For The Love of Food

Welcome to Friday’s For The Love of Food, Summer Tomato’s weekly link roundup.

Michael Pollan thinks food community is essential, organic eggs aren’t all they’re cracked up to be and UCSF scientists help the military figure out what’s killing bees. I also found a cool mythbuster about the best way to clean your produce.

I read many more wonderful articles than I post here each week. If you’d like to see more or just don’t want to wait until Friday, be sure to follow me on Twitter (@summertomato) or the Summer Tomato Facebook fan page. For a complete reading list join me on Digg. I’m very active on all these sites and would love to connect with you.

Links of the week

• The 36-Hour Dinner Party <<Who knew Michael Pollan and Google had so much in common? In line with my post this week about food community at Google, Michael Pollan’s new NYTimes Magazine piece explores the value of good food in fostering good will.
• Is Your Favorite Organic Egg Brand a Factory Farm in Disguise? <<I personally don’t get excited about “organic” eggs at the grocery store, for exactly this reason. I get mine directly from farms I trust. It’s a lot more expensive, so I buy less and appreciate them more. (Mother Jones)
• The Glutton’s Diet: Five Tips from a Food Writer <<BS of the week. Why am I not surprised this dude has trouble losing weight?
• Scientists and Soldiers Solve a Bee Mystery <<This isn’t directly food related, but it’s a cool story and is definitely critical for the future of agriculture in America. Oh, and the scientists are from UCSF 🙂 (New York Times)
• New York City says no to using Food Stamps for sodas <<Finally, a step in the right direction. But Marion Nestle thinks more can be done to promote healthy food choices. (Food Politics)
• Want to lose more fat weight? Get more sleep, study says <<Apparently your quality of sleep reflects the kind of weight you lose. (Los Angeles Times)
• The Claim: A Soap-and-Water Rinse Gets Produce Cleanest <<Nope, water is just as good–so long as you scrub. (New York Times)
• `Early introduction` to egg is best <<Preventing children from being exposed to common food allergens seems to make them more susceptible, not less. Expose them early. (The Sydney Morning Herald)
• Bento Art: Fantastically Geeky Lunches <<Geek alert. Who wouldn’t want to eat Darth Vadar for lunch? (SFWeekly)
• Skirt steak salad with blue cheese <<Someone accused me of being vegan this week (ha!), so here’s an amazing looking steak salad to chew on. (Smitten Kitchen)

What inspired you this week?

Photo by massless

The relationship between food and health is undeniable, and usually my favorite topic. But while health is essential, it rarely gets people excited. (At least not for very long.)

Food, however, is easy to get excited about. And the value of food in our lives extends greatly beyond its nutritional components.

While food provides nourishment, it also brings us pleasure and has a powerful impact on our relationships with other people–an attribute we often overlook. In an era where efficiency and individualism are a way of life, it is easy to forget that we have three opportunities each day to sit down and connect with someone over an intimate and enjoyable experience: our daily bread.

This lesson was not lost on Google.

Last week I had the privilege of attending the Tahoe Tech Talk, a forum where influential tech angel investors shared their insights and advice on new startups. One of my favorite talks was by Chris Sacca, former Head of Special Initiatives at Google. Sacca noted that Google’s now famous gourmet cafeteria was intended as more than a perk for talented employees, it was designed to foster collaboration.

Sitting down to a communal meal encourages mingling of both people and ideas. Employees from different departments that normally have little reason for interacting are more likely to strike up conversation while in line for lasagna than at any other time of day. Likewise, sharing meals builds a sense of camaraderie and community–a feeling of working together toward a common goal–where people at every level in the company rub elbows and break bread.

The food culture at Google makes it more than a fun place to work, it makes it a better company.

Sacca’s message to new startups:

“Feed talent: both figuratively and literally.”

Of course this lesson applies to more than just tech startups. All of us can add value to our lives by using meals to build relationships with friends, family and colleagues.

The promise of productivity is alluring, but your lunch hour isn’t necessarily better spent at your computer with a sandwich in one hand a mouse in the other.

Whom do you eat with?

