Other People's Kitchens Q&A with Alison Krupnick
Current downsizing and renovation of my kitchen of nearly 30 years
This Q&A with
comes in three parts. These posts will document her moving from the USA to Portugal later this year and early 2025.
Chapter 1 - Current downsizing and renovation.
Q - Hello Alison. Please tell us about yourself, where you live and your substack publication.
A - I am a writer, traveler, and avid home cook and cookbook collector, currently living in Seattle, Washington. I write Slice of Midlife, musings (with a foodie focus) about this unique stage of life, generously defined.
Q - Can you please describe the layout of your kitchen and how it fits in with family life
A - Our house is 115 years old and, though charming, the spaces are not ideal for modern family life. But our kitchen has a butler's pantry, where I've kept my extensive cookbook collection and small appliances, like my Kitchen Aid stand mixer, our Zojorushi rice cooker, and a heavy-duty mortar and pestle. I like to think of it as the creative center of the room.
We've lived in the house for almost 30 years and kept its original footprint, cabinets, and countertops — definitely not fancy, but I've managed to produce a lot of wonderful meals here. We inherited a funky old island when we bought the house, which has been a useful workspace and storage area.
For casual meals, like breakfast, we've used a square Dania table that my husband brought to the marriage, and a set of rattan chairs from Thailand that I contributed.
When the kids were little, they did their homework here, often with our cats overseeing their work. The kitchen had a tile floor that I absolutely hated, but my attempts to replace it with some pretty Italian blue tiles I'd seen at a relative's house didn't work out.
To satisfy my kitchen color fix, when I turned 50, we took a trip to Turkey and brought back two boxes of tiles, which we used as a backsplash. We then painted the kitchen walls turquoise and hung a series of photos I took from Turkish markets and food vendors on the wall. One of my favorites is a photo of "Turkish Viagra," which is actually a Turkish sweet, purported to have special properties.
Q - You are moving to Portugal very soon and are currently renovating your kitchen before you go. Can you please tell us about this and the changes you are making to your kitchen?
A -The Portugal move has been in the works for a while, but was delayed by my breast cancer diagnosis last year. By the time your readers see this, I will have completed a year's worth of cancer treatment, and the move will be imminent.
Because we love the Pacific Northwest, we are keeping our home and renting it as an Air BnB. We are working with a designer who is helping us retain the unique charm of our craftsman home with a more finished and consistent contemporary artistic design. Home design is not something my husband and I are good at, so I am trying to lean into this as a growth opportunity.
Q - How does an avid cook and cookbook lover decide what's essential for a kitchen?
A: We've opted to travel light and are initially moving to a furnished apartment that has a pretty well-stocked kitchen. I'm trusting that just about everything is available in Portugal or elsewhere in Europe. It helps that I'm keeping my Seattle house and can store things here. For example, if, for some reason, I'm unable to find a cast iron grill pan as nice as the one I got for Christmas last year, I can always come back here and get it.
Q - You have recently downsized your cookery book collection in preparation for moving to Portugal, how did you go about this and how did you decide what to keep and what to give away or sell?
A - To be honest, this has been the most painful aspect of the move. I love cookbooks and had about 300 physical books and 150 Kindle cookbooks. I wrote a book about the major shift my life took when I left my globe-trotting career and settled down in Seattle to become a minivan-driving stay-at-home mom. Unable to travel the world physically, my cookbooks enabled culinary travel, which was crucial to my sanity. Some of my books I inherited from my late mother, who inspired my love of cooking and travel. Needless to say, my cookbooks are personally very meaningful and reflect my evolution as a human and as a cook.
I did a pretty ruthless culling of my books and landed on 30 that I hope to bring with me to Portugal (but I haven't started packing yet, so we'll see if that's actually feasible). Others I gave away to neighbors and friends. One of the nicest stories is connecting with another Foodstack reader in New York who received my mother's collection of Time-Life Foods of the World books. It's nice knowing that my books will be appreciated by a person I've communicated with. Thank you,
, for facilitating this.I say I did a ruthless culling of my cookbooks, but I actually kept four boxes of the ones I couldn't bear to part with. If there's something I can't live without, it's comforting to know I can retrieve it from my Seattle garage and bring it to Portugal.
Q - What kitchen gear or gadgets are you able to take with you when you move to Portugal?
A - Every now and then I find something in the kitchen that seems worth bringing — a set of Kuhn Rikon vegetable peelers recommended by Alison Roman; Mexican dried chiles; some Middle Eastern spices and blends, like za'atar and sumac. I love pottery almost as much as cookbooks, and am having a hard time leaving some beautiful pieces behind. I'm hoping to bring a few small pieces with me, such as a poppy flower mug my neighbor Amy made, some framed ceramic pomegranate trees from Turkey; and a Mexican spice bowl I bought in Baja California. We'll see if I can tuck these pieces in with my clothes.
