SICHUAN PEPPER SQUASH + TOFU
From chef Spike Gjerde of Woodberry Tavern in Baltimore, Maryland: “Over the past few years, I’ve drawn a lot of inspiration from Sichuan techniques and flavors. This dish, a seasonal version of which will be on the Tavern menu, applies those flavors to the Mid-Atlantic’s best fall produce. Jim Crebs at Tomatoes, etc. in Westminster grew the squash, and the apples came from Dave Hochheimer at Black Rock Orchard in Lineboro. I stock up on garlic (and everything else) from One Straw Farm in White Hall whenever they have it. Even the ginger was grown in Severn, at Knopp’s Farm. Note: as much as I love salt, this recipe doesn’t include it because the black beans add enough on their own; be sure to taste to make sure.”
Serves two, generously.
Best cooked in a Heather.
INGREDIENTS
- 8 ounces silken (or soft) tofu (270g)
- 1 delicata squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed (250g)
- 1 medium apple, cored and chopped (150g)
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced (20 g)
- 1 small knob of ginger, minced (10g)
- 32g fermented black beans (or substitute with miso)
- 3 stalks celery, chopped (100g)
- 1 bunch scallions (100 grams), white and light green sections chopped, dark green tops thinly sliced, kept separate
- 8g corn or potato starch
- 2g Sichuan peppercorn, ground
METHOD
Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Add the starch and 200g of water to a small jar and shake until thoroughly mixed. Set aside. Add one tablespoon (20g) of sesame oil and the tofu to Estee Butter Pat. Place in oven.
Add one tablespoon (20g) of sunflower oil to Butter Pat Heather. Add the squash over medium heat. Stir occasionally and cook until lightly browned and the texture is al dente. Turn the heat up to medium-high. Add celery to pan and cook for 2–3 min, stirring occasionally. Add ginger and garlic to pan and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add scallions and apple to pan and cook for another minute.
Push vegetables to the edges of the pan, and add the black bean paste to the middle. Fry briefly before mixing it into the vegetables until coated. Add the Sichuan peppercorn and stir to coat.
Let everything cook together for another minute and then add the starch-water mixture to the pain. Stir to coat. Turn the heat to medium and let simmer for a minute. Add a splash of water if mixture seems too thick.
Remove warmed tofu from the oven and layer squash over, covering completely. Garnish with reserved sliced scallion tops. Transfer from Heather to a pre-warmed Estee. When serving, be sure to spoon down into the tofu. Serve with rice.
Photo and recipe courtesy of Spike Gjerde.
SEAFOOD FRITTERS
The Eastern Shore of Virginia is, for all intents and purposes, clam country. In fact, the Old Dominion State has the largest clam fishery in the United States, hauling in hundreds of millions of both farm-raised and wild varieties, from little necks, cherrystones, and razors along the coastal peninsula’s Chesapeake Bay shorelines to quahogs off the banks of the Atlantic Ocean. And if you’re not eating them raw or roasted, there are few ways better to indulge than the local delicacy of a pan-fried fritter.
CHESAPEAKE OYSTER STUFFING
A round of oysters is always cause for celebration, and this time of year on the Chesapeake Bay, that shows up in the form of oyster stuffing. Whether stuffed into a bird or cooked in a cast-iron pan, it’s a time-honored tradition during the holiday season. Or, as Harris’s book reports The Baltimore Sun putting it in 1914, “Inside the oyster belt at Thanksgiving time, it is nothing short of heresy to fail to serve turkey with good old-fashioned oyster stuffing.” Throw it into a Joan and consider it tradition.
SEARED HANGER STEAK WITH CHARRED SCALLION SALSA
There was a time not that long ago when you’d walk into certain butcher shops, ask for a hanger steak, and get a quizzical look. Perhaps that’s because, for some time, the secondary cut was also known as a “Hanging Tender,” hailing from inside the ribcage (in fact, it’s part of the diaphragm), as well as “the Butcher’s Steak,” with those cunning meatmongers often keeping this deeply flavorful, textured specimen for themselves. “But the gig is up,” says Pryles, who shares her pan-cooked version with us, featuring wagyu, no less, and a bright salsa to boot.
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