Double Dose

Today I'm cooking to ward off depression, again.

The pizza last night worked absolute wonders on my weird out-of-season depression, but just to make sure it’s fully a effective antidote, I think I need a second dose tonight. Luckily E always makes two pizza doughs when he’s baking bread.

I’ll grate Pecorino and a raw garlic clove into creme fraiche for the base, then add lots of mozzarella. On top, paper thin slices of fennel and lemon— both fresh meyer lemon and the one remaining quarter of last year’s preserved meyer lemons. Salty, creamy, zingy! Per usual, I’ll follow all ten hot tips for hot pizza. For the obligatory fun drink, I’ll make iced tea from the abundant mint leaves surrouding my garden gate and serve it over ice with a spoonful of brown sugar in cute glasses.

Now, if you live in Nashville or the surrounding area, might I convince you to shop at locally owned import markets so they can stay in business despite rising costs? There’s a lot of them and I’d like to keep it that way. Here are some of my favorites:

Bangkok Market, Thai. Don’t skip the back room with all the good ice cream flavors!
Sonobana, Japanese. Again, don’t skip the freezer section; that’s where the best ramen is!
The Mala Market, Sichuan. Online only, shop from anywhere!
TN Oriental Market, Korean. Go on a Saturday for homemade gimbap! Go before Halloween to get the coolest mini KitKat flavors!!
Azadi International Market, West Asian/Kurdish. WONDERFUL homeade bread and labne. Did you know Nashville has the largest Kurdish population in the US?
Garden Fresh Food Market, Latin. Best produce in town, incredibly helpful staff.
Up for a little drive? King Market (Thai) in Antioch is truly great. There’s like a hundred good panaderias nearby too.