Saturday, June 13, 2026

Addressing A Frequently Asked Question, Slivered Snap Pea Salad, A Favorite Strawberry Dessert & More

Friends, hello! What a week it has been. On Wednesday, I happened to be in NYC, the night of the last Knicks playoff game. I was having dinner with a friend, and as we left the restaurant, the hostess looked dejected, sharing that the Knicks were "down like 30 points." I walked to my hotel and went to bed.

I awoke to see the news and felt supremely disappointed in that decision. Last night, in an abundance of caution, I stayed up till the final whistle of the USMNT's game (!!!) despite being ready for bed at halftime. It's going to be a fun month ⚽️๐ŸŽ‰

Anyway, Friends, today I am addressing one of the most frequently asked questions I receive this time of year and throughout the summer: Can I make X in the air fryer?

This question extends from bread to potato recipes and always stumps me, as my experience with air frying is limited. An air fryer entered my kitchen in late December, when my son received one for Christmas, but in the past six months, I've used it only a handful of times.

Last week, after highlighting this roasted red pepper recipe in the newsletter, I received a few emails and comments asking whether the peppers could be made in an air fryer. I suspected they could, but decided to see for myself. In 15 minutes with no preheating, the peppers emerged like this:

Astonishing! I proceeded with the recipe, transferring the peppers to a covered bowl to steam, and after about 20 minutes, the skins slipped right off — again, astonishing! I always find myself wanting these experiments to fail because I don't really want another gadget in my life or on my countertop*, but it's hard to argue with the results:

I've added notes to the recipe.

This week, I made a salad (top photo above) inspired by caprese: sliced roasted red peppers, sprinkled with flaky sea salt, topped with burrata, drizzled with olive oil and syrupy balsamic, and showered with fresh basil.

We are still a few weeks away from getting really good tomatoes up here, and this variation on the classic salad will more than fit the bill until that day arrives. Bonus: leftovers of this salad (unlike a tomato salad) hold up well in the fridge (at least for a day). I think you'll all approve.

*We store our air fryer in the basement. For its size, it's surprisingly light and easy to move up and downstairs as needed. If we didn't have this storage option, this gadget likely wouldn't be part of our kitchen arsenal.

Review of the Week

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Quick Pickled Jalapeรฑos

"I love pickled jalapenos, and this recipe takes them to new heights. They are slightly crunchy and taste much better and fresher than store-bought ones, which is all I’ve ever used. The bonus is that the recipe is almost TOO easy! Took less than 10 minutes start to finish. What a delightful find."

— Janning

PS: These are excellent on Detroit-Style Pizza, added post or pre-bake:


7 Recipes to Make Right Now

Snap Pea Salad with Buttermilk Dressing: This is an old Bon Appรฉtit recipe, and its assembly is interesting: Toss slivered snap peas with lemon zest, salt, and olive oil. Whisk together buttermilk, yogurt, fresh lemon juice, and garlic. Heap the snap peas atop the dressing, but don't toss — as you serve, the dressing and peas unite. This approach keeps the snap peas crisp.

Chicken Souvlaki + Tzatziki

5-Ingredient, 8-Minute Green Beans:

Simple White Bean Salad

Swiss Chard Salad with Lemon and Parmesan or if you're a kale fan: Favorite Kale Salad with Shallot Vinaigrette

Balsamic-Roasted Mini Peppers

Strawberries + Cream + Sugar = Heaven: This is maybe the simplest dessert you could make and one of the tastiest, too, especially when the summer strawberries are at their peak. Every time I make it, I wonder why I go to the effort of making more elaborate desserts. This one is so simple, and everyone raves.


Farm Share Friends:

... it's here! The season of ALL the greens, herbs, radishes, and more. While I am no longer updating The Farm Share Newsletter, these posts from previous years may be helpful for your early shares of the season:

And this post may help you generally throughout the season:


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Thank You

Thank you to all who have ordered Pizza Night. If you haven't left a review yet, I would be so grateful if you did! ๐Ÿ™๐Ÿ™๐Ÿ•๐Ÿ•๐Ÿฅ—๐Ÿฅ—


5 Free Resources Available to You

PS: All previous editions of this newsletter are available here.

Happy Cooking,


Alexandra Stafford



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