Well well well, if it isn’t my very own newsletter. I’m kind of nervous writing this! But I guess it is a first date after all. I’m excited to finally have a place to dump share all my recipes, recommendations and talk all about me me me and my stuff (kidding….….)
This was long overdue given the fact I am one of the worst food creators out there…until now. Until now. For example, I promised to share the recipe of a mushroom soup I made literally 4 months ago and have somehow managed to still not post it. It’s coming, I swear. But in the meantime I’ll do you one better and share the recipes of some notable things I cooked recently.
Btw, I should mention 2 things I probably won’t be doing - including serving size & salt/pepper amounts.
I don’t know how hungry you are and who you’re eating with. My boyfriend eats 4 portions as 1. Sometimes I can eat a whole bag of pasta sometime just a few bites. I’m usually cooking for 2 (but like kind of 3?)
“My food came out too salty” oOookaaayy so why’d you oversalt it!?! It depends on what type of salt you use, and how ~salty~ you enjoy your food. My mom adds a pinch, I add a brick. Ye know? I will say though, don’t be afraid of salt. Sometimes all your food needs to taste better is literally just some more salt. And I’m obsessed with black pepper so there’s that. I’ve said it before, but if you are not using a pepper mill to freshly ground your pepper, please. Here’s the cutie salt + pepper duo I used to use. Best $10 you can spend.
now, what i made this week:
gochujang carbonara
you guys ate this uuuup on Instagram, and rightfully so because this was gooood. funnily enough, it was my first time making carbonara and I kind of just winged it - after doing some tiktok culinary school research of course. apparently the general rule is 2 egg yolk per person, parmesan not parmigiano reggiano and guanciale not bacon. whatever, I used reggiano and speck because of the smoky, rich flavor it gives. I also tried to maintain the integrity of a classic carbonara without going too korean-esque with the ingredients, but adding garlic, scallions and using udon noodles would be great if you really want to piss the italians off. now here’s what you need:
4 egg yolks
1 lb any pasta
1/2 cup diced speck
1 tbsp gochujang (varying how spicy you want)
1 cup parmesan FRESHLY grated
soy sauce
reserved pasta water
in a bowl add the egg yolks, a few dashes of soy sauce, the gochujang, a couple cranks of black pepper and the parm. mix until a thick paste forms.
bring pasta to a boil in salted water and cook just until al dente. reserve around 1.5 cups of pasta water on the side.
in a large skillet or pot saute the speck in a bit of olive oil until golden and crisped. remove the speck into a bowl and set aside. add your al dente pasta to the pot along with 1/2 cup of the pasta water. remove from heat.
slowly stream the other 1/2 cup of the pasta water into your egg mixture, whisking to temper your mixture.
add your egg mixture and speck into the pasta (off heat, remember!!) and mix to incorporate everything until a glossy sauce forms. if it’s too thick, add a tablespoon of pasta water at a time to thin it.
top with more parm, crispy speck + fresh cracked pepper.
braised leeks
okay, you’re probably SICK of hearing me talk about leeks but I can’t stop until everyone that follows me has tried leeks at least once, especially these leeks. and to be honest, I can’t tell if I’m just hyping them up for no reason anymore. like when you find a really good restaurant or watch a really good movie and you talk it up so much to your friends and they get the highest expectations ever and then they realize it’s just a goddamn ginormous sweeter version of a scallion. we’re talking about the leeks again btw. the bad news about leeks is they’re pretty expensive but the good news is they’re fuggin huge so you’ll be using them for eternity. i adapted this recipe from nyt cooking! video here.
2-3 leeks** (i used 2 because they were super big)
2 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup white wine
1.5-2 cups chicken stock
3 cloves of garlic
parm to taste
heat the olive oil in a large oven safe pan, I used my great jones cast iron. one of the biggest pans I have, love her.
lay leeks down cut side down and sear until they’re all golden and gorgeous, flip and repeat on the bottom side. be careful flipping, the layers may want to separate.
add 1 tablespoon of butter and the garlic. deglaze your pan with the wine and add your stock. use enough to come about 3/4 of the way of the leek. simmer until most of the broth has evaporated. add the remaining 1 tbsp of butter to the pan.
preheat oven to broil. top the leeks with enough parm to cover the surface and pop them in the oven until evenly golden and the cheese is melted. top with sea salt and fresh ground pepper!
eat and message me about how good these leeks are
** cleaning notes: leeks are filthy by nature and full of dirt. kind of like your ex. fear not, they’re easy to clean. first, cut the dark green tops off the leek they’re inedible BUT can be added to stocks so I’ve heard. remove ends of leek. then cut leeks lengthwise down the middle. then cut them width wise in half so they’ll fit in your pan. put them in a bowl of cold water for about 10-15 min. spill the water out and run cold water down each leek. sparkly clean!
kimchi jjigae
an ol’ classic but a goodie. I shared my story on how I came to study abroad in South Korea on TikTok last week and everyone commented how they grew up on kimchi jjigae or it was their comfort meal too and I :’) sometimes you forgot how emotional food can be and how many nostalgic memories it can bring. I’m having my Anton Ego moment.
anyway, this is one of those recipes where you measure with your heart and what you got, you really can’t mess it up. but the base ingredients remain the same. video here!
pork belly:
3/4 lb thicc pork belly (can sub shrimp/portobello or omit to make veg)
3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp sugar
rest of the soup:
2 cups kimchi cut into small pieces (the older the better)
2 tbsp soy sauce
1.5 tbsp - 2.5 tbsp gochujang (use less if using gochugaru too)
1 tbsp gochugaru (I didn’t have and it’s okay if you don’t)
1 inch knob ginger grated
4 cloves garlic sliced
4 scallions cut into 1 inch pieces
chicken stock or water
sesame oil to finish
optional toppings: rice cakes, silken tofu, enoki/seafood mushrooms
use pork belly that’s in block form not already thinly sliced. then slice into bite sized strips. mix with the rice vinegar, couple cranks of black pepper and the sugar in a bowl and let marinate for 15 min. this makes your pork belly super tender, when I have time I try doing this.
heat a large pot (I used my dutch oven, love) with a smidge of oil. sear your pork belly, without the marinade if any is left, until golden. add your garlic, scallions and ginger and cook until it smells real good and aromatic.
add your chopped kimchi and soften for a few minutes. add your gochujang, soy sauce, gochugaru (if using) and mix everything together.
top everything up with chicken broth or water until it’s covered. amount will vary depending on the consistency you like. I prefer slightly more of a soupy jjigae, some like it more stewy and thicc. I maybe used like 5 cups, i’m not too sure.
bring everything to a boil then lower to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. if using rice cakes, throw them into the soup and cook according to instructions (they take like a few minutes) and finally, nestle your enokis in and cover the lid for a few minutes until they’re softened.
I add my silken tofu on top of my bowl so I get nice whole chunks and it doesn’t melt into the big pot of soup. do as you please!
serve with a drizzle of sesame oil, sesame seeds and scallions and a side of rice (mandatory oommmg)
And that’s what we ate this week folks! try cookin’ something new this week, and if you do tag me on instagram @kayzukhs <3 we love to see it!! and let me know in the comments what more you’d like to see from me in future newsletters! I could write more, but this was my first one and I’m kind of tired.
location of the month:
chillin + skiing in sainte-agathe-des monts, quebec (near mont tremblant)
writing this as we drive to quebec city to ride the toboggan slide and see diplo at igloofest lfgggg :*