vtfujf ty

HE

T

lf s t n a E

p lI S S U

i e

a

p e ach SUMM ER FRUIT CO BBLE R WITH VANI LLAMASCARPO NE BISCUI TS P. 38

AUGUST 2021

Acclaimed for its exquisite design and revolutionary cooking precision, the Monogram Professional Range is redefining luxury appliances one detail at a time.

Elevate Everything.

MONOGR AM .COM

ADVERTISEMENT

COOKING UP INNOVATION To truly master the kitchen, you need an appetite for the exhilarating. That same bold approach powers the Porsche Panamera.

THE INSPIRATION TO CREATE A NEW DISH or experiment with a novel technique can strike a chef at any time—when she spies the first shoots of white asparagus peep through the soil, sees kelp wash ashore on the beach, or detects an unexpected piquant note in the sauce slathered on ribs at a roadside BBQ joint.

Like the designers that created the Porsche Panamera, an extraordinary sedan with sports car DNA, innovative chefs respect traditions while also pushing boundaries.

In their kitchens on the job or at home, they painstakingly test dozens of iterations of a recipe until they achieve that perfect balance of hot and sweet, sour, bitter and salty, and reach the ideal level of crunchiness or silky smoothness.

Here are three things that drive a chef to innovate.

THE MAGIC OF TRANSFORMATION

Extraordinary meals begin with pristine raw ingredients. The bounty from the farmers market becomes a raw shaved vegetable salad, or freshly caught seafood is transformed into a traditional Peruvian ceviche. Sometimes, playfulness takes over. What if figs were fermented or their leaves singed with a blow torch? The possibilities are endless—and endlessly enthralling.

THE ENERGY OF NEW IDEAS AND NEW TECHNOLOGY

Innovative chefs revere tradition while embracing the unfamiliar.

While they may steam a freshly caught lobster, their training allows them to break the rules in daring new ways, as with a dessert that combines sorbet and caviar.

THE THRILL OF TRAVEL

As eye-opening as global travel can be, chefs don’t need to cross borders for inspiration. A road trip, with stops at both celebrated restaurants and local favorites—a seafood shack on a pier in Maine, an off-the-beaten track storefront in New Orleans that serves the absolute best crawfish etouffee, a fiery, authentic panang curry from a tiny spot in LA’s bustling Thai Town—can be every bit as lifechanging for a chef as a food tour that requires a passport, as can a road trip in the Porsche Panamera.

With its spirit of drive and pursuit of perfection, there’s no better way to feed your appetite for adventure.

Visit PorscheUSA.com to experience the excitement of the new Porsche Panamera. © 2021 Porsche Cars North America, Inc.

SEE THE FULL COLLECTION OF BEDDING, BATH AND MORE AT

DILLARDS.COM/SOUTHERNLIVING

A handful of the okra harvest at Oko Farms in Brooklyn (see p. 24)

F E AT U R E S

62

Veg Out!

76

Tofu Bonanza!

82

Cook, Gardener, Guardian

94

6

10

Get ready to steal the show with loud, proud, and totally meatless recipes from our favorite veg-obsessed cooks. Produced by Oset Babür and Josh Miller

Effortlessly shape-shifting from tender curds into crispy, glazed doughnuts, tofu is the flex ingredient to have in your kitchen. By Antara Sinha

Imelda Campos Sebastián, aka doña Mela, is preserving Mexico’s Indigenous Purhépecha cuisine one dish at a time. By Michael Snyder

Plant-Powered Pastry Ditch the dairy and hold those eggs! It’s time to reimagine how we bake cookies, cupcakes, and more.

Produced by Nina Friend and Kelsey Youngman

AUGUST 2021

AUGUST RECIPES

HANDBOOK

Crowd-pleasing vegetarian nachos, the season’s best cherry pie, the crispiest tofu sandwich, and more

29

How to make the best from-scratch veggie burger and whip up an “anyfruit” cobbler that’s endlessly customizable

EDITOR’S LETTER

BOTTLE SERVICE

14

45

Five simple recipes to elevate all of your latesummer produce

OBSESSIONS 17

Dazzling mail-order produce (and the chef-recommended tools to prepare it with), the most essential vegetablefocused cookbooks, and the fruit-themed jewelry we can’t get enough of

Relish the last weeks of summer with crisp whites and nonalcoholic wines sure to please every kind of drinker.

T R AV E L 53

Pack your bags and head to these bucolic farm stays from Vermont to Hawaii.

BACKSTORY 104

Fifty years in, chef Alice Waters is still the queen of green.

ON THE COVER photography by VICTOR PROTASIO; food styling by MARGARET MONROE DICKEY; prop styling by AUDREY DAVIS

PHOTOGRAPHY: CLAY WILLIAMS

CONTENTS

The Plant Issue

Ready for an adventure with real flavor?

Mississippi’s got your order up.

Chefs who deliver WOW moments with every meal. Pit masters who really know their way around a brisket. Soul food that truly hits you where you live. Tasty trips down the tamale trail.

Unforgettable diners and dives. Basically, this state offers amazing eats all over the place. Hungry? Start planning your Mississippi culinary getaway at visitmississippi.org/goodtimes.

MASTERCOOL

P R E S E R V I N G T H E TA S T E O F N AT U R E REDEFINE PERFECTION

Discover more at mieleusa.com/mastercool #LifeBeyondOrdinary

COOKING STARTS WITH COOLING. LEARN MORE HERE. NO APP REQUIRED.

ADVERTISEMENT

HOME IS WHERE THE

GALETTE IS

Food & Wine’s Culinary Director-at-Large Justin Chapple created this curried squash galette to serve as the ultimate, cozy vegetarian meal. Thanks to the frozen grated butter in the crust and the bursts of steam from the M Touch Oven

by Miele, the galette is as crispy and flaky as can be. “I love to make this rustic galette in the morning since it can sit at room temperature for hours and the buttery, slightly sweet aroma fills my home for the entire day,” says Justin. “And, it makes dinner super easy.”

“The buttery, slightly sweet aroma fills my home for the entire day.”

CURRIED SQUASH GALETTE DOUGH: 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour Kosher salt and pepper 1 stick unsalted butter, frozen Ice water

FILLING: 1 pound butternut squash— peeled, seeded and cut into ¼-inch-thick slices 1 pound kabocha squash— peeled, seeded and cut into ¼-inch-thick slices 1 red onion, cut through the core into ½-inch wedges ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 teaspoons Madras curry powder Kosher salt and pepper ½ cup sour cream ½ cup shredded Manchego, plus more for serving

MIELEUSA.COM

1. Make the dough: In a large bowl, whisk the flour with ¾ teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Working over the bowl, grate the frozen butter on the large holes of a box grater. Gently toss the grated butter in the flour. Stir in ⅓ cup of ice water until the dough is evenly moistened. Scrape out onto a work surface, gather up any crumbs and knead gently just until the dough comes together. Pat into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.

2. Make the filling: Preheat the M Touch Oven to 425° on Moisture Plus and manually select 2 bursts of steam. On the Miele Universal Tray, toss the butternut squash, kabocha squash and onion with the olive oil and curry powder. Season generously with salt and pepper. Start the first manual burst of steam immediately after adding squash. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, until the squash is tender but not falling apart. Let cool.

3. While using the Moisture Plus mode, increase temperature to 450°. Meanwhile, on a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to a 14-inch round. Carefully transfer to a Miele Round Baking Tray. Spread the sour cream over the dough, leaving a 1 ½-inch border. Sprinkle ¼ cup of the cheese on top. Arrange the squash and onion over the sour cream. Fold the pastry edge up and over the vegetables to create a 1 ½-inch border; sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup of cheese on top.

4. Start the second manual burst of steam 3 minutes before adding the galette to the oven. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the crust is browned; let cool slightly. Sprinkle with shredded cheese, cut into wedges and serve.

• fast • vegetarian • staff favorite

80

STARTERS, SIDES & SAUCES

Cherry, Jalapeño, and •• Cilantro Salad Goma-ae (Sesame •• Sauce) Loaded Pita Nachos •• with Lentil Chili and

STA F F- FAV O R I T E

P. 14

PA I R I N G

P. 14

•

CRISPY FRIED TOFU SANDWICH

with fresh, peppery Austrian white: 2020 Domäne Wachau Grüner Veltliner Federspiel Terrassen

Feta Queso P. 66 Martini Tomatoes P. 14 Okra Tempura with Lime “Fonzu” Dipping Sauce P. 35

Radish and Blue •• Cheese Toasts Skillet Potatoes and •• Zucchini •• Tomato Pie Bars

Bhurji •• Tofu •• Tofu Skin Stir-Fry P. 79

P. 14

SOUPS & STEWS

P. 14

• Kachumber Gazpacho Rustic Pepper Stew •• with Jammy Eggs Xeni Atapakua •• (Three-Seed Pipián

P. 34

P. 68

SANDWICHES & BURGERS

Crispy Fried Tofu •• Sandwich Dinkies •• Cheezesteak Ultimate Veggie •• Burgers

P. 36

P. 80

with Sorrel) P. 92

P. 70

DESSERTS

P. 32

Blackberry-Cardamom • Cupcakes with

MAIN DISHES

Eggplant •• Braciola Hot Honey–Carrot • Flatbreads with Basil

•• ••• •• ••

P. 73

37

STA F F- FAV O R I T E PA I R I N G

PASTA WITH ROASTED SUN GOLD TOMATO SAUCE

with light-bodied, crisp Sicilian red: 2019 Valle dell’Acate Il Frappato

•• •• •••

P. 78

Chermoula P. 74 Jackfruit “Carnitas” Tacos P. 65 Charred Nopales with Jalapeños and Spring Onions P. 42 Pasta with Roasted Sun Gold Tomato Sauce P. 37

•

Lemon Frosting P. 97 Double-Chocolate Rye Cookies P. 100 Pon de Ring (Mochi-Tofu Doughnuts) P. 81 Sour Cherry and Black Pepper Pie P. 98 Summer Fruit Cobbler with Vanilla-Mascarpone Biscuits P. 38 Vegan Vanilla Bean Ice Cream P. 103

10

2020 ARGIOLAS IS ARGIOLAS VERMENTINO ($22)

2018 PIETRACUPA GRECO DI TUFO ($30)

I served this Sardinian white with shrimp risotto; it was a huge hit. Tasting it is like being splashed with cool, refreshing flavors of white peach and citrus— if you don’t feel like cooking, I suggest drinking a glass and jumping in a pool.

I drank the 2005 vintage of this Southern Italian white at Eataly’s Serra by Birreria restaurant in NYC in the early summer; it was honeyed and complex, a surprise at that age. The current 2018 vintage is lovely, too—floral and minerally, ideal for raw oysters.

AUGUST 2021

2018 BLUE FARM RIVERBED ESTATE FARMED PINOT NOIR ($95) Anne Moller-Racke makes stunning wines from her tiny estate in Carneros, like this complex red with scents of black tea and wild raspberries. “I know this vineyard well because I live here,” she says. “But it also remains a mystery, and I love that.”

ILLUSTRATION: RACHEL CARNEY

What Ray’s Pouring Now Executive Wine Editor Ray Isle’s favorite things to drink this month

Food & Wine (ISSN 0741-9015) (August 2021) (Volume 44/Issue 8) is published monthly by TI Inc. Affluent Media Group, a subsidiary of Meredith Corporation. Principal Office: 225 Liberty St., New York, NY 10281-1008. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY, and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send all UAA to CFS. (See DMM 507.1.5.2) Non-Postal and Military Facilities: Send address corrections to Food & Wine Magazine, PO Box 37508 Boone, IA 50037-0508. Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement # 40069223. BN# 129480364RT. © All Rights Reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. Customer Service and Subscriptions: For 24/7 service, please use our website: foodandwine.com/myaccount. You can also call 1-800-333-6569 or write Food & Wine, PO Box 37508 Boone, IA 50037-0508. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited. Your bank may provide updates to the card information we have on file. You may opt out of this service at any time. Member of the Alliance for Audited Media.

AUGUST RECIPES

key:

PROMOTION

: IT’S YOUR

BUSINESS

The food and beverage industry has been one of the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, with thousands of small businesses shuttered and millions of restaurant and bar employees out of work. Food & Wine is partnering with Southern Smoke Foundation to help raise money for those in crisis. You can help support an industry we all love by making a donation at southernsmoke.org/foodandwine.

To keep up with what the food community is doing to recover and rebuild and to get the most relevant business news delivered to your inbox weekly, sign up for the F&W Pro newsletter from Editor in Chief Hunter Lewis at foodandwine.com/newsletter-sign-up.

editor in chief

Hunter Lewis senior director, content strategy Michelle Edelbaum deputy editor Melanie Hansche executive editor Karen Shimizu executive wine editor Ray Isle digital director Ryan Grim

managing editor Caitlin Murphree Miller

vice president/publisher

Tom Bair

associate publisher, marketing Kerri Fallon Dilley executive director, global sales Vince Kooch

BRAND SAL ES new york Caroline Donohue, R.W. Horton chicago Hillary Pavia los angeles Lewis Newmark miami (blue group media) Jill Stone, Eric Davis

FO O D & ED ITOR IAL

northwest (sd media) Steve Dveris, Kelly Wagner las vegas/southwest/northwest (baak media) Tricia Baak

restaurant editor

senior food editor

Khushbu Shah

Mary-Frances Heck food editor Josh Miller

associate food editor Kelsey Youngman associate culture editor Oset Babür associate features editor Nina Friend business manager Alice Eldridge Summerville editorial assistant Antara Sinha

COPY & R ES EARCH copy editor Erin Clyburn copy editor Winn Duvall

southwest Jennifer Fan boston (wnp media) Jennifer Palmer hawaii (media links) Laurie Doerschlen asia Scott Thoreau canada (dodd media) Bob Dodd, Lori Dodd mexico (advantage media) Pablo Glogovsky switzerland (media interlink sa) Neil Sartori direct media Breana Tolla advertising coordinator Paul Dispenza assistants Maria Garza, Alexandra Scelzo, Riley Shea, Tara Stacy

MAR KET ING executive marketing director Amanda LaFontaine directors, brand marketing Antonia LoPresti Giglio, Kristi Naeris brand strategy director Cara Wolf Erwin

ART creative director Winslow Taft associate art director Khoa Tran designer Rachel Carney

P HOTO photo director Tori Katherman photo editor Dan Bailey

PRO DUCTI ON

associate director, brand marketing Rob Sampogna senior marketing project manager Krista Finne senior manager, brand marketing Doug Murphy manager, brand marketing Michelle Pallotta-Calcagni executive director, event marketing Diella Allen associate director, event marketing Amanda DeRienzo event marketing associate manager Alexandra Perry event marketing coordinator Hannah Soltys marketing assistant Catherine Weppler special projects producer Devin Padgett

COMMU NICAT IO NS senior director, corporate and brand communications Elizabeth Marsh

production director Liz Rhoades

D I GITAL senior editor Kat Kinsman senior editor Margaret Eby senior editor Maria Yagoda associate news editor Adam Campbell-Schmitt

OP ERAT IO NS production director Melanie Stoltenberg production manager April Gross director of quality Joseph Kohler

HUM AN RESOURCES director Carole Cain

staff writer Bridget Hallinan visuals editor Sarah Crowder digital operations editor Elsa Säätelä e-commerce editor Megan Soll

MER EDIT H N AT ION AL MEDIA G ROUP president Catherine Levene president, meredith magazines Doug Olson president, consumer products Tom Witschi president, meredith digital Alysia Borsa

culinary director at large

executive producer

Justin Chapple

Kwame Onwuachi

CON T R IBUTORS Betsy Andrews, Steven Blaski, Beth Brinsfield, Kate Cunningham, Charlotte Druckman,

evp, strategic & business development Daphne Kwon

EX ECUT IV E V ICE P RESIDEN TS chief revenue officer Michael Brownstein digital sales Marla Newman finance Michael Riggs marketing & integrated communications Nancy Weber

