March 31, 2021

Dear friends,

I took sheet-pan dinner to its natural conclusion recently with sheet-pan hash, and it was a winner. I figured, why not just dice the hash ingredients and bake them? No reason not to, I discovered. No standing over a skillet flipping and turning. Just dice, season and bake.

Of course, you still have to do all that dicing. And with the baked version, it’s best to use fresh vegetables and meat rather than leftovers, but maybe that’s what made my chicken and tarragon hash so good. I scaled the recipe for four people, which meant one serving for me and three for Tony. He liked it.

Coating the raw cubed chicken with mayonnaise kept the meat moist and helped carry the flavor of the tarragon while preventing the herb from burning.

You can apply this technique to just about any protein, and use whatever vegetables you have that go well together. Cubed beef with root vegetables and thyme would be good, as would cubed pork loin with vegetables, sage and maybe apples.

Chop the vegetables and meat into like-sized cubes and spread on baking sheets with ingredients that take the same time to roast. The chicken and asparagus in my recipe took 20 to 25 minutes to cook, so I put them in the oven first while chopping the other vegetables. Then I had the entire oven free for the two trays of mushrooms, onions and potatoes, which took 30 to 40 minutes.

All of the ingredients are combined before serving, and the remains of the melted, tarragon-flavored mayonnaise infuses the entire hash.

Top each portion with a fried egg, if desired.

ROASTED TARRAGON CHICKEN HASH

10 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut in 1-inch cubes
Salt, pepper
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 tsp. dried tarragon leaves
1 1/2 cups asparagus, trimmed and cut in 1-inch pieces
Olive oil
8 oz. white mushrooms, cut into big (1-inch) chunks
1 1/2 cups scrubbed thin-skinned potatoes such as Yukon gold, in 1-inch chunks
1 cup cubed (1-inch) yellow onion
Coarse sea salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Combine mayonnaise, mustard and tarragon in a medium bowl. Add chicken and coat thoroughly. Place in a single layer, with all of the mayonnaise mixture, on half of a foil-lined, lightly oiled sheet pan.

Coat asparagus with olive oil and arrange on the other half of the sheet pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and asparagus is tender. Transfer chicken, asparagus and pan drippings to a large bowl and set aside.

While the chicken and asparagus roast, wash and chop the mushrooms, potatoes and onion. Toss in a bowl with 1/4 cup olive oil and 1 1/2 tsp. sea salt. Spread on two foil-lined sheet pans. Roast at 400 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes, until edges of potatoes begin to brown.

Transfer the potato mixture to the bowl with the chicken and asparagus. Combine gently and add more sea salt if required. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 4 servings.

TIDBITS
What’s on the menu for your reunion? Thanks to vaccinations, my Facebook feed is filled with photos of joyous get-togethers with family not seen for a year. Food is usually involved.

The pictures I’ve seen are clearly celebratory: A friend baking cakes with her grandchildren, the layers still in their pans on the kitchen counter; an extended family gathered around a table, ready to dig in; hand pies tucked in a basket, awaiting loved ones who were on their way.

What will you or did you cook to welcome loved ones back into your lives? I’m still a month away from mingling, so I haven’t decided. What about you?

GUT CHECK
What I cooked last week:
Tuna salad on toast, steamed asparagus; frozen Sam’s Club thin and crispy pizza; pan-grilled strip steaks with Gorgonzola, wilted spinach with olive oil and garlic, mashed potatoes; stir-fried green beans in a spicy sauce over crispy tofu, frozen samosas (heated up); spicy stir-fried green beans and chicken; Dublin coddle; ham frittata and toast; French toast and ham.

What I carried out:
Andouille sausage po’ boy from Sonnet’s Coffee & Whiskey Bar in Wadsworth; two hamburger sliders from Hamburger Station; roast beef, mashed potatoes with gravy, green beans, carrots and biscuits from Bob Evans.

THE MAILBAG
From Pennie:
My son and I made the Dublin Coddle for our Sunday meal, and wow! This is a case of the result was better than the sum of the parts. Pure deliciousness.

We had a few substitutions. Giant Eagle had no barley, but they did have farrow, a grain from wheat that is a similar size and consistency, so we used it instead. We did not alter the cooking time. I forgot to put in the bay leaves. We didn’t miss them, although they probably add to the flavor. All the cooking times were spot on.

