I may have been the first in my family to “go pro” becoming a chef, but my life has always revolved around food. Growing up, the conversation over Saturday lunch was inevitably about what was for dinner – who was making what, where it would be procured, whether to sauté or steam the carrots or broccoli. In fourth grade I met the boy who would become my best man and godfather to my son at the lunch table discussing what was in our brown bags. So it’s not entirely surprising that I became passionate about the Slow Food organization early on.

Slow Food International started over 20 years ago when an Italian food and wine journalist named Carlo Petrini learned that McDonald’s was coming to his country (and even worse, to Rome). So he organized a protest. With the help of other media friends they staged a march that drew nearly 100,000 people to eat traditional penne pommadoro and lament the assault on their culture that McDonald’s represented.

The upshot of that protest was a budding organization named in opposition to the fast food that had provoked its birth. What began simply as a group of gourmands wary of the threat to their beloved cuisine quickly became a global movement of environmentally conscious foodies. Concerns over food security and food justice were soon added to the list. Today there are over 100,000 members joining together in local chapters called convivia (including the one I founded in Iowa) in 129 countries around the world promoting “good, clean and fair food for all.”

From the national and international level to the individual local chapters, Slow Food uses a wide variety of activities to educate and inform on the importance of real fresh food and the centrality of the farm, the kitchen and the table in our everyday lives.

Preserving Diversity

One of Slow Food’s core agendas is to save real food before it becomes a quaint memory. During the time that Slow Food has been in existence, its Ark of Taste program has cataloged and reinvigorated hundreds of foods in danger of extinction. That may sound exaggerated, but the statistics are startling. 93 percent of American food product diversity has been lost since 1900 (75 percent of European food product diversity disappeared during the same time period). Thirty-three percent of livestock varieties have vanished or are near vanishing and nearly 30,000 vegetable varieties have become extinct in the last century; one more is lost every six hours. Another important Slow Food program, Renewing America’s Food Traditions (RAFT), brings together food producers, chefs and consumers in identifying and preserving America’s unique foods and traditions.

Strengthening Small Farmers and Artisans

Small farmers and artisans, often struggling to remain economically stable, produce many of the foods spotlighted by these initiatives. Through programs like Terra Madre and Presidia, Slow Food helps strengthen these small producers committed to responsible and sustainable food production. The Terra Madre network and biennial conference brings together farmers, food producers, cooks, activists and academics to put their heads together, learn from and help one another, while Presidia provides a support network to artisan producers to help keep their production viable.

Fighting for the Health of Our Children

But Slow Food has a direct impact on our health too. Last fall, in an initiative that brought back memories of that fated cafeteria table, Slow Food USA brought the nation’s attention to the problem of unhealthy school lunches. Its Time for Lunch campaign and the Labor Day “Eat-Ins” around the country (think old-fashioned activism with a hot dish to share) raised awareness, and had an arguable influence on Mrs. Obama’s Let’s Move campaign for healthier kids. Taken with the USDA’s “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food” initiative, it’s clear that Slow Food’s ideals are beginning to hit the mainstream.

Getting Connected

Members of Slow Food get connected through their local chapters, made up of people who care—and are curious—about the link between food, agriculture, health and the environment. Convivia gatherings can be social, educational or political in nature (or, in many cases, all three at the same time), and members also have access to regional, national and international events that celebrate good, clean, fair food.

The most profound benefit to joining Slow Food, though, is becoming part of the growing movement that is actively leading the way in changing how America eats.

Kurt Michael Friese is the founding leader of Slow Food Iowa, serves on the Slow Food USA National Board of Directors, and is editor and publisher of the local food magazine Edible Iowa River Valley. He’s also Chef and co-owner of the Iowa City restaurant Devotay, a freelance food writer and photographer, and author of A Cook’s Journey: Slow Food in the Heartland.

Related posts:

1. Time for Lunch
2. Go Slow
3. In the Slow Lane

This salad, which I learned from Mama Kourtesi in Greece, is the essence of “whole eating.” She boils both beets and their greens and tosses it all in a simple dressing of oil and vinegar for a surprisingly tasty, super-versatile salad or side dish.

1-1/2 pounds baby beets
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Trim the leaves from the beets a half inch from the base of the stem. Wash, dry and chop the leaves.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add beet roots, lower heat to maintain a vigorous simmer, and cook for 20-35 minutes (depending on size), until the tip of a sharp knife can penetrate to the beet’s center without resistance. Using a slotted spoon, transfer beets to a bowl and let cool until manageable. Peel and cut into 1/2-inch wedges.

Bring water back up to a boil and add greens. Boil for 5 minutes, until greens are wilted and stems are tender. Drain well.

