Guides

#AD - Stock The Shelves with Gorgeous Cookbooks, A 2024 Gift Guide

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I love working on cookbooks. From an idea, a dish is tested over and over again before it gets sent to me. I examine its ingredient list, headnotes, methods, and develop fixes if it didn’t work out. I pass them along to editors and copywriters who ask a ton of follow-up questions. Meanwhile, photographers, prop stylists, and food stylists take gorgeous photos. Designers take the final words and photos to lay them out on digital pages. Cookbooks are woven together by many people and pop out of a big printer as a book! It’s more complicated than that, but my part in it feels magical. All of my close reading, cooking, and measuring results in something you can hold in your hands—that is a cool gift.

This gift guide is comprised of a few lists: the books I worked on this year, books I enjoyed, books from my friends, and my others books (and one that isn’t out yet, if you’re interested).

All of the links I use below are affiliate links, meaning I get a little commission if you purchase from them. I provided both Amazon and Bookshop links for your convenience.

The Books I Worked on in 2024

Islas: A Celebration of Tropical Cooking--125 Recipes from the Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific Ocean Islands

Buy on Bookshop | Buy on Amazon

Von Diaz is a journalist, researcher, and great friend of mine. ISLAS is a look at the common cooking practices and unique resilience across disparate island nations. I developed and tested half of the recipes, focusing on Southeast Asia. I worked in tandem with my co-developer Brigid Washington, whose expertise surrounds the Caribbean. I particularly loved making gato pima, lechon kawali, chicken jook, lemon lasary, Kālua pork, and Chamorro bbq chicken.

ISLAS is one of Food & Wine’s best cookbooks of 2024.

Di An: The Salty, Sour, Sweet and Spicy Flavors of Vietnamese Cooking with TwayDaBae (A Cookbook)

Buy on Bookshop | Buy on Amazon

Tuệ Nguyễn is a Forbes 30 under 30 social media star, restauranteur, and now author. We worked together for 2 years to tell the story of her Vietnamese roots, culinary journey, and her hopes for the future. I tested every recipe in the book and they sing of Vietnamese culture. Start with the fish sauce chicken wings, Asian banana bread, pandan waffles, clay pot chicken, and squash soup.

Di An is one of the LA Times’ best cookbooks of 2024.

The Four Horsemen: Food and Wine for Good Times from the Brooklyn Restaurant

Buy on Bookshop | Buy on Amazon

The Four Horsemen is a beloved restaurant in Brooklyn known for sourcing the freshest ingredients and curating a James Beard Award-winning wine menu. It was founded by James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem fame, the late Justin Chearno, Randy Moon, and Christina Topsøe. I worked with chef Nick Curtola and co-writer Gabe Ulla to test all of the recipes in the book. It is massive at 336 pages and almost 3 pounds! You must try the ravioli with English peas, maple glazed doughnuts, kedgeree, white asparagus, beef short ribs, and the frangipane apple tart.

The Four Horsemen Cookbook is on Eater’s best gifts for wine lovers list and Chowhound’s Best Cookbook list.

Justine Cooks: A Cookbook: Recipes (Mostly Plants) for Finding Your Way in the Kitchen

Buy it on Bookshop | Buy it on Amazon

Justine Doiron is a plant-forward, flexi-pescatarian social media personality, and NYT Best-Selling author. I tested half of the recipes in her debut cookbook. I highly recommend making her pistachio dukkah, Parmesan-crusted butter beans, fava beans with lemon walnut cream, lentils, and smashed honey-nut beans with crisped mushrooms.

Justine Cooks is one of Food & Wine’s best cookbooks of 2024.

Books I Enjoyed in 2024

Tin to Table: Fancy, Snacky Recipes for Tin-thusiasts and A-fish-ionados

Buy it on Amazon | Buy it on Amazon

Anna Hezel was my editor at TASTE Cooking back when I started my freelance food writing journey. I also catered her wedding back in 2022. While Tin to Table came out last April, I found myself opening her book over and over again as I made my way through the tinned fish collection in my pantry. Healthwise, I made a concerted effort to eat more fish because oily fish like salmon and mackerel are excellent sources of vitamin D. My favorite recipes from the book are potato chips with mussels, smoked trout dip, sardine curry puffs, spicy tuna kimbap, vanilla butter with anchovies, as well as the bucatini with sardines and caramelized fennel.