Roasted French Lentils

I’m really excited about this recipe for a few reasons. First, it looks super easy, healthy and delicious. Anything that hits in those 3 departments is a winner in my book. Second, while beets and carrots are awesome this time of year, they are pretty easy to find year round, making this a recipe you can go to anytime you need something easy, healthy and delicious. Win – Win.

French green lentils aren’t always easy to find, but you can order them online at Zursun, a great source for getting heirloom beans and lentils.

Huge thanks to Allison Boomer for the recipe. Allison is an artisanal food expert, marketing professional, writer and nutritionist. She partners with people and businesses who share a passion for handcrafted food. She’d love to connect with you on Facebook.

French Green Lentils Roasted With Carrots And Beets

by Allison Boomer

Robust, earthy flavor and beautiful deep fall green color make French green lentils – also known as Lentilles du Puy – one of the world’s finest legumes.

In this recipe lentils are oven roasted with caramelized carrots, beets, shallots and savory thyme. Finished with a splash of red wine vinegar and fresh parsley, the easy-to-prepare dish (no pot watching on the stove) is satisfying on its own or as a side dish.

• 1½ cup French green lentils
• 3 small beets, peeled and diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 4 shallots, peeled and halved
• 6 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 tbsp. red wine vinegar
• ¼ cup chopped parsley

Sort and rinse lentils in cool water. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place beets, carrots, shallots and 3 tbsp. olive oil in a medium-size roasting pan. Coat vegetables evenly with oil. Add thyme, salt and pepper and cook in oven until vegetables begin to brown, about 20 minutes. Add lentils, 3 cups of water, stir, then cover pan with foil. Cook until lentils are tender and all water is absorbed, about one hour. Remove pan from oven, remove thyme spring and dress lentils with vinegar and remaining oil. Cool slightly and stir in chopped parsley. Adjust salt and pepper and serve.

Have you tried roasting lentils?

You may also enjoy How (And Why) To Cook And Freeze Large Batches Of Lentils

Bronx Grapes

End of summer is always a confusing time in San Francisco, because it is inevitably the nicest weather we’ve had in the city since early May. For the first time all year we pull out our shorts and sandals, while the rest of the country is whining about humidity and getting their pumpkins ready for halloween. It happens every year.

The local produce plays these tricks on us as well. Right now we’re seeing the best of the summer’s fruits. The peaches are perfect, the melons magnificent, the plums spectacular. And of course we’re now getting perfect summer tomatoes.

Sweet Corn

Perfect Summer Tomatoes

Summer vegetables are equally as awesome. The eggplants, peppers, corn and squash are impossible to ignore with their bright colors and lovely aromatics.

Peppers

Eggplants and Peppers

But the signs of fall are no longer subtle here in San Francisco. Not only are grapes and apples some of the best fruits available this month, but pomegranates and pears are here as well.

First Pomegranates

Winter Banana Apples

We’re also seeing brussels sprouts and winter squash.

Cauliflower and Broccoli

First Brussels Sprouts

Without a doubt this is one of the best times to eat in San Francisco, but it won’t last long. Get it while the gettin’s good.

Rainbow Chard

Today’s purchases:

• August flame peach (Kashiwase Farms)
• Parsley (Chue’s Farm)
• Cilantro (Chue’s Farm)
• Green onions (Tierra Vegetables)
• Heirloom zucchini (Lucero Organic Farms)
• Raspberries (McGinnis Ranch)
• Salad mix (Green Gulch Farm)
• Early girl tomatoes (Dirty Girl Produce)
• Pink pearl apples (Philo Apple Farm)
• Garbanzos (Rancho Gordo)
• Corn tortillas (Rancho Gordo)
• Poblano peppers (Happy Quail Farms)
• Pimentos (Happy Quail Farms)
• Jalepeno (Happy Quail Farms)
• Eureka lemon (Bernard Ranches)
• Limes (Bernard Ranches)
• Avocado (Bernard Ranches)
• Pomegranate juice (Twin Girls Farm)

I’m in Tahoe today for the Tahoe Tech Talk. Unfortunately the internet is so slow here that writing up my usual link post is impossible. However if you want to see the stories I found this week, you can see them all on Digg.

If you’re here in Tahoe, please come find me and say hi. For the rest of you, I leave you with this nifty trick for peeling a hard-boiled egg.