Anthony Giglio, Joe Harper, Kate Heddings, Megan Krigbaum, David Landsel, Clarissa León, Andrea Nguyen, CB Owens, Cristina Potters, Jamila Robinson, Gail Simmons, Joshua David Stein, Julia Turshen, Andrew Zimmern

F& W CO OKS Jocelyn Delk Adams, Zoe Adjonyoh, Javier Cabral, Samantha Fore, Paola Briseño González, Leah Koenig, Vallery Lomas, David McCann, Hetty McKinnon, Andrea Nguyen, Ann Taylor Pittman, Todd Richards, Yasmin Sabir, Samantha Seneviratne, Nik Sharma, Andrea Slonecker, Susan Spungen, Molly Stevens, Pierre Thiam, Marcela Valladolid, Angie Vargas and the League of Kitchens, Hetal Vasavada, Karla T. Vasquez

SENI OR VIC E PR ESI DE NTS group publisher, luxury Giulio Capua consumer marketing Steve Crowe consumer revenue Andy Wilson corporate sales Brian Kightlinger foundry 360 Matt Petersen product & technology Justin Law research solutions Britta Cleveland strategic planning Amy Thind strategic sourcing, newsstand, production Chuck Howell

V ICE P RESI DENTS brand licensing Toye Cody, Sondra Newkirk business planning & analysis Rob Silverstone corporate communications Jill Davison finance Chris Susil strategic development Kelsey Andersen strategic partnerships Alicia Cervini vice president, group editorial director Stephen Orr chief digital content officer Amanda Dameron director, editorial operations & finance Greg Kayko

MER EDIT H CO RP ORAT IO N chairman & chief executive officer Tom Harty chief financial officer Jason Frierott chief development officer John Zieser president, meredith local media group Patrick McCreery senior vice president, human resources Dina Nathanson senior vice president, chief communications officer Erica Jensen vice chairman Mell Meredith Frazier

Customer Service and Subscriptions: For 24/7 service, please use our website: foodandwine.com/myaccount. You can also call 1-800-333-6569 or write Food & Wine, PO Box 37508, Boone, IA 50037-0508. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited. For syndication or international licensing requests or reprint and reuse permission, email syndication@meredith.com. FOOD & WINE Cookbooks Service, 800-284-4145. PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.

The perfect coverage for that perfect face From the first moment you saw that face, you knew you’d do anything to protect your pet.

That’s why Nationwide® makes protecting pets easy and affordable, with cash back on everything from regular checkups to emergency care.

Get a quote on the best coverage for the best pet. petinsurance.com • 855-630-7063 Products underwritten by Veterinary Pet Insurance Company (CA), Columbus, OH, an A.M. Best A+ rated company (2020); National Casualty Company (all other states), Columbus, OH, an A.M. Best A+ rated company (2020). Agency of Record: DVM Insurance Agency. All are subsidiaries of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. Nationwide, the Nationwide N and Eagle, and Nationwide is on your side are service marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. ©2021 Nationwide. 21CON8062.

EDITOR’S LETTER

All the Veg be eating less meat for the health of our bodies and our planet.

But I’m not here to yuck your yum, so let’s focus on what’s in the pages of this special issue rather than what’s not. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds offer infinite variety, utility, and nutrition, whether you’re eating them on the vegan tasting menu at a world-renowned restaurant or a simple spread in your own backyard. Fresh produce, especially now, during high summer, empowers a world of good cooking.

Consider this Plant Issue a prompt to inspire your meatless cooking in the months to come, from the gloriously messy cheesesteak hoagie made with plant-based protein (see p. 70) from Atlanta restaurateur Pinky Cole and Philadelphia native Derrick Hayes to the sorrel stewed in a rich pipián sauce (see p. 92) from Imelda Campos Sebastián, who draws on generations of plant-based cooking traditions in Michoacán, Mexico.

Here are five simple recipes I’ve been making a lot lately to get you started.

FACT: WE SHOULD ALL

HUNTER LEWIS HUNTER@FOODANDWINE.COM

FIVE SIMPLE SUMMER RECIPES A SAUTÉ

A SALAD

A SNACK

A SAUCE

A PARTY TRICK

Skillet Potatoes and Zucchini

Cherry, Jalapeño, and Cilantro Salad

Radish and Blue Cheese Toasts

Goma-ae (Sesame Sauce)

Martini Tomatoes

This riff on the signature “Lali” salad at HaBasta in Tel Aviv is on repeat in my kitchen. Once cherries are out of season, I’ll use halved and seeded scuppernongs or muscadines or cube slightly firm, unripe summer peaches, nectarines, or plums.

Chef and writer Gabrielle Hamilton shared the original version of this recipe in The New York Times in 2016. Her pairing of creamy blue cheese with crunchy marinated vegetables is simple magic.

Aiko Cascio, who teaches virtual and in-person Japanese cooking classes at her home via the League of Kitchens, shared this versatile sauce during a class for Food & Wine editors. (See p. 40 for more from League of Kitchens.) You can use it on blanched green beans or steamed broccoli or as a dip for crunchy kohlrabi, green apples, or carrots.

I love creamy new potatoes, diced and crisped in a pan with zucchini for textural contrast. I serve this at breakfast or dinner with a dollop of yogurt— fried egg or smoked trout optional.

Dice 2 small-medium potatoes, and simmer in a pot of salted water until just tender. Drain and pat dry. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over high until shimmering.

Add potatoes, and season with salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Add 2 small diced zucchini and 1 small minced onion or shallot; season with salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, and 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika. Cook, stirring, until zucchini is just tender. Stir in minced chives.

Combine 2 cups halved and pitted cherries or other stone fruit, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1 small thinly sliced jalapeño (seeded, if desired), and 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil in a bowl. Season with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Stir in 1/2 cup torn or chopped cilantro just before serving. Serve immediately, or refrigerate up to 2 days.

Thinly slice 4 radishes and 1 celery stalk; combine in a bowl with 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1 tablespoon extravirgin olive oil, 1 clove minced garlic, and a few torn celery leaves. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Let stand 10 minutes.

Smear 1 ounce softened Cambozola cheese on each of 4 slices of toasted crusty bread. Top with vegetable mixture and minced chives or torn fresh oregano.

Whisk together 1/4 cup soy sauce, 2 tablespoons mirin, 1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter (or 2 tablespoons tahini), and 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil. Toss with blanched green beans or other green vegetables, and scatter toasted white sesame seeds on top.

Refrigerate up to 7 days.

Let these marinated tomatoes be the talk of your cocktail hour. If you’re growing your own, add a couple of tomato leaves to the marinade to ramp up the vegetal flavor.

Use a knife to cut an “X” into stem ends of 1 pint of cherry tomatoes. Combine tomatoes in a bowl with 2 ounces dry gin, 2 tablespoons olive brine, 2 tablespoons packed freshly grated horseradish (or 2 teaspoons prepared horseradish), 2 teaspoons kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Add 2 (2x 1/2-inch) lemon peel strips and 2 oregano sprigs. Chill, stirring occasionally, 1 to 4 hours.

Drain; reserve liquid for 2 cocktails. Serve tomatoes with toothpicks.

Subscription Help: foodandwine.com/myaccount or email us at FAWcustserv@cdsfulfillment.com or call 1-800-333-6569.

14

AUGUST 2021

photography by RAMONA ROSALES

When you muddle through allergies it throws everyone off course.

Works fast* and

stays strong

Stick with the consistent allergy relief of ZYRTEC®

ZYRTEC® starts working hard at hour one. It works twice as hard when you take it again the next day and stays strong day after day.

day after day. *Starts working at hour 1. Use only as directed. ©J&JCI 2021

OBSESSIONS IN SEASON

Imagination Takes Root Girl & Dug Farm’s produce boxes deliver whimsy and wonder.

By Nina Friend

1

produced by OSET BABÜR

photography by GREG DUPREE

Butterfly sorrel from Girl & Dug Farm (See p. 19 for how to order.)

AUGUST 2021

17

OBSESSIONS 18

O

from Girl & Dug Farm, and you’ll be transported to a world as whimsical as Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. But instead of Everlasting Gobstoppers and Scrumdiddlyumptious bars, there’s Porcukepine, a pulpy African fruit with orange spikes and neongreen flesh, and Squashini, a Korean cucurbit grown inside of a bag, which keeps it small and gives it a snappy texture.

“We’ve always got to have something that others don’t,” says Aaron Choi, the farm’s founder and owner.

The original Girl & Dug Farm, built on land that Choi took over from his parents in 2009, is located in San Marcos, California. In March 2020, Choi opened a second farm in Portland, Oregon. Although he’s been supplying California chefs like Jeremy Fox and Nyesha Arrington for years, Choi launched nationwide direct-to-consumer shipping just last spring. The decision was, unsurprisingly, driven by the pandemic; chefs weren’t placing orders, and a pivot was in order. So Choi started selling what he calls “imagination in a box” to a new set of customers: home cooks.

“There’s a base of people out there who talk about sourcing direct from farms and who are willing to put their money where their mouth is,” Choi says.

“They want to try something different.”

Some of his offerings are themed: The Grain Bowl Box has just about all of the ingredients to build a savory grain bowl, including Tokyo negi, a sweet green onion, and ice plant, an edible succulent with a briny flavor and leaves that look like they’re studded with raindrops. And while there’s an unmistakable wow factor that stems from the visually striking quality of Choi’s produce, he’s still far more interested in growing foods that taste great than those that look cool. Choi wants home cooks to try ugni, a small pink Chilean guava, and taste the fruit’s blueberry-strawberry flavor. He wants them to bite into a white strawberry and realize that it’s the sweetest one they’ve ever had.

These days, Choi is most excited about his crop of oca, an Andean tuber that looks like a fingerling potato and a sunchoke had a baby. Oca can be roasted until crispy, mashed until creamy, pickled, deepfried, or even shaved raw. Girl & Dug spent three years of trial and error to figure out how to grow oca successfully, but to Choi, it was worth it: Oca is a personal obsession that he expects will catch on.

What sets Choi apart from other farmers is that he thinks about his produce from the perspective of a chef. Even at the end of the season, he’s always looking toward what’s next. “Chefs want to stay creatively sharp, and we’re going to make that happen by staying several steps, if not years, ahead of what’s hot right now.”

PEN A BOX OF PRODUCE

AUGUST 2021

3

2

BRING IT HOME Order produce boxes at girlndug.com; visit the farm’s newest Instagram account, @girlndugtable, for recipes and techniques.

1 BUTTERFLY SORREL The fluttering purple leaves of butterfly sorrel (pictured p. 17) are tender and juicy, with a flavor that is, in Choi’s words, “lip-puckeringly tart.”

2 SWEET JADE TOMATOES AND ATOMIC TOMATOES Sweet Jade tomatoes contain what Choi calls a “stay-green gene,” leading to umami-packed tomatoes that are green in both skin and flesh. The red-striped Atomic Acid Trip tomatoes are salty and sweet with a punch of acidity.

3 BADGER FLAME BEETS These sweet beets, from Dan Barber’s Row 7 Seeds, are far less earthy than a typical beet but still have an intense vegetal flavor.

4 SQUASHINI Choi patented a bag that incubates and compresses this Korean summer squash, packing its flavor into a palm-size gourd. (Without the bag, it would grow to the size of a football.)

5 POONA KHEERA CUCUMBER Tangy with a tendency to become slightly bitter, these heirloom cucumbers can develop a rind that makes them well suited for cooking; they’ll add crunch to any dish.

4

5

AUGUST 2021

19

OBSESSIONS

AT H O M E

Pro(duce) Tips Five tools to add to your kitchen before that next farmers market trip By Oset Babür

Zwilling Kitchen Shears JULIA TURSHEN, AUTHOR OF SIMPLY JULIA

Breville Juice Fountain

Kuhn Rikon Swiss Peeler

CHEF ALAN DELGADO, XILONEN, NYC

CHEF LUCAS SIN, NICE DAY CHINESE TAKEOUT AND JUNZI KITCHEN, NYC

“Vegetable juicers allow you to cook vegetables in their own juice, which doubles down on the flavor.

At the restaurant, we braise our carrots in their own juice for our carrot tostada. By doing so, it reinforces that carrot flavor that would otherwise get diluted if we were to cook them in just water. This works great with any root vegetables or leafy greens.” ($100, breville.com)

Cuisinart Grill Wok CHEFS/CO-OWNERS KATIANNA AND JOHN HONG, YANGBAN SOCIETY, LOS ANGELES “These grill baskets allow you to place vegetables directly on hot coals so that they slightly char while grilling. We toss vegetables in avocado oil and season with sea salt prior to cooking; the grilling really amplifies the natural taste of the veg. It’s a healthy way to incorporate a ton of depth and flavor.” ($20, amazon.com)

20

AUGUST 2021

“This peeler allows you to pull downward, toward yourself, as you peel vegetables, meaning you’re able to peel with a lot more force and control than with a swivel peeler. Kuhn Rikon makes their peelers with carbon steel blades that hold their edge particularly well. I use mine to make wide noodles of vegetables, zest citrus, and even make potato chips.” ($5, kuhnrikonshop.com)

Classic Microplane CHEF CAROLINE GLOVER, ANNETTE, AURORA, COLORADO “I often use my Microplane to prepare the most flavorful components of my salads— citrus, shallots, peppers, and cheese to go on top. And I never have to mince garlic anymore. The Microplane is a game changer for that alone!” ($15, microplane.com)

photography by GRANT CORNETT

FOOD STYLING: MAGGIE RUGGIERO; PROP STYLING: NOEMI BONAZZI

“I use these for all sorts of tasks, many of them vegetablerelated–they’re not cheap, but they’ll last forever. From snipping greens off of root vegetables, like beets and carrots, to clipping herbs and other leaves in my garden, and even just chopping kimchi straight in the jar it sits in, I use these scissors every single day. They’re also great for cutting things like arugula in its plastic clamshell container— no need to dirty a knife or board!” ($60, zwilling.com)

WHAT COFFEE IS MEANT TO BE

OBSESSIONS

JAMILA RECOMMENDS Bring some of the most insightful voices in food right to your inbox.

SECRET BREAKFAST This newsletter by Italian journalist Piero Macchioni features a mix of curated articles punctuated by his perspectives on the politics of food, along with history and trivia. (free, secret breakfast.club)

DILL MAGAZINE RABBIT HOLES

You’ve Got Mail Some of the best food writers are going direct-to-inbox.

By Jamila Robinson

F

used to revolve around weeknight recipes and updates from your neighborhood bistro. But lately, they’ve evolved into a medium where emerging food writers shape their critical voices and where veterans refine their brands by self-publishing.

Soleil Ho, the restaurant critic for the San Francisco Chronicle, changed the game when she added her weekly newsletter, Bite Curious, to her dining coverage in 2019.

“It isn’t always about food,” she says. “The newsletter has been a really wonderful way to fit in stories that don’t typically work in the format of a review.” Ho often uses her newsletter as a platform for essays on topics that range from anti-Asian violence to why bars should have hooks for handbags. “Sometimes I use it to write bigger, more critical pieces. Other times, I just want to write about toast

22

OOD NEWSLETTERS

AUGUST 2021

This publication takes readers on a deep cultural exploration of Asian food. The newsletter, which is filled with essays, recipes, and news from the Asian diaspora, is a counterpart of the semiannual print magazine. ($20 per issue or $8 per month for a subscription, dillmagazine.com)

DINE DIASPORA Sign up for Dine Diaspora’s newsletter that includes recipes, product recommendations, and stories about the people who make up the African diaspora.