Mayumu, Filipino-American Desserts Remixed

Buy it on Bookshop | Buy it on Amazon

Abi Balingit is a friend I made through Twitter (bless) during the pandemic. We bonded over our shared journey from the West Coast and growing up with Filipino-American families. We’ve shared many meals and commiserated about the long cookbook publishing process. Mayumu is inventive but nostalgic, a unique telling of modern Filipino foodways. Try her famous adobo chocolate chip cookies, kare kare cookies, lengua de gato, pan de sal, food for the gods banana bread, and milky avocado popsicles.

The Geometry of Pasta

Buy it on Amazon

It’s not a new one, but it’s a workhorse reference book. The Geometry of Pasta is design-y black and white guide with graphics of each pasta shape, each with a few accompanying recipes. I’m an acolyte of the pure egg yolk fresh pasta recipe! The texture has changed my life and I also discovered that it worked with sous vide egg yolks and lightly cured egg yolks. While the book references a lot of extruded, store-bought pasta, there are plenty of pasta shapes to be made without a machine like lasagna sheets, canederli dumplings, fazzoletti handkerchiefs, gnocchi, gnudi, and orecchiette.

Click through the carousel to see a cumulative list of cookbooks, memoirs, novels, and graphic novels from people I’ve interviewed and friends I’ve made along the way. Hosted on Bookshop.

My Other Books

Showdown: Comfort Food Chili & BBQ

Buy it on Fourthwall (signed copies!) | Buy it on Amazon

My first cookbook is a collection of 100 recipes I created for cookoffs and competitions. Features bacon chili oil, chicken mole tortas, stuffed poblanos, tasso ham chili, arroz caldo, and grilled adobo chicken wings.

My 5 Best Recipes in ISLAS: A Celebration of Tropical Cooking

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ISLAS is my first major collaboration with author Von Diaz, who wrote Coconuts & Collards. We met through Nicole Taylor the night we were quietly celebrating the release of The Last OG Cookbook at her home. This time, my role was more involved than just testing the recipes. I developed and consulted on half of them, focusing on Southeast Asia and the Pacific. I also had the opportunity to contribute a multi-page guide to rice, it is a staple very close to my heart because I grew up eating it every day.

Von organized her recipes by cooking method, not by meal or country. She discovered many parallels in her research and travels across islands that are hundreds of miles apart. Despite limited access to ingredients and tools, islanders possess a unique resilience when it comes to cooking with these methods:

  • Marinating

  • Pickling + Fermentation

  • Braising + Stewing

  • Frying

  • Grilling, Roasting, + Smoking

  • Streaming + In-Ground Cooking

Our book team was bigger than most (and I hope others follow suit). I worked in tandem with Bridgid Washington, another recipe developer. After we developed the recipes, tested them, and reviewed the headnotes before they went off to the presses. A few years later, we’re proud to see ISLAS on bookstore shelves and named one of Food & Wine Magazines Best Cookbooks of 2024. If you do not have a copy of ISLAS, you can purchase one here.

What are my best 5 recipes in ISLAS?

Of the Recipes I worked on…

  • Chicken Jook - Hawaiian rice porridge may look and sound like Filipino arroz caldo (page 155), but its construction and flavor profile are different. Instead of using leftover rice as with arroz caldo, the raw grains are cooked with chicken broth and finished with scallions.

  • Lemon Lasary - Malagasy lemon zest and chile pickle require some patience! It is best cured for 4 weeks and can last up to a year. I loved it so much that I put it on the hot dog menu at Wonderville and called it the Lemon of Zelda with brie cream and poppy seeds.

  • Gato Pima - These fritters with chile are a lot like falafel except they are made with lentils and not chickpeas. I especially loved that it was easy to make and flash freeze for easy meals.

  • Beef Tapa - A classic Filipino breakfast protein. In most recipes it is tenderloin, but I opted for sirloin or skirt steak for its availability. The beef is sliced thinly, marinated with calamansi, and oven-dried a little. It is then fried and served over rice.

  • Sinigang Sa Mangga - I grew up eating Filipino sinigang na isda, a sour tamarind soup with fish and tomato. This version adapted from Yasmin Newman’s 7000 Islands leans on green mangoes as a souring agent.

As a Meat Eater…

  • Griot - Haitian fried braised boneless pork shoulder. This celebratory dish is often eaten with Pikliz (page 99).

  • Churrasco - Puerto Rican grilled steak marinated with garlic, oregano, and vinegar. It’s then finished with a tart wasakaka, a Dominican herb sauce with lots of lime.

