read it & eat - september '23

Bless the rains down in Auuuustin.

Welcome to read it & eat. This is the fourth edition of our newsletter to date. If you like what you’ve read so far, please share with your friends! If you don’t, please share with your enemies.

Hello, it’s me, Gary. I’m writing the intro this month because I feel the need to shout from the rooftops, so shout I shall: Fall is here, baby! 🍂 ☕

After a hellish summer of what felt like endless 100 degree days, the world is finally healing. Birds are chirping, plants are vibing, and now we can go outside without feeling like we’re one can of diesel and an Australian accent away from living out the critically acclaimed 2015 masterpiece Mad Max: Fury Road. Can I get a hell yeah?

Thanks, Meryl. I’m pumped as well. This was a really wacky season for Sierra and I, one filled with change, uncertainty, and a fair bit of anxiety. Granted we did have a lot of fun too, so at the end of it all the word I’d use to describe this summer is manic.

Here’s a note from Sierra on that before I dive into the food part of this food newsletter: 

🧂Let’s kick this edition off with a micro-lesson in etymology. Did you know that Roman soldiers were sometimes paid in salt instead of denarii? This stipend was referred to as a “salarium” (with “sal” being Latin for salt).

I think you know where I’m going with this, but if you don’t I’ll spell it out for you: This is the origin of the English word “salary.” And no, I’m not just sharing this fact because the internet has been talking about mens’ obsession with the Roman empire as of late. In actuality, I’m thinking about the roots of this word because I’ve just wrapped up my last few days with my former employer, and I think it’s about time I give a little salt of my own. 

You see, normally I’m working on these newsletters weeks in advance, coming up with ideas and taking pictures of dishes and desserts I find sexy. But this month, I’m scrambling to put my thoughts down mere hours before this hits your inbox because I found myself busier than ever during my last two weeks at work. Essentially, I was asked to complete a beast of a project (one that turned out to be 5,000+ words or 20 pages in Google Docs) in six! work! days!

In true Sierra fashion, I complained about it to anyone who would listen while simultaneously proving that I’m capable of working even harder than I did for the last three and a half years. However, this twisted (and questionable) act of spite writing did turn my brain into a watery bowl of oatmeal. And because of that you’ll find my contributions to this month’s newsletter a little more chaotic and all over the place than usual. But I hope you’ll stick with us, because it can only get better from here. ^{right? 👀} - Si

The Summer of Soup

We hope you enjoyed jumping into crystal clear swimming pools and sipping on ice cold cocktails this summer. Meanwhile, we’ve been slurping piping hot bowls of soup for months on end. Why? Honestly, I still don’t know (Si has a theory¹), but it did teach us a lot about cooking and it tasted real good.

The world would be a better place if more people appreciated soup in all its forms (looking at you, gazpacho). To that end I want to share some of the liquid-y highlights from our summer of soup as well as a few takeaways after many (read: many) hours of simmering. But first, a collage².

We dream of soup

I’m getting the urge to slurp just looking at these! Before I run off and put a stock pot on right this minute, I wanna discuss some of the things we learned that really took our soup game to the next level.

Make your own stock

This is a big one to start. For the longest time we used store bought stock (which is actually fine and even encouraged in some recipes). However, it turns out there’s something magical about putting all the ingredients into the pot yourself then waiting as the flavors develop. Not only is making your own stock rewarding; it’s also super easy. For a basic chicken stock, all you need is some chicken, herbs, veggies, and seasoning. We’ll get more into customizing this formula below, and it starts with using what you’ve got on hand.

Simmer down now

Raid the fridge

If you didn’t know, we’re planning a wedding right now, and that means saving every penny we can. For us, that doesn’t mean compromising on food though, so we’ve gotten pretty good at using what we have to stretch ingredients and save a few bucks. Some times are more successful than others, but when you have everything you need to make a real meal out of what seems like scraps—oh boy!

This concept comes into play bigtime for soup since you can throw just about anything in with the stock to add a little something-something. For one particular meal, we threw in a heaping helping of leftover cilantro. It turned the stock a lovely shade of pale green and infused the entire dish with a mild, herbaceous quality.

Before we get into the last two soupy bits, I think it’s time for Si to drop in with a sweet (and healthy) lil treat.

Fruit of the month

The fruit of the month this September was kiwi. If you didn’t eat any kiwi last month, I’m sorry but you were wrong for that. And you may be wondering: Since when do we have a fruit of the month? Since this month, that’s when, because Gary and I have started buying an obscene amount of fruit as a way of coping with our aging bodies.

