Interview With Alice Waters

Alice Waters is an American chef and co-owner of Chez Panisse, the original “California Cuisine” restaurant in Berkeley, California, as well as the informal Café Fanny in West Berkeley. A champion of locally-grown and fresh ingredients, she has been credited with creating and developing California Cuisine and has written or co-written several books on the subject, including the influential Chez Panisse Cooking (written with then-chef Paul Bertolli). She has also promoted organic and small farm products heavily in her restaurants, in her books, and in her Edible Schoolyard program at the King Middle School in Berkeley. Her ideas for “edible education” have been introduced into the entire Berkeley school system, and with the current crisis in childhood obesity, have attracted the attention of the national media. She is a head advocate of a multi-billion dollar stimulus package that works to give every child in the public school system free breakfast, lunch, and an afternoon snack. She states that taxpayers should endorse this package because we are already paying for it in terms of our health.

Waters advocates eating locally produced foods that are in season, because she believes that the international shipment of mass-produced food is both harmful to the environment and produces an inferior product for the consumer.

Here is a long excerpt from an interview with Salon that was done in 2007:

I’ve been cooking from this book for about a month now.

You have? Tell me, did the recipes work?

Yeah, they were wonderful. But as you say, it’s less about the recipes than your ideas of where to get the food. And I’ve been following those ideas too. I went to the farmers’ market several times.

You know this would be any old book of recipes if it weren’t for the philosophy of food at the beginning. If you’re just going into the store and buying those ingredients, if you’re really a good cook you could probably make something. But what is beautiful is that this changes your life. It brings you into the whole community of people and hopefully brings you back to the dinner table.

I agree. But, some things I’ve noticed. First of all, it’s not easy to do this. I’m a writer so I have a lot of free time. I can take Tuesday afternoon off and go to the farmers’ market. So it was relatively easy for me to do it compared to someone who has to punch a clock. What do those people do?

I think there are lots of ways, actually. I think you have to decide you’re going to work at this a little bit. To begin with, you set aside a day that you might want to eat with your family. It doesn’t have to be a dinner or a complicated thing — it could be an afternoon tea. It could be a Saturday lunch. It could be a breakfast. But hopefully you will decide the following week you can do it twice a week. That’s the beginning.

I think you have to plan ahead. When I go to the market on a Saturday and I’m buying for family and friends I’m thinking about what I’m going to eat on the weekend but also about what I’m going to make for the following week. You know those tomatoes, I’m not getting them dead ripe unless I’m eating them for lunch — I might get them a little firm so that by Wednesday I can have them in a salad. I’ve always got something in the pantry — I talk a lot about what you can cook when you just have a closet full of pasta and grains.

So how often would you go to the farmers’ market in a week?

Twice. I mean, if I could I’d go every day, but I go on Saturday when I can buy a lot of things, and on Tuesday. And then I’ll go get other things in the regular market as a sort of backup.

You recognize, though, that it takes more time to do it this way than going to the store.

I do absolutely recognize it takes more time. But this is all part of fast food values. Let’s do it quickly. Let’s get it over with. Let’s let the machines do it for us, because kitchen work is drudgery and so is garden work. Let somebody else do that.

Get out of that mind-set and tell yourself cooking is a meditation. I like to do it. It’s relaxing for me to come home — it truly is! — and wash the salad. I love to see the salad in the sink. To spin the salad. I like to dry it. I like to pound to make a vinaigrette with my mortar and pestle. I enjoy grinding coffee and putting it in the filter and warming up the milk. It’s part of a ritual that gives my life meaning and beauty.

I feel particularly like this on my book tour, that this is a crazy kind of life. It’s over before you know it. And so you have to find ways of slowing it down. And this is an everyday delightful way to slow it down. Take time. Take a moment. The most important value of this book aside from nourishment is that there’s pleasure in the doing. It’s pleasure in work. It’s something that we don’t understand in this country. Work is over there and pleasure’s over here, and we work our whole lives so that we can go on a cruise ship. It’s just insanity, and some people don’t even make it to the cruise ship.

So we have to figure out about everyday pleasure. It’s trying to bring people back to their senses. Put the smells in the house. Make the chicken stock so it makes people hungry. Burn the rosemary, make the farro, make the bread. These are all aromatic ways to bring people back to the table.

In addition to time, it’s costlier to do it this way. One of the reasons that people eat fast food is because that’s all they can afford.