We used dark ale for the beer, and the bitterness complemented the meats, which were five slices of Farmer’s Rail bacon, and Johnsonville brats (uncooked). I bought fresh carrots and leeks, and pre-chopped onions. Instead of slicing potatoes, I used a container of Bob Evan’s Mashed Potatoes. I left them on the counter to come to room temp during the first 30 minutes, figuring they didn’t need to cook as long as raw potatoes. Before putting the dutch oven in the real oven, my son blopped on large spoonfuls of mashed potatoes on top, something like drop biscuits on a beef stew.

It was stupendous. Thank you!

I took some liberties, but this recipe can handle it.

Dear Pennie:
I, too, took liberties when I made the stew again last week. I skipped the leeks only because I had none, and doubled the onion. I swapped sliced yellow squash for the carrots. I had no bacon so I used fatty little cubes of ham. Why do such humble ingredients taste so good? You’re right, Dublin Coddle is better than the sum of its parts.

From Noreen S.:
No “squash hands” for me either! If I need to peel a butternut squash, I microwave it for about 2 minutes first. Maybe that zaps the sticky stuff. 

Dear Noreen:
It’s a mystery. Maybe a particular hybrid of butternut squash releases sticky stuff when it is peeled. All I know is that every butternut I’ve peeled has been dry to the touch, with nothing sticking to my hands.

March 24, 2021

Dear friends.

I phoned my brother on Sunday to ask whether he remembers Easter dinners growing up. His recollection is the same as mine: Chocolate rabbits and hard-boiled eggs. No glazed hams or roast lamb. No scalloped or whipped potatoes. No homemade sweet breads studded with colored eggs or candied fruit.

After writing about other people’s Easter dinners for so many years, I began to doubt my memory of my family’s barren Easter table. But nope.

“We didn’t want Mom cooking all day,” my brother reminded me. “She deserved to have fun, too.”

And boy, did she. Instead of messing with food and cutlery the night before Easter, she wrote a series of clever, rhyming notes that led us on a hunt for our baskets. The notes were so entertaining we demanded them long after we were grown.

On Easter itself we attended church and then dove into our baskets. Mine always had m&ms instead of jelly beans by request. Then we’d play board games with Mom or watch some spectacle on television.

That is my Easter tradition. After I grew up and became a food writer I pined for a more normal Easter,  preferably one that featured grilled leg of lamb with Cabernet wine sauce.

Now I pine for chocolate.

Lamb is a close second, though, so I’ll share my favorite recipe for grilled leg of lamb. It is from “Julia Child & Company,” a companion cookbook to the TV show of the same name.

If you must butterfly the lamb yourself — that is, cut it from the bone to create a flat piece of meat — first cut the piece of meat to the bone, top to bottom lengthwise. Then cut the meat away from the bone, working your way around and around the bone while  angling the sharp edge of the knife toward the bone. Spread the piece of meat flat on the counter, boned side up. Make one or two 1 1/2-inches-deep gashes in each of the fat lobes and gently flatten them with your palm so that the meat is an even thickness.

Happy Easter. Or Passover. Or chocolate rabbit day.

JULIA CHILD’S BARBECUED BUTTERFLIED LEG OF LAMB
1 leg of lamb
3 to 4 tbsp. olive oil plus oil for basting
Juice of 1/2 lemon plus grated rind, if desired
1 1/2 tsp. fresh rosemary
1 or 2 cloves garlic, pureed

Slice off as much outside fat as possible from the leg of lamb, then shave off the fell (the membrane on the top side of the leg). Butterfly the meat according to the above instructions.

Rub the unboned side with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and place that side down in a baking pan. Rub remaining ingredients, including olive oil, over the boned side of the meat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate an hour or more, up to overnight.

Build a charcoal fire and when ashed over, remove meat from pan and place on a greased grid over the medium-hot coals, turning every five minutes with tongs and brushing with oil, to an internal temperature of 125 degrees for medium-rare or longer according to preference. Let meat rest 8 to 10 minutes before carving into slices.

