Friday favorites 9/2

A dim sum outing, the return of the random veggie bowl, and a delicious chicken and fig dish from a fellow food writer

One Pan Chicken with Marsala and Figs, a recipe by Rachel Phipps

Not to be dramatic, but SEPTEMBER IS HERE! As I mentioned in the current Sunday Sobremesa I’m really looking forward to fall, even more so than usual. I’m usually not one to post memes on here,¹ but one of my good friends sent me this one and it’s too good not to share:

I can’t wait until it’s cold enough for Rory’s coat.

But enough fall talk (for now). You can find my picks of the week below:

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• One of my favorite things to do is walk around the city and see what new restaurants and shops have opened up. Chicago may win the water wars with its river and Lake Michigan, but Madrid is infinitely more pedestrian-friendly, which gets points in my book. A few months ago I was out on a stroll (or a speed-walk—I don’t really stroll; I’m too impatient) and stumbled across Soy Sohho, a new restaurant by chef Julio Zhang. It looked intriguing, so I put it in my back pocket (err, saved it on my Google Maps list) for another day. This week that day finally came.

  

  Wonton Crujiente (Crispy Wonton) filled with Iberian pork and shrimp

  Soy Sohho describes its food as “refined and authentic, but not traditional.” Sold! David and I went with the intention of trying a few things, but not ponernos como una boa.² We ordered the crispy wontons (above), a pork rib bao, another bao filled with Iberian pork en su jugo³, and the Pato Soy Sohho (Soy Sohho Duck), which came with Chinese vegetables and beans. Everything was fantastic, and I liked that there was an open kitchen so you could see everything being freshly made. We’ll definitely be back to try more.

• Now that it’s (slightly) less hot out I’m finally willing to turn my oven on to roast vegetables, so the RVB™ (Random Veggie Bowl, obviously not actually trademarked) is back. I’ve mentioned my love of veggie bowls a couple of times—they’re quick to throw together, healthy, and aesthetically pleasing when you choose a variety of colorful vegetables. Also, there are endless combinations, so you never get bored.

  

  This week’s RVB, only a few colors short of ROYGBIV

  Earlier this week I was in a rush, so I basically bought a bunch of vegetables at the fruit shop and decided I’d figure out the details when I got home. I landed on a mix of purple cauliflower, zucchini, and plantains (all roasted in the oven). Normally I make a sauce or use one we have lying around, but I was in a hurry so I added a bit of kimchi instead. My younger self would have recoiled in horror at the site of this (Weird colors! Food touching! Pickled cabbage?!?) but the ingredients worked well together—especially the contrast of the kimchi with the sweet plantains. This one’s going on a favorites list.

• As I mentioned last week, Rachel at ingredient was nice enough to share a sneak peek of a new recipe she has coming out for One Pan Chicken with Marsala and Figs (pictured at the top of today’s newsletter). David and I tried it this week, and guys, it was para chuparte los dedos,⁴ and I’m not just saying that to be nice. I like to be transparent here at Come como Kiki, so I have to tell you that I actually made the recipe twice because the first time I got distracted and burnt the chicken a little. To be honest, we liked it so much the first time (even with charred chicken) that we probably would have made it again, anyway.

  

  Roll that beautiful fig footage (burnt chicken not pictured)

  It actually worked out well because my despiste⁵ gave me the opportunity to make the dish two different ways: the first time with regular balsamic vinegar and purple figs, and the second with white wine vinegar and a mix of purple and green higos.⁶ Both ways were incredibly delicious—crispy chicken thighs and jammy figs, what’s not to love!—and one of my favorite things about the recipe is that aside from the first couple of steps, most of the cook time is in the oven, which meant we had time for both cleanup and relaxation while the chicken was roasting. Be on the lookout for Rachel to publish the recipe; you can also check out her blog here. Thanks again, Rachel!

Happy Labor Day Weekend to all of my friends across the pond! Wishing you guys delectable barbecues and relaxing poolside beverages. No cookout for us, but we are making paella this weekend, so no puedo quejarme.⁷

If you feel in the fall spirit, be sure to hop over to the Sunday Sobremesa and drop a line about autumnal foods you’re dreaming of. I also love chatting with you guys, so please feel free to share things you’ve loved this week in the comments below.

Have a great weekend!

Ki

1. On not posting memes: This is not to say that I feel like I’m above them; I have an entire folder of saved memes on my Instagram that I scroll through when I need a good laugh!

2. Ponerse como una boa: To eat too much or stuff yourself

3. En su jugo: In its juice/sauce

4. Para chuparte los dedos: Literally “to lick your fingers” (finger-lickin’ good!)

5. Despiste: Distraction or mistake

6. Higos: Figs

7. No puedo quejarme: I can’t complain