Julia Turshen thinks about her recipes in charts and wants you to do the same.
“I think the charts really reflect how I’ve always thought about cooking, I just didn’t have the tools to express it until I got on the chart,” the New York-based food writer tells PEOPLE for this week’s issue.
Turshen — named one of PEOPLE’s 31 Favorite Foods of 2024 — first began articulating her dishes with a handwritten diagram in her newsletter to convey how the recipes are “almost like formulas.” For example, the “Type of Pesto” chart organizes recipes for the classic Parsley, Walnut, Almond Mint, and Cilantro Pepita Pesto horizontally by Nuts, Grated Cheese, Fat, and “Trips.” Fans immediately embraced her simplistic, visual explanation.
“When I started publishing them in my newsletter and got such a positive and warm response and people telling me that this really helped them to really understand, really understand cooking, I was obviously delighted. But I also thought, ‘Isn’t everyone thinking about this this way?’ I didn’t realize it had the potential to unlock so much for people,” she says.
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The latest title of the author of the cookbook What goes with what (out October 15) shows readers how to make a complete meal while leaving room for improvisation. Turshen’s “spanakopita-inspired” meatballs in the book are a perfect example. “It is possible to riff them endlessly. Use any greens, any type of cheese, any ground meat. What can’t meatballs do?”
Beef, spinach and feta meatballs by Julia Turshen.
Morgan Hunt Glaze
Beef, spinach and feta meatballs by Julia Turshen
1 (10 oz.) package. frozen chopped spinach, thawed
4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled (about 1 cup)
1 tablespoon of garlic powder
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1 lb. ground chuck
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Cooking spray
1 (5 oz.) container of plain whole milk Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1 lemon, cut in half
1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Line a large rimmed sheet with baking paper.
2. Drain the spinach, and squeeze out most of the liquid. Place spinach in large bowl; stir in the feta, garlic powder, dried oregano and 1¼ teaspoons of salt. Add beef and egg; stir or mix with your hands until well combined. Using a cookie cutter or a spoon, shape the mixture into 12 balls; spread in an even layer on a baking sheet. Spray meatballs liberally with cooking spray.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meatballs registers 165° and the meatballs are golden brown on top, about 20 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, mix the yogurt, dill, garlic and the remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt in a bowl. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon, about 1 tablespoon, over the yogurt mixture; stir in the lemon juice. Cut the remaining half of the lemon into slices. Serve meatballs with yogurt sauce and lemon slices.
Makes: 4Active time: 30 minutes Total time: 45 minutes
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education