In the Book of Ecclesiastes, King Solomon lamented, “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.”
And while there is some truth to the jaded king’s cynicism—and any man who marries 700 women is bound to see life repeat itself sometimes—it appears the king overlooked man’s ceaseless capacity to take the old and give it a clever new twist, to turn yesterday’s pedestrian product into tomorrow’s must-have, hot item.
Which is where we find Tina Freedman, a regional prepared foods coordinator in Emeryville, Calif., for the 270-unit Whole Foods Market chain. Ask what’s hot on her company’s endless ingredient palette, and Freedman shyly admits: “Nothing I’d call new, really. We’re taking what I think a lot of people would call familiar ingredients, but preparing them in unusual ways. To customers, that’s new.”
Freedman doesn’t have to look hard to learn what her customers like; a survey of stores’ inventories and a peek into customers’ carts will do the trick. Listening to the staff also helps.
“Most of our new ideas come from our teams at the store level, and most of their ideas are definitely locally rooted,” she says. “I read a lot of restaurant menus to see what other chefs are doing, and I also watch the Food Network a lot.”
Pomegranate Freedman says customers can’t seem to get enough pomegranates, be they juiced and reduced for glazes or tossed into salads and sides. The seeds’ ruby color lends visual pop to other foods, and it doesn’t hurt that they’re perceived as nutritious. “We all know what a pain they can be to peel and seed, but they’re available now in foodservice packs cold and deseeded,” she says. Pomegranate seeds can be stored refrigerated for many weeks. “I love their color as much as anything. The seeds are like little gems.” Freedman says the prepared-foods counters in stores use pomegranates as flavor accents for chutneys, relishes and salsas. She also uses pomegranate juice or purée for a glaze she makes for salmon, chicken, pork and lamb. “I did a fruit crisp that we put on our hot buffet, and it had sliced apples, brown sugar, butter, and a pomegranate and oat topping,” she says. On the savory side, one of her “favorites is tossing them in with Brussels sprouts and pancetta. You get this beautiful red-and-green holiday kind of look to it. But make sure to put them in right at the end.” Persimmon Freedman calls the simple persimmon “a retro food that’s becoming more available, and one we’re having a lot of fun with.” Two common types, the fuyu and the hachiya, are readily available whole or puréed. “I think they’re best bought whole and enjoyed in season,” Freedman says, adding that their season runs from October to December. “You’ve got to use them when you can get them.” Freedman likes their “sweet, nutty flavor” in both sweet and savory dishes. She finds them a natural in rich bread pudding, but even more interesting in rice pilaf and green beans “because they give this surprise flavor and texture.” FAST FACTS JOB: regional prepared foods coordinator, Whole Foods Market, Emeryville, Calif.CAREER HIGH POINTS: winning an NRN MenuMasters award in 2001TYPICAL BREAKFAST: caffé latte and Greek yogurt with berries and honeyFAVORITE SNACK: Garret’s caramel popcornBEVERAGE OF CHOICE: Rombauer ChardonnayINGREDIENT YOU’D LIKE TO FIND BUT CAN’T: self-cleaning dishes Though they can be stored like apples, either refrigerated or in a cool place, once a persimmon ripens, it turns quickly and should be refrigerated and used soon after. “They don’t last long, so what happens for us is they’ll cycle them from the produce department to the prepared foods side so we can utilize them,” she says. “You can prepare them like a tomatillo: wash them, blanch them, remove the skin and the seeds. From there we purée it.” Due to their high moisture content, Freedman uses persimmons as a fat supplement in baked goods. “They add so much moisture to cookies and cakes; it’s unbelievable,” she says. “But you still need some fat in cakes for texture.” Fennel Freedman says she’s found new fun in fennel partly due to its year-round applications. Not only does it go well in roasted meat dishes, but also its crunch and vibrant licorice edge add aroma and texture to cold salads. “We serve it raw on the salad bar, but we also cut it, toss it in salt and pepper and roast or braise it,” she says. “On the salad bar, you’ve got to shave it very thinly or it can be overwhelming to some; the flavor’s kind of strong. I also like to use the fennel tops as a garnish and sometimes mince the greens.” As winter nears and chilly customers seek stick-to-your-ribs take-home meals, Freedman is planning a side dish of braised fennel, carrots and apples she’d suggest serving with braised brisket. “[Fennel is] sturdy and holds up well, so people tend to put it in dishes that can be made well in advance and held for a while,” she says. Left whole the bulb stays fresh for at least two weeks refrigerated, but once cut, pieces brown quickly. A seasonal cold salad she’s served before includes roasted beets and fennel tossed with oranges in a vinaigrette. When the warmer weather returns, “we’ll do an apple-fennel slaw.” Saffron Freedman laughs at the memory of saffron’s ubiquity in the years of the Carter and Reagan administrations. “I definitely think saffron was overused in the ’70s and ’80s, and then it was as if we forgot about it for awhile.” Now it’s back in multiple dishes on Whole Foods’ prepared lines. Once again, Freedman crosses sweet and savory boundaries by adding the red thread to many dishes. “It lends this beautiful jewel-tone color to whatever you use it in, and that’s gorgeous in the case at the store,” she says. To extract maximum flavor and color, Freedman steeps the saffron in hot water, or the stock used to cook a dish’s main components, and then allows it rest a bit. “It’s critical we get that eye-appeal in the case.” For the holidays, Whole Foods will do saffron-poached pears whose amber tones nearly illuminate the display case. The pears are garnished with fresh mint and saffron-infused simple syrup. “The saffron is aromatic, which complements the fruit well,” she adds. The same goes for saffron-roasted potatoes, which soak up the yellow cast. But Freedman warns cooks to use only a little saffron “because it can get musty. I really like the flavor, but it can be too much. Plus, it’s going up in price right now, so you don’t want to waste it.” Grains Freedman says customer demand for coarser grains also is rising, leading Whole Foods to prepare side dishes and salads made from kamut, wild rice, wheat berry, black rice, faro and millet. The trick to selling them is finding unique preparations. “We like to blend different grains to get a variety of textures, too,” she says. The chain’s wheat berry Waldorf salad adds a complex chewy texture and valuable dietary fiber to the classic dish. Wheat berries also are added to a citrus salad to balance the tangy fruit components with the grain’s nutty flavor. “I love Israeli couscous, too, for its texture,” she says, describing the spongy pearl grains that bear no resemblance to traditional couscous. “It’s a lot of fun to play with since it goes so well with so many things, either hot or cold.”