GUT CHECK
What I cooked last week:
Japanese chicken curry with steamed rice; sheet pan chicken hash; baked spaghetti squash with ricotta and venison meat sauce, tossed salad with gorgonzola cheese; tossed salad with flaked tuna; shrimp and grits.

What we carried out:
Small ham and provolone sub from Subway; black peppercorn hamburger with bacon and goat cheese and a salad from Wolfe Creek Tavern in Norton.

THE MAILBAG
From Tammy Jo H.:
This is in response to Tracey C.’s gas oven problem. Years ago I owned a home with a gas oven. After ruining dozens of coconut macaroons (my Dad’s intended birthday gift) I bought an oven thermometer. However, opening and shutting the oven basically rendered it useless.

My grandma suggested that I contact East Ohio Gas and request a gas line test on the oven.  The technician was able to regulate the gas input so that it was “more balanced” and my problem was solved!

Dear Tammy Jo.:
Smart grandma. I never would have thought of that.

From Deanne J.:
Jane, please tell Tracey C. that Youtube can show her a simple fix for re-setting her oven temperature. Have a wonderful spring!!

Dear Deanne:
Right you are. And I hope you, too, are knee-deep in daffodils soon.

From Margaret B.:
I joined a CSA for the first time last fall and my first few boxes all had butternut squash in them. I made curried butternut squash soup, roasted butternut squash salad with warm apple cider dressing, roasted rings of butternut squash with brown sugar and butter, and many other recipes. I just love it now that I know how to cook it.

 I agree that a sharp knife is essential to dealing with this vegetable and also wondered if you had experienced a problem I had after peeling and handling the squash. My hands were covered with a sticky glaze that was almost like super glue. It hardened and made it difficult to close my hands. I couldn’t even wash it off with Dawn, which generally works on anything, and ended up spraying my hands with Krudbuster to finally remove it. Now I wear latex gloves when I handle butternut squash that has been peeled. Problem solved. Just thought I would share that tidbit with you.

Dear Margaret:
I’m stunned that I have never experienced this. According to Southern Living, “Butternut squash contains a sticky sap-like substance that is released when the fruit (squash is technically a fruit) is cut. The liquid is so strong that it can harden into protective scab if the squash becomes cut or damaged — much like a tree.”

The magazine calls your problem “squash hands” and says that, once hardened, the only thing that’ll remove it is time and plenty of moisturizer.

Not that I want it, but why not me? Is anyone else immune to this?

From Marty L.:
I found this recipe for a focaccia that is wonderful. It takes 5 to 6 hours of rising time, but that is no problem. If I start it in the morning, it makes a wonderful dinner entrée along with a bowl of soup. 

On a warm spring day I can park my car out in the sun and the dough rises well in a bowl on the seat. Then by the time it is becoming chilly as the sun goes down, it is time to warm up the kitchen with a hot oven to bake this hearty bread.

The recipe has tomatoes and olives as toppings, but I found that artichoke hearts and grated cheese also work well. I suppose any of your favorite toppings would work out, as long as it is not dry like sun-dried tomatoes. They get too toasted. Tomato-Olive Focaccia | Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street (177milkstreet.com)

Welcome back to Ohio!

Dear Marty:
OK, you win the best-tip-of-the-year award, even though it’s only March. Rising bread dough in a sun-warmed car is a brilliant idea! I’m going to try that, along with the focaccia recipe. Thanks.

March 17, 2021

Dear friends,

Aye, the party’s on hold this year. But even though we can’t parade around in green doesn’t mean we can’t eat like the Irish on St. Patrick’s Day. That is today, and you have plenty of time to make Dublin Coddle. It is a quick Irish dry stew (or moist casserole, if you will) made with sausages and barley and capped with a crust of sliced potatoes. As a friend said, “It is @&#* delicious!”

Former Beacon Journal buddy John Higgins (we all keep in touch) posted a photo last week of his early St. Pat’s dinner along with a link to the recipe, where it’s described as a classic Irish pub food. It looked wonderful in John’s photo and just as good on my table on Monday. It tasted good, too — richly flavored and pleasantly chewy from the barley.

Basically, bacon and sausages are browned and removed from the pot. Then vegetables, barley, the meat and sliced potatoes are layered in the same pot.  Beer is poured over all and it’s simmered — “coddled” — for a half hour and finished in the oven. John recommended popping it under the broiler to brown the potatoes, so I added that to the recipe.