  • Poulet Boucané- Martinique sugarcane smoked chicken! It is also known as “buccaneer chicken.” The chicken is marinated in lots of allium, lime, rum, allspice, and thyme before it is grilled with sugarcane pieces.

  • Lechon Kawali - A Flipino classic! Crispy deep-fried pork belly. Best enjoyed with bottled mang tomas and/or Sinamak (page 48).

  • Soup Joumou - Haitian “freedom soup” to commemorate Haiti’s independence from France in 1804. Its base is pureed pumpkin and cooked with beef or goat with vegetables and scotch bonnet peppers.

As a Pescatarian…

  • Vindaye Poisson

  • Kinilaw Na Isda

  • Mas Riha

  • Cari de Poisson Et Potiron

  • Bouyon Bred

As a Vegetarian…

  • Asar

  • Keshi Yena - Replace the beef with plant-based ground “meat”

  • Mofongo Con Guiso - Pork rinds are optional!

  • Ensaladanf Talong - Omit the shrimp paste.

  • Curried Green Jackfruit

For Building a Cool Pantry…

  • Asinan

  • Ginger Beer

  • Jerk Pork Tenderloin

  • Seychellois Massalé

  • Tamarind Chili Salt Salad

If I were Throwing a Massive Party…

  • Kālua Pua’a

  • Chamorro BBQ Chicken

  • Red Rice

  • Shoyu Ahi Poke

  • Pickled Green Papaya

I would love to hear if you cooked any recipes and posted them on social media. Make sure to tag me or send them along via email to randwiches at gmail dot com.

Hold Up! Stay Humble with Humble Bundle Games - AD

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This is a sponsored post. TL:DR I’m working with Humble Bundle and receive commissions when you purchase through the links in this post.

In addition to cooking, I also love to play games when I have downtime. From tabletop RPGs to indie titles and expansive open worlds, it’s fun to get out of the kitchen and immerse myself elsewhere. What if playing games could help the environment and other causes I believe in, too?

Humble Bundle started as a limited time pay what you wish package of 3 to 5 indie games. During that period, you could gain bonuses like extra games or soundtracks (which were always good!). You could choose how much of that purchase went to charity.

Nowadays, Humble Bundle is an alternative storefront for games against corporate enterprises which are riddled with bureaucracy and long approvals. It’s a cool, new way to support independent creators while spreading the wealth to worthy causes.

What is in my Humble Library?

I gravitate toward narrative adventures, though below you will also see some puzzle and platform games. I periodically stream gameplay live on my Twitch Channel.

Here’s a peek at some of the games in my Humble library:

  • Broken Age - An epic adventure from Double Fine. You play as two characters: Vella, who has been volunteered for a maiden sacrifice, and Shay, a lonely boy who lives on a spaceship.

  • Dave the Diver - A big diving hole in the ocean provides fish for your new sushi restaurant. Other folks from the community ask you to find stuff down there, too.

  • Gone Home - Explore your childhood home during a rainstorm. Recommended if you love going through people’s stuff and cassette tapes.

  • Inscryption - A surprising card game that reveals itself to be much more than it seems as you progress.

  • Kentucky Route Zero - Gorgeous, musical, and trippy story.

  • Machinarium - You play as a little tin dude who solves puzzles in a steampunk world.

  • Night in the Woods - A college dropout heads home and unravels a local conspiracy.

  • Samorost 3 - Point-and-click exploration game from the same studio as Machinarium.

  • Stacking - You play as the smallest Matryoshka doll who can jump into bigger dolls. You solve puzzles by stacking dolls with different skills to save your family from an evil baron.

  • Sword & Sworcery - I won’t spoil it, but it’s beautiful and mystical with some real-world bleed. The soundtrack by Jim Guthrie is incredible, too, I have it on cassette!

What if I don’t know much about games? Where do I start?

That’s okay! If the store is overwhelming, you can also try out Humble Choice, a flexible membership with a curated mix of games. On the first Tuesday morning of every month, the games are revealed and you can choose between a monthly membership or an annual subscription. You’ll be presented with various game genres from RPGs to strategy to shooters and indies. The current price is $11.99 USD per month, though you might want to check the Humble Choice Hub for the latest updates. And guess what? 5% of your payments will always go to charity.

What charities does Humble Bundle support?

