Ann Mah's newsletter / April 2020
April 2020 newsletter
Hello
The world has turned upside down since my last dispatch. Here in Washington, DC, we are in our third week of staying at home and, like all of you, I've found my life completely reinvented. Currently I'm a first grade teacher, PhD candidate in the Nordic myths of Arendelle, professional worrier, indolent novelist, audio-visual consultant specializing in Netflix kids and Disney+, and apprentice bread-maker. (I think I got laid off as a travel writer?!)
Meanwhile Mother Nature marches inexorably on with her showy displays and reminders to live in the present. The crumb of your home-baked bread. The peace that comes with a good set of earplugs. The gratitude I feel for daily texts from friends and family, may they all be well.
Here's what else I've been up to...
What I've been eating
–Remember the sourdough starter I made last month? Who knew I was ahead of the curve? :) It's still going strong and I'm so proud of the no-knead focaccia I made with it this week. Check out the crumb – so light! So pillowy! The recipe is from David Atherton of Great British Bakeoff fame. And if you need a refresher on making your own sourdough starter, check out this post from King Arthur Flour.
–I promise this is not becoming a sourdough newsletter, but Chocolate and Zucchini has good advice on converting recipes from dried yeast to natural starter.
–For a fun, stress-free, family meal, may I suggest Smitten Kitchen's chicken shawarma night?
–My friend Mallika Basu has pulled together 10 Indian recipes to master now for the Evening Standard.
–Dreaming of Rome? Rachel Roddy has you covered with her 10 Italian lockdown recipes in The Guardian. I made her twice-cooked broccoli pasta last night and it was divine; my 6-year-old and I fought over the leftovers for lunch today.
–Or if it's Tuscany you're missing, try out this simple little minestrone recipe from Emiko Davies and her little girl.
What I've been reading
–My friend Danielle Trussoni's new novel comes out next week! I love her writing and The Ancestor blends gothic suspense with family secrets, part ghost story, part edge-of-your-seat horror.
–Visit DC's cherry blossoms with the Tidal Basin bloom cam.
–This Bon Appétit video on how to make 29 handmade pasta shapes with 4 types of dough is strangely meditative.
–My friend Eliza went to sourdough bread-baking camp! Read what she learned in her article for the Washington Post.
–A video on the exquisite pain of the pointe shoe from the Opéra de Paris: Les secretes des pointes du ballet
A bientôt
This is where I usually talk about my plans for the month ahead, but right now they probably look a lot like your plans! Please stay well, try to be patient with one another – let me know if you try any of the recipes – and I'll see you here next month.
XO,
Ann