The Future of Food Policy; Dumplings; Godmother of Italian Cuisine

Guest Interview

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Guest Interview

Market Report ()

Rustic Canyon chef Evan Funke loves the baby purple artichokes on sale at the market.  He trims the tops and flattens them open to look like a flower, just as they do in Italy. Funke then fries them in oil and eats them as an appetizer.

Farmer Troy Regier sells Clementine mandarins at the Wednesday Santa Monica farmers' market and will have them for a few months. Clementines are a seedless variety of  tangerine. Harder to peel than Satsumas, they have a more complex, delicious flavor.

Guest Interview

Food Policy in 2009 ()

Michael Pollan, contributing writer to the New York Times and Professor of Journalism at UC Berkeley, is the author of numerous books about sustainability and food policy, including In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto. Pollan recently wrote an open letter to then President-elect Obama highlighting the link between food policy and energy independence, healthcare and climate change.

President Obama has a number of food-related issues on his plate this year, including the National School Lunch Program, which Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has vowed to renew. Vilsack has said that he wants to bring more fruits, vegetables and local food into the nation's schools.

Guest Interview

Susan Feniger's Dumplings ()

Chef Susan Feniger is opening Street in March, with a menu inspired by street food around the world. Among the  specialties will be several varieties of dumplings.  Feniger's partner and executive chef in this venture is Kajsa Alger.  Street is located at 742 North Highland Avenue, Los Angeles, 90038.

Guest Interview

The Godmother of Italian Cuisine ()

Marcella Hazan is known as the premiere authority on Italian cuisine.  She's written six cookbooks including Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking and is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the James Beard Foundation.

Amarcord is a memoir of Hazan's life in Italy and the United States. She has been married to Victor Hazan since 1955.

Risotto with Savoy Cabbage and Parmesan
Serves 4 to 6

The emphasis here is squarely on the sturdy virtues of Savoy cabbage. To prepare it for the risotto, the cabbage is shredded, tossed with sauté ed onion and pancetta, and cooked to a dark brown color. When the full, rich flavor of the cabbage has been developed, the rice is added and the making of the risotto gets under way.

3 Tablespoons chopped onion
l/2 cup pancetta cut into very thin strips
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
4 Tablespoons butter
1 lb Savoy cabbage, shredded very fine
Salt
5 cups Homemade Meat Broth (or 2 bouillon cubes dissolved in 5 cups water, or 1 cup canned beef broth diluted with 4 cups water)
1 1/2 cups Italian Arborio rice
1/2 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano (Parmesan)
Black pepper in a grinder

1. Choose a heavy-bottomed pot such as enameled cast iron or multilayered steel and put in the onion, pancetta, oil, and 3 tablespoons of the butter. Turn on the heat to medium high. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion becomes colored a light gold.

2. Add the shredded Savoy cabbage, a little salt, turn with a wooden spoon 2 or 3 times, cover the pot, and turn down the heat to medium. Cook, stirring from time to time, until the cabbage has become colored a rich nut brown.

3. Bring the broth to a low simmer.

4. Add the rice to the pot containing the Savoy cabbage, uncover, and raise the heat to medium high. Stir the rice quickly and thoroughly with a wooden spoon, then add a ladleful of broth. Stir constantly, wiping away the rice from the bottom and side of the pot, until the broth has evaporated. Add another ladleful, and continue this procedure until the rice is done. When cooked, it should be firm to the bite, but cooked through, without a chalky center. When the rice is done, there should be sufficient broth left in the pot to give it a slightly runny consistency. If you run out of broth before the rice is done, continue with plain water.

5. Add the grated cheese, the remaining tablespoon of butter, stir well, taste and correct for salt, and sprinkle with liberal grindings of pepper. Transfer to a warm platter and serve at once.

From Marcella's Italian Kitchen