Charity giving is a huge part of Humble Bundle and they are transparent about how much money goes to each organization. Every month, they feature a new charity and send 5% of all Humble Choice membership fees to the nonprofit. In 2024, they donated $253,000 to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation! Other organizations they support are Coral Guardian; Trees, Water, & People; Cool Effect, Kiss the Ground, One Tree Planted, The Trevor Project, It Gets Better, Malala Project, Girls Who Code, and many more.

FAQ

What is Humble Bundle?

Humble Bundle sells games, ebooks, software, and other digital content. Their mission is to support charity while providing awesome content to customers at great prices. They launched in 2010 with a single two-week Humble Indie Bundle, but have humbly grown into a store full of games and bundles, a gaming membership service, a game publisher, and more.

What is your relationship with Humble Bundle?

I am an affiliate partner of Humble Bundle. That means I earn a commission when you use my links to purchase from the store or join their paid membership programs.

Allwell Is My Go To For Local Sustainably Grown Asian Greens - AD

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This is a sponsored post. TL:DR I’m working with Allwell Greens and receive gifted products for events and content.

I met Judy and John Cari of Allwell Greens through my friend Liza de Guia. Liza produces a tv show called Food. Curated. on NYC Life. She hosted a party to celebrate the release of season 6 at The Woods in Williamsburg. It was a huge community potluck with featured chefs and local businesses. I brought a tray of vegan pancit and steamed persimmon buns. As I browsed two whole rooms full of food, split into sweet and savory; I found small boxes of fresh bok choy. I took one and looked at it quizzically, “What’s this doing here?” John leaned over and said, “Go ahead! Take it home!” And Judy added, ”It’s bok choy from our farm.”

I was surprised to hear about their vertical farm in Long Island City. Allwell Greens exclusively grows sustainable Asian greens! I was so happy to learn about them because I buy a lot of Asian produce and would like to serve locally grown vegetables. John showed me photos of their mini-farm and told me about scientific trials on the resilience of their plants.

At home, I marveled at how long the petit bok choy lasted in the fridge. They were still perky and crisp after 3 weeks! Judy invited me to visit the farm and showed me around. Because they grow everything in a closed system, their crops are pesticide and herbicide-free. Plus, you don’t need to wash the vegetables when you take them home. They are so crisp and flavorful that you can eat them raw in salads. She even let me peek at some experiments for future crops. It shouldn’t be a surprise that Judy and John love to eat at restaurants, too. We have since become great friends and collaborators thanks to our introduction through Liza. I periodically join them for a calm afternoon of harvesting bok choy.

To learn more about Allwell Greens watch their feature on season 6, episode 6 of Food. Curated..

Where do you get Allwell Greens?

As of 4/17/24, you can get Allwell Greens in the NYC area from Farm to People, Umami Cart, Essex Farm at Essex Market, Urban Market, Jubilee Marketplace, Dumbo Market, and Double Green Produce. Stay tuned to their Instagram for updated vendors.

What can you get from Allwell Greens?

Here are the most current offerings from AllwellGreens.com. Pay attention to their social media for specialty harvests and tests for new veggies.

Petite Shanghai Bok Choy 上海苗

The Shanghai Bok Choy has a bulbous light green stem and oval leaves. It is a mild and sweet-tasting vegetable. Shanghai Bok Choy is the most versatile leafy green in Asian greens, great for stir-fries, soups, grilling, and is a great crispy green for salads.

Petite Yu Choy 油菜苗

Yu Choy's literal translation means "oil vegetable" in Chinese. It has a crunchy stalk, oval-shaped leaves and when it blooms there are small edible yellow flowers. Yu Choy has a sweet, green taste similar to baby spinach, with subtle peppery notes. It is great for stir-fries, steaming, and blanching.

Baby White Bok Choy 奶油苗

The delicate leaves are dark green to light green, the stems are a milky white color, crisp, smooth, and wide. Baby White Bok Choy is tender and crunchy with a sweet, mild cabbage-like flavor with a slight mineral note. It is used in stir-fries, soups, and salads.

Petite Gailan (Chinese Broccoli) 芥蘭苗

The stems are pale green, smooth, and crunchy, and the broad blue-green to dark green, waxy leaves are semi-glossy. Our Gailan is harvested while they are young, hence why we call it "petite". Our Gailan will taste sweeter and less bitter than the larger full-grown version.

