Heart Eyes, Vol. 241: Irregular Witches and Miso Leeks with White Beans
Friends! Hello. Happy Friday and happy (?) Good Friday, if you’re celebrating.
How are we all doing? Is it spring where you are? Where I live, it’s always beautiful on Thanksgiving and Christmas and (relatively) freezing on Easter, and so yet again I find myself pondering which combination of midi/maxi skirt and jacket and closed-toed shoes I can bust out on Sunday and still feel festive. Is this a metaphor? Are we all just faking it ‘til we make it?
Whatever you’re up to this weekend, I hope it’s warm enough to wear what you want, both literally and figuratively. I think you’re doing great.
What to Read: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, by Sangu Mandanna
Ooh, I read such a fun book recently. I know you’ve heard of a cozy mystery, but have you heard of a cozy witch romance? I have now in fact read the coziest witch romance, Sangu Mandanna’s The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, and am happy to report that it is an absolute delight.
Here’s the deal: A lonely young witch named Mika is summoned (via YouTube, naturally) to a suspiciously hard-to-find manor house on the North Sea coast to tutor three little girls, also witches, in the proper and responsible use of magic. Spoiler alert: Found family is formed, old wounds are healed, there’s an attic room with a view of the ocean and a gruff and handsome Irish librarian with a heart of gold. It’s smart and charming, a little sexy, and overall snugger than a bug in a rug—perfect for a rainy spring day.
I listened to this book, narrated impressively with a whole range of British-Isles accents by Samara MacLaren, and then promptly bought a print copy partly for lending out…which happened immediately because I cannot stop telling people how much I enjoyed it. Perhaps you would, too?
What to Cook: Miso Leeks with White Beans
Thank heavens for Hetty McKinnon, who just can’t seem to stop coming up with creative, interesting, entirely doable vegetarian recipes. Not for the first time, she saw me through this work week with a new dish published in the Times: Miso Leeks with White Beans (gift link), a take on leeks vinaigrette that makes glorious use of salty miso, sharp Dijon mustard, and tart vinegar, bulked out into a proper meal by way of creamy white beans, a jammy egg, and optional toast. (I went with the beans, because of course I did, but McKinnon also recommends stirring the vinaigretted leeks in with warm potatoes or pasta, mixing them with lentils and arugula for a salad, or spreading them on toast just as they are. I can’t object to any of those choices.)
Here are some things I like about this recipe: Obviously, it’s delicious—I want to put that vinaigrette on everything. It uses whole leeks, even the tougher, dark-green parts, and how often does that happen? It comes together in less than an hour, and most of that is hands-off braising time. It’s veggies and protein and optional carbs all in one. As an office lunch, it feels a little brunchy and luxurious (pro tip: pack your seven-minute egg along and warm it up in a mug of hot water), though I can see it fitting in beautifully at dinner as well.
Basically, Hetty does it again: gives us something simple and lovely, and never boring, that slots just so into the rhythm of the week. Maybe you’d like it, too.
Blockbuster Review: Amélie (2001)
Yup: still a classic. So stylized that it will never go out of style. Do we think that haircut is on its way back?