The only tricky part may be working with leeks if you haven’t done so. The white part is the prize. The green part, which sadly is most of the leek, is cut off and discarded.  Then the root end is trimmed and the leek is cut it in half lengthwise. Leeks are notorious for having soil between their layers, so they must be carefully washed under running water. For this recipe the white part is then sliced crosswise like a carrot.

The leeks turn soft and silky in the stew, the texture contrasting brilliantly with the barley. Tony kept tellling me how wonderful it was and at the end of the meal, thanked me for the “great dinner.” That’s high praise for a dish that didn’t contain a drop of soy sauce.

DUBLIN CODDLE

6 slices bacon, rough chopped
5 plump pork sausages such as bratwurst
1/2 yellow onion, diced
3 leeks, trimmed, washed and cut in 1/2-inch slices
4 fat carrots, peeled and sliced into chunks
1/2 cup uncooked barley
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup beer
3 bay leaves
Salt, pepper
3 large Yukon gold potatoes
2 tbsp. melted butter
Chopped parsley for garnish

Get out your round, squat pot or dutch oven, the one you use for baking no-knead bread. Cook the bacon until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Brown the sausages in the bacon fat and transfer to the paper towels with the bacon.

Toss together the onion, leeks and carrots and transfer to pot. Immediately arrange the sausages and bacon on top of the vegetables. Sprinkle with barley. Pour broth and beer over all. Add bay leaves and season with salt and pepper.

Wash the potatoes and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange in overlapping fashion on top of the stew, using just enough slices to cover the top in a dense layer. Season again with salt and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer very slowly (“coddle”) for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat oven to 425 degrees. After 30 minutes, remove lid from pot and brush potatoes with butter. Transfer to the oven. Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Lightly brown under broiler before serving. Makes 4 to 5 servings.

GUT CHECK
What I cooked last week:
Chicken tacos with avocado, cilantro and lime, with pollo al horno and fresh corn tortillas from Tortilleria Gallo de Oro in Stuart, Fla.; egg salad sandwiches; Dublin coddle.

What I ate from restaurants, etc.:
Shrimp ceviche from Green Apple Produce in Hobe Sound, Fla.; a chicken sandwich from Hardee’s; an Italian 6-inch sub from Subway; pulled pork, baby back ribs, slaw and hot rice from Hog Heaven in New Philadelphia; fried shrimp, coleslaw, green beans and cherry cobbler from TLC Catering at St. George Fellowship Centre in Copley.

THE MAILBAG

From Tracey C.:
I moved into a new house and have a new gas oven. We’ve been living together now for almost two months and I still haven’t figured out the secret to happy cooking together. I love roasting veggies but it seems I’m either getting wimpy or burnt results. It seems the oven runs a lot cooler than the electric ovens I’ve always had before. I haven’t bought an oven thermometer yet but plan to double check.

Also, I gave up on the convection feature because it took almost two hours to roast a couple of half-sheets of half sheets of veggies to tolerably mushy results. Any idea what I’m doing wrong?

Dear Tracey:
Gas ovens are thought provide less even heat than electric, but still…! Something ain’t right. Buy an oven thermometer asap and check it at various temperatures. While that’s happening, read the instruction booklet that came with the appliance. The booklet should give you trouble-shooting ideas as well as tell you how to reset the thermostat based on readings from the thermometer. If all else fails, Google “temperature fluctuations in (brand, model) oven.” I bet you’re not the only one who has encountered these problems.

From Noreen S.:
You asked what we were cooking to celebrate winter-spring. I made a salad that has cabbage, grapes, oranges and apples. The dressing is a mix of whipping cream and mayo. It is a celebration of flavors and colors.

There are snowdrops and buzzards here in Hinckley and I can hear the red wing blackbirds…oh, and fish fries galore!

Dear Noreen:
Your note put me in the mood for spring, which was a bit hard after swapping 80-degree weather in Florida for 40-degree Ohio chill. Your salad sounds delicious.

From Maryann U.:
You asked what I do with my butternut squash after microwaving. After it’s done I cut in half and scoop out the seeds, then sprinkle each side with brown sugar and butter…similar to a sweet potato. I love it! I don’t understand recipes that call for cutting it raw in chunks. There’s no way you can cut — it’s too hard!