Water Spinach (Ong Choy) 青空心菜

Water Spinach also known as Kong Xin Cai/Kang Kung Belacan, has become a regular in Asian and Southeast Asian households. The stem is hollow and the leaves are tender, when cooked the crunchiness of the stems complements the soft tender leaves with a crisp clean taste.

What do I make with Allwell Greens?

Here is a running list of dishes I’ve made with Allwell Greens!

Bok Choy Ranch Salad

Crispy loose leaves of bok choy over a yogurt-based ranch dressing with sunflower seeds and watermelon radish.

Yu Choy Cream Cheese Dip

Just like spinach dip! I sauteed and squeezed all the liquid from a box of yu choy. I mixed it with cream cheese and spices for dipping bread and crudites. It could be served cold or warmed up, too.

Shiso Bun Cha

Allwell’s specialty shiso leaves are so big! They’re great for wrapping bbq, but also amazing in raw salads. Here I mixed it with some frisee, spicy microgreens, cucumber, and rice noodles to go with a piquant fish sauce dressing.

FAQ

What is Allwell Greens?

Allwell Greens is a vertical farm located in Long Island City. It was founded by Judy and John Cari. Their goal is to revolutionize the Asian produce business by providing responsibly grown, pesticide-free heritage Asian greens. 

What is your relationship with Allwell Greens?

I am an unofficial ambassador for Allwell Greens. I receive gifted products for my events and content.

D'Artagnan Dares to Deliver Conscientiously Raised Meats & Delicious Farm to Fork Goods - AD

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This is a sponsored post and contains affiliate links. TL:DR I’m working with D’Artagnan and earn commissions when you shop through my link.

For years D’Artagnan has been a leader in specialty meats and the only place to get duck, truffles, and foie gras shipped to your door. With the rise of many other services, D’Artagnan has persisted in its mission to consciously raise meats from independent farms to keep their practices transparent.

I was lucky enough to attend the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) conference in 2018 and caught a duck butchery demonstration with Ariane Daguin, the owner and CEO of D’Artagnan. She also happened to receive a Trailblazer award that year. She made herself available to the audience to ask questions about her landmark products and how hands-on she is in the production process. She is known for launching the first domestically made foie gras in the United States. D’Artagnan defines foie gras as “enhanced” duck or goose liver. It’s a fraught food because geese and ducks are typically force-fed to enlarge their liver. The practice was even banned in California and has been tied up in courts up through last year. At D’Artagnan, they make foie gras from Moulard ducks and explain their stress-free process:

“Waterfowl have a natural propensity to gorge themselves before leaving on long migratory flights. They store the fat in their liver, which serves as a gas tank, and under the skin, which protects them from the cold at high altitudes. Humans discovered this fattened and delicious liver while hunting migratory ducks and geese, and soon found a way to reproduce it when the fowl was domesticated. The first record of fattening ducks is in Egyptian tombs, where vivid paintings depict the special feeding. Since the esophagus of a duck is thickened to protect it from harm when swallowing whole fish, frogs, and other prey, it is impervious to pain. A small funnel slipped into the mouth of the duck delivers a quick burst of mashed corn directly to the gullet. This high-calorie diet reproduces the natural process of gorging and causes the liver to expand and grow fatty.”

To be honest, I rarely ate duck. My family never cooked it and it felt too expensive to splurge on Peking duck at restaurants. Duck was part of my culinary awakening in my late 20’s, I tore through Kitchen Confidential and visited Les Halles where Anthony Bourdain used to work. I ordered the duck confit and it clicked. How wonderful is it that duck can taste so good, get so crispy, and even better, you can use its rendered fat to roast potatoes. It’s lower in saturated fat and higher amounts of “good” unsaturated fats compared to beef and pork fat. Whenever I need duck, premium charcuterie, and ethically made foie gras, I look to D’Artagnan.

How do I use D’Artagnan?

Here is a running list of dishes that I’ve made with D’Artagnan products.

Foie Gras Butter

I ordered the foie gras chunks, which are offcuts of the larger pate and torchon. I trimmed them and tossed them in a dry cure. After curing overnight, I blended the foie one piece at a time into softened unsalted butter. The result is a luxurious smooth butter for biscuits, finishing steaks, and fancy floats for soup.

Cheese & Charcuterie Grazing Board

For Valentine’s Day, I created large grazing boards with cheeses, fruits, nuts, and homemade focaccia. I also featured D’Artagnan duck rillettes, the above foie gras butter, wagyu bresaola, wild boar lonza, and sliced Iberico jamon.