For some people that is true. But I would say that you have to decide — it’s not going to be cheap but it can be affordable. And that’s where this book comes in. When polenta costs $6 for a hundred portions, I’m pretty certain that I can make something tasty for less money than a fast food dinner for my family.

So you’re saying it’s more but it’s not prohibitive?

That’s right. You just decide, OK, well, maybe I won’t rent that DVD.

* * *

I think this goes directly to what my foodblogging is all about. It really sums up what I want in life — to be healthy and have a positive outlook. Now I’m not naive. I wouldn’t be able to shop at the farmer’s market regularly if I were laid off all of a sudden [and for that I'm grateful].

That said, I think the principle would still be the same. Okay, so the produce wouldn’t have that stunning freshness. I’d have to settle for regular $2 supermarket eggs. That’s okay. If anything, the lesson Alice teaches us is that cooking is a luxury that any of us can afford even in the worst possible situation. It’s something we should take time to savor. We only have one life and it’s up to us to make the most of it while we can. What better way to do it than to start with food?

* * *

You can read the entire interview here. The audio version is here (which I recommend over the print version).
Related discussion on eGullet can be viewed here.

The Education of Taste

Linguine primavera

As a general rule, I don’t like cream sauces because I feel they mask flavor. I want to be able to taste what I’m eating. Don’t get me wrong — cream sauces have a place in my repertoire. It’s just that when I cook, I prefer to be as minimalist as possible so that I can experience the most of what my ingredients have to offer.

4 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1 bunch ramps, cleaned, trimmed and chopped (separate stalks and leaves)
2 t. grated lemon zest
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 T. fresh tarragon, finely chopped
1 lb. asparagus, trimmed and chopped
1/2 cup fresh peas, shelled
1 lb. linguine
3 T. pine nuts, toasted
2 T. Italian parsley, chopped
2 T. onion chives, minced
freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta. Drain, reserving a ladleful of pasta cooking water. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat 2 T. olive oil in a large skillet over low heat. Add ramp stalks, lemon zest, tarragon and a pinch of salt and cook slowly, stirring occasionally.

Prepare asparagus and peas in a separate pot — bring water to a roiling boil, add a pinch of salt and the vegetables; cook for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat; drain. Add to ramps mixture and continue cooking. Add ramp leaves and cook for an additional minute. Stir.

Add cooked linguine to pan along with 1 or 2 tablespoons pasta cooking water. Raise heat and add the remaining olive oil, the pine nuts, parsley and chives. Check seasoning. Stir in a scant handful of grated cheese. Serve immediately, passing additional cheese at the table.

Potatoes 4

Roast cod, sautéed shiitake mushrooms and ramps, pan-fried potatoes

Remember when I said that potatoes are one of the best vegetables invented? This is one reason why. 4 Bintje potatoes, peeled, sliced and fried with a bit of red onion in lots of unsalted butter. Salt and a pinch of red pepper flakes to finish.

The mushrooms/ramps were sautéed in unsalted butter and deglazed in some white wine. Recall the adage — if you wouldn’t drink it, don’t cook with it. Added a scant pinch of salt and some pepper towards the end.

Simple and delicious. Best of all, this took 30 minutes including prep time.

From Market to Table

Roast cod with lemon-shallot viniagrette, mesclun salad

This is as fresh as it gets. Cod, courtesy of Blue Moon Fish, from eastern Long Island. Very likely this was caught either Friday or early Saturday morning. Can’t beat that.

1 cod fillet
5 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup minced shallots
3 T. grated lemon peel
2 T. lemon juice
1 T. white wine vinegar
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
onion chives
mixed herbs (parsley, chives, nasturtiums, arugula, etc.) or mesclun

Put fish in a Pyrex or glass baking dish, then drizzle with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil and season with a scant pinch of kosher salt. Roast until just cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes at 350 F.

While the fish cooks, combine shallots, lemon peel, lemon juice, white wine vinegar and the remaining olive oil in a medium bowl. Whisk together and check seasoning.

Arrange fish on plates. Spoon 1 T. viniagrette over fish. Toss salad with the remaining viniagrette. Serve salad with fish.

Spring in a Bowl

Warm asparagus salad with bacon and egg

I have to confess: this is my favorite time of the year. It’s seeing the leaves come out, flower buds slowly opening and the return of songbirds from the south. It’s the majesty of spring’s glory as the first green things appear at market. And thus the cycle begins anew.

