eclaire (what’s in a) name?

i’ve been thinking about food a lot this week.  as you might guess, this is not entirely unusual for me — as i am a major food lover and, obviously, blogger.  but this week, i’ve been thinking especially hard about food for a few reasons.  the first is that i began reading the book in defense of food, by michael pollan.  i labored my way through his first book, omnivore’s dilemma, perhaps because i am not an omnivore (there are long chapters about killing wild pigs and the beef industry that are slightly nauseating), or perhaps because it seemed too close to something i might have read in one of the many sociology classes i took in college – assigned but not thoroughly enjoyed reading.  the second book, however, is my first suggestion to you – i am tearing through it, and taking a lot of what he says to heart.  what’s really resonated for me is his discussion of the importance of real, whole foods (not the store) – avocado, bananas, carrots, etc – instead of eating filler foods chemically designed to taste good and supply nutrients deemed important by the fda (think most commercial breakfast cereals and packaged frozen dinners).  pollan questions whether food scientists have figured out what’s important for people to consume yet, and notes that food is about so much more than nutrients – it’s about the act of cooking with friends and family, interacting with them, savoring the taste of the food, and yes, there are nutrients in whole foods, but they are only part of the process. (thanks for hosting this “process” aka dinner this week, linn!)

my second suggestion to you stems from the second harvest food bank dinner i attended last night.  mike’s company facilitates the donation of tens of thousands of pounds of canned goods to the second harvest food bank, and every year the second harvest food bank holds a dinner to thank those involved in the food drive.  the dinner is a very interesting juxtaposition of networking, abundant food and beverages, and speeches about ending hunger.  this is the second year we’ve attended, and there was a remarkable difference in the speeches this year, reflecting the great need for food in our community (and nation) as the economic situation gets worse.  listening to the presenters and award recipients, i began to think about how lucky i am to never have missed a meal in my life, and furthermore to be able to blog about food – for fun!  so my second suggestion is that if you have a few extra bucks, it might be worth it to donate some of that to the second harvest food bank…or at least look at your next meal and feel extremely thankful for that plate of food.

suggestions aside, where’s the recipe, i bet you’re thinking!  ok, disclaimer: this is sort of a cheater recipe.  it’s a green pizza – not green in the sense of the environmental movement – but actually green from pesto. it’s super easy, but something i hadn’t thought of before seeing it in the may 2006 vegetarian times.  all you do is take a pizza crust (either purchased or made), open a good pre-made pesto, spread it on the pizza, place slices of zucchini over that, and then top with ricotta and parmesan cheeses.  simple, delish, and reminiscent of the summer, when basil is plentiful.  i hope you enjoy this green pizza as much as mike and i do – i can’t believe we’ve been making it for almost three years – and please do ponder my two suggestions while you eat!

green pizza

adapted from vegetarian times, may 2006
yields 4 servings

• pizza dough (you could use my recipe or yours or a pre-made crust)
• 4oz prepared pesto (i love the refrigerated trader joe’s kind)
• 1 large zucchini, sliced
• 5oz ricotta cheese
• 1/4c shredded parmesan cheese__________________________________

1. preheat oven to 450 and place pizza stone in oven (or press dough into pan that can go right into the oven)
2. if using a pizza stone, shape dough into a circle, then allow to cook for 5 minutes
3. pull the crust out of the oven spread pesto over it, and place zucchini slices on top of pesto
4. drop spoonfuls of ricotta in between zucchini slices and sprinkle with parmesan cheese
5. place pizza back into oven and cook for 10 minutes, or until crust is golden brown
6. serve with a salad and enjoy!