Smaženice--Czech scrambled mushrooms

I've got a colleague visiting from the Czech Republic who saw some portobello mushrooms in the fridge and offered to make a Czech speciality. First, however, I had to buy caraway seeds (a major part of the cuisine). And, I have to say, I'm quite glad that I did. I've used caraway seeds in pickling before but the flavor they added to the potatoes and mushrooms was both delicate and exciting!


Here's Pavel Linhart's recipe for Smaženice:

100 g of butter, oil, or pork fat (for frying).

1 large onion, diced.

500 g of mushrooms (bolets, champignons, etc.), cut into 1-2cm cubes.

2-4 eggs, depending on mushrooms; it should be a dish mainly from mushrooms (e.g., 2-4 eggs / 500g of mushrooms)

pinch of salt

pinch of pepper

1 tsp to 1 Tbs caraway seeds (to taste--Pavel advises "it is hard to overdose caraway seed, do not hold back!'")

In a frying pan, warm the butter, oil, or pork fat and fry the onion until it's soft and glassy. Add the mushrooms, caraway seeds, salt and pepper.  Cover with a lid, stirring occasionally until mushrooms are well cooked (10-20 min). Mushrooms will release water when cooked but if it is not enough and the mushrooms begin to stick to the pan, add a little water. When mushrooms are cooked add whisked eggs and stir constantly until they harden up. 

Serve with bread or garlic bread, or with potatoes boiled in salty water with 1 Tbs of caraway seeds.

Yum.

Not all vegetarian and vegan diets are similarly low impact

A fascinating paper was just published in Scientific Reports that followed a number of individuals who adopted different diets (omnivore, vegetarian, vegan). While we are all told that eating a vegetarian or vegan diet should have a lower carbon footprint and use less water, there was remarkable variation between individuals.  Read and share the article and discuss diet choices at your next dinner party.

John Holdren on Scientific Evidence

Former Obama administration science advisor John Holdren has written an excellent OpEd in the Boston Globe about the process by which we evaluate the evidence about man-made climate change.

Rather than questioning the evidence (which scientists constantly do and which leads to a better current understanding), discuss at your next dinner party the 'discount rate'.  In other words, accept the scientific consensus and discuss who should pay and when.

Is it ethical for us to suffer now for future generations?

Is it ethical for us to not suffer now for future generations?

How much change in our current behavior is acceptable to support future generations?

And, what changes do you personally feel comfortable implementing.

If you want realistic scenarios of sea level rise in the US, have a look at this scary simulator published in Wired. Predictions like this explain why the US military views climate change an existential threat to our national security.