Jamon Iberico & Mushroom Nabe

Japanese nabe or hot pot is traditionally made with uncured pork belly. It is generally advised that bacon is too salty for this application, but a single slice of this otherwise vegetable forward dish gives it a savory, luxe finish when you dip it in ponzu and eat it.

FAQ

What is D’Artagnan?

D’Artagnan is an online meat and luxury food company. They are known for their free-range, natural production, and sustainable humane farming practices on products from organic chicken to grass-fed beef to lamb, heritage pork, and other meats. They are also a leading source of specialty mushrooms, foie gras, and finishing oils. Moreover, they partner with independent family farms and ranches. You won’t catch them using added antibiotics or hormones.

What is your relationship with D’Artagnan?

I am an affiliate partner. That means that I get compensated by D’Artagnan for every purchase made through my links on this post.

Burlap & Barrel Makes My Pantry Explode with Brilliant Flavor - AD

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This is a sponsored post and contains affiliate links. TL:DR Use the code RANDWICHES when you shop on BurlapAndBarrel.com to get a FREE grinder of Robusta Black Peppercorns with any purchase of $15 or more.

Burlap & Barrel is a Queens-based public benefit company that is revolutionizing spices. On paper, they’re ticking all the feel-good-about-the-world boxes like working with small farms to build more equity and sustainability. Their sourcing is an educational touchpoint, too, broadening our knowledge of food systems, and highlighting the importance of traceability with regard to organic products and human rights. On top of all that, the spices are freaking good, strongly flavored, and intoxicatingly fragrant. You won’t find old bottles of Burlap & Barrel in my pantry because I’m reaching for them almost every day in the kitchen.

I’m so proud to partner with a company that holds the same culinary values as me. When you try Burlap & Barrel, use the code RANDWICHES when you shop on BurlapAndBarrel.com to get a FREE grinder of Robusta Black Peppercorns with any purchase of $15 or more.

I was so lucky to meet co-founder Ethan Frisch through my friend Max Falkowitz, who wrote a culinary trivia card game called TASTE TEST. Together, we hosted a panel of professionals for an online game show stream (watch the archive here). Ethan was so knowledgeable and fun to hang out with. Later on, I was happy to celebrate with the Burlap & Barrel team when they appeared on Shark Tank. I’m glad to be part of the community and can’t wait to keep expanding my spice knowledge, one bottle at a time.

Burlap & Barrel has an immense catalog, so please let me introduce you to my stand-bys and some new favorites. Bookmark this page because I’m going to update the guide as I try more spices.

WHAT DO I DO WITH….?

Ground Laurel Bay Leaves

I know this goes against my advice about grinding spices before you use them. This bay leaf powder from Denizli, Turkey is the exception. The leaves are so strong that they retain their volatile oils in this lovely green powder. When cooking, replace a single bay leaf with 1/8th teaspoon of ground laurel bay leaves.

Black Urfa Chili

Urfa biber peppers are grown in Turkey about 4 hours away from Aleppo, Syria. While I love throwing Aleppo pepper on everything, urfa peppers are unique in their umami and light spice. After they’re harvested, they’re sundried to concentrate their flavor. This particular bottle comes with a little sunflower oil to help the flakes bloom, but they’re perfectly safe to keep in the pantry. I like to use it in tandem with black lime on chicken or hummus.

Royal Cinnamon

When I tried ground royal cinnamon for the first time, I coughed. It is much more spicy and potent than any other cinnamon I have tried. Grocery store cinnamon sticks sit for so long on the shelf that my general idea of cinnamon had been pretty weak. My advice: when you use royal cinnamon in recipes, start with half of the suggested amount and add more if needed.

Cinnamon Tree Leaves

I did not know this was a THING. Just like you would use bay leaves for a flavor base, cinnamon tree leaves are a welcome addition to stews, beans, and braises. They’re perfect for a tiny essence of cinnamon versus a shotgun blast of pure ground royal cinnamon. I’ve improved the black bean recipe from my cookbook with them! I also have torched the leaves slightly for infusing bourbon.

Wild Mountain Cumin

While these cumin seeds look tinier than grocery store cumin, they’re a lightning bolt of flavor. These babies are foraged in the Hindu Kush mountains of Afghanistan. I love to use cumin in my carne asada marinade and in chili.

