Lita's a turn-on

sandwiches big and small, female infidelity, PBOO cookies

Someone commented that my food descriptions sometimes sound ‘too provocative’. Now that’s a compliment. So I’m leaning all the way in today to commemorate a thrilling ride at Lita, Marylebone’s newest hotspot. Today’s recipe for peanut olive oil cookies was born in 2020, when I was on a serious Covid cookie roll.

Food news of the week:

Let’s discuss sandwiches. Finished a girly morning by satisfying our sando cravings at Taka, where a politely price-tagged £52 wagyu sando took centre stage—A5 marbling caressed and greased the palate, making a statement even when seared and pressed between buttered milk bread from their sister bakery Hachi. In contrast, the towering layers at a Sandwich Sandwich lunch were all about volume but fell flat on taste– all talk and no walk; surely this can’t be some of the ‘UK’s finest sandwiches’… please. Fistfuls of filling are snatched from NY deli-style mounds and piled onto no-leak sandwich bread, which made them more cumbersome to eat than enjoyable. On the other hand, today's review below is on new and sexy Lita, where the food truly speaks volumes. I’ll have to speak about my trip to another new and sexy, but far, experience at Yuki Bar, opened by the ex-Noma masterminds, with one standout dish, another time!

it’s the glisten of a healthy marble

Science of the week:

A wild one for the females: a woman is more likely to cheat when she is most fertile. Note: it’s a ‘likely’ not a ‘want to,’ but there's a spike in noticing potential mates. Dr. Saad, the 'cancelled' professor who loves stirring the pot with evolutionary psychology and consumer behaviour, dives into this in a podcast he was interviewed on recently. He claims monogamy might be society's sweetheart, but our evolutionary wiring often has us eyeing more than one partner when the stars (or *cough* hormones) align. And a kicker: A messed-up gut microbiome can mess with your emotional regulation, cranking up those impulsive vibes that might have you craving something (or someone) new. So, when your gut’s off, you might just be off chasing that next thrill, even outside your primary relationship.

Insight of the week:

Proud of my alma mater today; the Uni of Oxford started the world’s first AI lab bent on developing AI in line with the concept of human flourishing, i.e. creating technologies that enhance wellbeing and societal needs instead of just pushing the boundaries of AI capabilities, by incorporating interdisciplinary research in ethics, psychology and philosophy. Pretty visionary step ensuring AI serving humanity and not the other way around.

Recipe of the week:

The moist and fragrant depth of olive oil, liberal sea salt sprinkle, and a melting chocolate middle. This is quite a gluey, peanut buttery dream.

Peanut Butter Olive Oil Cookies (makes around 7 cookies)

Ingredients

120ml (0.5 cup) olive oil

120g (0.5 cup) chunky peanut butter (or smooth, but I’ll judge)

300g (1.5 cup) light brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 tsp baking powder

260g (2.25 cup) all-purpose flour

150g (a full bar) chopped chocolate

2 tsp salt

Directions

Preheat your oven to 180C (350F) and line two baking trays with baking parchment. In a bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, egg, peanut butter (preferably chunky) and vanilla extract. Then briefly mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, chopped chocolate and salt in a separate bowl, then tip that into the wet mix and stir well until everything is just combined.