1 bunch asparagus, trimmed
2 strips bacon, cut in pieces (1)
1/2 red onion, sliced thinly
1 egg
1 t. white wine vinegar
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
lemon juice
chopped parsley or chives

Combine asparagus, olive oil and a pinch of salt in a Pyrex or glass baking dish. Toss. Roast at 350 F for 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside and cool slightly.

Bring 1/2 cup water to a gentle simmer in a small or medium saucepan. Add 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar. Gently crack an egg atop the surface of the water and poach for 1 to 2 minutes. Lift egg out with a slotted spoon.

Fry bacon until crisp. Add onion to pan, saute for 3 to 4 minutes or until onion has wilted and slightly caramelized. Remove from heat, add asparagus and a little lemon juice, to taste. Check seasoning. Toss.

To assemble, place the poached egg in a bowl, spoon asparagus-bacon mixture atop, and sprinkle some chopped parsley or chives. Serve immediately.

(1) I used bacon ends from Flying Pigs Farm but this works just as well with regular bacon from the supermarket. Remember to adjust salt accordingly prior to service.

Eat Your Vegetables

12 vegetable ragoût

1 carrot, peeled and sliced
1 parsnip, peeled and sliced
handful of fingerlings, scrubbed
1 medium Binjte potato, peeled, cut into 1/4″ thick slices and barely par-boiled
2 Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced on a bias and blanched
6 ramp stalks, cleaned/trimmed and blanched
3 scallions, trimmed and blanched
1 small to medium red onion, peeled and sliced
1 medium turnip, peeled and sliced
6 shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1/3 cup peas, blanched
extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt
white wine
unsalted butter
freshly ground black pepper
onion chives

Combine fingerlings, carrot, parsnip, onion, turnip and Jerusalem artichokes in a Pyrex or glass baking dish, along with 2 T. olive oil and a pinch of salt. Toss. Roast at 375 F for 30 to 35 minutes. Set aside and cool slightly.

Melt butter in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes or until they are browned and softened. Add a couple tablespoons white wine and cook for an additional 1 to 2 minutes until the liquid is absorbed.

Melt some more butter in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the roasted vegetables. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until browned and tender. Add a splash of white wine and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently, or until most of the liquid is nearly evaporated.

Combine all the vegetables and stir. Add a couple tablespoons white wine. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until heated through and the liquid has reduced. Add 1 or 2 T. unsalted butter and some minced onion chives to the pan and toss until the vegetables are coated and hot. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

*I added the peas at the very last minute. This accounts for their bright green color. Any longer and you run the risk that their color begins to turn.

The Cruelest Month

Thanks to everyone who commented below. I really appreciate the support.

Pasta with ramps “pesto” and fresh peas

The past few days have been raining cats and dogs. I needed something bright to chase the gray away.

3/4 cup cleaned ramp leaves, packed
kosher salt
extra-virgin olive oil
juice of half a lemon
lemon zest

Pulse ramp leaves in a blender or food processor until finely chopped. Add a pinch of salt. Pour olive oil in a thin and steady stream until the desired consistency is reached. I like my pesto less “paste”-like. Check seasoning. At this point, you can add some lemon juice or chopped lemon zest to brighten the flavor, if you like. Check seasoning. Use immediately or reserve as needed.

If you wanted to make this a traditional pesto, you can use pignoli. Almonds or chopped walnuts are good substitutes. The sauce really doesn’t need much else.

That pasta is just cooked rotini tossed with the ramps “pesto”, fresh peas, minced onion chives and some grated Parmesan.

Pesto — it’s not just for basil anymore.

Midnight Snack 2

Fried ramps with potatoes and heritage bacon

It’s called ‘heritage’ bacon because the pigs used were a specially cultivated breed. Most bacon you see in supermarkets are from industrialized farms. Unfortunately, heritage pork breeds are not suited for the intensive farming techniques being used nowadays, and some of the older breeds are in danger of being lost forever. Fortunately some are being preserved by a few dedicated farmers concerned about the general indifference of the consumer towards heritage breed conservation.

The idea is preserving heritage breeds by consuming them. It is dangerous to have only a handful of commercial livestock breeds which have all the same traits. A new illness, or a radical change in the world’s climate, could wipe them out in no time without enough variation in the genetic pool available for them to recover. Modern industrial breeds are weak in the sense that they now have genetic defects due to excessive, unnatural inbreeding.

