The Joy of Cooking Podcast

Episode: Lane Selman: A Casual Culinary Chat About Radicchio
Date: September 17, 2025
Host/Creators: Shannon Larson, Megan Scott, Jon Becker
Guest: Lane Selman, founder of the Culinary Breeding Network

Episode Overview

In this lively episode, John, Megan, and Shannon welcome Lane Selman, a leader in connecting agriculture, flavor, and community, to discuss all things radicchio, seed breeding, flavor, and the intersection of farming with great cooking. Listeners learn about Lane’s Sicilian roots, her pursuit of biodiversity through the Culinary Breeding Network, and the pivotal role of flavor-focused breeding in transforming what ends up on our plates. The conversation dives into cooking rituals, home kitchen improvisation versus strict recipe-following, summer produce obsessions, and practical (and sometimes playful) tips for handling underloved vegetables like kale and radicchio.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Recent Cooking Adventures & Seasonal Highlights

• Heat Wave Cooking: The hosts discuss adapting to hot weather by moving cooking outdoors (Blackstone grill), spotlighting simple meals like miso eggplant, grilled chicken thighs, and the perennial favorite—tomato toast.
  • [02:07] “We did like miso eggplant from the Joy and chicken thighs. Very simple. So it's been pretty simple, but nice. The tomato toast has been a highlight too.” — Shannon
• TikTok Inspirations: Megan tries out brown butter miso corn pasta and broiled cottage cheese toast (“actually really good… going to become a staple breakfast… more hearty than just a piece of toast”).
  • [02:42] “There's a broiled cottage cheese toast going around… It's actually really good. I think it's going to become a staple breakfast because it's so fast.” — Megan

2. Meet Lane Selman: Roots and Rituals

• Lane describes her Sicilian upbringing, culinary philosophy, and daily home cooking routines heavily inspired by her grandmother (“I make caponata a lot. I love eggplant. I tend to make it that way a lot...I'm a bit of a nona.”).
• Salmon Burritos: A staple in Lane’s kitchen, borrowing from Hawaiian influences, loaded with seaweed, wasabi/miso mayo, pickled cukes, and plenty of crunchy and umami toppings.
  • [09:56] “I have, like, this whole, like, right next to my stove, like, all these topping things… so anyway, it's like, crunchy, and it's like, you know, it's kind of spicy and umami…” — Lane
• Improvisation in the Kitchen: Lane rarely uses recipes except for baking, which she tries (and sometimes fails) to follow more strictly.
  • [11:10] “I have bazillions of cookbooks… but I don't often use cookbooks. I have them to look at them and be inspo…in the kitchen, I'm like the opposite.” — Lane

3. Summer Produce Preferences & Opinions

• Favorites: Fava beans, eggplant, and “zucchini fritters with mint.”
• Lane confesses a strong dislike for raw or green peppers but loves them roasted, especially to make romesco.
• Roasting is Key:
  • [15:00] “I do not like green peppers… but I love them roasted so much. So I make tons of roasted peppers so that I can make romesco.” — Lane

4. The Culinary Breeding Network and the Variety Showcase

• Lane explains the Variety Showcase as a cross between a science fair and a food festival—designed to illuminate the work of plant breeders, farmers, and chefs in bringing new, delicious, and regionally adapted varieties to tables.
  • [20:24] “The Variety Showcase is really trying to, like, pull back the curtain on what plant breeders do in the seed world. That a lot of people don't really know what that is…”
• The Importance of Seed Breeding:
  • [25:03] “We always call it the intended environment. So the intended environment is an organic environment, which operates in a very different way than one that utilizes conventional chemicals…”
• Chef Involvement: Chefs serve as “ambassadors” who can promote new varieties through their menus and creativity.
  • [27:26] “The cool thing is… get the message across through like, okay, here's this thing that tastes amazing and it also grows really well in this environment and it's organic.” — Megan

5. Why Flavor Matters (and Isn’t Elitist)

• Industrial breeding focuses on yield, storability, and uniformity which often leads to compromised flavor. Lane passionately argues for flavor in breeding—both as a pathway to health and as an answer to processed food’s dominance:
  • [34:38] “If flavor isn't up there and it's not prioritized, you're gonna lose it…The better something tastes…the more likely they are to actually eat it. And we're up against the crazy world of…Doritos and all this…”
  • [36:37] “I don't think there's anything elitist at all about caring about flavor…It's the opposite.”

6. Sagra Festivals & Reframing the Underdogs

• Inspired by food festivals (sagra) in Italy, Lane organizes similar American “sagras” to celebrate regional bounty—especially overlooked crops like winter squash, barley, favas, purslane, and especially radicchio.
• Squash Party: Lane describes efforts to put the “winter” back in winter squash, promote storage varieties, and make less familiar varieties popular—via festive gatherings with hats, tastings, and education.
• Tradition Meets Innovation: Sagras introduce and elevate crops not yet widely understood or loved in American kitchens.

7. Cookbook Connections & the Joy of Cooking

• Lane keeps The Joy of Cooking as a reference for tried-and-true recipes (“If I'm going to make something that I need to make it the proper way…I go to The Joy of Cooking…”).
  • [47:49] “Because those are tried and true. They are the OG…”
• John and Megan reflect on how participating in Lane’s events influenced new vegetable and salad content for the 2019 edition, expanding beyond traditional recipes.

