#85 | SOS: Save Our Seeds!
Garganelli with Prosciutto and Peas
Hello!
RED BROCADE
The Arabs used to say, When a stranger appears at your door, feed him for three days before asking who he is, where he’s come from, where he’s headed. That way, he’ll have strength enough to answer. Or, by then you’ll be such good friends you don’t care. Let’s go back to that. Rice? Pine nuts? Here, take the red brocade pillow. My child will serve water to your horse. No, I was not busy when you came! I was not preparing to be busy. That’s the armor everyone put on to pretend they had a purpose in the world. I refuse to be claimed. Your plate is waiting. We will snip fresh mint into your tea.
By Naomi Shihab Nye, from 19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East.
By the way, I'm Bruce Cole, Publisher of Edible San Francisco. If you’re new here, welcome to EAT.DRINK.THINK., a newsletter spotlighting seasonal recipes (Royal Party Cake!), the latest SF Bay Area food news, poetry (scroll back up if you skipped over this week’s poem), and more!
👉 ICYMI: The most-clicked link from last week’s newsletter was you’re cooking mushrooms all wrong video from Cook's Illustrated Editor-in-Chief, Dan Souza.
Do you know someone who enjoys Japanese potato chips? Send them this newsletter 😉
Garganelli with Prosciutto and Peas: Although we’ve pretty much given up pasta in our quest to cut down on gluten intake, we did have an abundance of fresh peas from the farmers market and prosciutto in the fridge, so we indulged in this classic from the Flour + Water pasta book. And damn, it was good. Edible SF
So Long, Farewell: Longtime SF Chronicle columnist Jessica Battilana signs off with this recipe for a lavish butter cake with fresh strawberry compote SF Chronicle
You Can Never Have Too Many: If you are a cookbook hoarder (raises hand) here’s a list that will make you drool: The Stained Page News Summer 2022 Cookbook Preview. Paula Forbes previews 40 upcoming titles including Snacks for Dinner: Small Bites, Full Plates, Can't Lose by Lukas Volger, Vegan at Home: Recipes for a Modern Plant-Based Lifestyle by Solla Eiriksdottir, and Paon: Real Balinese Cooking by Tjok Maya Kerthyas and I Wayan Kresna Yasa. But we’re especially looking forward to Rick Martinez’s Mi Cocina: Recipes and Rapture from My Kitchen in Mexico, as we’ve prepared many of the recipes from his YouTube and Food52’s Sweet Heat series.
Best Food Photos 2022: Debdatta Chakraborty was named winner of Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year 2022 for this photo titled “Kebabiyana,” taken of a street kabob vendor in Srinagar, in Indian-administered Kashmir. See the list of food photography winners from contests around the world for 2022 here. BBC
Who Knew? Dr. Bronner’s made chocolate bars? And they are made according to fair trade principles too, while Dr. Bronner’s “helps their suppliers practice dynamic agroforestry, which integrates complementary plants alongside the cocoa to create biodiversity and boost yields organically.” Bon Appetit
In Our Backyard: The cumin seeds we planted have come up! We’re going to let the plants go to seed (obviously) and scatter them everywhere so they’ll come back again, year after year. We ordered from Baker Creek Seeds, but you can get seeds at your public library, per Civil Eats: “libraries are giving away seeds to encourage neighbors to plant food, spend more time outside, and build a relationship with nature.” The Potrero location of the San Francisco Public Library is the only branch in the city participating, while the Oakland Public Library also has seeds available at seven branch locations.
SOS: Save Our Seeds! A community of seed savers in Virginia has established the “Heirloom Collard Project” to preserve rare varieties of the sturdy and nutritious greens, with names like “Fuzzy’s Cabbage Collard,” “Big Daddy Greasy Green Collard,” “Granny Hobbs” and “Tabitha Dykes.” NPR
Skinny or Tommy’s? We’ll stick to the Tommy’s margarita, “built on the simple trinity of 100 percent agave tequila, agave nectar, and fresh-squeezed lime juice,” but the Skinny (reduced-calorie) Margarita is still “as iconic as it is reviled.” Punch
Fresh or Frozen? While there are many retail and delivery sources in the city where you can find pristine fresh fish, frozen seafood is just as good and it’s nice to have a freezer stash when you’re hankering for some Copper River salmon. And don’t forget, most of the bright red ahi tuna served at sushi bars around the world is previously frozen. Now there’s a growing number of specialty seafood companies delivering high-quality frozen fish delivered right to your door.” Eater
Banana Crisis: The fascinating history of how hundreds of varieties of bananas worldwide have dwindled to the Cavendish, which is primarily the one we consume today. But now, “a single pathogen, Panama 4, could wipe out the banana industry as we know it.” The Guardian
🙏 Longtime Original Joe’s Bartender Adam Richey Has Died: A bartending local legend whose career spanned Tadich Grill, Original Joe’s, Kuleto’s, Enrico’s, Momo’s, Moose’s, and more. “Nobody that young should die, and nobody who lived that well should die that young,” Willie Brown told the Chronicle. “You’ve got to assume that the Lord was looking for a maitre d’.” SFist
Congrats! To the Bay Area restaurant and chef finalists for the James Beard Awards. SF Gate
Remember Ghost Restaurants? “A new wave of restaurant-adjacent companies are set to capitalize on the unlimited digital real estate and the power of influencers to mobilize their fans and followers online.” Expedite
FIN:
LISTEN:
On repeat this week: Tom’s Diner (remake) by German artists AnnenMayKantereit and Giant Rooks. Their version went viral on TikTok. It’s also No. 1 on Billboard‘s Rock Digital Song Sales chart
We’re outta here. Be well and take care,
–Bruce
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"Despite its artistic intentions and its many accomplishments, humankind owes its existence to a six-inch layer of topsoil and the fact that it rains." —Anonymous