Hey! How are you? What have you been cooking? April was a whirlwind, and half of the month was spent traveling around England visiting family and friends (more on that soon). Here are a few things I’ve been eating and reading.

Spaghetti Puttanesca (Serious Eats) – This whole year has been a building love affair with Serious Eats. Their recipes are so varied, reliable, and always delicious. This recipe has a quick turnaround, and the finished product has more flavor than it seems possible to produce in such a short period of time. I suppose putting capers, olives, anchovies, and garlic in a dish will do that. Even if one of those ingredients scares you, please still try this. They reach amazing harmony together, and no one ingredient overpowers.

Street Cart Style Chicken and Rice from Smitten Kitchen Every Day (adapted here) – I first made this dish in December, and can’t for the life of me figure out why I waited until last week to make it again. I’m even struggling to describe why it is so good. The mixture of spices? Slight acidity? Hit of heat from hot sauce and harissa? Creamy yogurt sauce? Crunchy salad? Just make it, and then again soon.

Everything bánh mì. Will and I finally found out perfect bánh mì spot (here if you live in MA!!!!). But, it is a longer drive than I find conducive to weekly bánh mì consumption. So instead I made this lemongrass bánh mì (but with chicken by accident…because I forgot to put tofu on the grocery list) and this breakfast bánh mì with the leftover daikon/carrot slaw, cukes, and cilantro. You can’t go wrong with either.

Green falafel (101 Cookbooks). Falafel is my Achilles heel. Every time I’ve tried to fry falafel at home it has disintegrated in the oil. Yes, I’ve baked them to some success, but they are never as good. This recipe is definitely a ways removed from what you would get at a falafel joint, but easy to make, actually sticks together, packs in an impressive amount of greenery, and pan fries nicely. I think I can say I’ve found my go-to falafel recipe.

The New Noma: Frequently Asked Questions. I don’t know what I am going to do when Pete Wells retires. Who will I look up to???? He simultaneously makes me want to eat everything he does, and be a better writer so when I do eat at places like Noma I can write about them like this. I love how he switches up the formats of his reviews. (Do I even need to direct you here? If it’s your first read, YOU’RE WELCOME.) They are clever, playful, but also deeply appreciative and thoughtful.

A Long Answer to a Simple Question: How Do You Eat a Slice of Pizza? While out for pizza last Friday night I pulled this up to reread and was laughing out loud. Read the whole thing, preferably with a slice in hand.