Also expect info about events including book signings and panel discussions. (free, dine diaspora.com)

or to give flowers to writers outside of the Chronicle.”

Some of the best food writing in the world is aggregated by Eater London Associate Editor James Hansen for the newsletter In Digestion (indigestion .substack.com). The format favors urgency and sifts through dozens of international publications to present stories about a Manchester United player’s free school meal program or a conversation about the politics of smell with Indian food writer Apoorva Sripathi.

Andrew Genung, a Hong Kong–based freelance writer, takes a similar approach with his newsletter, Family Meal (family meal.substack.com). Twice a week, he captures the frenetic pace of the restaurant industry and provides sharp critiques of food and beverage politics and policy in a skimmable format. Both Family Meal and In Digestion are hosted by the newsletter behemoth Substack and are among the publications garnering a steady following of subscribers who are willing to pay $20 to $50 a year. Free versions are available for both, but by paywalling exclusive content like interviews, Genung and Hansen can get readers to invest in the work they do.

A dedicated subscriber base also helps Vittles (vittles.substack.com), a U.K.based newsletter, function like a magazine, paying its writers roughly $500 (and illustrators $175) for Q&As, profiles, investigations, dining reviews and recommendations, and, of course, recipes.

A team of editors produces the analysis and well-reported essays on topics such as the “mythos of food in New York rap” or the comfort of chopsticks. Like a TV show, Vittles is organized in seasons. For season four, the writers and editors are focusing on hyper-regional culinary scenes. “I’m interested in regional traditions, oddities that seem to be confined to one area, the unique hybridity that can be found in cities, or better yet, only specific parts of cities,” writes Editor Jonathan Nunn.

Expect to read more about their forthcoming work in their next newsletter.

illustration by MIGUEL ÁNGEL CAMPRUBÍ

THE BOOKSHELF

Time Capsules How vegcentric books went from rustic to revolutionary

By Oset Babür pieces of history; they document the palates, rhetoric, photography trends, and even typography of a certain era, and few genres illustrate our cultural evolution as perfectly as the vegetable-focused cookbook. These five, released over the course of the past 40-plus years, not only belong in every home cook’s library but also tell a fascinating tale of how we as a society went from stuffing mushrooms in casseroles to arranging them atop toast.

COOKBOOKS ARE

1977 THE MOOSEWOOD COOKBOOK

By Mollie Katzen

1997 VEGETARIAN COOKING FOR EVERYONE

By Deborah Madison

What started as a tiny restaurant in Ithaca, New York, is now a cornerstone of American plantbased cooking. The first of 13 Moosewood cookbooks is full of charming sketches and was inducted into the James Beard Foundation’s Cookbook Hall of Fame.

In this no-nonsense, refined 1,400-recipe tome (which was reissued in 2014), Deborah Madison doesn’t just tell you what to do with seeds and greens—she thoughtfully explains why it’s important to apply certain techniques just so. Think of this as the produce bible.

2008 OTTOLENGHI: THE COOKBOOK

By Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi When Ottolenghi burst onto the scene in London with his pomegranatestudded salads, he changed the veg-centric cookbook’s look forever with beautiful food photography and lifestyle stills from his cult-favorite namesake restaurants.

2014 AFRO-VEGAN: FARM-FRESH AFRICAN, CARIBBEAN & SOUTHERN FLAVORS REMIXED

By Bryant Terry From tofu po’boys to vegetable kebabs, this celebration of plantbased recipes inspired by the African diaspora is a critical reminder that veggies are supposed to be flavorful and fun.

2019 GREENFEAST: SPRING, SUMMER

By Nigel Slater British journalist Nigel Slater’s minimalist approach to produce perfectly captures the zeitgeist in vegetarian cooking. He organizes his loose recipes by “on toast” or “with a ladle.”

Ditch those tweezers— there’s no need to overthink this food.

AUGUST 2021

23

OBSESSIONS

ENCHANTED POMEGRANATE EARRINGS Senior Editor Margaret Eby regularly rocks the handmade leather jewelry of Rosita Bonita. ($53, rosita bonita.com)

BANANA NECKLACE Tatty Devine perfectly captures playful bliss, and this iconic acrylic Velvet Underground– ish banana necklace is the way I initially slipped into their cult following. ($91, tatty devine.com)

DRAGON FRUIT AND STRAWBERRY NECKLACES

PAPAYA EARRINGS It’s impossible not to grin when you catch a glimpse of your face flanked by these vibrant, pixelated earrings from Aaliyah Taylor. ($20, etsy.com/shop/ exaltinginbeauty)

Debbie Tuch slices, dries, and preserves real fruit while maintaining its inherent appeal and even enhances the razzle-dazzle with a layer of glittery resin.

The dragon fruit packs plenty of raw rawwwr, and the strawberry sliver is extra-luscious, but feel free to venture into Glitterlimes’ sparkled blood oranges, signature limes, and beyond. ($35–$40, glitterlimes.com)

THE OBSESSIVE

Nature’s Jewels Wear your favorite fruit on your neck or ears.

By Kat Kinsman

24

AUGUST 2021

IF IT WEREN’T FOR THE PESKY MATTERS of physics and insects, I’d wear pieces of fresh fruit

all the time. Mother Nature has a flair for the fabulous, and some of her most audacious work is in the edible realm. Consider the jewel-like arils of a halved pomegranate, the kiss-POW! color pop of a ripened cherry, a banana’s sunny perma-grin.

When I was working on my MFA in metalsmithing in the mid-1990s, I’d safety-pin plastic cherries and rubber lemon slices to my outfits, but in the years since, I’ve come to obsessively appreciate and collect jewelry crafted by artists who clearly share my lust for wearable fruit. Here are just a few of my favorites.

Hold the Judgment How to dine out safely with allergies

By Kat Kinsman I piped up at a restaurant about my food intolerances, my voice shook.

I’d been diagnosed with a gut condition that forced me to retreat into the dull safety of a mostly Paleo diet at home.

But after consulting with my health care pros and industry pals, I ventured out for a meal, script in mind.

After the specials spiel, the server asked, “Does anyone have any allergies or restrictions?” and for once, I had a refrain. “Um,” I wobbled, “I have a few ... I’m sorry.” She looked into my eyes. “You don’t have to apologize. It’s your body. And it’s my job to keep you safe.”And as I’ve learned in the years since, yes, plenty of the responsibility for guests’ well-being falls on the waitstaff, but diners also need to play a role.

Chef and restaurateur Ming Tsai became a spokesperson for the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network when his son was diagnosed with a severe peanut allergy, so he’s intimately acquainted with the stakes from both sides of the pass. Tsai has even written an “allergy bible” that he uses at his own restaurant, Blue Dragon, and provides templates on his website (ming.com) for others to create their own. He likes to go out with his family, too, and shared a few guidelines for diners.

THE FIRST TIME

1

CALL AHEAD Communication is imperative, says Tsai, and it includes a call to the restaurant manager, even if you’ve already made notes in a reservation app (which you absolutely should do). A conversation gives you an initial read of how the restaurant is going to treat the allergy; you can gauge whether the reaction sounds like an eye roll or an acknowledgement.

(This should determine if you’re going to get dinner there or not.)

illustration by OSCAR BOLTON GREEN

ALLERGY

3

BE HONEST DID YOU KNOW?

These eight allergens are responsible for about 90% of cases: milk, peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, soy, wheat, shellfish, and fish.

2

OVERCOMMUNICATE Upon a party’s arrival, Tsai has his front-of-house team welcome them with an assurance that they’re aware of specific allergies.

If that’s not part of the protocol where you’re dining, he says it’s absolutely fine to bring it up repeatedly as you order and when the food arrives at the table. “Look in the eyes of that waiter and ask, ‘Are you sure this is peanut-, tree nut–, and dairy-free?’ You’re not being a pain in the ass,” Tsai says. If the allergy is life-threatening, don’t try to sugarcoat it.

DID YOU KNOW?

In this column, we explore how to be a better guest in a new era of hospitality. To sign up for our newsletter and read more stories like this, go to foodandwine .com/fwpro.

LEARN THE LINGO

Foodallergy.org provides cards that can be given directly to the chef, in multiple languages, so there is no gap in communication or doubt about what’s at stake.

Physical reactions to food are common, but they might call for different protocol from the staff.

Don’t say you have a food allergy if what you actually have is an intolerance, aversion, or restriction. Tsai isn’t afraid to politely confront a fibbing guest who took time and resources away from other diners who might actually have serious allergies. “Nothing pisses a chef off more than when we bend over backwards, change our cutting boards, tongs, and gloves, because this person says they have a dairy allergy, and then we see them eating an ice cream dessert. Do not lie and say it’s a life-threatening food allergy when it’s just an intolerance, or you’re on a diet,” he says.

“Just say, ‘I’d rather not eat dairy’ ... then we don’t have to do backflips.”

DID YOU KNOW?

Food Allergy Research & Education reports that 32 million Americans deal with potentially lifethreatening food allergies and that 85 million are impacted by them. The group also estimates that every three minutes, a food-related reaction sends someone to the ER.

When a food triggers an immune system response that affects multiple organs, with reactions that range from mild to severe or even fatal

ANAPHYLAXIS These sometimes lifethreatening reactions may happen minutes after the offending food is eaten—or, in a biphasic case, hours or even days—and often impair breathing or blood circulation.

INTOLERANCE An intolerance can be quite unpleasant and should be respected, but the stakes are different than with food allergies.

AVERSION When there’s something about an ingredient that you just don’t like, that’s totally valid! But it’s not an allergy and shouldn’t be treated as such.

RESTRICTION It might be ethical, religious, or nobody’s dang business. Your boundaries should always be respected.

But it’s not an allergy.

AUGUST 2021

25

OBSESSIONS

T H E I N N O VATO R

An Okra Plant Grows in Brooklyn At Oko Farms, Yemi Amu builds community through aquaponics farming.

By Clay Williams Brooklyn, and Yemi Amu of Oko Farms is tending to her crops as her next-door neighbor releases his pigeons from their coop. “They never bother us,” she says of the birds taking flight. “It’s the sparrows that are the problem.”

The smaller birds get into the tall stalks of rice, sorghum, and millet growing on the farm. She wraps the tops with netting to protect them, but she has to stay vigilant.

As the pigeons circle overhead, Amu, the farm’s founder and director, carefully examines leaves for insects and feeds the fish that provide fertilizer for the farm: It’s an aquaponics system that cycles water between the plants and a pond filled with shimmering koi fish. The concept of aquaponics can seem intimidating, but to Amu, it’s a means of bringing together communities and bridging cultures through food. She uses her crops to show that the science itself is not only approachable—it can also help root people to their own histories.

“It’s about being able to create all these connections and being able to ground aquaponics in reality for people,” she says. “If I’m able to grow people’s cultural foods, then aquaponics feels more like farming and agriculture and less like this space-age science weirdness.”

When thinking about what to plant, she says: “We’re always trying to diversify as much as possible. One of the things that’s interesting to me is the relationship between West African heritage crops and Caribbean and Asian cultures. I feel like there are a lot of connections there from the times of colonization,” referring to when the British and other colonial powers took seeds and people from different continents, moving them across oceans, leaving behind crops that, in some cases, became staples across cultures. “Okra, for instance, is a staple in the Nigerian diet. Okra soup was my favorite dish as a child.” But okra can be found in dishes throughout South Asia, as well as in the Americas, where it was brought via the slave trade.

Born and raised in Lagos, Amu is committed to seeking out seeds that offer a taste of home not only for herself, but also for others in the community she serves. One morning, a volunteer joins her to host a live cooking demonstration on social media to share ways to cook with jute. The leafy green is known as ewedu in Yoruba and mulukhiyah in Arabic, and it adds both body and an okra-like texture to soups. In the comments, followers chime in with their names for the green, as well as their favorite ways to eat it.

By growing crops like jute, Lagos spinach, and lemongrass, Amu delights visitors and farmers-market shoppers who have roots in the Middle East, West Africa, and the Caribbean. “People are so excited to see things from their cultural backgrounds that they never thought they would see again.”

For neighbors from the nearby senior center catering to East Asians, it’s the shiso leaves; for people from the Caribbean, it IT’S MORNING IN BUSHWICK,

26

AUGUST 2021

might be gandules, also known as pigeon peas. The small legumes are popular on both English- and Spanish-speaking islands, so when Amu found seeds adapted for a northern climate by nearby East New York Farms, she decided to try them out. It was only while researching how best to grow the peas that she discovered how they are used back home in Nigeria to treat patients with sickle cell disease.

As the crops have grown at Oko Farms, visiting Puerto Rican and Jamaican grandmothers from the surrounding neighborhood have shared how they use both the peas and the leaves at home to treat conditions like glaucoma and eczema. “I love when elders come into the space and have so much to share,” Amu says of these encounters. “Because food for them is not just food—it’s also medicine, and storytelling is integrated into it. It’s a way of sharing culture.”

photography by CLAY WILLIAMS

left: Yemi Amu

among her crops at Oko Farms right: Sorghum in storage from the previous year’s harvest below: Volunteers remove lemongrass from an aquaponics pool to harvest leaves.

AUGUST 2021

27

HANDBOOK THE TECHNIQUE

FOOD STYLING: CHELSEA ZIMMER; PROP STYLING: AUDREY DAVIS

Rainbow Bite Seven vegetables and grains fill our ultimate veggie burger with texture, color, and flavor.

Beets, carrots, chickpeas, garlic, walnuts, mushrooms, and barley power this veggie burger (recipe p. 32).

produced by JOSH MILLER

photography by VICTOR PROTASIO

AUGUST 2021

29

HANDBOOK

VEGGIE BURGERS from the freezer aisle of the 1980s. Veggie burgers are no longer monotonous graybrown pucks—they’re fresh, vibrant, and satisfyingly savory. As a longtime vegetarian who attended a culinary school focused on plant-based cooking, I’ve not only cooked and consumed hundreds of these patties, but I actually love them. With storebought options now ranging from plant-based “meat” to black bean– and green pea–based patties, veggie burgers certainly have range. But the secret to the very best ones is texture.

A bit of crunch, just enough moisture and tenderness, and the right balance of both in each bite make for a burger everyone at the barbecue can enjoy.

These veggie burgers are filled with whole vegetables and grains, and they boast plenty of complex flavor. The right combination of legumes, grains, nuts, and spices yields a patty that’s hearty, filling, and colorful, with crispy edges and real heft in its bite.

We’ve got tamari for a salty, umamirich base note and walnuts for a toasty, nutty crunch. Pearl barley gives the burger the right chew and structure, while panko binds the burgers without weighing them down. Fresh shredded beets and carrots give each mouthful just enough moisture, while roasted mushrooms lend savory, meaty tenderness. Chickpeas show up two ways: some pureed with sweet roasted garlic, and the rest processed to a chunkier grind so the patties don’t become pasty. Hot off the skillet, these burgers are golden brown and ready for a bun: I love them piled high with fresh lettuce, tomato, onion, and maybe even a slice of (vegan) cheese. (For our favorites, see “Make It a Vegan Cheeseburger,” p. 32.) Bonus: The patties freeze beautifully, so mix up a big batch and stash them in the freezer for a fast-fix veggie burger any day of the week. Get the recipe on p. 32.

WE’VE COME A LONG WAY

—KELSEY YOUNGMAN

30

AUGUST 2021

1 PREPARE INGREDIENTS Cook and drain barley; roast mushrooms and garlic. Let cooked ingredients cool. Remove garlic cloves from skins, and discard skins. Peel and shred carrots and beets; drain and rinse chickpeas.

