La Times Food Editor and Award winning food writer Russ Parsons gave a lecture last night at the Aquarium titled “Bringing Sustainability Home”. He examined the reality of where our food comes from and the complicated nature of our food systems. He touched on the agricultural history of food, the increased need for farmer’s markets as well as offered helpful buying tips. He expressed the vaguity of the term sustainability and how ultimately our society by its very nature is not sustainable, yet we can make powerful decisions with our wallet and fork that will push us in the right direction. Russ Parsons is the author of “How to Read a French Fry” and “How to Pick a Peach”. In 2008 he was inducted into the James Beard Foundation ’s Who’s Who of Food and Beverage, the hall of fame of American cooking. He has won many food journalism awards, including those from the International Association of Culinary Professionals the Association of Food Journalists, and the University of Missouri Lifestyle Journalism Awards.
While it would be fun to try and transpose his entire lecture here via blog, I will avoid the pain and focus on a couple highlights. In terms of picking the proverbial peach, or fruit for that matter, Russ introduced the division between farmer’s market fruit and conventional produce. His point was clear that the issue must be understood through the analysis of the words “Ripeness” and “Maturity”.
Fruit should be harvested when it is ready to pick or mature. Harvesting at the time of optimum maturity will produce the best quality fruit. While many fruits will continue to ripen after being picked, their maturing process has been halted. Therefore by purchasing fruit that has been harvested 3-4 weeks prior to hitting the shelves, you are buying a product that lacks the flavor that would traditionally develop during that 3-4 week maturation process(even though it may continue to ripen in transit). At the farmer’s market, however, this produce is at peak maturity, most of the time having been picked with a day or two of display. This maturity also introduces a nutrient rich product or superfood.
Seafood
Russ Parsons has always been a friend of the aquarium and introduced many interesting aspects of seafood sustainability into his lecture last night as well. Specifically, he made the point that many people are unable to utilize certain sustainable seafood sources because of their seemingly complicated methods of preparation or procurement. The sardine is an under appreciated species of fish that (normally associated with canned preservation) can be purchased fresh at numerous Japanese markets throughout Southern California. Mitsuwa market http://www.mitsuwa.com/tenpo/torr/eindex.html, sources some of the freshest seafood in Southern California including anchovies, mackerel, sardines, and other sustainable delicacies. Fortunately for the attentive crowd last night, Russ offered a mouth-watering recipe for this amazing delicacy.
Fire Roasted Fresh Sardines with Extra Virgin Olive Oil
8-10 fresh sardines
1 fresh lemon
sea salt
High Quality Olive Oil
Preheat the grill
Russ suggests the best way to clean the meat from the anchovy is with your thumbs prior to cooking. While this may seem daunting, in actuality the delicate nature of the anchovy allows for easy removal of the filets. I have experienced that the best way to do this is while holding the head, pinch through the flesh jest behind the collar and pull the meat towards the tail. Lightly dress the anchovies in a touch of olive oil. Place the anchovies on the grill for roughly a minute per side making sure to crisp the skin (this is one of the best parts). Immediately upon removing the anchovies from the grill drizzle with a touch of fresh lemon, sea salt and olive oil. Serve either straight from the plate, with crostini and a bit of salad. Nothing goes better with anchovies than a clean crisp glass of Prosecco. Enjoy!
We have a lecture archive on the Aquarium website, when this is posted, I will let you know (it might be a while).
[...] simply to bring out its delicate flavor. This was exactly what LA Times food writer Russ Parsons recommended when he came to speak at the Aquarium of the Pacific a few weeks ago. We took his advice and went [...]