

Lucia’s on Ave X in Sheepshead Bay.

Swan’s Oyster Depot in SF.

Until next time—