As the upheaval of June receded day-by-day into the past, one word repeatedly popped into my head to taunt me: normal. Epicurious stepped away from publishing for most of June; in July, would we publish again like normal? Would we return to publishing on a daily cadence, go back to our regularly scheduled programming?
I speak for myself but also for the rest of the Epi team when I say that July did not feel anywhere close to normal. The pandemic, the justice movements, the economy, and yes, of course, the aftermath of the internal Bon AppĆ©tit/Epi shakeup, prevented us from fooling ourselves that anything is remotely like the way we perceived it to be six months ago. And yet Epicurious did return to publishing on a regular schedule this month. We published new recipes, posted new articles, and even unleashed new initiatives. But in doing so, we kept our promises to youāpromises to be a more inclusive publicationātop of mind.
So did Epicurious achieve normalcy in July? Iād say we did, but it was not the same normal we aimed for at the beginning of the year. July was our first step towards a new normal. Hereās what it looked like.
Recipes
We started the month with two new vegetarian recipes for the grill: Open-Face Mushroom Sandwiches With Pecorino Salsa Verde by Christian Reynoso (his firstābut not last!ācontribution to the site), and Grilled Cauliflower Wedges With Herb Tarator by Hetty McKinnon. These are meatless but meaty dinners that give you the endorphin rush of cooking over live fire, and the smug satisfaction of knowing that you prevented at least one dinnerās worth of cash from getting in the hands of the beef industry.
Later in the month we published Jocelyn Jacksonās Black-Eyed Pea Burgers, which get topped with a smoky barbecue sauce and Chowchow. In an essay that accompanies the recipes, Jackson writes of the historiesāboth personal and globalāthat allowed her to develop these dishes. Iām particularly in love with the way she talks about preserves: āThe preservation process is a pathway to liberation and love,ā Jackson writes. ā[Itās] a legacy of resilience.ā
Elsewhere on the site, we published a couple salads that could pair with that burger. Alexander Smalls's Creole Caesar packs in every flavor of summer, from the corn to the tomatoes to the okra. Equally as summer-y is Brigid Washingtonās fiery, smoky-sweet Jerk Potato Salad. Make it and youāll end up with extra jerk seasoning to use in other ways. Mashing it into butter āis a gift to yourself and all of the seasonās ears of corn,ā Washington writes. āItās also an automatic game changer when slathered on zucchini, eggplant, and meaty portabello mushrooms.ā (And yes, you can also use it on chicken.)
What about drinks? Well, yes, what about them? This is the month our resident cocktail expert Maggie Hoffman said that we donāt have to worry about shaking cocktails: all we have to do is open a bottle of vermouth. (It took less than ten minutes for me to place an order for vermouth after reading this piece, so maybe have your wallet handy before clicking.)
Our most popular new recipe this month is Tara OāBradyās Homestyle Dosas with Tomato Chutney. Iāve personally been keeping myself in dosas all month thanks to this one (and the comprehensive guide to making homestyle dosas that OāBrady wrote to go alongside it).
Weād been talking about doing a dosa primer on Epi for years, and the spring felt like the right time: Seeing everybody take on sourdough, it seemed like our readers were hungry for fermentation projects. When I reached out to OāBrady in April about developing the dosa recipe for us, it was a standard, everyday ask.
But for OāBrady, receiving my email was, as she writes in this beautiful essay, āanything butā straightforward.
āA dosa tutorial would, I knew, highlight my race,ā OāBrady writes. āAnd as a person of color, drawing such attention makes me vulnerable. I had a familiar apprehension that the project could be used to define me in a way from which my white peers would be spared.ā
Taraās essay is one of the most thoughtful pieces of writing Epicurious has ever published; read it while you wait for your homestyle dosa batter to ferment.
A final note about the recipes we worked on in July: Some of the most important work we did involved recipes that were published years ago. Our Archive Repair Project kicked off at the beginning of the month, has been ongoing as the month has progressed, and will continue until the work is complete.
The Smart Cook
Yesterday Americans got the news that the GDP dipped lower in the last three months than it ever had before. The economic slowdown is what initially inspired Epi to launch an affordable cooking initiative, The Smart Cook, in May; stories like yesterdayās are what inspire us to keep that initiative alive.
In July, our most popular Smart Cook story wasāas so many Smart Cook stories areānot just a tip about affordable cooking, but a great tip about cooking in general. Itās all about citrus peels: Joe Sevier thinks you should be freezing them. āI started stockpiling citrus peels in earnest near the beginning of the coronavirus quarantine in New York City,ā he writes. ā[Adding them to sparkling water] is probably the most obvious way to use up citrus peels, but there are other ways I've found myself using them now that I always have a stash on hand.ā What are those ways? Click to find out, or let the suspense ruin your weekend. Up to you!
Suspense was all over The Smart Cook this month. In her July installment of her Three Eggs and a Can column, Kendra Vaculin hypes a version of egg salad that is completely mayoless. What takes the place of the mayo? Thatās where the suspense comes in.
Another Smart Cook column, Cheap Thrills, was on fire in July: we heard about from Hsiao-Ching Chou, Diala Canelo, and Darra Goldstein about the things they cook when theyāre short on time and money. And on Instagram, we posted a photo of Wilson Tangās Cheap Thrill: hot dogs wrapped in scallion pancakes.
Instagram content
Finally, over at Dinner and Change, our column about recipes that cost $10 or less, we lavished praise on a fish burger that isnāt tuna and the joys of sinangag, which Tiffany Hopkins eats for dinner, not breakfast (but donāt tell her mom that).
Well Equipped
If you are going to spend money, Well Equipped, Epiās shopping vertical, has some advice for how to spend that money wisely. This month the W.E. team unveiled their Cleaning Guide, which has recs on the best robo vacuums, feather dusters, scrub brushes, and solid dish soap (Wilder Davies says itās better than the liquid stuff). But how clean does your kitchen really need to be, anyway? In his first piece for Epicurious, Eric Kim provides the answer.
If itās upgrading rather than cleaning that youāre into, Lauren Joseph has recs for big pasta bowls and wares that give off farmhouse vibes. Eating more pizza than pasta? Yossy Arefi knows the pizza stone you should buy.
So many opinions! Weāre not in the business of editorials at Epicurious, but then again, maybe we are? This month we put out strong positions about hot dog buns (split-top or donāt even bother), ice cubes (they should be big), hori horis (the only gardening tool you need), and, uh, Urban Outfitters (Kendra says the kitchen section is killer).
Maybe you disagree with these opinions? Maybe you have some opinions of your own youād like to air? In that case, for you the most important article we published in July is probably our pitching guidelines. Send us your ideas for articles and who knows? Maybe youāll see that article in the round-up I write for August.