Q - How would you describe the regional cuisine where you live? Are there any food markets and how will this compare with any food markets when you move to Portugal?
A - In Seattle, we are blessed with an abundance of locally grown and sourced food. The Pacific Northwest is known for salmon, both fresh and smoked, and I will miss this very much. Atlantic salmon (both fresh and smoked) is available in Europe. It's good, but it's not the same. However, Portugal has a wealth of delicious seafood. I'm particularly enamored of its clams.
Ballard, the neighborhood where I live in Seattle, has a famous Sunday Farmer's Market. The apartment we are renting in Portugal has a large organic garden and we have been offered free rein of its offerings. I've already tasted some delicious plums from this garden and can't wait to experience more, right outside my front door.
There's a weekly Farmer's Market in Caldas da Rainha, the city closest to where we'll be living. And a friend of mine has a large home garden, where she grows kale and other harder to find things. So, I think my cooking in Portugal will have the same emphasis on fresh, local ingredients as it does in Seattle.
Q - What will the experience of being in a new country, with different availability of ingredients and tools be like?
A - One of the things I noticed the last time I was in Portugal is the lack of preservatives in food. I'm glad about this, but it will require a shift in my shopping habits. I anticipate shopping more frequently for fewer things. I'm told the bread truck appears on our street a few times a week and I'm excited to have this access to fresh bread, though it may be a struggle not to go overboard with carb enthusiasm, at least at first.
I'm anticipating shopping and cooking will be like a treasure hunt. The expat community in Portugal is pretty good about sharing what they find and there are many creative business owners offering speciality items. For example, I just heard about a new cafe that serves Montreal bagels. Sounds like Mexican food is what people miss the most, but there is a new business selling dried chiles at the Farmer's Market.
Q - What advice, on choosing a kitchen, would you give to anyone thinking of moving to another country?
A - I think it's important to understand what kind of cook you are and what you need to be happy. I've cooked in all sorts of kitchens and appreciate when one is well-stocked, but I've never been too hindered by a layout.
As a recipe and cookbook lover, I plan to rely on the New York Times Cooking app, and on eatyourbooks.com, a fabulous resource for anyone who loves recipes.
Other than that, I'd say be open to adventure.
Q - Do you have a favourite recipe to share with us?
A - My husband jokes that I rarely make the same thing twice. I do have some "keepers" though. One comes from Becky Selengut, a Seattle-based chef and cookbook author. I will be keeping two of her books on display in my Seattle Air BnB kitchen. Here is a recipe from Good Fish: Sustainable Seafood Recipes from the Pacific Coast:
Scallops, Grits, and Greens (serves four)
For the greens:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil;
1 bunch kale (I prefer lacinato), stems removed, leaves chopped into bite-sized pieces;
1 bunch mustard greens, same prep of leaves and stems (I often skip these and double-up on the kale); pinch red pepper flakes;
¼ teaspoon salt;
2 teaspoons honey;
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar;
½ cup chicken or pork stock
For the grits:
2 cups whole milk;
2 cups chicken or pork stock;
¼ teaspoon salt;
½ cup quick-cooking grits or polenta;
1 cup (around 2 ounces) grated cheddar cheese;
1 teaspoon orange zest
For the scallops:
1 pound sea scallops:
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder;
salt and freshly ground pepper;
1 tablespoon high-heat vegetable oil
To prepare greens: Add all ingredients to a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir well, cover, and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until tender. Taste for seasoning and keep warm.
To prepare grits: In a large saucepan over high heat, add milk, chicken stock, and salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Gradually whisk in the grits. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir for five minutes, until creamy and tender. Stir in cheddar cheese and orange zest. Keep warm.
To prepare scallops: Dry scallops with a paper towel. Place them on a plate and season with chile powder, salt, and pepper. Heat a heavy skillet over high heat. Add the vegetable oil and, when really hot, add the scallops (be careful of splattering oil). Cook undisturbed on one side for two minutes until scallops caramelize, then flip, cooking the other side for a minute or so.
To serve: Pile grits on plates. Top with greens and scallops. This is delicious with Red Stripe Jamaican lager (wonder if I can find that in Portugal).
Thank you for sharing your kitchen renovation with us
. We look forward to the next chapter in your move to Portugal and a sneek peek into your kitchen in Portugal.
Read more from the series Q&A: Other People’s Kitchens.
Thank you. Lynn H. (FSL
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I can only imagine how hard it is to part with beloved kitchen equipment and books. I’m sure I could do it if I had to but oh it would be hard. Not sure when you are leaving, Alison, but it might be fun to meet up before you leave…maybe on Bainbridge.
I do a Portuguese shrimp and greens....this scallop recipe very reminiscent