Dear Maryann:
Ah, but it can be cut in chunks and when roasted in the oven, those chunks caramelize on the edges and become so delicious you’ll never want to microwave your squash again. Sharp knives are the secret to cutting a hard squash.

I first peel the squash with a really good vegetable peeler that makes quick work of the job. Then I cut the squash in half lengthwise with a very sharp chef’s knife. After I scrape out the seeds, I cut the face-down halves into inch-wide strips, lengthwise, then cut the strips crosswise into chunks. If I’m feeling lazy I skip the lengthwise strips and just cut crosswise into crescents. Then spread on a greased, foil-covered baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil or melted butter, sprinkle with salt and roast at 400 degrees until tender and the edges begin to brown.

If you try this with even a slightly dull knife, you’ll go screaming back to the microwave. Again, I have a secret weapon — a live-in sushi master who sharpened knives every day for 33 years until he retired.

It came out of the oven fragrant and gorgeous — worthy of a late St. Patrick’s Day feast.

March 10, 2021

Dear friends,

While trying to hit that sweet spot between sub-tropical (my current climate) and snowbound (where most of my friends are), I found a salad composed of carrots and avocados, two items all of us can find in winter-spring. Yes, that’s the season we are experiencing. One day it’s winter, the next day it’s spring and then it’s winter again. Thaw, freeze, mud, slush in my home state of Ohio, where a salad with a bright, spicy dressing can be the difference between spending the day in bed and perking up enough to let the dog out.

The delicious full-plate salad I made is from “Food 52 Genius Recipes,” I book I digitally checked out of the library. What’s genius about the recipe, the author says, is that the carrot batons are cooked al dente in water before roasting to a caramel-y char. Precooking prevents the outsides from burning before the insides are done. I don’t know about that, but it does prevent the carrots from shrinking to wrinkled wisps in the oven. The technique gave me a bowlful of plump carrot batons with a sweet, roasted flavor.

You could toss the carrots with a favorite citrus dressing or make the slightly fussy one from the book. The latter involves juicing lemons and oranges and using a blender to grind whole cumin seeds with the citrus juice, olive oil, garlic, fresh thyme, vinegar and red pepper flakes. That’s actually the roasting marinade, but it is the dominant flavoring. The touch of heat is like a haunting memory in the finished salad.

Citrus halves roasted with the carrots are juiced for the actual mellow dressing drizzled over the roasted carrots, avocado and toasted sesame seeds. The salad is centered with arugula or other baby greens and a spoonful of creme fraiche, which I did not have. I used ricotta cheese instead with good results.

I pan-grilled a couple of filet mignons to go with the salad. Pan-grilled shrimp would be a lovely way to welcome winter-spring, too..

ROASTED CARROT AND AVOCADO SALAD

2 lbs. carrots peeled and cut into 3-inch by 1/2-inch batons
Kosher salt
1 orange, 1/2 juiced, the other half left intact
1 lemon, 1/2 juiced, the other half left intact
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. cumin seeds
2 medium cloves garlic
1 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Fresh-ground black pepper
1 tbsp. sugar
1 avocado, peeled and cut into 12 wedges
2 cups mixed baby sprouts, herbs, microgreens (I used arugula)
1/4 cup creme fraiche (I subbed ricotta)
2 tbsp. toasted sunflower seeds
2 tsp. toasted sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 450 degrees with oven rack in the center. Cook carrots al dente in water to cover with a few pinches of salt. Drain and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet.

Combine 1 teaspoon each of the orange and lemon juices, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the cumin, garlic, thyme, vinegar and red pepper flakes in a blender and blend until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Pour citrus mixture over carrots and toss with your hands to coat evenly. Spread in a single layer. Add citrus halves and roast about 20 minutes, until carrots begin to char, turning once with a spatula. Cool to room temperature.

Squeeze the juice from the roasted citrus halves. Combine with remaining fresh citrus juices, remaining 6 tablespoons olive oil and the sugar. Season with salt and pepper and whisk to combine.

Arrange carrots and avocado slices on four plates. Center with the greens and a spoonful of the creme fraiche or ricotta. Sprinkle with seeds. Drizzle with dressing. Makes 4 servings.