Spice Surprise

Don’t know what to get? Add a Spice Surprise to your cart. If you’ve been following me for a while, you know this is very much in the spirit of Random Sandwiches. If you’re easily paralyzed by choice, this is the perfect solution.

FAQ

What is Burlap & Barrel?

Burlap & Barrel is a Public Benefit Corporation building new international spice supply chains that are equitable, transparent, and traceable.

What is your relationship with Burlap & Barrel?

I am an affiliate partner. That means that I get compensated by Burlap & Barrel for every purchase made through my links on this post.

How do I use my discount code?

Head to BurlapandBarrel.com and add $15 USD worth of items to your cart. Then, add the 1.8oz Robustra Black Peppercorn grinder-top jar to your cart. Upon check out, enter the code RANDWICHES on the right side. It should look like this photo on the right, the grinder should be marked as free. The code will not work for any other product or size.



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ButcherBox Makes My Biggest Cooking Dreams Complete - AD

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This is a sponsored post and contains affiliate links. TL:DR When you use my link to try ButcherBox, I receive a commission.

After a long hiatus away from making random sandwiches (for which this website is named!), I walked every aisle of the grocery store and local farmer’s market for inspiration. Coming up with ideas is so fun for me, but even I hit a wall sometimes. I’ve always been an advocate for meal kits and grocery delivery services for folks who are new to the kitchen. I like to try out new services around the holidays or surrounding my birthday because I need a break from coming up with meals, too.

ButcherBox has been the exception. I look forward to my big box of high-quality meats every month! Each package is a welcome cooking challenge. When you sign up, there is almost always a generous bonus. I lucked out and got 3 months of free salmon! Around Thanksgiving, you can get a free turkey (if you order fast). And before that, new subscribers got free ground beef for life.

SO, WHAT IS BUTCHERBOX?

ButcherBox is a meat and seafood delivery service where you can adjust the timing, size, and make-up of the contents. It’s all been hits, from filet mignon to pork loin, chops, chicken, ground beef, and even lobster. I haven’t been disappointed! It’s great for households that have ample freezer space and mouths to feed. I have a friend who tried it and said it was too much meat for her, but, thankfully, you can delay or pause shipments if that is the case for you. Everything arrives frozen in a nicely insulated box. Per food safety guidelines, it’s best to get the products right into the freezer or in the fridge on a lipped sheet pan if you’re going to defrost them for that day.

WHAT DO I DO WITH ALL OF THIS MEAT?

If you want to try it out and get free stuff when you sign up, use my affiliate link. Not sure what you’re going to do with all of that meat? Don’t worry, I made this post to round up what I’ve made so far (and will keep adding as I make more dishes).

Sansho pepper pork chops with shiso leaves

Replace your ground black pepper with Japanese sansho pepper, which in small amounts, provides a buzzy, citrusy flavor with every bite. I also marinated it overnight with crushed yellow plums. Prepare your pork chops as you normally do on the grill, in the oven, or on the stove. Then slice it all up and serve it with shiso leaves, a habit I picked up from Korean BBQ restaurants.

Beef chuck roast with capers and mustard

I tied up this beef chuck roast so it would cook evenly. Then I marinated it with lots of coriander, pepper, salt, and fennel seeds. It went into a sous vide bath for 6 hours (I wish I had longer!). Then I sliced it really thinly, resting the pieces in their juices, whisked with mustard and chopped capers.

Filet mignon with Christmas beans and mustard greens

I simply seasoned the filet mignon with salt and pepper before pan-frying it to medium doneness. I really don’t like to overwhelm such high quality meat! It’s so good that you don’t need to add much to it. When I was growing up I typically ate steak with rice and boiled veggies. These days I’ll throw on some warm beans tossed with salsa and fresh farmer’s market produce like mustard greens pictured here.

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How to Live a BRANDLESS Life

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NOTE: Brandless has since folded but the videos are still online!

I got to help out BRANDLESS with a few short tutorial videos. These four videos showcase products that you can get on their website for just $3.

Did you know you can use a cheese grater for more things than just cheese? Grate lime zest, carrots and chocolate (maybe not at the same time).

Roasted chick peas are not only good for you, but a great side dish, add-on to salad or a snack.

Vegan whipped cream? You read that correctly. Use the leftover can liquid from garbanzo beans (look at us being sustainable!), which is called aquafaba. It acts just like egg whites. You whip it up and plop it on whatever your want.

Care packages aren’t just from moms to college students. Packed everything up nicely and don’t forget to decorate.