2

3

PROCESS INGREDIENTS Process barley and mushrooms in separate batches; set aside. Process chickpeas until roughly chopped; set aside 1 cup. Add garlic to remaining chickpeas; process until smooth.

COMBINE INGREDIENTS Stir together processed barley, mushrooms, reserved chopped chickpeas, chickpea-garlic mixture, carrots, beets, walnuts, panko, and seasonings in a large bowl until well combined.

4

5

FORM PATTIES Using a ½-cup measure to create even portions, shape mixture into 8 (½-inch-thick) patties.

COOK BURGERS Cook burgers in a skillet until browned, 2 minutes per side. Bake until crisp, about 10 minutes.

Bound with a flavorful puree of roasted garlic and chickpeas, these plantpacked burgers are sturdy enough to handle all your favorite toppings.

AUGUST 2021

31

HANDBOOK

MAKE IT A VEGAN CHEESEBURGER FORAGER PROJECT ORGANIC VEGAN JACK The best melter of the bunch, this Monterey Jack alternative is made from cultured cashews and fava beans. Find a purveyor at foragerproject.com.

FIELD ROAST CREAMY ORIGINAL VEGAN CHAO SLICES

Ultimate Veggie Burgers ACTIVE 40 MIN; TOTAL 1 HR 25 MIN SERVES 8

These veggie burgers hit every satisfying, savory note with a hearty mix of pearl barley, chickpeas, mushrooms, and crispy panko. For the sturdiest patties, evenly distribute the panko by stirring the patty mixture until very well combined.

4 cups water 1 Tbsp. plus 1/4 tsp. kosher salt, divided 1/3

cup uncooked pearl barley, rinsed

1 dried bay leaf 1 lb. fresh button mushrooms, stemmed and quartered 2 Tbsp. tamari or soy sauce 6 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. olive oil, divided 1/2

tsp. black pepper

1 head garlic, halved crosswise 2 medium carrots, peeled and shredded (about 3/4 cup) 2 small beets, peeled and shredded (about 3/4 cup) 1 tsp. ground cumin 1 tsp. smoked paprika 1 (15 1/2 -oz.) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed 2/3

1/4

cup gluten-free panko (such as 4C Gluten Free Panko Plain Bread Crumbs) or regular panko cup finely chopped walnuts

1 Tbsp. whole-grain or Dijon mustard Toasted hamburger buns, vegan mayonnaise, butter lettuce, pickles, sliced red onion, sliced tomato, and vegan cheese, for serving

32

AUGUST 2021

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Bring 4 cups water and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high.

Add barley and bay leaf; return to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, undisturbed, until barley is al dente, 25 to 30 minutes. Drain well, and transfer to a large bowl; remove and discard bay leaf.

Let cool slightly, about 15 minutes.

2. While barley cooks, toss together mushrooms, tamari, 2 tablespoons oil, pepper, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt on a large rimmed baking sheet; spread in an even layer. Place garlic head halves on a sheet of aluminum foil, and drizzle with 1 teaspoon oil. Tightly wrap foil around garlic, and place on baking sheet next to mushrooms. Roast in preheated oven until mushrooms are browned and beginning to dry out, about 40 minutes, stirring twice during cook time. Remove from oven; let cool on baking sheet 10 minutes. (Do not turn oven off.) Remove and discard foil from garlic; squeeze garlic cloves from skins, and set aside. Discard garlic skins.

3. Transfer cooled barley to a food processor; pulse until roughly chopped, about 15 pulses. Transfer to a large bowl; add carrots, beets, cumin, and paprika.

Transfer roasted mushrooms to food processor; pulse until finely chopped, about 10 pulses. Transfer mushrooms to barley mixture. Add chickpeas to food processor; pulse until roughly chopped, about 10 pulses. Transfer 1 cup chopped chickpeas to barley mixture. Add roasted garlic cloves to remaining chickpeas in food processor; process until smooth, about 1 minute, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Transfer chickpea-garlic mixture to barley mixture.

The classic for a reason, these ever-popular vegan slices have a mild, milky, creamy flavor reminiscent of white American cheese. Find a purveyor at fieldroast.com.

VIOLIFE JUST LIKE MATURE CHEDDAR SLICES The “mature” version of Violife’s slices offers a more robust flavor while still melting beautifully. ($6, shop .violifefoods.com)

4. Add panko, walnuts, and mustard to barley mixture, and stir until well combined. Shape mixture into 8 (1/2-inchthick) patties (about 1/2 cup each).

5. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium. Add 4 patties; cook until golden brown and crispy on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer seared patties to a large baking sheet. Repeat process with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and remaining 4 patties. Bake patties at 400°F until tops and sides are crispy, about 10 minutes. Serve on buns with mayonnaise, lettuce, pickles, red onion, tomato, and vegan cheese, if desired.

—KELSEY YOUNGMAN MAKE AHEAD Patties can be frozen up to 1

month. Thaw frozen patties overnight in refrigerator before cooking.

WINE Juicy, berry-scented rosé: 2020

Bonny Doon Vin Gris de Cigare NOTE Barley contains low levels of gluten.

THE ORIGINAL PLANT-BASED PROTEIN

™

The best protein is grown, not bred. With six grams in every serving, W∂ nderful Pistachios is a tasty, healthy snack—and your plant-based protein powerhouse.

HANDBOOK

STA F F- I N S P I R E D

Fresh Picks Our favorite recipes for peak-season produce Tomato Pie Bars ACTIVE 20 MIN; TOTAL 2 HR 50 MIN SERVES 6 TO 8

Food Editor Josh Miller uses crushed saltine crackers to give these bars a crispy crust; curry powder brings a mild, savory heat to the cheesy filling.

1 1/2 sleeves saltine crackers, coarsely crushed 3/4

cup unsalted butter (6 oz.), melted

4 oz. Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1 cup), divided 2 large egg yolks, beaten 10 oz. aged sharp cheddar cheese, grated (about 2 1/2 cups) 3 Tbsp. mayonnaise 1 Tbsp. minced chipotle chile in adobo sauce 1 tsp. curry powder, divided 1/2

tsp. black pepper, divided

1 pt. mixed cherry tomatoes (about 21/2 cups) 1 tsp. kosher salt Fresh basil leaves, for garnish 1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Pulse crackers in a food processor until crumbly with some pea-size pieces remaining, 6 to 7 pulses, to yield about 3 cups crumbs. Stir together cracker crumbs, butter, 3/4 cup Parmesan, and egg yolks in a bowl until combined. Firmly press into bottom of a 9-inch square pan lined with parchment paper. Bake in preheated oven until lightly browned, 15 to 18 minutes. Let cool 1 hour.

2. Stir together cheddar, mayonnaise, chipotle, 1/2 teaspoon curry powder, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper in a bowl.

FOOD STYLING: KATE BUCKENS; PROP STYLING: MAEVE SHERIDAN

3. Cut tomatoes into 1/4-inch slices; place on a baking sheet lined with paper towels.

Sprinkle both sides with salt, remaining 1/2 teaspoon curry powder, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Let stand 15 minutes.

4. Spread cheese mixture in an even layer on crust; top with tomatoes. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan. Bake at 350°F until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let cool 40 minutes. Garnish with basil.

—JOSH MILLER

Reynolds Kitchens™ Pop-Up Parchment Sheets make serving these bars easy.

SPONSORED BY

34

AUGUST 2021

photography by LINDA XIAO

Okra Tempura with Lime “Fonzu” Dipping Sauce TOTAL 55 MIN; SERVES 4

For those who aren’t fond of okra’s gooey quality, there are two surefire ways to keep it in check: high-heat cooking and a dose of acid. Executive Editor Karen Shimizu’s recipe for okra tempura with a zippy dipping sauce incorporates both. The “fonzu” sauce—inspired by ponzu—uses lime juice instead of harder-to-find yuzu and a shortcut of fish sauce instead of steeping in katsuobushi. Cutting the okra before frying it provides more surface area for the tempura batter to cling to and exposes the interior, delivering crunch inside and out.

LIME “FONZU” DIPPING SAUCE 1/4

cup soy sauce

1/4

cup mirin

3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice 4 tsp. rice vinegar 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar 1 tsp. high-quality fish sauce (such as Red Boat)

1/4

cup water, or more to taste

OKRA TEMPURA

16 oz. fresh medium okra, stems trimmed but caps intact 1 cup (about 33/4 oz.) plus 1 Tbsp. cake flour, divided 4 cups peanut oil 1 cup cornstarch (about 4 1/2 oz.)

1 cup chilled club soda 1/2

cup (4 oz.) vodka, chilled

2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten Kosher salt, for sprinkling Lime wedges, for serving 1. Make the lime “fonzu” dipping sauce: Stir together soy sauce, mirin, lime juice, vinegar, sugar, and fish sauce in a medium bowl until sugar is dissolved. Stir in 1/4 cup water or more to taste. Set aside.

2. Make the okra tempura: Starting just below the cap, slice okra pods in half lengthwise. Rotate a quarter turn, and slice lengthwise again to cut okra into quarters, leaving cap attached. Place okra in a bowl, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon cake flour, and toss to lightly coat.

3. Line a baking sheet with paper towels.

Heat peanut oil in a wok over mediumhigh to 340°F. Adjust heat as necessary to maintain temperature.

4. Whisk together cornstarch and remaining 1 cup cake flour in a small bowl. Combine club soda, vodka, and egg yolks in a large bowl; stir until just combined. Set on top of an ice bath. Add cornstarch mixture to club soda mixture all at once. Stir very briefly with chopsticks until barely combined. (There should be lumps of the flour mixture and a ring of flour around the edge of the batter.)

5. Holding okra by the cap, dunk 5 or 6 okra in batter, swishing briefly so batter coats the sliced okra, and slide, 1 at a time, into hot oil. Cook in batches until batter is puffy, light golden, and crispy, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer okra to prepared baking sheet; sprinkle with kosher salt.

Serve okra immediately with “fonzu” dipping sauce and lime wedges. —KAREN SHIMIZU MAKE AHEAD Dipping sauce can be made

up to 3 days ahead and stored in an airtight container in refrigerator.

AUGUST 2021

35

HANDBOOK Rustic Pepper Stew with Jammy Eggs ACTIVE 35 MIN; TOTAL 50 MIN SERVES 4

2 Tbsp. sherry vinegar

Editor in Chief Hunter Lewis’ Spanish-style stew makes a fine light dinner when mild and sweet peppers are in high season at the farmers market. The name of the game here is concentration of flavor; while stewing the peppers, add water about ¼ cup at a time to help them cook without diluting their sweet, summery flavor.

6 oz. rustic country-style boule, torn into bite-size pieces 1/2

cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 tsp. kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste 10 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped 1 1/2 lb. mixed sweet peppers (such as lunchbox and mini bell peppers), cut into finger-width strips 3/4

36

cup water, plus more as needed

AUGUST 2021

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh oregano 4 soft-cooked eggs, halved Freshly cracked black pepper, for garnish 1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Toss bread with 2 tablespoons oil, and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Spread bread pieces in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Bake in preheated oven until golden brown and toasted, about 12 minutes.

Set aside.

2. Heat remaining 6 tablespoons oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high. Add garlic, and cook, stirring often, until golden, about 3 minutes. Add peppers and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until peppers begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

3. Add 1/4 cup water; cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has partially evaporated, about 2 minutes. Repeat twice; cook until peppers are tender and liquid is thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar and oregano, and add salt to taste. Divide stew among 4 bowls. Top with croutons and eggs. Garnish with black pepper, if desired. —HUNTER LEWIS MAKE AHEAD Stew can be made up to 3

days ahead and stored in an airtight container in refrigerator.

WINE Medium-bodied Spanish red: 2017

El Coto Rioja Crianza

Pasta with Roasted Sun Gold Tomato Sauce ACTIVE 15 MIN; TOTAL 45 MIN; SERVES 4

For a smart, summery, from-scratch tomato sauce, Associate Features Editor Nina Friend roasts cherry tomatoes and then cooks them down until the liquid has thickened. Here, Sun Gold tomatoes yield a stunning orange sauce; if they’re not available, substitute any small, sweet cherry tomatoes.

3 pt. Sun Gold tomatoes 8 garlic cloves, peeled 1 cup olive oil, divided 4 tsp. kosher salt, divided 3/4

tsp. black pepper, divided

1 Tbsp. granulated sugar 1 (16-oz.) pkg. pasta (such as casarecce), cooked according to pkg. directions Shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and flaky sea salt, for serving 1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Place tomatoes and garlic on a parchment paper–lined baking sheet. Drizzle with 1/2 cup olive oil, and season with 2 teaspoons kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; toss to combine.

Roast in preheated oven until tomatoes are blistered, 30 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven; smash garlic with a fork.

2. Place roasted tomatoes, garlic, and pan juices in a saucepan, and bring to a simmer over medium. Add sugar, remaining 1/2 cup olive oil, remaining 2 teaspoons kosher salt, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes have burst and sauce has thickened, 6 to 8 minutes.

3. Toss pasta with tomato sauce. Top with cheese and flaky sea salt. —NINA FRIEND WINE Light-bodied, crisp Sicilian red: 2019

Valle dell’Acate Il Frappato

AUGUST 2021

37

HANDBOOK

EASY BAKES

Cobbler, Customized Win summer with this make-it-your-way recipe. fruit cobbler is the hero of any summer meal. Not only is it nearly effortless, but it’s also endlessly adaptable, accommodating whatever fruit is most glorious at the market and what items you have in your pantry. We’ve created this recipe to work with a variety of summer fruits (see below for options) and a variety of pantry staples to customize the topping to what you have on hand. Swap the mascarpone in the biscuit topping for crème fraîche or sour cream; trade the semolina for fine cornmeal for a more crumbly texture. We’ve tested and tasted nearly every option imaginable, and we guarantee they’re all delicious. —JOSH MILLER DESPITE ITS HUMBLE APPEARANCE,

Summer Fruit Cobbler with Vanilla-Mascarpone Biscuits ACTIVE 25 MIN; TOTAL 1 HR 55 MIN SERVES 6 TO 8

Let the farmers market be your guide when it comes to this effortless cobbler— any mixture of fresh summer stone fruits and berries will cook down into a perfectly sweet-tart, jammy filling. Tender vanillamascarpone biscuits have a shortcakelike texture and a delightfully crunchy top from the turbinado sugar.

2 1/2 lb. prepared fresh or thawed frozen fruit (about 10 cups) (see “Make It Your Own,” at right) 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar, divided 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (about 5 3/4 oz.), divided 3 Tbsp. aged sherry vinegar or white balsamic vinegar

2. Whisk together mascarpone, butter, 1/4 cup cream, and vanilla bean paste in a medium bowl until mostly smooth; set aside. Whisk together semolina flour, baking powder, remaining 1 cup all-purpose flour, remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar, and remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Add mascarpone mixture to flour mixture; stir with a fork until a shaggy dough forms.

3. Using a 2 1/4-inch scoop, divide dough into 9 mounds (about 1/4 cup each), and arrange on top of fruit filling. Brush dough mounds with remaining 2 tablespoons cream; sprinkle with turbinado sugar.

4. Bake in preheated oven until biscuits are golden brown and cobbler is bubbly and thickened in center, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack 30 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream. —PAIGE GRANDJEAN

2 tsp. grated lemon zest plus 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice 1 (8-oz.) container mascarpone cheese, crème fraîche, or sour cream 1/4

cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

6 Tbsp. heavy cream, divided 1 Tbsp. vanilla bean paste or 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped 1/2

cup fine semolina flour or fine cornmeal (about 2 3/4 oz.)