According to my doctor, I’ve got high cholesterol. Apparently, that means I need to eat less cookies and chips (which…how did they know I’m eating a lot of those?). 🤔

Meanwhile, Gary’s blood sugar levels are a little wacky, so he’s supposed to be introducing more fiber into his diet and making an effort to eat lunch. All this to say, we’ve been panic-buying all kinds of produce in an effort to do better, leaving us with new snacks like pomegranate seeds, pears, nectarines, and sweet, sweet kiwi. Mostly, we just slice it up and enjoy, but we’ve also been making parfaits with toasted nuts and whatever fruit we have on hand.

I mean, c’mon. Just look at it.

Gary: Whatever we have on hand, you say? That’s a perfect segue for me to get into a bit about ~experimentation~. Thanks for the alley-oop, Sierra.

Embrace experimentation

In line with making something out of what you’ve got, it’s also super fun to experiment with a favorite soup once you’ve nailed down the process. Switch out the rice for noodles, add garlicky chili oil for a bit of pungent spice, or combine aspects of your favorite recipes to make something entirely new. The best part about soup is that it’s all in there vibing out either way, so if something doesn’t quite work out, the overall comfort and depth of flavor will still be there.

A little crunch goes a long way

Last but certainly not least: texture. A little crunch is an important component for just about any soup, and it’s fun to come up with different ways to introduce it. One of our favorites is the garlicky chili oil I already mentioned, and Sierra absolutely loves the crunchy chow mein noodles³ you see in more than a couple of the photos above. Ultimately this comes down to preference and taste, but I don’t think there’s ever been a soup we’ve made that wasn’t better with some crispy garlic or red pepper flakes on top.

Ultimately, I think a lot of what this season taught us is to be unafraid of trying new things and to roll with the punches a little bit. While I was away one day, Sierra made a pilgrimage to the farmer’s market and found her own story of what that actually looks like…

A bunch of bad dates

I am one of those people who occasionally enjoys a trip to the farmer’s market. Unfortunately, I always spend way too much money and end up sore from lugging around a tote that’s too full. But coming home with a spread of locally-sourced goodies is worth the hassle from time to time.

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve had a free Sunday morning where I could go to the market, but finally it happened this month. I made a deal with myself beforehand that I would focus on buying produce (because once again, panic-buying fruit and vegetables is apparently how Gary and I deal with confronting our mortality). 

Of course, the farmer’s market I visit is often a chaotic scene. It’s overrun with people like me—wide-eyed, swipe-happy yuppies lugging heavy sacks of random goods—as well as families, dogs, people on (actual) dates, and at least one time, a cat on a leash. So, you can imagine how easy it is to buy something in an overstimulated state, only to realize later you’ve wasted your money on something that you have no idea how to consume. 

For me, that experience played out like this: I approached a produce vendor and was immediately drawn to a rustic-looking basket overflowing with unidentifiable fruit. “What are those?” I asked, pointing to what was, in my eyes, a prop for a still life painting. The cashier told me they were dates, and knowing that Gary loves dates, I was happy to buy the whole basket.

Turns out, these dates were are raw—gorgeous as can be, but nearly inedible in their current state. 

The most aesthetically pleasing inedible fruit I’ve ever seen

This is how I learned that dates are only really edible if they’re overripe or dried. And considering that Gary and I don’t own a dehydrator (or have space for one in our condo), it looks like I’ve committed us to embarking on a journey of discovery with this big a** bag of dates.

We’ve decided to let them ripen on our counter for now (a process that is supposed to take over a month), and then we’ll likely either dry them in our oven, cook them into a syrup, or simply snack on them. So, check back next month for an update. And I hope you learn from my lesson of blindly buying produce I’m inexperienced with.

More food to come

Eclectic fruits, soups on soups, and a fair bit of manic energy. Writing this post and reading it back makes me realize that—after a chaotic time—it tends to be the good stuff that lingers. Either way I’m still hoping for a much more mild fall.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this post. Let us know in the comments if you’re now a newly converted kiwi fanatic (or if you know what to do with raw dates).

See you next month!

-Gary & Sierra

1. Okay, hear me out: Eating soup increases your body's internal temperature, which causes you to sweat. And we all know that sweating is how our bodies stay cool. So, it makes sense to eat soup to stay cool, right? Also, broth is hydrating. BOOM, SCIENCE.

2. Bonus Bun pic attached 🔍

3. La Choy Chow Mein Noodles