Welcome to Secret Breakfast / An exclusive newsletter, the best place to start your day with killer mayo and halloumi wraps consumed while burning out

Hi there!

Since group chats are about to rule the world, while I was waiting for a concert at Alla Scala, in Milan, I spent a considerable amount of time in one of mine. Texting about mayo.

It’s a 2 minutes effort to make some (★recipe + vegan recipe + Massimo Bottura’s balsamic vinegar recipe), nevertheless we struggle in an obscure zone made by Heinz monopoly and smaller producer’s anonymity.

We, the snobs, are obsessed with the MSG&YOLK powered Japanese mayo.

Alternative uses of this white sauce go from covering a chicken before putting it into the oven to removing rings from your finger.

In the group chat anyone of us had firm ideas about what mayo should or shouldn’t be. “I want a killer mayo”, one of the people almost wrote. You know, a strong opinion like the one you can have about bread (please, not industrial) or about the right container for a chilling Coke (never plastic!).

Happy mayo everyone.

Piero

Photo by JJ Jordan.

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THE BEST QUOTE

✦ David Brooks, How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen. An incredibly wise book.

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THE MISSING INGREDIENT

SOPHIE KINSELLA’S LATEST NOVEL
HAS A PROBLEM WITH HALLOUMI WRAPS

The book is called The Burnout, and I’ve been listening to the audiobook version for about a week. It’s not a masterpiece, in case you were wondering.

As the author says: “It’s all about Sasha, who hits a wall (quite literally!) and ends up going to recuperate from burnout at the Devon beach resort she loved as a child”.

The interesting part is the novel uses food to describe the changes in Sasha’s life.

She starts as a workaholic London manager, who hasn’t time for cooking and who’s buying exactly the same dinner/snack/breakfast/lunch every day at the same Pret a Manger.

She says something like: “I don't know when cooking started to scare me. It happened little by little. […] The thought alone exhausts me. How do people cook every night? Instead, the falafel and halloumi wrap makes for a warm and comforting dinner that goes well with a glass of wine, and then just throw the wrap in the bin. I take the wrap, a bar of chocolate, any healthy canned drink and bircher muesli - tomorrow morning's breakfast - plus an apple”

The good thing is you can replicate Pret’s Halloumi Wrap with this copycat recipe with no burnout effects. It looks quite tasty.

While recovering, Sasha indulges in Club biscuits and champagne, more than the healthy and mysterious Noni juice.

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THE BOOK

When Life Gives You Lemons…

★★★★☆

The second volume of Taschen’s collaboration with The Gourmand explores the significance of lemons in art, film, literature, and recipes. Lemons, with a rich history, played a role in shaping the Medici dynasty, preventing scurvy, influencing the mob, and being used as invisible ink since 600 CE. This coffee-table book includes a foreword by chef and food writer Simon Hopkinson and over 60 lemon-infused recipes across global cuisines and occasions.

The Gourmand's Lemon. A Collection of Stories and Recipes
→ Shortplot:🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋

❍ OnlyPans
This is where Secret Breakfast picks juicy content from food creators

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RANDOM ACTS OF HUNGER

This is the space where I share some food (un)related stuff of my week

🎒Atlas Obscura Wanderlist 2024 and 10 Dishes Worth Booking a Trip Around 🍜How to make ramen at home (★recipe) 🎪What the Ultrarich Wear to the Grocery Store 🇯🇵Japan’s Comfort Food: The Onigiri 🥪Challah Buns + Chicken Schnitzel Sandwich (★recipe) 🔪Gordon Ramsay Guest Edits the Chef’s Special Issue of Sandwich Magazine 🫦These new lip balms taste like your favorite chicken wings 🟩Wordle, but you have to guess Costco’s pricetags 😳Don’t tell my wife I’m making Green LaBa Garlic at home (★recipe) 🌶️Something even better: Hot Honey Butter (★recipe) 🇬🇧Restaurants of London with Stephanie Brookes, is it any good?

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FOOD FOR LATER

As Switzerlands Glaciers Shrink, a Way of Life May Melt Away
George Steinmetz & Catherine Porter / The New York Times

Beautiful feature. “For centuries, Swiss farmers have sent their cattle, goats and sheep up the mountains to graze in warmer months before bringing them back down at the start of autumn”. Now, raising temperatures are changing the game.

➤ Last week's most clicked link was: 18 Impressive Recipes for Valentine's Day Dinner. We’ll get again to that. And that's all for today.