I was at the Box Tuesday Night for Greg and Joy Margolis’ going away party. The place was full of little kids. I watched a kid dropped a cookie on the floor, bend down, pick it up and eat it. This was the floor of The Box! My first thought was, “yep, I’m sure no one has ever, ever thrown up right there in that very spot.”

Today, I found this online at the Serious Eats blog:

Earlier this year, food writer Michael Pollan asked his NYTimes readers to send in their food advice. These were his favorites:

“Don’t eat egg salad from a vending machine.” David Wilson

“Both of my parents were from Italy, and one of our family rules was that you could not leave the table until you had finished your fruit: ‘Non si puo lasciare la tavola fino che hao finito la frutta.’ It was a great way to incorporate fruit into our diets and also helped satiate our sweet tooths, keeping us away from less healthful sweets.” Marta Larusso

“You don’t get fat on food you pray over.” This is from a friend who points out that meals prepared at home, served at the table and given thanks for are more appreciated and more healthful than foods eaten on the run. Carol Jackson

From my Romanian grandmother: “Breakfast, you should eat alone. Lunch, you should eat with a friend. Dinner, you should give to an enemy.” Irina Dumitrescu

“Don’t eat anything that took more energy to ship than to grow.” Carrie Cizauskus

“Make and take your own lunch to work.” My father has always done this, and so have I. It saves money, and you know what you are eating. Hope Donovan Rider

“If you are not hungry enough to eat an apple, you are not hungry.” Emma Fogt

The Chinese have a saying: “Eat until you are seven-tenths full, and save the other three-tenths for hunger.” That way, food always tastes good, and you don’t eat too much. Nancy Ni

“Eat foods in inverse proportion to how much its lobby spends to push it.” Kirk Westphal

“I am living in Japan and following these simple rules in preparing each meal: GO HO — incorporate five different cooking methods (steamed rice, simmered vegetables, grilled tofu, sauteed vegetables, raw fish, etc.); GO SHIKI — incorporate five colors (red, white, black, green, yellow); GO MI — incorporate five flavors (sweet, sour, salty, spicy, bitter). While it might look like a lot of work, it is actually very easy and helps with menu planning and shopping.” Yukari Sakomoto

“Avoid snack foods with the ‘oh’ sound in their names: Doritos, Fritos, Cheetos, Tostitos, Hostess Ho Hos, etc.” Donna David

“One of my top rules from eating comes from economics. The law of diminishing marginal utility reminds me that each additional bite is generally less satisfying than the previous bite. This helps me slow down, savor the first bites, stop eating sooner. It also helps get plenty of variety in my diet, because this rule also makes a meal of small plates more enticing: 3 bites of 5 plates is better than 15 bites of 1 plate at maximizing satisfaction and nutritional variety.” Laura Kelley

“Don’t eat anything you aren’t willing to kill yourself.” Lorene Lavora

“No second helpings, no matter how scrumptious.” Karen Harmin

“When drinking tea, just drink tea.” I find this Zen teaching useful, given my inclination toward information absorption in the morning, wen I’m also trying to eat breakfast, get the dog out, start the fire and organize my day. I believe it’s so much better for our bodies when we are present to our food. Perhaps a bit of mindfulness goes a long way first thing in the morning. Of course, some time ago I came across a humorous anecdote about a hapless Zen student whose teacher taught him this aphorism and then was discovered by the same student, drinking tea and reading the paper. When confronted, the teacher said, “When drinking tea and reading the paper, just drink tea and read the paper!” Michelle Poirot

When you’re eating, don’t talk about other past meals, whether better or worse. Focus on what’s in front of you. Good meals are more thoroughly enjoyed this way, and lousy meals can yield their own useful information (”I’ll never cook that way again”). It’s also more polite, to food and cook alike. Miles P. Finley

After spending some time working with people with eating disorders, I came up with this rule: “Don’t create arbitrary rules for eating if their only purpose is to help you feel in control.” I try to eat healthfully, but if there’s a choice between eating ice cream and spending all day obsessing about eating ice cream, I’m going to eat the ice cream! Laura Usher

“It’s better to pay the grocer than the doctor,” was the saying my Italian grandmother would frequently use to remind us of the love and attention to detail that went into her cooking. John Forti

What is it about rainy days that makes us turn to comfort food? Amy and I woke up this am and both thought that it would be a great day for chili and cornbread. (Not to mention the grilled cheese and tomato soup lunch, and the fried egg “chicken on a raft” breakfast.)

Good time to share a couple of recipes.

We’ve tried dozens of chili recipes. But generally come back to this one, that Amy has perfected with time. I think it originated with the Cook’s Illustrated Best Recipes cookbook which, if you only have room for one cookbook, should be the one.

Beef and Beans Chili

2 T canola oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 red pepper, seeded and finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chili powder (choose the best quality you can find, such as this one)
1 T cumin powder
2 t ground coriander powder
1 t red pepper flakes
1 t ground oregano
1/2 t cayenne pepper
2 lbs ground beef (shoot for 85% lean)
2 cans (15-oz) dark kidney beans
1 can (28-oz) diced tomatoes
1 can (28-oz) tomato puree
salt

Heat the oil (at medium) in a Dutch oven and add the chopped vegetables and spices, stirring until the they’re soft and starting to brown. Increase the heat to medium-high and add half the beef and cook 3-4 minutes until just no longer pink. Then add the rest of the beef and do the same, breaking it up and cooking until just beyond pink.

Add the tomatoes, the puree, and the beans, and salt to pleasure, bringing the whole thing to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer covered for about an hour, stirring occasionally. Then do the same for another hour, with the cover off.

Plain and Simple Cornbread

4 T butter
1-1/2 cups medium-grind cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1-1/2 t baking powder
1 t salt
1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1-1/4 cups milk

Heat a cast iron skillet (10″ would work best with these amounts), with the butter in it, in the oven to 375 deg. Meanwhile, stir together the dry ingredients. Mix the eggs into the milk. Combine the two, stirring only enough to wet all the ingredients. Once the oven is preheated, the butter will be melted. Pour the mix into the hot skillet and bake for 30 minutes, or until the top is browned and the sides have pulled away.

That’s it, though you can certainly fancy this up if you’d like. Over the years, we’ve added sour cream, creamed corn, fresh corn kernels, scallions, bacon, jalapenos, roasted red peppers, and more. You will just need to adjust the amount of liquid in the original recipe to accommodate the additions.

Paula Deen’s Deep Fried Butter Balls

Thursday, October 1st, was the beginning of recreational scallops season here in Nantucket. My reward for squeezing into 9-year-old waders (that leak) and using a pushrake that is in bad need of new netting, was a bushel of Nantucket Bay Scallops. If I made a list of reasons why it is worth living on this little elbow-shaped streak of sand, the sound of a rake full of spitting scallops, and the taste of them freshly, and quickly, sauteed in just a bit of garlic and olive oil would both make the top ten.

After cooking them Thursday and Friday as above, today I tried to do something a little different. Inspired by a wonderful meal last night at Corazon del Mar, I made a Thai-style Scallop Ceviche.

A ceviche is a Peruvian creation, but I decided to use classic Thai flavors like fish sauce, cilantro, and chili. I started with the juice of 5-6 limes and 2 lemons, just enough to cover about 12 oz of scallops in a small bowl. Stirring them around a little to make sure they were all coated. This then sat for an hour, covered, the acid of the citrus doing all the cooking that is necessary.

When the hour was just about up, I made the dressing. Started with the juice of 2 more limes and a lemon, I then added a dash of sugar and some Thai fish sauce, tasting it until the mixture was no longer too acidic. I probably added about 2 tblsp of the fish sauce, but I would imagine that what I consider too acidic might differ for you, so add it and taste it frequently until it tastes just right (it’s all about the umami). A little sea salt might also soften the acid. I took two Thai chilis and finely chopped them after removing the seeds; one English cucumber (the long skinny ones that are usually individually wrapped) and two shallots thinly sliced on the mandoline; and a small amount of rough-chopped cilantro.

Add the chilis and the shallots to the lime dressing. Stir well. It’s a nice touch, and only a little added heat, to add a whole chili (per serving) as well. Drain the scallops and discard the original citrus juice and add them and the cucumber slices to the dressing. Garnish with a little more cilantro.

I’m telling you, the Raynors have nothing on this! Wow.

Try it.

It’s just up the road, and I missed it.

The What the Fluff Festival, a celebration of Marshmallow Fluff in its birthplace of Somerville, Massachusetts, brings new meaning to WTF. On Saturday, Fluff enthusiasts piled into the town’s Union Square to listen to Fluff-themed poetry slams, sample Fluff-bearing foods, and play games like “Fluff, Knife, Bread” (a modified version of Rock, Paper, Scissors).

The tradition all started four years ago when the gooey white stuff was receiving some negative press. A bill was proposed to limit the number of times a week school cafeterias could serve the “unhealthy” Fluffernutters, a regional sandwich favorite combining the joys of Fluff with peanut butter. In response, Mimi Graney created an event to promote Fluff advocacy. This year’s showing was especially passionate since the Fluffernutter may soon become the state’s official sandwich.

I use a lot of sea salt. In fact, it’s been a long time since I bought a cylinder of regular table salt with the girl carrying the umbrella logo. I buy sea salt with a fancy French name, and I buy kosher salt. For this reason, I was a bit alarmed recently when I suddenly realized that most sea salt is not iodized. I don’t know why this never occurred to me before, but after the realization hit me, I did a bit of research, and what I found was worrying:

You see, iodine is a nutrient that’s essential for health. If your body is deficient in it, your thyroid can have problems functioning properly, which can result in depression, weight gain, and even mental problems. If pregnant women don’t get enough iodine, it can cause miscarriage or babies with low IQ or developmental disabilities.

Until the early 1900s, many people around the world were iodine deficient; this was the cause of the goiters (enlarged thyroid glands) that plagued members of previous generations. In the 20th century, most Western countries solved this problem by adding iodine to salt, which pretty much eliminated iodine deficiency in the developed world. (Though it’s still common in third-world countries without iodized salt—in 2006, The New York Times reported that iodizing salt would be the easiest way to raise the world’s IQ.)

Most brands of sea and kosher salt, however, do not have iodine added. There’s a common misperception that sea salt comes by the mineral naturally, due to the fact that sea water (and foods such as seaweed and fish) contains iodine. However, the information I turned up indicated that the amount of iodine in most sea salt is negligible—certainly not enough to supply the 150 micrograms needed daily by the average adult. And even iodine-rich foods don’t supply enough, unless you eat seaweed almost every day. On the other hand, a quarter-teaspoon of iodized table salt contains 115 micrograms, so if you eat that plus an iodine-rich food such as milk (iodine is added to most animal feed in the U.S.) you’re all set.

The salt issue is interesting because, like many people interested in healthy eating I think, I had just assumed that sea salt was healthier for me because it was less processed than table salt. It never occurred to me that I might be depriving my body of an essential nutrient by taking the “natural” route. And, without knowing it, I was also adding to the problem by choosing eggs from local animals that are probably not given iodine-enriched feed.

This also brings up a larger issue: How can those of us who try to eat a more “natural” diet be sure that we’re making the best choice for ourselves and our families? I’d be willing to bet that many of the same mothers who spend thousands of dollars on tutoring and “enrichment” toys for their children also buy sea salt and grass-fed milk. How would they feel if they thought their dietary choices during pregnancy might have lowered their children’s IQ’s by a few points?

One final thought: Some types of sea salt, including many from Greece and Italy, are iodized. (In fact, this is my new favorite.) But flaky Maldon salt from England and fleur de sel from France are not among them. So, if you’re worried about getting enough iodine and want to continue using sea salt, I’d be sure to check the label on your brand. And for more on the amounts of iodine in various foods, see this very comprehensive article from the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University.

Best thing about this beet risotto recipe is, it is pink. Pink is exciting. Made the kids want to eat it. And they did, without even realizing they were eating veggies!

Beet Risotto

1 bunch small beets, roasted (about 3/4 lb)
1 bunch of beet greens, stemmed and washed
2-1/2 cups arborio rice
8 cups of chicken stock
2 tblsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cups of dry white wine
salt, pepper
3/4 cups grated parmesan cheese
3 tblsp flat-leafed parsley, chopped

To roast the beets, I cut off the greens, leaving about 1/4 in of stem. Scrubbed them. And put them in a roasting pan, covered them with foil, and baked them abotu 45 minutes at 400 deg. They’re done when you can easily pierce them with the blade of a knife. After they cool, you can easily peel them skins off with your fingers (the tips of which will turn bright pink). I removed the greens from the stems, cut them in to 1″ ribbons, washed them well, and set them aside.

I heated a large skillet over mid-high heat, added the olive oil and, once hot, added the onions until clear, about 3 minutes. I then added the rice and stirred until the rice began to smell slightly nutty, separating and started to crackle. Then I added the wine, which immediately begin to bubble gently (adjust the heat accordingly).  You should already have the chicken stock simmering on the adjacent burner, and have a ladle handy.

Once the wine has cooked down, and incorporated in to the rice, you begin the slow dance of adding a ladle of stock, and stirring. One at a time, slowly incorporating the stock a little at a time. You will stir 3-4 minutes at a time, for each ladle added. After 2-3 ladles, you want to add the beets, which you have diced up. And you want to add the garlic, and some salt.

Continuing to add more stock, one ladle a t a time, you will taste the dish frequently, while sampling the rest of the bottle of wine, until the rice is chewy, but no longer crunchy. It will take a good 20 minutes of adding stock, and stirring. The skillet will start to almost overflow, as the rice plumps. Once the rice tastes al dente, or just about done, add the parmesan cheese, some fresh ground pepper, and the greens. Stirring just until the cheese is melted and the greens are wilted. Serve while hot!

Tonight was the first pickup night for our 8-week autumn Moors End Farm CSA. The basket was a treasure chest. Red raspberries, tomatoes, pattypan and yellow summer squash, hot peppers, green peppers, beets with greens, carrots, corn, parsley, basil, rosemary, and beautiful rainbow chard. The latter excited me the most. So that is the recipe I would like to share. It was wonderful. Fresh and rich-tasting.

Garlicky Greens

modified from Heidi Swanson’s 101 Cookbooks blog

1 large bunch of chard
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
sea salt
5 cloves of garlic, crushed and chopped
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
crushed red pepper flakes (or chopped, fresh red pepper)

To de-stem each leaf of chard/kale, grab the main stalk in one hand and strip the leaf from the stem all the way up with the other. Tear the big leaves into bite-sized pieces. Wash the greens in a big bowl (or sink) full of clean water, rinsing and swishing to rinse away any stubborn grit and dirt. Drain, rinse again, and set aside. Chop the stems into bite-size, colorful pieces, and wash as well. Keep separate.

Hold off cooking the greens until just before eating. Then, in a large skillet heat the olive oil. Add a couple big pinches of salt and the stems and saute for 1-2 minutes first. Then add the greens. Stir continuously until their color gets bright green, and they just barely start to collapse – two, three, maybe four minutes, depending on how hot your pan is and how much structure your greens have. Then, just thirty seconds before you anticipate pulling the skillet off of the heat, stir in the garlic. Saute a bit, remove the pan from the heat, stir in the Parmesan, and add a big pinch of crushed red pepper flakes. Taste, add a bit of salt if needed, and serve immediately if not sooner.

Email Sam and Rachel for more info about the Moors End Farm CSA (sslosek@earthlink.net).

I was able to return to Laura Simon’s amazing garden yesterday evening and take some more photos. Not that different from seeing a baby for it’s 1-year checkup after not seeing him for 6 months. Great to see how the garden has filled out and matured. The highlight of the trip this time was a plant I had never heard of. The cardoon.

The cardoon, also known as the artichoke thistle, is related to the thistle and artichoke as a member of the Aster family. While the flower buds can be eaten like an artichoke, more commonly the plant is cultivated for its stems. These can look like several-feet long celery stalks, are generally blanched before being battered and fried, or used in gratins or sauces. Famous orange-croc’ed chef Mario Batali says that the cardoon is one of his “favorite vegetables” because of it’s “sexy flavor,” but Laura says they’re pretty bland. I read an online description of the flavor as being a cross between celery and artichoke, with a hint of licorice, which makes me think Laura might be right. Anyway, they’re majestic, tall plants that give a nice architectural structure to one corner of her garden.