Institutional Food and Valentine's Day Recipes | The Alt-Weekly, Issue No. 15, Friday, February 13, 2026 (Patreon)

Notes, News, and Nerdiness from JKLA World HQ

It’s been an eventful week here at JKLA World HQ.

First up: your beloved Community Vibe Manager and Frienji-in-Chief, Erin Kelly, who has been working part-time with us these past several months, is officially joining the team full-time next week. Please give her a warm welcome—you’ll be seeing a lot more of her around the site and across social media. In next week’s Alt-Weekly, we’ll introduce her properly so you can learn more about what makes her tick (and why we’re so lucky to have her).

On Sunday evening, the kids and I headed to a friend’s place to watch the Seahawks win the Super Bowl and Bad Bunny absolutely demolish the halftime show. We ate nachos, chili, and chocolate chip cookies and went home with full bellies and full hearts.

At 6:30 the next morning, I woke up with a stomachache.

Not a mild one. A bad one.

I powered through it, took the kids to school, and then came home to lie down and wait for it to pass.

It never did..

By 11 a.m., Tessa—who was in New York for rehearsal—had convinced me to go to urgent care. It was a good call. One CT scan and ultrasound later, it was diagnosed as acute appendicitis and I was admitted for surgery. Tessa booked the first flight she could and was at the hospital by the next morning.

Which brings me to an important question:

What are your thoughts on hospital food?

I’ve always had a soft spot for institutional cooking—hospitals, airplanes, school cafeterias—even as a kid. In fourth grade I wrote an article for the school newspaper interviewing our headmaster about the cafeteria program (he, like me, was a devoted fan of the soups), along with Nancy, the head lunch lady, whose catchphrase was a drawn-out, wholehearted “deeeeeeeeeeee-lishus!”

My friend Daniel King and I would count down the days to French onion soup (almost certainly reconstituted from an industrial-sized cardboard cylinder of mix) and happily demolish half a dozen shatterproof plastic bowls each. At summer camp, our chef, Glenn Meakim, was a full-fledged cult hero. His pesto was legendary. The first time I saw him work his way through a flat of 36 eggs—cracking two at a time, one in each hand—was the first time I watched someone cook professionally and thought: I want to learn how to do that someday.

I have deep respect for anyone who works in food service, and I remain endlessly fascinated by what cooks can accomplish within tight constraints—limited budgets, strict dietary guidelines, mass-service logistics, and systems designed for safety and consistency over flair.

And honestly? I deeply enjoyed my tray of meatloaf, instant mashed potatoes, green beans, and thick gravy—the kind of gravy that could be used for structural support—all served in a divided paper tray while I was hooked up to an IV and an oxygen monitor. It reminded me of childhood dinners cooked by my busy, thrifty mom who was trying to find time to cook every night while juggling three kids, homework, violin practice, and basic sibling survival.

The green beans, by the way, were slivered and cooked until completely tender.

And I loved them.

Is anyone else over the era of vegetables blanched or steamed to that barely-not-raw stage? Don’t get me wrong/ I appreciate a bright green, crisp-tender bean or asparagus spear as much as the next Dan Barber or Thomas Keller or whoever. But there’s something deeply satisfying about a braised green bean, or limp, olive-toned, buttery spear of braised asparagus that's given up the fight and settled into itself.

I mean limp in the best possible way.

Anyway. 

The surgery went off without a hitch, and Tessa had me home and in bed by the next evening. I haven’t been able to bend over or move much these past couple of days, and concentrating has been a bit of a challenge (whether from the pain itself or the pain meds is hard to say). It’s probably nature’s way of insisting that I slow down. Or maybe it’s just a reminder that I’m not 26 anymore.

Either way, I’m feeling deeply grateful for doctors and nurses, for hospital cafeteria workers and support staff, for thoughtful and supportive co-workers, co-parents, and friends, for loving partners, and for everyone out there doing the daily work of taking care of one another.

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Valentine’s Day Dishes

In last week’s Alt-Weekly, I shared a few show-stopping Valentine’s Day dishes. For those  of you still looking for inspiration in a crunch, read on for more! All of these recipes can be prepared day-of. 

Steak:

Steak is a classic choice for Valentine’s Day—when it’s cooked correctly, that is. And if you know me, you know I love the reverse sear method as the best approach to cooking steak. When possible, I recommend letting the meat dry-brine overnight, but 45 minutes to an hour works as well. 

This hanger steak is served with a mushroom pan sauce. For this, you’ll want to let it marinade for at least six hours, so book time tomorrow morning to run to the grocery store!

Do you have a pizza oven? If so, this one is for you! The high heat of an outdoor pizza oven makes it a wonderful tool for cooking steak, like this steakhouse-style ribeye with lemon-parsley butter and asparagus.

An herb sauce—like chimichurri, chermoula, or salsa verde—is a very smart move when you want to add a ton of flavor on a tight timeline with minimal work. This grilled skirt steak is the perfect example, and it needs as little as 15 minutes to marinade!

Seafood: 

This white fish ceviche comes together in 5–30 minutes (seriously, anything longer than that and the acid aggressively breaks down the fish proteins, leading to a texture similar to overcooked fish). 

Serving a whole fish is a win-win: The presentation looks put together and it’s one of—if not the—easiest ways to cook a fish. Check out this recipe for Cantonese-style steamed fish on NYT Cooking (paywalled) or this whole grilled fish tacos over on Serious Eats. 

Gambas al ajillo (Spanish-style garlic shrimp) are juicy, tender, and objectively delicious. Fair warning, though: They’re pretty garlic-forward. Proceed with caution. 

These steamed mussels draw on flavors from central Thailand and methodology from France. That’s pretty romantic to me.

And this 5-minute miso glazed salmon is just about as good as salmon gets. 

Pastas:

This humble spaghetti aglio e olio is dressed up by a fried shallot garnish. 

For something richer, try this sage caramelized cream and squash pasta. 

Sweet, caramelized, smoky, and deeply savory—zucchini can be all of the above, and this pasta alla nerano proves it.

Peas just make pasta feel fancier. Don’t question it: Just try this pasta paglia e fieno or creamy gnocchi with peas and mushrooms and you’ll have no choice but to believe me.

Finally, don’t forget the veg:

Caesar salad is always a safe choice and serving it with whole romaine leaves keeps it looking classy. Try this old school caesar or sloppy caesar.

Sweet, nutty, charred broccoli topped with anchovy, garlic, and parmesan. This is one funky fresh side. 

And finally, this zucchine alla scapece can be served warm, room temperature, or cold—perfectly flexible for throwing together a last-minute dinner. 

Thank You!

Thank you again for joining me as a Frienji of Kenji here on Patreon. I want my content here to serve you and your needs in the kitchen. Comment down below what recipes, techniques, or topics you’d like to see me cover!