Greetings eaters and readers! What’s for dinner? I’m feeling like it’s a spring quinoa bowl kinda night, or maybe I’ll make Meera Sodha’s Mango Paneer Curry or a crispy fish sandwich or some version of Yasmin Fahr’s creamy, tomatoey orzo or maybe I’ll just defrost a few veggie burgers from the freezer and call it a night. On the other hand, last week I ate the most beautiful agnolotti at Roscioli, above, and was reminded that I don’t need dinner to be much more than pasta, cheese, and a tiny, crispy fried sage leaf. In other news: ATTENTION aspiring novelists and newsletter writers and anyone in between: Reminder that today at 3:00 ET, I’ll be having a Substack Live chat with Andrea Bartz, who’s behind the always insightful Get it Write newsletter. We’ll be discussing the way we each approach writing and storytelling and whatever else comes up. You’ll need to download the Substack app to watch. Hope to see you there! Herewith, your Three Things…

1. Weeknight Tortilla Española

Something new to add to the “pro” column on the ever-growing Pros-and-Cons List of moving to New York: A regular midtown lunch ritual with my old friends Lori and Liz. Both of them have real jobs in a real office in Times Square, and since I decidedly do not, we’ve been meeting at Boqueria, a ginormous tapas spot that’s right across the street from their building and only about a half hour walk for me from the Upper West Side. This has turned out to be a fortuitous choice because last time, I ended up ordering that perfect lunch shown above: A wedge of tortilla española and a tomato-plum salad with feta that was inexplicably flavorful despite the fact that, in my neck of the woods, we are still weeks away from stone fruit season.

On my walk home from lunch, I found myself riding the specific high you get after a shared-history session with old friends…but also thinking hard about that tortilla española. Why was it so good? It was simple, yes — one of those more-than-the-sum-of-its-parts recipes that calls for only four basic ingredients: olive oil, eggs, potatoes, onions. José Andrés calls it the most important dish in Spanish cooking. I started wondering Why do I not make it more often? As a Weekday Vegetarian, how is it not a regular in the dinner rotation?

When I get home, I start googling, beginning with “boqueria tortilla espanola” and what comes up is a 2013 story written by…me. Apparently Andy and I recreated the recipe thirteen years ago after a visit to…Boqueria. (My memory may be shot but at least I’m consistent.) Boqueria was not the multi-city empire it is today — we went to one of the earlier more intimate branches in Soho with our young daughters, and discovered that tapas was a “picky eater paradise,” offering an exciting, theatrical experience for kids who were empowered to select and, crucially, reject exactly whichever small bites they wanted. (Do I miss those days? I’m not sure I do.) But the point is: The tortilla española! I was inspired to make it then, and I was inspired to rediscover it now.

So a few nights later I called up the recipe*, making sure I had the best eggs, potatoes, and onions. Alongside a simple salad and some She Wolf bread, it was a perfect dinner, and even better the next day. Christina Chaey knows! In her most recent newsletter, about the heartwarming uptick of potlucks in her life, she mentioned the tortilla española she brought along to a Spanish wine tasting. In other words, the dish is make-ahead, it travels well, and is excellent at room temperature.

*If you prefer a version that does not finish under the broiler, Smitten Kitchen’s Tortilla de Patatas is a good one to check out, too. She also includes some real hand-holding on the skillet flip, which can get scary.

2. Have Cobbler, Will Travel

It’s summer here in the Northeast — well, the calendar says as much even if the weather does not — which to me means we’ve hit the season of honeysuckle-infused breezes, long weekends out of the city, and fruit desserts, specifically my mother-in-law’s Tried-and-True Cobbler. Don’t worry long-timers, I’m not writing about the recipe again, even though there is definitely a legit reason why I will never ever shut up about it. I just wanted to take this early June day to remind you that if you are doing the vacation rental thing this summer — or if you are a guest at someone’s house and charged with making dessert — it is never a bad idea to pack the pre-measured dry ingredients for the cobbler topping (flour, cinnamon, sugar, salt) in a zip-top bag. That way you don’t have to buy (and possibly waste) a bunch of dry ingredients wherever you’re staying. You can just head to the local market, figure out what fruit is fresh or local, and dessert is done. I realize that this tip may sound a little random, but it’s amazing how often I find myself stuffing the topping bag into my weekend tote. P.S. You can also bring a batched cocktail.

3. Books for Dad

I’ve written about a lot of books lately and thought you’d appreciate a lightning-round review of the ones that might work for Father’s Day gifting. For the guy who loves to cook but doesn’t want to be all fussy about it: The Farm Table, by Julius Roberts, a former London chef shares stories and simple, rustic, stunning recipes using ingredients from his idyllic farm in the English countryside. For the guy who is serious about grilling: Rodney Scott’s World of BBQ, old-school no-frills classics and whole-hog play-by-plays from the celebrated Carolina pitmaster (bundle it with a homemade batch of his barbecue sauce); For the guy who loves an inside scoop: The so-dishy, so-dark Facebook exposé Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams. I listened to it on audio for a long road trip and it made the drive fly. For the history buff: An Unfinished Love Story, the personal and political memoir by Doris Kearns Goodwin based on hundreds of letters and documents that her (now late) husband, Dick Goodwin saved during his years speechwriting for every major player in 1960s politics, including John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Robert Kennedy; For the history buff, part 2: Every Living Thing, the 2025 Pulitzer winner by Jason Roberts about the race between two 18th-century scientists to identify every living thing on earth. For the guy who loves a memoir: I Regret Almost Everything, by the biting, witty, and so very charming New York restaurateur Keith McNally. (Here’s my “official” review.) For the seafaring adventure type: The Wager, by David Grann, a true story about the harrowing saga of the 18th-century British naval crew who ended up shipwrecked and starving on a desolate island. Dad (and you) might just read it in one sitting. P.S. Remember Jodi’s book-bundling brilliance?

Have a great week,
Jenny

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For easy, approachable vegetarian recipes, check out my New York Times bestselling book The Weekday Vegetarians and the follow-up: The Weekday Vegetarians: Get Simple. 🍳🌿