Mix together beets and greens in a large salad bowl and toss with olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Let sit for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 4

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2. Wheat Berry Salad with Middle Eastern Spices and Grilled Tomatoes and Eggplant
3. Persimmon and Pomegranate Salad with Pecan-Coated Goat Cheese

This isn’t revolutionary. In fact, Thomas Jefferson wrote this advice—about pesky pests—to his daughter in 1793:

“When the earth is rich, it bids defiance to droughts, yields in abundance, and of the best quality. I suspect that the insects which have harassed you have been encouraged by the feebleness of your plants, and that has been produced by the lean state of your soil.”

There’s a strong parallel here to the Nourish Network approach. One of our fundamental aims is to help people get beyond thinking of healthy eating as being what we don’t eat (fat, carbs, sugar, processed, whatever) and instead take a long-term view to mindfully nurture themselves through the foods they do. And, to come full circle, a healthy garden can be one of the best ways to achieve that.

This week, consider cultivating a garden (from the soil up) as you ponder the concept that a healthy body is as much about what you put into it as what you refrain from eating.

If you’re curious about what it takes to start a garden, here’s a helpful guide from the Sonoma County iGrow program. http://www.igrowsonoma.org/get-growing. Also check–and contribute to–our Gardening conversation in the Eco-Bites area for an ever-growing list of gardening resources.

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1. Plant Something
2. The Kitchen That Sings
3. Failure to Cultivate: A Response to Caitlin Flanagan on School Gardens

Cumin-Carrot Yogurt Sauce
1/4 cup carrots, peeled and finely grated
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt, Greek-style
2 teaspoons honey
dash cayenne
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Carrot Sticks
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch by 2-inch sticks
1 tablespoon olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 475 and set a heavy-duty roasting pan inside on a middle rack.

To make sauce: Mix ingredients together and let sit for 10 minutes before serving to let flavors meld.

To make carrot sticks: Toss carrot sticks with olive oil, salt and pepper. When oven and pan are preheated, spread carrot sticks in pan in a single layer. Roast, turning frequently, for 10-12 minutes, until golden-brown in spots and crisp-tender. Serve with Cumin-Carrot Yogurt Sauce.

Serves 4

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1. Honey-Ginger Roasted Carrots
2. Slow Cooker Carrot Soup with Warm Spices and Blood Orange
3. Lentil Soup with Roasted Pumpkin

I’ve heard it time and time and time again; someone reads this or that saying to cut down on sodium, so the reader throws the salt dish out with the brine. But judiciously seasoning whole foods with salt both during cooking and afterwards—almost as a garnish—is not what we need to be worrying about. Way back when, when there were no Doritos or Mac and Cheese and humans lived off vegetables and meats and fruit and grain, the average person consumed about a gram of sodium per day compared to today of 10-12 grams and even more. That’s not to say that salt was shunned by humans in the old days; quite the opposite in fact. Salt, which is made up primarily of sodium chloride, has been a prized ingredient for millenia, both for its ability to draw out the natural flavors of foods as well as its role in preserving them.

The issue with salt—and the hypertension and kidney problems associated with excessive sodium intake—lies more in processed food than in seasoning at the stove. One hot dog, for instance, has over 900 mg of sodium in it, whereas a quarter teaspoon of salt—a generous pinch that could easily season a dish for four—has only 500 mg.

Another element to using salt wisely is understanding what type to use for what application. A fine, crystallized sea salt works well as a cooking seasoning since it disperses evenly, but might very well overwhelm a finished dish. Salts with a coarser texture make excellent “finishing salts” to be used, almost as a garnish, at the table.

Still skeptical about salt? Here’s a breakdown of how a day’s meals can stack up sodium-wise with meals cooked from Nourish Network (using a 1/2 teaspoon sea salt in the tartines and 1/4 in the carbonara) versus processed and packaged foods.

Sodium Chart

If you’re salt sensitive or if you have a pre-disposition to hypertension, certainly you’ll want to watch your sodium intake. But the numbers above show–with processed foods coming in over 300% higher in sodium than those on Nourish Network–that if a pinch of salt is going to make whole foods more appealing to you, it’s probably worth it in the long run.

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1. Making Sense of Moderation
2. Chocolate Crostini with Orange Zest and Sea Salt
3. Making Leftovers Lovable

That last sentence may freak you out, but it’s true. Michal Pollan wasn’t exaggerating when he said that we vote with our forks three times a day, and this month we’re going to explore to a deeper extent the wider consequences of the choices we make regarding the food we eat.