8. Listener Q&A: Kale & Radicchio Recipes

Caller Question (49:05): Best unsung kale and radicchio recipes?

Kale Tips

• Coconut Milk Braised Kale:
  • Sauté habanero, garlic, then shredded kale, add coconut milk & fish sauce. (“So rich and velvety…with the saltiness from the fish sauce, but it doesn’t taste fishy.”—Megan, [50:09])
• Utica Greens (in Joy):
  • Sauté prosciutto, garlic, pickled peppers, greens; top with herby parmesan breadcrumbs & broil.
• Caldo Verde Soup:
  • Potato, sausage, and kale for a brothy winter classic. (“It livens up the taste buds, and it's got all the greens. It's good for you.” — Jon, [52:32])
• Lane: Loves kale pasta sauce, and a white bean, kale, and anchovy dish (“not chili, but very delicious together”).

Radicchio Tips

• Radicchio Caesar: Stands up to anchovy-rich Caesar dressing.
• Embrace Cooking: Lane’s cookbook (coming fall 2026) will include 48 radicchio-centric recipes—most of them cooked, as in Italian tradition.
  • [55:23] “The whole mission…introduce the American audience to a lot of the ways that Italians eat it, which is a lot more cooked than fresh.” — Lane
• Lane’s Go-To Cooked Radicchio:
  • Savory galette using cooked escarole or radicchio with anchovies and parmesan.
  • Bucatini pasta with blanched radicchio, garlic, anchovies, touch of cream, toasted walnuts (from La Medusa, Seattle)—“absolutely delicious”.
  • Traditional Chioggia radicchio cake (like carrot cake), plus a modern version with cocoa, beets, pistachios.
  • Radicchio marmalade; radicchio-infused spirits and a granita.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Lane Selman on improvisation:
  • [11:10] “I have bazillions of cookbooks…but in the kitchen, I'm like the opposite…I rogue all the time, and you can't do that with baking. So I try to stay, like, really, like, firm to my galette recipe…”
• Why flavor is not elitist:
  • [34:38] “I don't think there's anything elitist at all about caring about flavor…and we're up against…the crazy…world of…Doritos…”
• Variety Showcase described:
  • [30:43] “It's like part science fair…and then part, like, food event…we have the chefs there and that really is, like, the sexy hook…”
• On eating with Italian ethos:
  • [38:06] “People in Italy care, I feel like, for the most part…it is not compromised…if you had someone really focused on quality that whole way, the finished product…you would get at the end…”
• On radicchio desserts:
  • [57:45] “There's the traditional cake…like a carrot cake…but…in Italy… it is pretty dry…so [Darby at Pizza Thief] made his own version with, like, chocolate, cocoa, beets, pistachios…it’s quite delicious.”

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:38 – Host introductions and summer cooking chatter
• 07:35 – Introduction to Lane Selman and her background
• 09:45 – Lane’s kitchen rituals and favorite meals
• 14:18 – Summer produce obsessions and opinions on eggplant and peppers
• 17:49 – Lane’s career: organizing Variety Showcases and plant breeding events
• 20:24 – What is the Variety Showcase? Plant breeding, organics, flavor, and chef connections
• 34:08 – Why breed for flavor? Debunking elitism and increasing veggie consumption
• 41:18 – The story of winter squash, “Squash Party,” and the evolution of the Sagra
• 47:19 – Lane’s relationship with “Joy of Cooking”
• 48:57 – How Lane’s work influenced the 2019 Joy of Cooking edition
• 49:05 – Listener question: Best kale and radicchio recipes
• 53:23 – Lane’s favorite radicchio cooking techniques and radicchio desserts
• 62:11 – Buckwheat obsession and sourcing discussions
• 63:58 – Halloumi, corn, and simple summer eating
• 64:32 – Where to follow Lane Selman and Culinary Breeding Network

Recurring Themes and Final Takeaways

• The importance of biodiversity, local adaptation, and flavor in seed breeding and home cooking
• How collaborative events connect academic breeding with real-world eating and community
• Radicchio is far more versatile (and less bitter) when cooked—look forward to Lane’s upcoming cookbook
• Cooking can be both improvisational and traditional—trust your taste but respect baking chemistry!
• Flavor-forward vegetables are not only for “foodies”—they are a key to healthy, joyful eating

Where to Follow & Further Resources

• Lane Selman & Culinary Breeding Network:
  • Instagram: @culinarybreedingnetwork
  • Website: culinarybreedingnetwork.com
• Joy of Cooking Podcast:
  • Substack: joyofcooking.substack.com
  • Instagram: @joyofcooking

Next Episode: All About Homemade Yogurt
Joy Scouts Recipe of the Week: Rachel’s Kale and Lentil Salad (p. 130, 2019 edition)

For the Community

Call in with your food stories or questions:
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This episode serves as a rich exploration into the edges where farming, flavor, and home cooking meet—making it must-listen (or must-read) for anyone hungry for more from their vegetables, both old favorites and radical newcomers.