2 1/2 tsp. baking powder 2 Tbsp. turbinado sugar

MAKE IT YOUR OWN This cobbler adapts easily to the ingredients you have on hand. For the fruit filling, use 21/2 pounds (about 10 cups) of any combination of the following:

+ Blackberries, blueberries, or raspberries + Bing or Rainier cherries, stemmed and pitted

Vanilla ice cream, for serving 1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Toss together fruit, 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, vinegar, lemon zest and juice, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Transfer fruit mixture to a 3-quart baking dish (such as a 13- x 9-inch dish), and spread in an even layer. Set aside.

38

AUGUST 2021

+ Peaches or nectarines, peeled, pitted, and cut into 3/4 -inch wedges + Plums or apricots, pitted and cut into 3/4 -inch wedges

photography by VICTOR PROTASIO

FOOD STYLING: MARGARET MONROE DICKEY; PROP STYLING: AUDREY DAVIS

1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, divided

COOK THE COVER

AUGUST 2021

39

HANDBOOK F&W COOKS

Nopales?

No Problem.

A quick trim gets fresh cactus ready for dinner.

Mexico, with a backyard filled with more than 200 nopales, or cactus plants. But as a kid, I wasn’t a fan. My mother loved nopales—she even ate them raw and used them in smoothies—but I wasn’t convinced. “I don’t like nopales; they’re slimy,” I remember complaining to her. It wasn’t until much later, after I had moved away to New York, met my husband, and had his family’s grilled nopales, that I finally learned to appreciate the spiny villain of my childhood.

My sisters-in-law, who grew up in Puebla and are great home cooks, taught me a trick that has made me love nopales as much as my mother does. Before cooking them on a comal or a skillet on the grill, they cut the nopales so they look like hands with fingers; that way, the insides cook faster. They get pleasantly charred and smoky; the sticky texture cooks off, leaving the paddles tender and moist. It’s like a vegetarian steak—it has a nice texture that you can really bite, and it has a beautiful, slightly tart flavor, accented perfectly with lime juice and salt. Tucked into a fresh tortilla with some charred cebollitas and jalapeños, it makes for a very satisfying vegetarian meal.

These days, I don’t have a backyard full of cactus, but that doesn’t stop me. I’m lucky enough to live near several Mexican groceries that sell cleaned nopales, which cuts down on prep time. If all you can find at your local market are nopales with the spines still attached, don’t worry—simply cut away the spines and trim the edges with a sharp knife, and they’ll be ready to grill in no time. —ANGIE VARGAS

COOK WITH ANGIE VARGAS FROM THE LEAGUE OF KITCHENS Angie Vargas teaches Mexican cooking through the League of Kitchens, a culturally immersive culinary experience where immigrant women teach cooking classes from their home kitchens. Offered online and in person, each class offers opportunities for connection, instruction, and cultural engagement. ($60 per session, leagueofkitchens.com)

40

AUGUST 2021

illustration by ALEXANDRA COMPAIN-TISSIER

FOOD STYLING: CHELSEA ZIMMER; PROP STYLING: AUDREY DAVIS

I GREW UP IN MONTERREY,

LOOK SHARP! To remove cactus spines, use a towel to hold the paddle, and then trim the edges and scrape off the spines on each side.

HANDBOOK Charred Nopales with Jalapeños and Spring Onions TOTAL 55 MIN; SERVES 4

Nopales get tender, smoky, and soft on a comal or griddle, picking up a strong char from the hot cast iron. High-heat cooking also tempers their natural sourness and reduces their slippery texture, which mostly cooks off, leaving the cactus paddles pleasantly juicy. Fair warning: Preparing this dish indoors generates some spicy smoke—turn on your exhaust fan and open a window for extra ventilation.

16 small cebollitas (spring onions) (about 4 bunches) or 1 large white onion, sliced into 1/2 -inch rings 4 medium nopales (cactus paddles) (about 5 oz. each) 2 large red or green jalapeños (about 1 1/2 oz. each) 2 Tbsp. sunflower oil or other neutral cooking oil (such as canola) 1 tsp. fine Himalayan pink salt, plus more to taste 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice Black beans, rice, corn tortillas, avocado slices, and lime wedges, for serving 1. If using cebollitas, trim and discard top third of stalks. Peel off and discard outer layer of bulbs. Remove and discard any dry, papery skin from pale green and dark green stalks. Trim and discard any roots.

If any bulbs are 3/4 inch round or larger, cut bulb in half lengthwise, cutting into the pale green stalk just a little bit and keeping the stalk intact. (If using a white onion, peel onion, halve it lengthwise, and thinly slice with the grain, following the curve of

42

AUGUST 2021

TAKE IT OUTSIDE

the onion to keep the slices similar in size.) Set aside.

2. Working with 1 nopal at a time, place nopal flat on a work surface. Hold the base of the paddle with a clean kitchen towel. Using a sharp paring knife, trim about 1/4 inch off the entire perimeter of the paddle; discard. If base of paddle is tough, cut off and discard. Using a sharp knife, scrape off any thorny spines on each side of paddle, being careful not to shave off too much cactus skin. Rinse paddle under cold water, and pat dry with paper towels. Starting about 1 inch from base of each cleaned paddle, make 3 or 4 lengthwise cuts through paddle and toward top of paddle, spacing cuts 1 inch apart. Halve jalapeños lengthwise, keeping stems intact. (Do not remove seeds.)

3. Heat a large cast-iron comal or a 2-burner cast-iron griddle over high heat until comal is smoking, 5 to 7 minutes.

Toss together cebollitas, nopales, jalapeños, oil, and salt on a large rimmed baking sheet.

4. Working in 2 batches, arrange cebollitas and jalapeños in a single layer on hot comal. Cook cebollitas, turning occasionally, until charred in spots and bulbs are tender when pierced with a paring knife, 9 to 14 minutes. Cook jalapeños, turning occasionally, until charred in spots and softened, 12 to 15 minutes. As cebollitas and jalapeños finish cooking, transfer to a serving platter, and cover with aluminum

Grill the nopales, cebollitas, and jalapeños directly on the grill grates over medium-high heat. If using sliced white onions, wrap them in aluminum foil, and grill until tender, about 10 minutes.

foil to keep warm. (If using white onion, cook on hot comal, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly charred around edges, about 12 minutes.)

5. Add nopales to comal. Cook, turning occasionally, until nopales turn a dull green color, are charred in spots, and are tender all the way through, about 8 minutes. Transfer to serving platter. Sprinkle nopales, cebollitas, and jalapeños with additional salt to taste, and drizzle with lime juice. Serve with beans, rice, tortillas, avocado, and lime wedges. —ANGIE VARGAS, LEAGUE OF KITCHENS BEER Lightly malty beer: Saint Arnold

H-Town Pils NOTE Many Mexican grocers sell cleaned

and trimmed nopales. If using these prepared nopales, skip the cleaning in the beginning of step 2 and proceed with cutting the paddles at the end of step 2.

HAWAIIAN TERIYAKI CHICKEN KABOBS © 2021 Reynolds Consumer Products LLC

EASY PREP. EASY COOK. EASY CLEAN. Tough and durable to prevent rips and tears. It’s dinner made easy.

PROMOTION

NEWS, UPDATES, EVENTS, AND MORE FROM FOOD & WINE

WORLD-CLASS MEAD WITH A SIP OF SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY: QUEEN’S REWARD MEADERY Nestled in Tupelo, Mississippi, with the likes of the Elvis Presley Birthplace and Neon Pig (home of America’s favorite burger) buzzes Queen’s Reward Meadery. Have the award-winning and tasty honey beverage shipped right to your door at QueensReward.com

MAGNUM® ICE CREAM CELEBRATES A DECADE OF INDULGENCE IN THE U.S. Magnum® ice cream, the chocolatiers of the ice cream aisle, is celebrating its 10-year anniversary in the U.S. in 2021 with an updated look and an indulgent new line of truffle-inspired ice cream bars. From our decadent double caramel bars to our indulgent sea salt caramel tubs, it’s more than chocolate, it’s Magnum® ice cream.

Find your flavor at MagnumIceCream.com

TAMPA BAY HAS FLORIDA’S MOST FLAVORFUL ADVENTURES Tampa Bay is more than Florida sunshine. It’s where fresh-air fun meets a diverse array of outdoor dining adventures filled with innovative menus and stunning waterfront views. VisitTampaBay.com

TO EXPLORE MORE, VISIT FOODANDWINE.COM/PROMO

BOTTLE SERVICE W H AT TO D R I N K N O W

Chill Out! It’s 95°F outside—may we offer you a cold beverage?

FOOD STYLING: MAGGIE RUGGIERO; PROP STYLING: NOEMI BONAZZI

By Ray Isle

For our favorite white wines that taste great iced down, see p. 46.

produced by RAY ISLE

photography by GRANT CORNETT

AUGUST 2021

45

BOTTLE SERVICE

FROSTY BOTTLES WHITE WINES THAT CAN STAND THE COLD you want your wine cold—but how cold, really? A sommelier will tell you that white wines served straight from the fridge (about 35°F to 38°F) are too cold because at those temperatures, aromas and flavors are muted. But let’s face it: When it’s blazingly hot outside, a 55°F glass of wine, which is more or less the ideal temperature for rich Chardonnays and white Burgundies, just isn’t all that refreshing.

So feel free to break the rules. Don’t necessarily dump ice cubes in your $5,000-a-bottle Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Montrachet (unless you want to see your friendly F&W wine editor’s head explode), but do go right ahead and serve wines the way you like them. Keep this in mind, though: Lighter alcohol, higher acid, and unoaked wines taste far better at super-chilly temperatures than richer, oakier styles do. To that end, here are nine crisp, vibrant, summer-friendly whites that honestly taste great no matter how cold they are. Unless you forget them in the freezer, that is—a solid block of wine-ice is disheartening no matter how hot it is outside.

WHEN IT’S HOT,

2019 LA CARRAIA ORVIETO CLASSICO ($12)

2020 VERAMONTE SAUVIGNON BLANC RESERVA MADE WITH ORGANIC GRAPES ($12)

2019 LIVIO FELLUGA PINOT GRIGIO ($28)

To quote a sommelier friend, this Sauvignon from Chile “smells like a spicy margarita.” Totally right: zippy, with green pepper and citrus notes and a lightly saline finish.

Livio Felluga founded one of the top estates in Italy’s Friuli region, and after his passing in 2016 (at age 102), his family has not lost a step.

Lemon notes balance with nectarine flavors in this excellent white.

2020 COUSIÑO-MACUL ISIDORA SAUVIGNON GRIS ($15)

2019 GIRASOLE MENDOCINO PINOT BLANC ($15)

2020 LAGAR DE CERVERA ALBARIÑO ($18)

Sauvignon Gris, a cousin of Sauvignon Blanc, has a little more body and spice than its more familiar cousin does. This one, from Chile, suggests green apples and white pepper.

The Barra family has been farming organically in Mendocino for several decades, making an array of appealing wines.

This silky, pear- and red apple–scented Pinot Blanc is a great example.

About as spot-on a Spanish Albariño as you can find under $20, this has the refreshing feel of an Atlantic breeze. All lemon, grapefruit, and floral notes, it’s pure summertime in liquid form.

This bright Italian white, from vineyards in Umbria, north of Rome, has pretty floral aromas and tingly lemon-lime and melon flavors—it would be excellent with seafood crudo.

2020 J. LOHR FLUME CROSSING ARROYO SECO SAUVIGNON BLANC ($14) The Central Coast of California’s benevolent climate pushes Sauvignon Blanc away from grassy, peppery notes to sweeter melon and citrus flavors, as this version shows.

2019 SELBACH-OSTER RIESLING TROCKEN ($20) “Trocken” means “dry” in German, and this Mosel Riesling from an acclaimed producer is certainly that: flinty and focused, with lime and green apple flavors. It’s exceptionally refreshing.

2018 VIÑA MEIN RIBEIRO ($35) Despite this Spanish wine’s rich texture, its complex, savory flavors— minerals, toasted nuts, and smoke—make it remarkably good served cold (though it would be superb at 55°F or so, as well).

STAY COOL THREE TOOLS TO KEEP WINE CHILLY Looking for a dripfree, stylish way to keep that bottle of rosé chilled for six hours at a time?

Huski’s two-piece iceless wine cooler does just that. ($85, huski coolers.com)

46

AUGUST 2021

YETI RAMBLER WINE TUMBLER The magnetic lid on these drop-proof, insulated glasses from Yeti makes them perfect for outdoor fun, like happy hour on a boat. Plus, they’re dishwasher friendly. ($25, yeti.com)

CORK POPS NICHOLAS COLLECTION STAINLESS STEEL BEVERAGE CUP Thanks to freezer gel inside this sleek steel tumbler, any glass of wine stays perfectly chilled and undiluted for up to an hour, even on hot days. ($25, corkpops.com)

ILLUSTRATIONS: RACHEL CARNEY

HUSKI WINE COOLER

AUGUST 2021

47

BOTTLE SERVICE

WINE WITHOUT WORRY NONALCOHOLIC SIPS THAT ACTUALLY TASTE LIKE WINE of an increasingly healthconscious world of wine drinkers, more wineries are now making low- or no-alcohol wines. In the past, this was a bleak realm, but today’s versions can be surprisingly tasty. While they’re unlikely to supplant real wine, they’re a welcome addition.

Most alcohol-free wines start as regular wine.

Then, winemakers use technology to extract the alcohol while, in theory, leaving the flavor behind.

Low-alcohol (or low-calorie) wines are either partly de-alcoholized or blends of both regular-strength and de-alcoholized wines. But my absolute favorite of all the nonalc options I tasted, Jukes, isn’t technically a wine at all. Its creator, Matthew Jukes, steeps 20 to 25 ingredients (fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, flowers) in organic apple cider vinegar and then pulls off and bottles the results. Jukes mimics yet doesn’t mimic wine, and as my sommelier friend Sabra Lewis said, “This is exactly what I’d want if I wanted one more glass of wine at the end of the night but didn’t want more alcohol in my system.”

To that, I say bravo.

TO MEET THE DEMANDS

JUKES CORDIALITIES 6 ($49/nine 1-oz. bottles) Jukes 6 is the “red wine” offering; there are also white and rosé versions.

To drink it, combine the contents of one small bottle with water or sparkling water to your taste. I found it absurdly delicious.

LEITZ EINS ZWEI ZERO SPARKLING RIESLING ($6/250 ML.) This canned white from German winemaker Johannes Leitz is dry and minerally, with lemon notes and delicate bubbles. Leitz’s alcohol-free Pinot Noir ($18) is equally good.

2020 BRANCOTT ESTATE FLIGHT SONG SAUVIGNON BLANC ($13) This low-cal white clocks in at only 9% alcohol. It smells of grapefruit and cut grass, and though it’s very light, its tartness keeps the flavors going.

50

AUGUST 2021

2020 GIESEN 0% MARLBOROUGH SAUVIGNON BLANC ($15) This Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand would be a fine late-summer poolside sipper for those seeking to zero out their alcohol consumption.

2020 KENDALL-JACKSON AVANT LOWER CALORIE CHARDONNAY ($17) This citrusy, low-alcohol Chardonnay is made from a percentage of wine that has been de-alcoholized and wine from grapes harvested at full ripeness. Winemaker Randy Ullom says, “I’d rather do it this way than pick unripe grapes and make a low-cal, low-carb wine that tastes horrible.”

NOUGHTY ALCOHOLFREE SPARKLING CHARDONNAY ($20) A nonalcoholic version of a blanc de blancs made with organic grapes, this has an earthy aroma and hits the palate brisk and zingy.