From “Food 52 Genius Recipes” by Kristin Miglore.

GUT CHECK
What I cooked last week:

Chicken, rice and pineapple salad; grill-smoked rack of lamb, roast delicata squash, corn on the cob; roast carrot and avocado salad, grilled filet mignon; steamed rice and frozen gyoza, thawed and pan-grilled.

What I carried out:
Roast marinated pork, yuca con mojo, fried sweet plantains, tostones, black beans and rice and cafe con leche from Fresh Market Latin Cafe in Fort Pierce, Fla.; a beef and chorizo gordita and a beef and chorizo taco from the Taqueria Solavino truck in Hobe Sound; a cheeseburger Happy Meal from McDonald’s.

TIDBITS
I’m a regular at large Chinese, Japanese and Italian supermarkets in Ohio. I’ve never found a Latin American one, though. After shopping at Presidente Supermarket in West Palm Beach, Fla., I am spoiled. The little three-aisle bodegas I frequent no longer will suffice. I need an entire supermarket aisle of corn flours, another aisle of hot sauces and a bakery that sells tres leches cake by the slice.

I didn’t know what I was in for when my friend, Ric, invited Tony and me to tag along to his favorite Latin American supermarket, one of many in southern Florida. It was the size of a regular supermarket back home and stuffed with Caribbean, Mexican, Columbian, Peruvian, Venezuelan, Guatemalan, Cuban, Ecuadorean and Argentinian foods.

I regret not buying a can of chorizo-flavored Spam and a package of luscious-looking coconut-filled pastries. I did load up, though. I bought fresh chickpeas in moist, green husks, a papaya, yuca chips, maduros (sweet plantain) chips, Jamaican meat patties, three kinds of hot sauce and warm Cuban bread. I could have bought an exotic-looking yam the size of my head but demurred. Maybe next time.

I’m heading back to Ohio this week and will miss the selection of Latin American groceries and take-out food in southern Florida. If anyone knows where I can find a Spanish supermarket near Akron, please let me know before withdrawal sets in.

THE MAILBAG
What’s going on? The weather warmed up slightly and you got spring fever? I have seen Facebook photos of friends with their seed packets in 40-degree weather, celebrating the end of winter. I have seen pictures of snowdrops and crocuses shivering in the wind. What I have not seen is mail. Put down your rake and drop me a line! What are you cooking this winter-spring?

March 3, 2021

Dear friends,

I was kind of insulted when Tony unpacked his groceries from the Asian store and handed me a box mix for ma po tofu. “Everything’s in there,” he said, ”tofu…ground meat.” No way. The box was the size of two decks of cards.

I told him he was wrong about that and wrong to buy it, period, as I had made ma po tofu many times from scratch. Who did he think he married?

I used Tony’s box of spices anyway later that week and the result was okay. Then this week I made ma po tofu from scratch to show him the difference. Did he jump up in awe and admit what a knucklehead he had been? Of course not. He couldn’t tell the difference. I could, though, and I bet you can, too.

Ma po tofu, a spicy stir fry of cubed tofu and a bit of ground pork, is one of my favorite Sichuan dishes. It is a homespun concoction that I think of as the Chinese version of slumgullion — modest ingredients simmered in a warming, addictive sauce. Oddly, you’ll find it on many Chinese menus under the vegetarian options.

I don’t have my recipe here in Florida so I cobbled together one from pieces-parts on the Internet. It is better than the box mix, although you may have to visit an Asian store for hot bean paste, Sichuan peppercorns, five-spice powder and hot chile oil. You may be thinking, “Why not just buy the box mix?” Resist. After you taste this you’ll want to make it again and the next time, you’ll have the seasonings in your cupboard.

MA PO TOFU

4 oz. ground pork
1 tbsp. dry sherry or Shaoxing wine
1 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. grated ginger
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. Sichuan peppercorns
2 tbsp. sliced green onions, white parts only
3 tbsp. fermented bean paste (Doubanjiang)
12 oz. firm tofu (not silken), drained and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1/4 tsp. five spice powder
2 tsp. chili oil
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 cup water
1 tsp. cornstarch dissolved in 1 tbsp. water

Chopped green onion tops, for garnish

Combine the ground pork, sherry, 1 teaspoon soy sauce and ginger in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight.

Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Toss peppercorns in oil until they turn dark brown. Drain on paper towels, then crush. In the skillet with the same oil, brown meat with onions until no longer pink, breaking into small pieces. Add the fermented bean paste and stir to coat the meat.

Scatter tofu cubes over meat in skillet.  Sprinkle with five-spice powder, chili oil and soy sauce. Pour the water over all. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Uncover and gently turn the ingredients with a spatula. Add the cornstarch mixture and gently stir. Simmer uncovered until the sauce thickens into a gravy. Stir in half of the reserved crushed peppercorns. Serve over rice, garnished with the chopped green onion tops. and more crushed peppercorns if desired. Makes 4 servings.

GUT CHECK
What I cooked last week:
Pan-grilled carvalle jack fish Tony caught and I seasoned with Slap Yo Mama hot pepper blend; kielbasas sandwiches and chopped salad; ma po tofu and steamed rice.

What I ordered out:
Cuban coffee, Cuban sandwich, plantain chips and a coconut turnover from Mervis’ Cafe in Ft. Pierce, Fla.; hot roast beef, onion and mozzarella sandwich and chocolate chip cookie from Rinaldi’s Deli in Jupiter; scrambled eggs, ham, grits and toast from the Flamingo Cafe in Stuart; cheese-filled arepas, beef empanada, grilled marinated chicken breast, yellow rice and black beans from La Granja Peruvian takeout in Riviera Beach; another arepa and a chicken bowl with grilled chicken, fried onions and peppers, black beans and yellow rice from La Granja; shrimp ceviche and homemade tortilla chips from Green Apple Produce in Hobe Sound; spanakopita, tiropita, pastitsio and Greek salad from a drive-up Greek festival at St. John’s Chrysostom Greek Orthodox Church in Hobe Sound. A fabulous week of carryout.

THE MAILBAG
From Maryann U.:
Great idea about cooking butternut squash in a slow cooker, but I have an even easier way. I always microwave them for around 10 to 13 minutes and they are soft and ready to go. I put a few slits with a knife before cooking so it doesn’t explode. I also wait awhile for it to cool down before taking the seeds out.

Dear Maryann:
I use a microwave for spaghetti squash but haven’t for other winter squash because I seldom use them pureed. Although cooking a butternut squash in a slow cooker does yield pureed squash, it tastes slightly caramelized and perfumes the house with a lovely aroma. What do you do with pureed squash other than turn it into soup?

From Kathy B.:
Your newsletter is an addiction for me.  As soon as I see the newsletter in my email, I immediately open and read.  You and your readers have helped me with cooking techniques and delicious recipes over the years.  Thank you all.

My husband and I recently have changed our diets to include many, many more vegetables. Since we both like a variety of squash I am trying to include more of them in our diet which includes the dreaded butternut. I haven’t bought many butternuts because of the difficulty in peeling and cutting. Thank you for the tip to cook in the Crock-Pot.  How simple!

Dear Kathy:
Thank you for your kind words. As for peeling squash and the other vegetables you have added to your diet, do not overlook the importance of a good vegetable peeler and sharp knives. My favorite peelers are the inexpensive Kuhn Rikon, which cost about $12 for a three-pack. Replace them yearly and learn to sharpen your knives or marry a sushi chef, like I did.

From Jeanne D.:
I love hearing about your adventures in Florida. My husband and I spent at least a month in Jensen Beach for many years and your stories bring back so many memories. I miss Publix, Beall’s and The Stuart News most of all. Some of the restaurants you mention were some we liked, too. Do you ever go to Archie’s, a biker bar in Fort Pierce? Fun place.

Dear Jeanne:
Tony and I really like this area. A friend has a condo in North Palm Beach so we get down that way often, but I like the less congested, down-home atmosphere of Hobe Sound. We won’t be able to try that fun bar until next year when it’s safe (hopefully) to mingle again. For now we are getting carryout and avoiding crowds. Tony was itching to go to an outdoor flea market last weekend but when we stopped by the B&A Flea Market in Stuart, it was absolutely packed with maskless people. It looked like a super spreader event in the making, so we left. I can’t wait to get back to normal.