Every week, I publish a newsletter—aptly named the Alt-Weekly—for paid Super Frienjis and Cookbook Club members with happenings and updates from JKLA World HQ! This week, we're publishing it for all Patreon Frienjis. If you're new around here for the Cookbook Club free trial, keeping scrolling below to see some updates from the recipe feedback we've received thus far!

Notes, News, and Nerdiness from JKLA World HQ

The JKLA team is off to Japan, bound for Tokyo, Kyoto, and Niigata! We’ll be joining master knife maker Gordon Hanson and his family—our partners in the Vonhelmick shi-toku knife—to visit a manufacturer in Niigata to source steel for knives. Trust me, when these things are done, they're gonna be on the cutting edge. (Hah. Get it?)

This is where I need your help: I personally haven't been back to Japan in over fifteen years, and am looking for recommendations for dining. Naturally, we'll hit the classic cuisine in each city, but we're open to any and all suggestions you might have. Drop them in the comments below!

— Kenji

Have you checked out the Cookbook Club yet?

In case you missed it, all Frienjis on Patreon are welcome to try out the Cookbook Club for free, this month only! Head to this post and try one or all three recipe variations and let us know what you think. Feedback surveys for each recipe are linked on that post, as well as below.

So far, variation #1, Harissa Chicken with Couscous, Almonds, and Moroccan Salad, is winning with the most reported feedback from your test kitchens. The vast majority of Frienjis that gave this version a try note that it turned out better than they expected—win! The final dish also turned out to be a favorite amongst families, as Jack reports: "My two year old crushed this."

Next up for most reported feedback we have variation #3, Peruvian-Style Chicken with Cilantro Rice, Cabbage, and Green Sauce. The main pain point with this version was sourcing the aji amarillo paste. Derek came through with the most creative ingredient substitute of all: "I substituted the cheek of an orange bell pepper along with half of a habanero and a little oil, and blended that together and added it to the spice paste." Brilliant!

And finally, lagging behind in results, is variation #2, Lemony Herb Chicken with Cannellini Beans, Arugula, and Salsa Verde. Going into this dish, multiple Frienjis reported being hesitant about the salsa verde in particular with its varied ingredients. Some respondents turned around on the salsa—and it ended up being their favorite part of the dish—while others remained skeptical about the time it took to prepare compared to the rest of the dish. Other Frienjis found the marinade lacking, and ended up being grateful for the salsa verde to carry flavor through the end of the meal.

Feedback like this, on both the flavors of the final dish and the effort required, is incredibly valuable, as are any notes on where the method or written recipe itself might be lacking in clarity. Give one or all of these recipes a try and let us know what you think. Be brutally honest in your feedback—we can take it!—and together, we'll bring this cookbook to life.

Finally, don't forget to keep sharing your final dishes in the public chat as well!

We’re happy to have you here, Frienjis!

Thank you again for joining us here on Patreon. This content should serve you and your needs in the kitchen. As always, comment down below if there’s something you’d like to see covered.