Dutch Supermarket Launches Food Waste Line

A supermarket in the Netherlands has begun selling a line of products made from food waste, reports Reuters. The Jumbo store in Wageningen is seeing high sales of its soups and chutneys made from misshapen vegetables, beer from stale bread, cider from blemished apples, and soaps from discarded orange peels. The manager of the branch says first-week sales have surpassed expectations, doubling its current organic product sales.

The initiative is supported by a local university as part of a new national program, United Against Food Waste. Researchers from the university will monitor sales over the next six months to learn how best to expand the products. The program plans to expand to three more supermarkets in the next few months, according to the report. Full Story

Related: SFA Trendspotters' Top Trends for 2018; Future Friday: Bertha Jimenez on Resurrecting Food Waste.

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#metoo and Food

The powerful #metoo movement has inspired the James Beard Foundation to take a look at its own practices. This year the foundation has encouraged judges for the coveted James Beard Awards to consider conduct when weighing the attributes of the nominees. A letter to the members of the Restaurant and Chef Awards Committee that was published in Eater said it’s time to take “meaningful steps forward to end a culture of silence and complicity that has allowed this behavior to proliferate.” Winners receive their awards in New York City on May 7.

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Apples in Space

Domex Superfresh Growers has launched its popular Autumn Glory apple into the atmosphere on a homemade weather balloon, which traveled 75 miles, reaching an altitude of 116,000 feet, and temperatures of -77° F. This inventive marketing ploy was intended to get consumers excited about its exclusive variety, which sold out last year. Two cameras documented the trip.

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Taking a Bite Out of Data

One of the top restaurant trends for 2018 has nothing to do with new cuts of meat or vegetable carb substitutes—and everything to do with data. According to the Winsight 2018 Restaurant Trends Forecast, the level of personalization that restaurants achieve by gathering data on their clients will set them apart. “Today’s customer is looking for more than just good food; they want an experience,” says Sara Rush Wirth, managing editor of Winsight’s Restaurant Business Magazine. “And the only way for operators to really tailor that experience is to know their guests.” 

Establishments can gather data to create more efficient purchasing and production or hyper-customized menus based on past purchases. “Already, customers have shown that they are growing more comfortable sharing personal information with restaurants, as long as there is some kind of perceived value in the exchange,” said Rush Wirth. Value may be realized as a promotion tied to a favorite dish, a geo-targeted message around lunchtime, or a personalized discount to encourage repeat traffic.

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The End of Chocolate?

A world without chocolate is impossible to fathom, and yet, scientists at the University of California, in partnership with Mars Chocolate, are working to prevent cacao plants from disappearing as early as 2050 because of warmer temperatures and dryer weather conditions, as predicted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

As part of its "Sustainability in a Generation” initiative, Mars has teamed with UC Berkeley to try to save the cacao crops. Says Denise Young, global director of external communications at Mars, “This grant supports UC Berkeley's research into exploring whether they can make a precise tweak to the cacao tree's DNA using CRISPR technology [a tool for editing genomes] so that it's no longer susceptible to two diseases that are serious concerns for cocoa farming communities in West Africa, where approximately 70 percent of the world's cocoa is grown.” Research is still in its preliminary stages.

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Black Sesame Hummus with Spiced Beef

This striking black hummus is made with black beans and black sesame tahini for a unique flavor and color; topped with a richly spiced beef plus fresh parsley and pomegranate seeds for a touch of fruity sweetness.

Black linguine. Green shakshuka. Blue moon milk… I’m pretty obsessed with unexpected (natural) colors in my recipes lately. Because, let’s face it, with eat with our eyes before anything even touches our lips. And this hummus, perplexingly black where you’d expect pale yellow, is no exception.

Good hummus is like a culinary mix tape, if you will.

On its own, it’s rather lackluster, bitter even. But in its final form, all the elements in and on the hummus—salt, acid, fat, and sweet—all serve to offset and balance out that bitterness perfectly.

I’d argue that each element is essential in its own right: the recipe just isn’t quite the same without the fatty richness of the beef or the tart sweetness of the fresh pomegranate.

When you take that perfect bite, one with a hearty dollop of hummus on top of soft pita bread with a bit of spiced beef, spices and olive oil, herbaceous fresh parsley, and a few pomegranate arils for good measure, your tastebuds will sing.

Ok, so I’ll admit: while the final result is quite pretty once you’ve got all the toppings on there, there’s no ignoring the fact that the hummus itself looks a bit like dark gray, wet cement.

Black beans, as it turns out, aren’t black on the inside, so even with the addition of the black tahini it’s not enough to turn this hummus pure black (which I think is what I envisioned when I set out to make it). Appearances aside, this hummus would make quite a splash at your next dinner party or gathering.

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Vegetarian Kabobs to Pair With Charcuterie

Skewers with beets, peppers, broccoli, and more make a great vegetarian addition to a charcuterie plate.

Pair them with the puréed chickpeas dipping sauce seasoned with fresh oregano, shallots, capers, oil, and vinegar to add even more flavor. For variety, try adding mozzarella balls, cauliflower florets, small artichoke hearts, or even meatier additions. 

Yield: 12 Kabobs
Prep time: About 1 hour 
Shelf life: 2-3 days

Ingredients 

Dipping sauce
1 (15.5-ounce) can garbanzos, drained, 4 tablespoons liquid reserved
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
3 ounces extra virgin olive oil, for sauce + 2 ounces for vegetables
1 ½ tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons drained capers in brine
½ teaspoon salt 
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper 
¼ cup minced shallots
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh oregano leaves

Vegetables 
3 golden or red beets, about 1 ½ inches in diameter, trimmed 
12 white boiling onions 
24 red peppadew peppers, drained
12 white mushrooms, about 1 ½ inches in diameter, stems trimmed and wiped
12 broccoli florets
12 (2-inch) baby carrots
1-2 green bell peppers, cut into 1 ½ inch squares
1-2 yellow bell peppers, cut into 1 ½ inch squares
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt 
12 (10-inch) bamboo skewers
Balsamic glaze 

Preparation

1. Heat the oven to 400° F. Line a large baking sheet with foil.
2. In a food processor, combine the chickpeas, the 4 tablespoons reserved liquid, garlic, 3 ounces of the olive oil, vinegar, capers, salt, and pepper and purée until smooth. Add the shallots and oregano, pulse to combine, and scrape into a container. Set aside.
3. Brush the beets lightly with oil, wrap tightly in foil and bake in a flat pan until almost tender, turning once, about 40 minutes. Remove and, when cool enough to handle, peel and cut into quarters. Set aside. Leave the oven on.
4. Meanwhile, bring a pan of salted water to the boil. Add the onions and boil for 2 minutes. Transfer to ice water, drain, cut off the root ends and slide off the skins. Blot dry. Cover the bottom of a skillet with a little oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sauté over medium-high heat until golden, cover, reduce the heat and cook until just tender, shaking the pan often. Set aside. 
5. In a large bowl, combine the beets with the peppadew peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, carrots, and green and yellow bell peppers squares. Add enough oil to lightly coat the vegetables, season with oregano and salt, and roast until the vegetables are lightly browned and almost tender, about 30 minutes, turning them a couple of times. Remove.
6. Thread the vegetables onto the skewers. Lay them on a platter, season with salt and pepper, drizzle with a little olive oil and balsamic glaze, and serve.

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