If you wanted to make this vegetarian, simply use butter or olive oil instead of bacon drippings to fry the ramps and potatoes. Cook until tender. Season to taste as you go along. Add 2 to 3 lightly beaten eggs to the vegetables. Cook until the eggs are browned on the underside; flip and cook for 30 seconds, then slide out of the pan to a warmed plate. Serve immediately.

The River of Time

I was diagnosed with HIV in December 2003. The news struck me with the force of a sledgehammer. You cannot imagine what it’s like living with a disease that has no cure. Although I am thankful that I have had relatively few side effects and afflictions in the past five years, the psychological toll is immeasurable. It is beyond crushing.

I do try to take care of myself. I eat right, maintain my weight as best as I can and workout (although that’s fallen by the wayside recently). More importantly, I try to keep a positive attitude. I try to focus on things I can control instead of the unknown.

My future is one of great uncertainty. I know that a long time down the road my immune system will cease to function. The medical cocktails I take on a daily basis are instrumental in improving my present quality of life. I can only hope that at some point in the future, perhaps one or two years from now, or more likely in the next twenty years, that a vaccine will become available to every individual afflicted with this most terrible of diseases.

And thus my blog. As I said, I try to focus on a positive attitude. One of the things that continues to give me immense pleasure is food — be it cooking and eating, or being with a community of like-minded people and friends. A year and a half ago, I had dinner at Blue Hill Stone Barns. My experience was magical. It was then that I decided to seize the opportunity to focus on the beauty in the world around us, beauty that many people take for granted or don’t really think of beyond what’s for dinner.

I started an experiment in February 2008. I decided that I would eat and cook more seasonally and locally, with an eye towards freshness and quality. In turn, that helped stimulate my creativity and expanded my culinary skills. It also increased my environmental awareness and established an indirect connection to the land. It allowed me to look forward, not just from day to day but throughout the year, as the seasons progressed and the leaves changed color. In this way, it’s helped me cope with living with my condition.

Oh, I won’t try to whitewash life as a poz person. The psychological burden is ever-present. I still have occasional bouts of night sweats and long periods of depression and self-doubt. But the picture is less bleak these days. I’d like to think that my change in lifestyle has a tremendous and positive impact.

I turn 40 in 20 months. I know I’m looking forward to that milestone.

Ramps

Rotini with slow-cooked ramps

A variation of a classic Italian preparation involving pasta with garlic, greens and peperoncini, this version uses ramps, olive oil, red pepper flakes and salt to form a luscious sauce that hints at the arrival of spring.

2 bunches fresh ramps, cleaned and trimmed
extra-virgin olive oil
a pinch of red pepper flakes
a pinch of kosher salt
pasta secca — I used rotini but penne, linguine or orecchiette will do
grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or pecorino cheese

Separate bulbs from leaves and reserve both.

Combine ramp bulbs, olive oil and a scant cup of water in a medium skillet or saute pan. Cover and cook over low heat until bulbs are soft, about 8 to 10 minutes. I’ve left off proportions as I rarely cook from exact measurements. Figure 1/4 cup olive oil and 1/3 as much water. Since I’m cooking for one, quantities won’t be as much as if I were cooking for a crowd. Add the red pepper flakes and cook, stirring frequently, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Add the ramp greens along with a pinch of salt and a couple of tablespoons of water. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the greens are softened completely and the water has mostly evaporated, about 5 minutes. Set pan aside.

Prepare pasta; drain, reserving a ladleful of pasta cooking water. Add pasta and pasta cooking water to ramps. Toss to coat. Check seasoning. Serve immediately, passing cheese at the table.

This is wonderful with toasted herbed breadcrumbs in place of cheese. Use a loaf of stale Italian bread or a baguette. Tear or break bread into coarse pieces and crumbs. Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add breadcrumbs, an anchovy fillet and some minced garlic and fry, stirring constantly until crumbs are golden, about 4 to 5 minutes. Watch closely, taking care not to burn the crumbs or they will become bitter. I like to add some chopped Italian parsley at the last minute.

Potatoes 3

Sometimes there’s nothing more satisfying than a bowl of potatoes.

Roasted mixed fingerlings with fromage blanc and chives

The light green stuff is approx. 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil.