Berkeley Farmers’ Markets To Eliminate Plastic Bags

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Plastic bags to be a thing of the past at Berkeley farmers' markets.

Starting April 25, you’ll have to remember to tote your own reusable bags to Berkeley’s three farmers’ markets. Starting then, the markets will be eliminating the use of plastic bags and packaging from the markets, becoming the first in the nation to do so.

The markets have adopted a “Zero Waste”campaign to remove, reduce, recycle plastic, and compost all materials generated there. The campaign will launch appropriately enough on April 25, when Berkeley also will host an Earth Day Celebration in conjunction with the Saturday market, which will include an eco-carnival, raffles, and demos of solar power.

“Berkeley, a city known for its progressive politics, is once again taking the lead by phasing out plastic bags and packaging at its farmers’ markets,” said Ben Feldman, Program Manager of the BerkeleyFarmers’ Markets, in a statement. “As a community, we come to the markets to support the stewards of the land and to nourish ourselves from the bounty of the earth. Zero Waste is beyond recycling; our goal is to close the loop by reducing our reliance on unsustainable and finite resources.”

Americans use 100 billion plastic bags annually (more than 330 per person per year), according to Worldwatch Institute, an environmental watchdog group. The plastic bags can take anywhere from 400 to 1,000 years to break down in landfills. An estimated 12 million barrels of oil are needed to make all the bags used every year.

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Francis Ford Coppola’s North Beach Citizens Event

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Getting messy at the event in years past. (Photo courtesy of North Beach Citizens)

Mingle with the renowned film director and winemaker, Francis Ford Coppola, on April 19 when he co-hosts an evening to benefit North Beach Citizens, an organization he founded to help the homeless in the neighborhood.

For the past eight years, Coppola has hosted guests in the basement of Sts. Peter and Paul Church in North Beach for a huge family-style dinner, served at long tables, and accompanied by wines by — of course — Francis Ford Coppola Presents.

This year, Rose Pistola restaurant will do the honors — cooking the festive dinner.

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“Battle Cabbage” To Be Re-Created at Manresa

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Savoy cabbage at Love Apple Farm, where Manresa Chef David Kinch finds his muse.

You asked for it; you got it.

Bowing to overwhelming demand from diners, Chef David Kinch of Manresa in Los Gatos has decided to re-create his stunning dishes that earned him a tremendous victory recently on the Food Network’s “Iron Chef America.”

David Kinch of Manresa. (Photo by Chris Ayers)

In his first time in Kitchen Stadium, Kinch trounced Iron Chef Bobby Flay by a whopping 10 points in “Battle Cabbage.”

On three consecutive Sundays — May 10, May 17, and May 24 — Kinch will feature his winning dishes in a prix fixe “Iron Chef” menu at Manresa for $135 per person, exclusive of wine, tax, and gratuity. The dinner will include his five “Battle Cabbage” dishes, along with a special dessert. And in case you were wondering, nope, that sweet finale to the meal will be sans cabbage.

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Second Annual Pebble Beach Food & Wine

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Chef David Kinch's garden green veloute with stone-ground mustard cream.

4 filling days.

250 wineries pouring exclusive vintages.

60 of the world’s greatest chefs cooking an array of spectacular dishes.

That all adds up to the second annual Pebble Beach Food & Wine extravaganza, April 16-19.

Although ticket sales are admittedly slower this year due to the lackluster economy, event co-founders Robert Weakley and David Bernahl still say they hope to draw at least 3,000 foodies, (the same number as last year) to a bevy of cooking demos, reserve wine tastings, luxurious lunches, and one-of-a-kind gala dinners. As a further incentive, prices remain the same as last year, with cooking demo prices starting at $100; a one-day pass to the grand tasting tent (where 200 wineries and 25 chefs will be doling out their best) going for $165, and a seat at the grand finale dinner costing $1,250.

Last Sunday, the two hosted a dinner at Manresa in Los Gatos to trumpet the event to local bloggers and food writers, including yours truly. Weakley was the former organizer of the grand Masters of Food & Wine at the Highlands Inn in Carmel, which was forced to curtail that event at that location when the hotel was converted to a time-share property. Weakley then stepped out on his own to launch the Pebble Beach event last year.

Among the chefs participating this year are Thomas Keller of the French Laundry in Yountville, Michael Cimarusti of Providence in Los Angeles, Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin in New York, Chris Cosentino of Incanto in San Francisco, Nancy Silverton of Osteria Mozza in Los Angeles, and Masaharu Morimoto of “Iron Chef America.”

Kid goat with curds and whey.

Speaking of “Iron Chef America,” recent victor David Kinch, chef of Manresa, gave a sneak taste of one of his dishes — suckling kid goat with curds and whey — which he will be serving at the luxe Cristal dinner at the Pebble Beach affair. Never before has any meat tasted this meltingly tender.

Cabbage and caviar.

Fresh off his Battle Cabbage victory on “Iron Chef America,” Kinch couldn’t help but present a cabbage dish to us that night, either: “Cabbage and caviar,” in which a leaf of one of the humblest vegetables was enveloped in a creamy sauce starring one of the world’s priciest ingredients. Talk about a playful “rich man, poor man” dish.

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Sensational Scallops with Porcini Butter

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Dried porcini.

I am not made of money. Greenbacks are not stuffed into my mattress. And the closest I’ve come to a Cartier watch is the advertisements I’ve gazed at in glossy magazines.

Nevertheless, I cooked sea scallops. With porcinis. Lots of butter. And truffle oil.

Yes, even in this economy.

Before you think me crazy for making such a luxurious dish in a lean and mean time, I am here to say that is precisely why you should make such a recipe here and now. Because even when times are bad, we ought to spoil ourselves just the teeniest bit if we at all can. It’s what makes life worth living. And it’s what keeps us going. It’s a small treat to reassure ourselves that no matter what has befallen us, we’re still good people, and we still deserve good will, good tidings, and darn it all, good food to boot.

To be sure, I had bought the truffle oil (even if most of the ones on the market are artificially flavored) and the dried porcinis in flusher times. But the great thing about these ingredients is that a little goes a long way. A dab of truffle oil, a few ounces of dried mushrooms — each adds so much more depth and complexity greater than their minuscule amounts used.

Porcini compound butter.

This simple recipe for “Baked Scallops with Porcini Butter” comes from one of my favorite cookbooks of last year, “Fish Without A Doubt” (Houghton Mifflin) by Chef Rick Moonen of RM Seafood in Las Vegas, and writer/editor Roy Finamore. It includes more than 250 recipes using sustainable seafood. It’s chock-full of information on the most eco-friendly seafood, as well as others we should avoid because they are over-fished or harvested in ways that damage the environment. If there’s room for only one seafood book on your shelf, this would be the one.

When buying scallops, look for dry-packed ones. Avoid the ones that have been dipped in a solution of sodium tripolyphosphate, which helps extend their shelf life. Not only will you end up paying more in weight for these plumped-up scallops, but because they are so packed with water, they will steam — rather than properly sear — when cooked.

The finished dish.

This easy dish is a little like the traditional coquilles St. Jacques, except that it’s made with a compound butter composed of dried porcinis, truffle oil, and sherry vinegar. A single-layer of scallops gets laid out in a gratin dish, with the butter smeared both underneath and on top of them. Dry bread crumbs are sprinkled on just before baking. I used Japanese panko crumbs, but you can use whatever you have on hand.

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