Tastes Good with Molly Leary
The first in my interview series where I ask interesting people ten food questions.
Molly Leary is the kind of person who will ask a chef for their recipe if she falls in love with a dish. If they won’t give it to her, she will return to the restaurant again and again, dissecting the dish, learning a bit more each time, until she can recreate it at home.
As you can imagine, Molly is fantastic company at a dinner party.
I recently met her at a very special polenta dinner in Santa Fe, and I instantly fell in love with her stylish rockstar vibes and her sweet stories of being a mom to two daughters. Molly inspired me to start this interview series, in which I will be asking interesting people from all walks of life a series of ten food questions. She very graciously agreed to be my first participant!
Molly lives in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, and is a self-taught cook and gardener. For the past 18 years, she has run Squashblossom Vintage, her online vintage clothing store that specializes in curated pieces from the late 1960s/early 1970s golden era of rock and roll. She spends her free moments traveling, playing music, and painting. You can find our Q+A below.
Do you have an old family recipe that is a favorite?
I grew up on casseroles, and there’s one my mom made every Christmas morning with white bread and bacon, milk and eggs, and a blanket of cheese that is always a winner for nostalgia alone.
What is your ideal go-to weeknight meal and why?
It’s almost always a massive salad in one of my giant wooden bowls. I fill it with radicchio, endive, arugula, grana padano, and some kind of protein—typically tuna packed in olive oil or chicken—all tossed in a simple lemon and olive oil dressing. I love to pick fresh herbs from our garden and edible flowers to make it lovely to look at. I use carved redwood chopsticks my friend Jake made for me to eat it, and we have a massive drawer of cloth napkins I use that I’ve collected over the years. All the little details are part of my evening ritual that signal to me it’s time to slow down from the fast pace of my day. I put on a record, light a little candle, and sit by our window on the canyon, remembering how dang lucky I am to be here.
Which kitchen item is essential to your cooking?
I have so many tools I love, like carved wooden spoons, but to be honest it is Esprit du Sel French sea salt that makes a cameo at every meal, even the sweet ones.
What do you eat when you need a little comfort or extra oomf?
A massive slice of chocolate layer cake, always and forever. I hunt down the best slices in each place I travel!
What has food taught you about love?
Making food with my girls has become one of the essential things that I know will forever connect us. We pick our vegetables together, and they help with all the slicing and cutting and cracking of eggs. The time I have with them I covet, and they love it too. Every Wednesday after school, we make a new kind of cookie or bread or cake together and share it once it’s done. It may sound silly but those little moments frozen in time make me feel like we are going be okay in this crazy world.
What are you really proud to know how to cook?
I taught myself everything I know by being curious. I love how simple things end up being when you dive in and try them. I often make homemade ricotta cheese with goat’s milk and use it on toast with strawberry rhubarb compote or layered in a lasagna. It couldn’t be easier to make, but really anything I can whip up instead of buying in a container makes me feel a little bit accomplished.
What kind of person are you in the grocery store?
I am a go-most-days kinda gal. There’s a lot we eat from our garden, so I am always hopping in to grab a leek or chicken or something to supplement. I do love roaming around a well-stocked market, grabbing things and making decisions on the fly based on what looks fresh.
What is one of the most memorable meals of your life?
A few summer’s ago, I spent several days with our friends Sybil and Pascal at their home in Gordes, France, and every evening we would go to one of the lovely restaurants in their surrounding villages. Almost always the husband was the chef and the wife ran the front of house, and they opened for guests after they put their kids to bed upstairs, with food being prepared essentially in their homes. There were two restaurants in particular that really stood out: La Gaudina Luberon and Domitia in Beaumettes. As a mom, I was so taken by these young parents with such insane culinary talents doing this balancing act with their families with such grace, while also making sure to follow their dreams of bringing gorgeous food to anyone lucky enough to end up at their table. Zero pretension, just local ingredients shining through and taking center stage. I will never forget the dessert at Domitia—roasted heirloom tomato with piñons, currants, fromage blanc, cumin, strawberry coulis, and vanilla ice cream. It sounds insane but it was transcendent.
How does eating alone make you feel?
Eating alone is one of my all time most favorite pastimes. I guard these dates with myself so fervently, especially when it comes to dining out. I'll usually order a glass of wine or a dirty martini and take my time. I really enjoy and savor the food on a different level when conversation with another person is not distracting me from the flavors and environment. I am so present for the entire experience. If the music at the restaurant isn't my jam, I'll pop my earbuds in and listen to Bill Evans or Chet Baker or Billie Holiday. Sometimes I'll bring a book or a notepad and write while I sip coffee and have dessert. I have never left a date with myself in a bad mood!
Any food questions your followers ask you a lot that you'd like to answer?
I get asked to share recipes all the time. Here’s my cashew queso dip I love to have on hand to dip veggies in or spread on toast with avocado. Soak 1 cup of cashews (unsalted) overnight in filtered water. Rinse and add the cashews to a blender or food processor with about 1/3 cup filtered water (add more if you want to thin out!) + a big pinch of salt, 1/2 cup of nutritional yeast, the juice of 1 lemon + whatever pepper you want—fire roasted red peppers work great. You can add smoked or dried chilies if you like it spicier. Blend and add salt to taste.
Find more of Molly and her incredible vintage finds (I swoon daily) on Instagram or her website.
Who should I interview next? Send me an email at ginarae@substack.com
Lots of love,
Gina Rae
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