| Hi, all. I hope the week has been treating you well. Speaking of — a sincere thank you to all the readers who emailed me in response to last Saturday’s newsletter, offering words of encouragement and kindness as we all work through the stress and uncertainties of this moment. It means a lot to have this community of people who care as much about each other, and food, as we do. Many of the sentiments you shared revolved around the power of food to ground us and serve as a tangible reminder of how we’re all connected. I couldn’t agree more, but especially given the heaviness of the day-to-day news, we have to also remember not to take our food (and ourselves) too seriously. After all, food is fun! That’s one reason I got such a kick out of Aaron Hutcherson’s Pepperoni Pasta Bake. Why make a pasta that tastes like pizza? More like why not? It’s a bit cheeky, it’s clever (the pasta bakes in a mix of sauce and water, no need to boil it separately) and, of course, it’s scrumptious. The dish celebrates spicy, salty pepperoni in all its glory, though you can mix in or sprinkle on whatever other pizza toppings you like in addition to or instead of the cured meat. I’ll tell you what else puts a huge smile on my face: Chocolate cake. Always chocolate cake. Jessie Sheehan’s Hot Fudge Pudding Cake With Orange Whipped Cream brings an extra level of delight since it comes with a built-in sauce. (Fellow “Great British Baking Show” fans will be tempted to call it a “self-saucing pudding.”) This little bit of magic happens after you pour a mix of boiling water, cocoa powder and sugar over the (egg-free) cake batter in the pan. Over the course of baking, the layers switch, leaving you with a silky sauce on the bottom and a tender cake on top. A dollop of that citrus-scented whipped cream adds an enticing final flourish. While we’re on the topic of finishing touches, I’d be remiss if I didn’t bring your attention to the star of Ellie Krieger’s Sheet Pan Cod With Vegetables and Smoked Paprika Sauce. One of her favorite weeknight dinner strategies is to “tap easy ways to add big flavor,” and that’s what this sauce does. “It gets drizzled over the fish and vegetables and adds a smoky, umami flavor, gorgeous ribbon of color and craveable lusciousness,” Ellie writes. Especially with the smoked paprika, the sauce gives off some major Spanish food vibes, which is why it would also pair well with Joe Yonan’s Vegan Spanish Tortilla. The classic egg dish is reminiscent of a frittata, packed with potatoes (always), onions (sometimes) and loads of olive oil. As the name indicates, Joe found a way to replicate the experience in a plant-based format, using two types of tofu to nail the texture, turmeric for the color and kala namak (black salt) for the eggy flavor. Check out our Tortilla Española With Two Aiolis for other sauce options to accompany the dish, swapping in vegan mayo for the regular mayo as desired. If classic recipes are your cup of tea, we also shared one this week for Keftedakia (Greek-Style Meatballs) from comedian and upcoming cookbook author Gus Constantellis. Be sure to read the accompanying piece by food writer Kristen Hartke, which focuses on Constantellis’s relationship with his late mother, an exceptional cook whom he helped make a TikTok star. After a week off, it was a joy to be back in action in our live cooking chat. Aaron and I will again be in the hosts’ seat Wednesday at noon Eastern. Send your questions in now and then come back when we kick off the conversation. Until next week, happy cooking. | 