But, I believe, that requires us to slow down first. There’s vulnerability in slowing down and allowing for introspection, and I think that’s a healthy place to be as we move ahead into this month. I know it’s where I need to be, and somehow it keeps getting reinforced. By the book proposal I’m working on, about soulfulness and seasonality and themes that resonate to our very core. By the very first My Nourish Mentor group call today, where the enthusiasm and eagerness for deliberate change was electric. By being asked to be part of the leadership team of our local Slow Food chapter as the organization takes dynamic strides towards an exciting vision (you’ll find out more about the Slow Food organization this Friday in a piece by Kurt Friese). All of these experiences are humbling. All are exhilarating. And all require the presence of mind and authenticity of spirit that simply isn’t possible when whipping through them at warp speed.

This week—this month—I invite you all to join me in going “slow.” Does that mean committing to hours a day contemplating Big Things? No; in fact, my schedule is only going to ramp up over these next few months. What it does mean is that we’ll try to catch ourselves when barreling down a well-worn road of habit, take a few deep breaths and, at the very least, notice what we’re doing. At the very best, we’ll change course and, step by step, start carving out the path we really want to take.

Check back frequently on Nourish Network this month to see what we uncover at this snail’s pace.

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1. Slow Movement
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3. Get Connected

2 Revelationary Duck Confit legs
1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 heads frisée
1/4 cup Mustard-Shallot Vinaigrette
2 cups All-Purpose French Lentils

Place duck legs in a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat and crisp on all sides, about 8 minutes total. Remove to a cutting board, pull meat from bone and shred. Add onion to pan and sauté for 5 minutes, until golden brown.

In the meantime, toss the frisée with the vinaigrette and mound into 4 bowls. Scatter with lentils, onions and duck and serve.

Serves 4

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1. Revelationary Duck Confit
2. All-Purpose French Lentils
3. Lentil Soup with Roasted Pumpkin

1/4 cup shallot, minced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Shake ingredients together in a tightly sealing jar. Refrigerate for up to 5 days.

Makes roughly 3/4 cup

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Truth is, though, if you want to learn more about how to use an ingredient or find a substitution, you’ll probably start with the Internet. My first stop is The Cook’s Thesaurus, a site I learned about a few years ago from a colleague. It has a homey, unfussy design, a vast range of reliable food information, and great navigation. I’ve consulted it on my iPhone while at the farmers’ market and when I needed to make substitutions on the fly in a busy pastry kitchen. It’s rare that I don’t find what I seek in The Cook’s Thesaurus, and every time, I’m impressed anew by the site’s breadth and depth.

It’s also a remarkable labor of love. Founder Lori Alden created the site 1995, back in the early days of the Internet, as way to practice her HTML skills. An economist who spent 20 years teaching in the California State University system, Alden is also an adventuresome cook. She worked in kitchens as a student and did a short stint as a short-order cook, but it was during her time as a Peace Corps volunteer in West Africa that she became a pro at substituting one food for another. “We had to improvise all the time with limited ingredients,” she says.

Improvising is exactly what she designed The Cook’s Thesaurus to give novice cooks the confidence to do. The site was inspired by a friend who complained of searching high and low for hazelnuts, not realizing that they’re often labeled “filberts” and could be swapped for almonds, walnuts, macadamias, pecans or Brazil nuts. Alden approached the project with academic rigor, and the result is an online reference that covers everything from the Indian spice aamchur to the crisp bread zwieback–with all of their alternative names and potential substitutions. To round it out, Alden gathered ingredients, set up a home studio and snapped pictures of just about everything.

But you don’t have to be novice to benefit from Alden’s efforts. For example, I can never remember which types of potatoes are starchy and which are waxy. So, of course, I visited the site before developing this potato-leek soup and was reminded that a lovely medium-starch potato like the Yukon gold would work beautifully.

Thanks again, Lori.

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1. Under Pressure: A Primer on Using a Pressure Cooker

Soup

1 tablespoon butter
2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 leeks, thinly sliced (white portion only)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3-1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup heavy cream
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Kale

1 (5-ounce) bunch kale, rinsed, trimmed, and coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon canola oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 375.

Heat the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add leeks, onion, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook 3 minutes or until tender (do not brown). Add potatoes and broth; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until potato is tender. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup (or transfer the soup to a food processor or blender). Stir in cream, salt and pepper (to taste). Heat soup until hot.

Toss kale with oil, salt and pepper. Spread kale on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until kale is crispy and slightly browned on the edges, stirring every 5 minutes.

Ladle soup into 6 bowls; garnish evenly with roasted kale.

Serves 6

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1. White Bean and Kale Ragout with Turnips and Sausage
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