HYPER-LOCAL BREW BEER GETS DEEP INTO TERROIR. be known for terroir like wine, but that doesn’t mean brewers can’t imbue a sense of place into their products. In fact, with more ingredients than wine, beer has more opportunities to lovingly nod to its locality, and that’s happening more and more. Here’s how five breweries are tapping into each of beer’s ingredients to offer a taste of place. Don’t chill these down too much, though—unlike that 12-pack of Bud Light, these benefit from being taken out of the ice several minutes before serving. —MICHAEL POMRANZ BEER MAY NEVER

HOPS KENT FALLS BREWING CAMPLAND, CONNECTICUT Very few brewers work with hops from their own fields, but Kent Falls grows just enough Chinook and Brewer’s Gold hops for its annual Campland release.

“Managing less than an acre of hops organically in northwest Connecticut is an absolute labor of love,” says cofounder Barry Labendz. “But the result is a connection to the hops’ character that cannot be replaced.

With every harvest, we continue to see a more prominent citrus rind and light herbal note, which in turn defines what Campland is.”

MALTS GARDEN PATH THE OLD SCHOOL THE NEW, WASHINGTON Malts are the backbone of every brew, and though working with locally grown grain is rare, it has its rewards.

“With colder, more unpredictable weather and shorter growing seasons, we end up with grain that has distinct regional flavors, such as honey and graham crackers,” says Renee Evans of Washington’s Garden Path Fermentation, which exclusively uses barley and wheat sourced by Skagit Valley Malting from local farms for this IPA-inspired beer.

“We believe working with local malt promotes higher quality and character over consistency.

It’s like when you buy vegetables from your local farmers market.”

WATER MANOR HILL BREWING PILSNER, MARYLAND At Maryland’s Manor Hill Brewing, their untreated well water highlights the malt and yeast notes in this pilsner. “Our water’s minerality lets us be closer to the water chemistry of European pale lager breweries, while also making our pilsner decidedly ours,” says head brewer Daryl Eisenbarth. “It gives it a crisp, barely dry finish.”

YEAST ALLAGASH BREWING COMPANY COOLSHIP RED, MAINE “The blend of yeast and microbiota found around our brewery is specific to our area, and the flavors they impart in our beer include notes of apricot, lemon, stone fruit, and a hint of ‘funk,’” explains Jason Perkins, brewmaster at Allagash Brewing Company. Coolship Red is aged with fresh raspberries, adding the profile of the fruit to the beer.

ADJUNCTS SCRATCH BREWING COMPANY CHANTERELLE BIERE DE GARDE, ILLINOIS Some breweries are literally turning to their backyards for local flourishes.

Scratch harvests up to 120 pounds of this beer’s namesake mushrooms from their property. “You know it’s chanterelle season here because you can smell that earthy, apricot aroma after a rain,” says co-owner and brewer Marika Josephson.

“That’s the aroma we tried to capture in this beer.”

AUGUST 2021

51

GET ALMOST 100 HOURS MORE * PROVEN QUALITY SLEEP PER YEAR Quality sleep is proven to help boost energy, recovery and improve wellbeing.

That’s why we created the Sleep Number 360 ® smart bed for the best sleep in the world.

Designed to help you fall asleep faster and make a life-changing difference to your health and wellness.

SleepIQ Score ®

Adjustable comfort on each side

Automatically senses and responds to you

Personalized insights for even better sleep

15-Year Limited Warranty †

100-Night Trial‡

SCAN TO TAKE OUR BED QUIZ *100 hours more proven quality sleep based on internal analysis of sleep sessions assessing sleepers who use multiple features of Sleep Number® products. Claim based on sleepers achieving over 15 more minutes of restful sleep per sleep session. Pictures may represent features and options available at additional cost. †Limited warranty available at sleepnumber.com. ‡Restrictions and exclusions apply. Does not apply to adjustable bases, upholstered furniture, closeout/clearance or demo/floor model purchases or mattresses already exchanged under another In-Home Trial period. You pay return shipping. Refunds will be made to the original method of payment less original shipping/delivery fees. Visit sleepnumber.com for complete details. SLEEP NUMBER, SLEEPIQ, SLEEP NUMBER 360, the Double Arrow Design, and SELECT COMFORT are registered trademarks of Sleep Number Corporation. ©2021 Sleep Number Corporation

TRAVEL WHERE TO GO NEXT

Barn and Breakfast Celebrate all things farm and field by booking a trip that goes straight to the source.

By Jancee Dunn

PHOTOGRAPHY: JUMPING ROCKS

Stay at Fort Lewis Lodge & Farm, a 3,300-acre cattle and produce farm that overlooks Virginia’s scenic Blue Ridge Mountains.

produced by MELANIE HANSCHE

AUGUST 2021

53

T R AV E L 54

California’s Philo Apple Farm is a charming rural retreat replete with potting shed (this page), a rustic country kitchen to fuel guests, and cabins nestled among apple orchards (both opposite).

AUGUST 2021

W

PHOTOGRAPHY: LUCILLE LAWRENCE (3)

fun for every age, and a distinct, delicious sense of place, a farm stay is the perfect antidote to the past year or so of disruption and isolation. And while you could (and should) head for one of the high-end agricultural retreats across the U.S. (the iconic Blackberry Farm in Tennessee, say, or Northern California’s plush-yet-laid-back Farmhouse Inn), there’s luxury of a different sort to be found at rural working farms. It’s good for the soul to immerse yourself among green and growing things as they stretch toward the sun, to wander through fields bursting with color to pick a fat, sun-warmed berry and pop it into your mouth. A weekend at a working farm lets you do all of those things, while you enjoy unique accommodations and give independent farmers financial support.

Five full-service contemporary cabins overlook the 60 undulating acres at Hartland, Vermont’s Fat Sheep Farm & Cabins (from $200, fatsheepfarmvermont.com), where you can bottlefeed the lambs or attend workshops on sourdough-bread baking or cheesemaking. Farmers Todd Heyman and Suzy Kaplan have forged a partnership with one of Vermont’s best restaurants, Mangalitsa, in nearby Woodstock, where guests eat the food grown in the field alongside their cabin—everything from four kinds of Japanese squash to Floriani Red Flint Corn, an Italian variety that makes a pinkish polenta. They also grow popcorn, which can be popped at the firepit under the stars.

Nestled in a biodynamic commercial orchard in Anderson Valley, California, Philo Apple Farm (from $330, philoapplefarm .com) is a trio of airy cottages set among 40 varieties of apple trees. There are plenty of agrarian activities, such as fruit and herb picking, but the real draw here is the phenomenal food.

Philo Apple Farm was established by the original owners of The French Laundry, so their midweek “Stay & Cook” experience (starting up again this fall), a combination of meal prep and produce tutorial, is next-level—think mixed-bean ribolitta with bacon and kale over garlic toast for lunch. Breakfast includes biscuits with housemade jams and fresh-pressed cider.

Perhaps the only thing better than staying on a working chocolate farm is staying on one that overlooks the rolling Pacific on Hawaii’s Big Island. Hamakua Chocolate Farm (from $179, ITH OPEN SPACES,

hamakuachocolate.com), tucked among 10 acres of cacao plants near Hilo, features two modern guesthouses with outdoor lanais— and complimentary earplugs if the chirping of the coqui tree frogs gets too loud. The farm offers a variety of educational intensives built around growing, harvesting, and processing cacao. You can distill chocolate liquors, partake in a daylong harvest party, or make custom chocolate from tree to bar, which may include fruit or spices grown around the farm.

An hour’s drive from Kansas City in Fontana, Kansas, is the dreamy, 14-acre Netherfield Natural Farm (from $145, nether fieldnaturalfarm.com), which has five pretty rooms in a 19thcentury farmhouse. Among the vegetables grown by owners Scott Shappell and Matt Fineout are asparagus, Swiss chard, spinach, and Cherokee purple tomatoes, which make their way into the frittata at breakfast. Shappell also runs a bread-making workshop in their classic farm kitchen where you can try your hand at olive-and-rosemary boules, sourdough crackers, or cranberry-orange bread with a brown sugar swirl using local Hudson Cream flour, one of the last independent flour mills in the country. Laze around the in-ground saltwater pool, hit the hiking trails, or paddle the still pond; at day’s end, watch the flock of chickens, turkeys, ducks, and geese gather in an orderly fashion to put themselves to bed in the coop.

MoonRidge Farms (from $350, moonridgefarms.com) has a sun-flooded renovated farmhouse that sleeps six, located on 40 acres of the Upper Willamette Valley in Beavercreek, Oregon.

Along with a massive variety of produce, from Walla Walla

AUGUST 2021

55

56

AUGUST 2021

sells organic flowers and herbs wholesale to florists, has ensconced a sweet three-bedroom home among the blooms. Styled in clean, modern gray-and-white finishes (a nice showcase for the complimentary bouquet awaiting guests), it overlooks a pond and a rushing waterfall, with the Rocky Mountains as a dramatic backdrop. Take a dip in the natural rock–rimmed swimming pool, loll in the hot tub, prowl the on-site antiques barn, or ramble through fragrant acres of peonies, dahlias, snapdragons, and asters.

Among the 21 properties dotted around the family-owned Fort Lewis Lodge & Farm (from $285, fortlewislodge.com) in Millboro, Virginia, is a converted corn silo with three bedrooms.

By day, forage for morel and chanterelle mushrooms, or take a dunk in a deep swimming hole with an adjacent wood-fired sauna. By night, take in the constellations from the farm’s stargazing platform. A vast garden guides the 19th-century Lewis Mill Restaurant’s menu, which may include peach cobbler with fruit straight from the orchard or wild watercress harvested from the banks of a natural mountain spring on the property, which also supplies the drinking water.

PHOTOGRAPHY: JUMPING ROCKS, (OPPOSITE) GRETA RYBUS (4)

T R AV E L onions to enormous Nui blueberries, owners Lauren Hartmann and Ted Bancroft grow and sell yacon, a South American shrub with an edible tuber. Guests can help with harvesting flowers from their new lavender farm, gather fresh eggs, or tend the goats and rabbits. As a side gig, Hartmann and Bancroft also breed pugs—if you’re lucky, a few puppies might be racing around during your stay.

For privacy lovers, Toddy Pond Farm Cottage (from $250, toddypondfarm.com) in Monroe, Maine, is a dream—it’s surrounded by 520 bucolic acres on a working dairy farm. Pick blueberries from the back patio, hike the private trails around tranquil Toddy Pond (which offers a stunning view of nearby Robertson Mountain), or feed the ducklings and chicks in the barn. A farm store offers fresh kefir, yogurt, and ice cream, all made on the premises. Sheep and cows graze near the immaculate cottage, which sleeps seven and dates from the 1800s—one wall is filled with messages scribbled by visitors who stayed there long ago.

Just 20 minutes from Denver in Brighton, Colorado, the fouracre Red Daisy Farm (from $285, reddaisyfarm.com), which

A farm stay means lively neighbors, like the Fort Lewis hens (opposite) or dairy cows at farmer Greg PurintonBrown’s Toddy Pond Farm (this page), where accommodations feature a breezy screened porch and a wall scribbled with guests’ messages.

AUGUST 2021

57

© 2021 MyLifeTM. Apple and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries and regions.

App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc. © 2018 Google LLC. All rights reserved. Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google LLC.

4:32 am 6:27 am 10:49 am 1:45 pm 3:46 pm 5:47 pm 8:42 pm 11:07 pm

Your emotions change. That’s why MyLifeTM offers a personalized mindfulness solution, any time of day.

START A FREE 7-DAY TRIAL. DOWNLOAD THE APP TODAY.

FOOD & WINE

TH

P. 6 2 VEG OUT!

E

t n a pl E ISSU

P. 65 JACKFRUIT “CARNITAS” TACOS P. 66 LOADED PITA NACHOS WITH LENTIL CHILI AND FETA QUESO P. 68 KACHUMBER GAZPACHO P. 70 DINKIES CHEEZESTEAK P. 73 EGGPLANT BRACIOLA P. 74 HOT HONEY– CARROT FLATBREADS WITH BASIL CHERMOULA

P. 7 6 TOFU BONANZA! P. 78 TOFU SKIN STIR-FRY P. 79 TOFU BHURJI P. 80 CRISPY FRIED TOFU SANDWICH

FOOD STYLING: MAGGIE RUGGIERO; PROP STYLING: NOEMI BONAZZI

P. 81 PON DE RING (MOCHI-TOFU DOUGHNUTS)

ro o t fruit fr om

to

P. 8 2 COOK, GARDENER, GUARDIAN P. 92 XENI ATAPAKUA (THREE-SEED PIPIÁN WITH SORREL)

P. 9 4 P L A N TPOWERED PA S T R Y !

P. 97 BLACKBERRYCARDAMOM CUPCAKES WITH LEMON FROSTING P. 98 SOUR CHERRY AND BLACK PEPPER PIE P. 100 DOUBLECHOCOLATE RYE COOKIES P. 103 VEGAN VANILLA BEAN ICE CREAM

PHOTOGRAPH BY GRANT CORNETT

LOADE D P ITA NACHOS WIT H L E NT IL C HIL I A N D FE TA QU ESO P. 6 6

TH

E

t n a pl E ISSU

G U OT! E

PHOTOGRAPHY: VICTOR PROTASIO

P

D O R

U

D CE

PHOTO

BY

BABÜ OSET

JOSH M ILLER

GRAPH

Y BY

R

V I C T O R P R O TA S I O

ENSE B N I L CAIT

L

What makes a truly tantalizing vegetable dish? Is it: A. In-yourface, plant-powered indulgences; B. Showstopping centerpiece recipes that evoke oohs, aahs, and ’grams; C. Simple concoctions that let seasonal produce shine; or D. All of the above?

AUGUST 2021

63

THE PLANT ISSUE

ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS

10 (4- to 6-inch) corn tortillas, warmed Pico de gallo, fresh cilantro leaves, and lemon wedges, for serving

THE JaCK OF aLL TRaDES Jackfruit “Carnitas” Tacos ACTIVE 50 MIN; TOTAL 1 HR 15 MIN

PHOTOGRAPHY: CAITLIN BENSEL; FOOD STYLING: RISHON HANNERS; PROP STYLING: CHRISTINE KEELY; ILLUSTRATIONS: JORDAN KAY

SERVES 4

Tart, creamy avocado salsa and spicy, crispy seared jackfruit make for a satisfyingly savory taco filling. Don’t turn the jackfruit too often while it cooks; give it time to develop a golden brown crust for the best texture and flavor.

JOCELYN RAMIREZ Cookbook Author and Chef Todo Verde, Los Angeles

When Jocelyn Ramirez discovered that canned jackfruit could be the perfect vehicle to marry Mexican flavors and plant-based cooking, a light bulb went off. “I wanted to be that bridge for people who were eating street tacos throughout the city of Los Angeles,” she says, laughing. “I was like, ‘How do I get this to taste like carnitas?’” By using the cumin, chile flakes, and salt that many Mexican home cooks already have in their pantries, Ramirez capitalized on the pulled pork texture of jackfruit to make plant-based cooking seem more approachable to her community—one delicious “carnitas” taco at a time.

AVOCADO SALSA

3 medium tomatillos, husks removed 1 medium jalapeño, stemmed (seeded, if desired) 1 medium Hass avocado, pitted 1 cup packed fresh cilantro stems and leaves 3 to 6 Tbsp. water, as needed 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice 1 1/4 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste 1/8

1. Make the avocado salsa: Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium. Add tomatillos and jalapeño; cook, turning occasionally, until charred on all sides, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool 20 minutes.

2. Place tomatillos, jalapeño, avocado, cilantro, 3 tablespoons water, lemon juice, salt, and cumin in a blender. Process until smooth, about 45 seconds, adding up to remaining 3 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed until a pourable consistency is reached.

Season with additional salt to taste. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

3. Make the jackfruit “carnitas”: Using a knife, remove non-shreddable core from shreddable outer parts of jackfruit pieces; set aside. Remove any seedpods from shreddable parts, and add seedpods to pile of cores. Place shreddable jackfruit in a medium bowl, and shred with your hands into small pieces. Finely chop cores and seedpods until they are a similar texture to the shredded jackfruit; add to shredded jackfruit in bowl. Add oil, 2 1/2 tablespoons orange juice, cumin, oregano, salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper; toss to evenly combine.

4. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium. Add jackfruit mixture; using a spatula, press into an even layer. Cook, turning and pressing occasionally, until seared and golden brown, 25 to 35 minutes, adding oil as needed. Remove from heat, and stir in remaining 2 1/2 tablespoons orange juice. Season with additional salt to taste.

5. Place about 1/4 cup jackfruit mixture on each tortilla. Top with pico de gallo and cilantro. Serve with avocado salsa and lemon wedges. —JOCELYN RAMIREZ, TODO VERDE

tsp. ground cumin MAKE AHEAD Avocado salsa can be

JACKFRUIT “CARNITAS”

3 (20-oz.) cans young green jackfruit in water, drained, rinsed, and squeezed dry 3/4

cup neutral cooking oil (such as grapeseed), plus more as needed

5 Tbsp. fresh orange juice, divided

stored in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 2 days.

BEER Rich, malty beer: Shiner Bock NOTE Find canned young green jackfruit

in water at South Asian markets or online at grocerythai.com.

2 Tbsp. ground cumin 1 Tbsp. dried oregano 2 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste 1 tsp. black pepper 1/2

tsp. crushed red pepper

THE HOOKUP

Shop for Ramirez’s delicious spice blends designed to use with jackfruit at todoverde.org.

AUGUST 2021

65

VEG OUT!

THE HEAD NACHO 1/4

cup olive oil

1 small red onion, chopped (about 1 3/4 cups) 1 medium-size fresh poblano chile, stemmed, seeded, and chopped (about 1 cup) 1 medium-size fresh red Fresno chile, stemmed, seeded (if desired), and finely chopped (about 2 Tbsp.)

8 small garlic cloves, finely chopped

CASSIE PIUMA Chef and Owner Sarma, Somerville, Massachusetts

1 (1 1/2 -inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped (about 2 Tbsp.)

1 Tbsp. ground cumin 1 Tbsp. ground coriander

Cassie Piuma’s platter of plant-based nachos is a love letter to legumes. Brown lentils are the backbone of a hearty, spice-laden chili, while red lentils get a heavy simmer until they melt, adding smooth body to a tangy feta queso that’s versatile on its own: “We use this queso in mac and cheese and sub it in as a sauce for eggplant parm or moussaka,” Piuma says.

Loaded Pita Nachos with Lentil Chili and Feta Queso ACTIVE 1 HR 10 MIN; TOTAL 3 HR 45 MIN SERVES 4 TO 6

Creamy labneh balances the harissaspiked cabbage and spicy chili that tops these plant-packed nachos. Make the chips, queso, and cabbage ahead of time to help this dish come together easily—or use store-bought pita chips, if desired.

PICKLED CABBAGE

3 cups packed shredded red cabbage 1/4

cup rose harissa paste (such as Belazu)

1/4

cup white wine vinegar

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste PITA CHIPS

6 (7-inch) pita rounds, each cut into 8 triangles 1 cup olive oil 1 1/4 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste

66

AUGUST 2021

1 1/2 tsp. Aleppo pepper 3/4

cup uncooked black beluga lentils (about 6 oz.)

2 1/2 cups water 3 large tomatoes (about 1 1/2 lb.), stemmed, cored, and roughly chopped (about 4 cups) 2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice FETA QUESO 1/4

cup plus 1 Tbsp. olive oil, divided

1/3

cup roughly chopped white onion

1 medium fresh red Fresno chile, stemmed, seeded, and roughly chopped (about 2 Tbsp.)

2 small garlic cloves, smashed 1/4

cup uncooked red lentils (1 1/2 oz.)

1 3/4 cups water, divided 6 oz. French goat milk feta cheese, broken into large pieces 1 oz. hot pickled cherry pepper slices (about 2 Tbsp.)

Kosher salt, to taste ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS 1/2

cup labneh (strained yogurt) Crumbled feta cheese, chopped fresh cilantro, and Aleppo pepper, for garnish

1. Make the pickled cabbage: Toss together cabbage and harissa in a medium-size nonreactive bowl until well coated. Add vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, and salt; toss to combine. Cover and chill at least 1 hour, tossing occasionally.

2. Make the pita chips: Preheat oven to 300°F. Toss together pita triangles and oil in a large bowl, gently massaging oil into pita. Arrange pita in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet; sprinkle evenly with salt. Bake until golden brown and crisp, 55

minutes to 1 hour and 15 minutes, tossing every 20 minutes. Add additional salt to taste. Let cool completely.

3. Make the lentil chili: Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium. Add onion, poblano, Fresno chile, garlic, and ginger; cook, stirring often, until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in cumin, coriander, and Aleppo pepper; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add beluga lentils and 2 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil over medium-high. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until lentils are tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes have mostly broken down and chili has thickened, 25 to 30 minutes. Stir in lemon juice, and season with additional salt to taste. Cover and keep warm over low.

4. Make the feta queso: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a small saucepan over medium. Add onion, Fresno chile, and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add red lentils, and carefully pour in 1 cup water. Bring to a boil over medium.

Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, stirring occasionally, until lentils are very tender and begin to fall apart, about 15 minutes.

5. Transfer red lentil mixture to a blender.

Remove top insert of blender lid; cover hole with a kitchen towel. With blender running, gradually add feta, pickled cherry peppers, 1/4 cup water, and remaining 1/4 cup oil. Process until smooth and silky, 1 to 2 minutes, adding up to remaining 1/2 cup water, 2 tablespoons at a time, to thin mixture to a pourable consistency.

Season with salt to taste.

6. Arrange pita chips on a large platter, and drizzle with 1 cup feta queso. Using a slotted spoon, add 2 cups lentil chili to center of pita chips. Drain pickled cabbage in a fine wire-mesh strainer, and season with salt, if desired. Pile cabbage on top of lentil chili, and top with labneh. Garnish with feta, cilantro, and Aleppo. Serve with remaining feta queso. —CASSIE PIUMA, SARMA, SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS MAKE AHEAD Pickled cabbage and feta

queso can be stored in airtight containers in refrigerator up to 2 days; pita chips can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 days. Reheat feta queso in a small saucepan over low heat.

WINE Earthy, spicy Rhône-style red: 2018

Dirty & Rowdy California Familiar Mourvèdre

PHOTOGRAPHY: VICTOR PROTASIO

LENTIL CHILI

Know Your Lentils Quick-cooking lentils add flavor, fiber, and protein to plant-based plates—and come in a rainbow of different varieties.

GREEN LENTILS If you’re looking for al dente texture, go green. Writer Hetal Vasavada loves seasoning them with salt and pepper before baking them at 350°F for 10 to 15 minutes for a crunchy snack, but they can also add texture to vegetarian chilis and salads.

RED LENTILS Cassie Piuma reaches for red lentils as a base for kibbeh, but she’s especially fond of them for sauces.

“They disintegrate before you blink and get really soft into what you’re cooking, and that’s good for a creamy, rich sauce,” she says.

BLACK LENTILS Piuma uses black lentils for their hefty texture.

“Black lentils give you the satisfaction of a meaty, rich bowl of chili,” she says. They maintain their integrity and texture while cooking, managing to stay whole after simmering in a spiced broth.

BROWN LENTILS Chef Isa Chandra Moskowitz feels that brown lentils hit that “sweet spot of texture” between red and green.

Choose these when making a simple dal, or take a page out of Vasavada’s book and use them in soups.

VEG OUT!

2 medium garlic cloves 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar 1 tsp. garam masala 1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste 1/2

tsp. black pepper, plus more to taste

3/4

tsp. ground cumin, divided

3/4

tsp. ground coriander, divided

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro, plus cilantro leaves, for garnish

68

AUGUST 2021

When tomatoes are at their best, take a cue from Hetal Vasavada and don’t cook them at all. “In the summer, Indian families often make kachumber salad. It’s basically an Indian pico de gallo situation, minus the cilantro,” says Vasavada. “My husband loves gazpacho—he’s the kind of person who drinks salsa from the jar—so I thought this would be a nice, cool summer dish.”

Kachumber Gazpacho ACTIVE 25 MIN; TOTAL 1 HR 25 MIN SERVES 4 TO 6

Hetal Vasavada channeled her love of kachumber, a cucumber-based Indian salad, to inspire this riff on the classic chilled soup. Warm spices and a hint of chile add flavor and heat without overwhelming the tomatoes; sev, a crispy chickpea noodle snack, adds a pleasant crunch.

2 lb. heirloom tomatoes (about 5 medium), cored 1 small cucumber, peeled and seeded 1 small red onion 1 small red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and roughly chopped (about 1 cup) 1 (3/4 -inch-thick) sourdough bread slice (about 2 oz.), roughly torn (about 1 cup) 1/4

cup olive oil

1/4

cup water, plus more as needed

1/4

cup plus 1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice, divided

1 medium-size fresh serrano chile, stemmed, seeded (if desired), and roughly chopped (about 2 Tbsp.)

tsp. Kashmiri chile powder, or more to taste

1/4

tsp. chaat masala (optional)

1/4

cup sev (crispy chickpea noodles) (3/4 oz.)

1. Finely chop just enough tomatoes, cucumber, and onion to yield 1/4 cup of each; set remaining tomatoes, cucumber, and onion aside. Rinse finely chopped onion under cold water 5 seconds; drain well. Stir together finely chopped onion, tomatoes, and cucumber in a small bowl.

Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 12 hours.

2. Chop remaining tomatoes, cucumber, and onion into 2-inch pieces. Rinse onion pieces under cold water 10 seconds; drain well. Place onion, tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, bread, olive oil, 1/4 cup water, 1/4 cup lime juice, serrano chile, garlic, vinegar, garam masala, salt, black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, and 1/2 teaspoon coriander in a large (at least 8-cup) blender.

Process until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Season with additional salt and black pepper to taste. Chill, covered, until cold, at least 1 hour or up to 12 hours.

3. When ready to serve, add chopped cilantro, Kashmiri chile powder, chaat masala (if using), remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice, remaining 1/4 teaspoon cumin, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon coriander to reserved bowl of chopped vegetables; stir to combine. Season with salt to taste.

4. Remove gazpacho from refrigerator; thin with water if needed to reach desired consistency. Season with additional salt and black pepper to taste. Divide soup evenly among bowls. Top evenly with chopped vegetable mixture and sev; garnish with cilantro leaves. —HETAL VASAVADA, MILK & CARDAMOM MAKE AHEAD Gazpacho can be stored in

an airtight container in refrigerator up to 2 days.

WINE Lightly citrusy Provençal rosé: 2020

Commanderie de la Bargemone NOTE Sev may be purchased at South

Asian markets or online at subziwalla.com.

PHOTOGRAPHY: VICTOR PROTASIO

THE SPICE GIRL

HETAL VASAVADA Cookbook Author Belmont, California

1/4

VEG OUT!

How to Cook with PlantBased Meats TOTAL 30 MIN; SERVES 4

THE HOT MESS

Plant-based meat gets piled into toasted rolls with tender peppers, onions, and gooey pools of vegan cheese in this satisfying sub. Slutty Vegan’s signature seasoning blend is available online, or substitute regular seasoned salt.

1 1/2 lb. plant-based ground meat (such as Impossible or Beyond Beef)

1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced (about 2 cups) 6 (3/4 -oz.) vegan American cheese slices (such as Follow Your Heart or Daiya Foods)

DON’T BE AFRAID TO REALLY SEAR IT

1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. all-purpose seasoning blend (such as Slutty Vegan Slut Dust) 1 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil

6 (3/4 -oz.) vegan provolone cheese slices (such as Follow Your Heart or Daiya Foods) 1 Tbsp. water

Grab a handful of napkins and get ready to use them!

This gloriously sloppy sub is the brainchild of Pinky Cole, founder of the popular Atlanta-based Slutty Vegan, and Derrick Hayes, Philly native and founder of Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks. “I started Slutty Vegan because I have friends who eat meat, and I wanted to introduce them to this lifestyle that I love,” says Cole, who has risen to fame for her over-the-top, meatless renditions of classic American diner staples. Her Dinkies Cheezesteak, a plant-based version of Hayes’ meat-packed hoagie, is only available at Dinkies, the pair’s new vegan restaurant located in Atlanta’s Ponce City Market.

70

AUGUST 2021

DON’T OVERCOOK IT Plant-based meat, while intended to be sensorially indistinguishable from actual meat, is a combination of ingredients that cook quickly and can dry out. Most brands can be prepared just like their meat counterparts, but follow package directions and keep an eye out for overcooking.

1 medium-size green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and thinly sliced (about 2 cups)

DERRICK HAYES & PINKY COLE Co-owners Dinkies, Atlanta

Most plant-based meat at the grocery store is ground, ideal for the Dinkies Cheezesteak, “meaty” sauces, and sautés. While every brand has cooking instructions on the packaging, these are a few good rules of thumb to keep in mind as you cook.

6 Tbsp. vegan mayonnaise (such as Follow Your Heart) 4 (8-inch-long) vegan sub rolls, split horizontally and toasted 1. Using your hands, mix plant-based meat and seasoning blend in a medium bowl until well combined. Set aside.

2. Heat oil in a large skillet over mediumhigh. Add bell pepper, onion, and plantbased meat mixture; cook, stirring often to break mixture into small pieces, until bell pepper and onion are tender, plantbased meat is browned, and no liquid remains in skillet, 12 to 16 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Spread mixture in an even layer in skillet, and top evenly with vegan cheese slices. Drizzle 1 tablespoon water around edge of skillet.

Cover and cook until cheese is melted, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat.

3. Spread 1 1/2 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise over cut sides of each sub roll. Fill rolls evenly with plant-based meat mixture. Serve immediately. —PINKY COLE AND DERRICK HAYES, DINKIES, ATLANTA WINE Juicy, full-bodied Zinfandel: 2018

Marietta Cellars Román NOTE Slut Dust seasoning blend is

available online at sluttyvegan.shop.

While you don’t want to overcook plant-based meat, it’s still worth giving your patties a nice sear. To ensure a crust forms without sticking, start with a preheated pan or grill.

“Oiling the grill really well helps the meat release from the grates,” says F&W Recipe Developer John Somerall.

Because plant-based meat is typically made of legumes and plant starch, it can feel stickier before cooking. Use a metal spatula to flip plantbased patties; most plastic spatulas won’t have the sharp edge you’ll need.

DO SEASON AS USUAL Check the package to see if your plant-based meat is pre-seasoned, which is often the case with patties, sausages, and crumbles. If the meat is unseasoned, reach for the same ratios and types of seasonings that you’d typically use to season ground meat. When making tried-and-true recipes like meatballs, use the same amount of eggs or breadcrumbs for the most tender (and juicy!) results.

— M A RY- F R A N C E S H EC K

PHOTOGRAPHY: CAITLIN BENSEL

Dinkies Cheezesteak

Nuts and Bolts Seeds and nuts bolster meatless dishes by adding texture and heft. Here’s how to use them to power up your plant-based cooking.

PEPITAS Isa Chandra Moskowitz strongly believes that pepitas, an affordable alternative to pine nuts, are underutilized. “They bring a really interesting umami flavor that isn’t bitter but really bright and earthy, with a pretty color.” When making vegan Parmesan, she uses pepitas for crunch and texture, and she also reaches for them in her homemade vegan chorizo.

CASHEWS The neutral, creamy flavor cashews add when blended is unparalleled. “[Cashew] mozzarella also melts really nicely, and it’s a generally accessible ingredient,” Moskowitz says. “Miyoko’s Creamery mozzarella, for example, is cashew-based and so great.”

WALNUTS Jocelyn Ramirez loves to use walnuts as a faux-meat base in albondigas. “Walnuts have this inherent depth of flavor,” she says. In her meatballs, the ground walnuts play especially well with sun-dried tomatoes, liquid aminos, and nutritional yeast.

THE PLANT ISSUE

THE show-off 2/3

cup walnuts (about 2 1/4 oz.), finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped (about 4 tsp.)

2 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary 2 tsp. finely chopped fresh thyme

ISA CHANDRA MOSKOWITZ Chef and Owner Modern Love, New York City

From hosting a community access cooking show to authoring cookbooks on vegan cooking, Isa Chandra Moskowitz is one of the coolest people in plant-based food. Her New York restaurant, Modern Love, showcases beautiful vegan comfort dishes. Her eggplant braciola— with jammy, umami-laden eggplant encasing a filling of lentils, walnuts, and spinach and served in a pool of marinara with islands of vegan ricotta— embodies her ethos perfectly.

Eggplant Braciola ACTIVE 45 MIN; TOTAL 2 HR 25 MIN SERVES 4

PHOTOGRAPHY: CAITLIN BENSEL

Planks of tamari-roasted eggplant encase a savory blend of mushrooms, walnuts, and lentils in this vegan take on the Italian classic that typically involves thinly sliced meat wrapped around a cheesy filling. While the eggplant roasts meltingly tender, the filling retains a meaty and satisfying bite.

2 large Italian eggplants (about 1 lb. each) 3 Tbsp. tamari 6 Tbsp. olive oil, divided 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1 1/3 cups) 3/4

tsp. kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste

1/2

tsp. finely chopped fresh oregano

1/2

tsp. black pepper, plus more to taste

1/4

tsp. crushed red pepper, plus more for garnish

5 oz. fresh cremini mushrooms, finely chopped (about 1 3/4 cups) 1/3

cup (2 2/3 oz.) dry red wine

2/3

cup canned brown or green lentils (about 3 1/2 oz.), rinsed

2 1/4 cups marinara sauce, divided 1 cup packed fresh spinach (about 2 oz.), roughly chopped 1/2

cup vegan ricotta cheese (such as Kite Hill Almond Milk Ricotta Alternative), for serving Fresh basil leaves, for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Trim and discard stem and base ends from eggplant.

Stand 1 eggplant upright on cutting board. Trim about 1/4 inch off the right and left sides; discard trimmed pieces. Cut eggplant lengthwise into 4 (1/2- to 3/4-inchthick) planks. (Each plank should have skin on two long sides.) Repeat process with remaining eggplant. Brush eggplant planks evenly with tamari and 3 tablespoons oil.

2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. On one half of baking sheet, shingle 4 eggplant planks lengthwise, overlapping by about 1 inch and alternating direction of stem ends to create a mostly square shape. Repeat with remaining eggplant planks on opposite side of baking sheet.

3. Roast in preheated oven until eggplant is mostly tender and lightly browned, 35 to 45 minutes. Using a flexible spatula, firmly press each eggplant slab to compress layers. Let cool on baking sheet about 15 minutes. (Do not turn oven off.) Using a spatula, carefully flip each eggplant slab, repositioning slices back into place, if needed. Press again to flatten. Return to oven, and roast at 350°F until very tender

but not falling apart, 25 to 35 minutes. Let cool completely on baking sheet, about 30 minutes. (Do not turn oven off.)

4. While eggplant is roasting, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium.

Add onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring often, until softened and translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in walnuts, garlic, rosemary, thyme, oregano, black pepper, and crushed red pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring often, until tender and lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Add wine; cook, stirring occasionally and scraping bottom of skillet, until liquid is completely reduced, about 2 minutes.

Add lentils and 1/4 cup marinara; cook, stirring constantly and mashing lentils using back of spoon, until mixture is well combined, about 3 minutes. Add spinach; cook, stirring constantly, until just wilted, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Let cool completely, about 30 minutes. Season with additional salt and black pepper to taste. Set aside at room temperature.

5. Line another rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay 4 (12-inch) pieces of kitchen twine lengthwise on pan, spacing 1 1/2 inches apart. Place 1 eggplant slab lengthwise over strings, leaving about 1 inch of strings exposed on one side.

Repeat with remaining eggplant slab, overlapping first eggplant slab in center by about 1 inch, to create 1 rectangular (about 10- x 8-inch) slab of eggplant, leaving at least 1 inch of strings exposed on opposite end. Press with spatula to flatten. Spread mushroom-lentil mixture evenly over eggplant, leaving a 2-inch border on the right edge. Starting from the left edge, carefully roll the eggplant into a tight roll. Tie roll with twine to secure.

Brush top of roll with remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Roast at 350°F until lightly browned and heated through, 20 to 30 minutes.

6. Heat remaining 2 cups marinara in a small saucepan over medium, stirring often, until hot, about 3 minutes. Spread marinara on a serving platter; top with eggplant braciola. Dollop ricotta onto marinara. Garnish with basil leaves and crushed red pepper. —ISA CHANDRA MOSKOWITZ, MODERN LOVE, NEW YORK MAKE AHEAD Filling can be stored in an

airtight container in refrigerator up to 2 days; let come to room temperature before using. Braciola can be assembled 1 day ahead; cover tightly with plastic wrap, and store in the refrigerator. Let come to room temperature before baking.

WINE Brambly, dark-berried, Cal-Ital red:

2018 Ferrari-Carano Siena

AUGUST 2021

73

VEG OUT!

ACTIVE 25 MIN; TOTAL 1 HR SERVES 4

Drizzled with a basil-laden chermoula, spicy honey-glazed carrots make a standout topping for ricotta-smeared flatbread.

Use leftover chermoula to top sliced tomatoes, grilled eggplant, or tofu.

BASIL CHERMOULA

2 qt. plus up to 3 Tbsp. water, divided

SUZANNE CUPPS Chef New York City

“Whenever I say I love carrots, people shrug, so I enjoy using this unassuming staple to make them stop in their tracks,” says vegetable magician and Gramercy Tavern alumna Suzanne Cupps. As the former chef of 232 Bleecker, Cupps served these silky, sweet carrots in agnolotti with smoked ricotta or solo as a satisfying side dish; here, she gives them the main-dish treatment, serving them atop ricotta-smeared flatbread with a drizzle of bright basil chermoula.

2 Tbsp. plus 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste 1 bunch scallions 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves 2 Tbsp. grapeseed oil 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice 1 tsp. cumin seeds, toasted 1 tsp. coriander seeds, toasted CARROTS

1 1/2 lb. medium-size multicolored carrots, cut diagonally into 1-inchthick pieces 2 Tbsp. olive oil 1 tsp. kosher salt 1/4

cup honey

1/2

tsp. Espelette pepper or Cobanero chile flakes, or more to taste

ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS

1 1/3 cups ricotta cheese, at room temperature

2. Place scallion mixture, grapeseed oil, lemon juice, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt in a blender. Process until smooth, about 45 seconds, adding up to remaining 3 tablespoons water, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, as needed to reach desired consistency. Season with additional salt to taste.

3. Make the carrots: Preheat oven to 425°F. Toss together carrots, olive oil, and kosher salt on a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast until almost tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Drizzle carrots with honey, and sprinkle with Espelette; toss to coat. Roast at 425°F until carrots are tender and glazed, 8 to 12 minutes, stirring every 4 minutes.

4. Spread ricotta evenly over naan, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Top evenly with carrots and any remaining honey mixture from baking sheet. Drizzle each flatbread with about 1 tablespoon chermoula; reserve remaining chermoula for another use.

Garnish with sea salt, lemon zest, and black pepper. —SUZANNE CUPPS, NEW YORK MAKE AHEAD Chermoula can be refriger-

4 (about 8- x 6-inch) naan, warmed

ated in an airtight container up to 2 days.

Flaky sea salt, grated lemon zest, and black pepper, for garnish

WINE Lightly off-dry white: 2019 Loosen

Bros. Dr. L Riesling

THE UNDERDOG 74

AUGUST 2021

PHOTOGRAPHY: VICTOR PROTASIO

Hot Honey–Carrot Flatbreads with Basil Chermoula

1. Make the basil chermoula: Bring 2 quarts water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high. Stir in 2 tablespoons kosher salt. Slice white and light green parts of scallions into 1/2-inch pieces.

Slice dark green parts of scallions into 1-inch pieces. Fill a medium bowl with ice water; set aside. Add all sliced scallions to boiling water; cook, stirring occasionally, 30 seconds. Add basil; cook 10 seconds.

Drain and immediately transfer mixture to ice bath. Let stand 2 minutes. Drain well.

FOOD & WINE

MEDIUM-FIRM TOFU P. 79

SILKEN TOFU P. 81

HONG FU RU P. 79 This pungent fermented tofu is deep red from the addition of fermented red rice yeast to the brining liquid. It also comes in a white version, called fu ru. (shown at right).

DRIED TOFU SKIN P. 78 When it’s dried, tender tofu skin (doufu pi in Mandarin, yuba in Japanese) becomes earthy and chewy. It’s sold in many shapes and is hardy enough to withstand braises, bold sauces, and stir-fries.

t

TO F U PU D D I N G

Gently coagulated and never pressed, jiggly tofu pudding can be found in quart-size yogurt-tub packaging in the refrigerated section of Asian grocery stores. Tofu pudding has a mild, nutty sweetness; enjoy it warm with sweet or savory toppings.

TOFU N OO D LES

Firmly pressed tofu that’s cut into strands, tofu noodles are springy, stretchy, and chewy; look for them in vacuum-sealed packages at Chinese or Taiwanese grocery stores. Prepare them by draining, blanching, and seasoning. Let them chill, and enjoy them tossed with crisp vegetables for a cold summertime salad.

TOFU PUFFS

Craveable, fatty, and spongy, tofu puffs often come as chunky squares and slices. They absorb flavors well and are good for stuffing. Japanese inari sushi is encased by square slices of seasoned tofu puffs called aburaage.

76

AUGUST 2021

IS

p l THE an SU t E FRESH TOFU SKIN

Fresh tofu skin is precious, so treat it simply. Slice sheets into “noodles” and simmer in broth to enjoy its silkiness. In Japan, where it’s known as yuba, it may be eaten like sashimi.

O K ARA If you have a local tofu producer, your Asian grocery may carry this soybean pulp, the leftovers of tofu production. A stellar binder and partial egg replacement, it can be baked into cookies and quick breads.

fu an a!

FU RU P. 79

D OU FU GAN Doufu gan literally means “dry tofu” in Mandarin. Dense and hearty, it is available as unadorned white slabs or brown ones seasoned with Chinese five-spice powder and soy sauce. Enjoy it in speedy stir-fries or sliced for sandwiches.

Crispy, chewy, stretchy, squeaky, crumbly, spongy, and silky, tofu is the ultimate shape-shifter.

STORY AND RECIPES BY PHOTOGRAPHY BY

A N TA R A S I N H A

V I C T O R P R O TA S I O

I

EXTRA-FIRM TOFU P. 80

nvented in China roughly 2,000 years ago, tofu has been embraced by cultures across Asia and beyond, taking on new forms and flavors along the way. To make tofu, dried soybeans are soaked and then ground and filtered into soy milk. Coagulants cause the soy milk to form curds of plant-powered protein that are turned into different kinds of tofu. The protein-and-water matrix can be endlessly manipulated for a range of textures, amenable to soaking up the flavor of anything you throw at it. “Even though many people think that tofu is super bland, it’s a mighty little ingredient,” says tofu expert and cookbook author Andrea Nguyen, who shared her favorite types of tofu, shown here. If you’re lucky enough to find fresh tofu, try simpler preparations that let its custardy sweetness shine. And don’t dismiss your basic supermarket soft, medium-firm, and firm tofus—they can play a starring role in every meal of the day, from a crispy sandwich (see p. 80) to a delectably chewy doughnut (p. 81).

AUGUST 2021

77

TOFU

TO F U S K I N

Nutty-tasting tofu skin forms on top of freshly made soy milk, similar to the skin that forms over heated whole milk. This layer is carefully skimmed off the top of heated soy milk and eaten fresh, or it’s hung on lines to dry into sheets, which can then be scrunched and twisted into sticks. The fresher the tofu skin, the silkier and milder it is. Dried tofu skin sheets can be simmered or soaked to soften or rehydrate.

They make great wraps and are a versatile addition to soups and stir-fries, mimicking the texture of shredded meat.

tofu skin Stir-Fry ACTIVE 30 MIN; TOTAL 35 MIN SERVES 2

After stir-frying, rehydrated tofu skin turns golden brown with a toothsome chewiness, absorbing umami-rich chile oil and soy sauce in this quick and easy stir-fry.

2 1/2 oz. dried tofu skin sticks, broken into 3-inch pieces 2 Tbsp. lower-sodium soy sauce 1 1/2 Tbsp. rice vinegar 1 1/2 Tbsp. well-stirred fried chile in oil (such as Lao Gan Ma) 1 Tbsp. mirin 2 tsp. granulated sugar 2 Tbsp. neutral oil (such as canola), divided 1 medium-size red bell pepper, thinly sliced (about 1 cup) Cooked white rice, for serving Thinly sliced scallions and chopped cucumber, for garnish

78

AUGUST 2021

1. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil over high.

Remove from heat. Add dried tofu skin sticks; place an inverted heatproof lid on top of tofu sticks to keep them submerged. Let stand until tofu sticks are very pliable and soft, 10 to 15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, stir together soy sauce, vinegar, fried chile in oil, mirin, and sugar in a small bowl until sugar dissolves. Set aside.

3. Drain tofu sticks, and gently pat dry. Heat 11/2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high; swirl to coat.

Add bell pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until crisptender, about 3 minutes.

Transfer bell pepper to a small bowl. Add remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil to skillet over medium-high.

Add tofu sticks; cook, turning occasionally, until light golden, about 6 minutes.

4. Add soy sauce mixture and bell pepper to tofu sticks in skillet; cook over mediumhigh, stirring often, until tofu sticks absorb soy sauce mixture, 4 to 6 minutes. Serve over cooked rice, and garnish with scallions and cucumber.

WINE Light-bodied California

red: 2019 Field Recordings Freddo Sangiovese NOTE Find dried tofu skin

sticks (aka bean curd sticks) at Chinese markets or online at asianmart.com.

QUICK BITES Roll it: Use rehydrated tofu skin sheets as wraps for crisp vegetables and herbs, and serve with a peanut dipping sauce.

Toss it: Slice fresh tofu skin into ribbons, and toss with scallions, chile oil, sautéed vegetables, and soy sauce for a cold “noodle” salad.

THE PLANT ISSUE

M E DI U M - F I R M TO FU

Medium-firm tofu can vary greatly in texture, depending on the manufacturer. It’s usually sliceable but can be tricky to crisp up due to its relatively high water content. Tender yet stable, medium-firm tofu is ideal for gently cooked stews and saucy preparations where it can be simmered without breaking down completely or where it can be mashed and crumbled for a vegan egg alternative, as with this tender Tofu Bhurji, a riff on anda bhurji, an Indian scrambled egg dish.

about 2 minutes. Stir in turmeric, black pepper, and kala namak until combined. Add tofu and kosher salt; gently fold into tomato mixture until tofu turns light yellow. Cook, stirring occasionally and being careful not to overwork, until liquid has slightly evaporated, about 7 minutes. Stir in cilantro. Serve over toast with lime wedges.

NOTE Look for kala namak

Tofu Bhurji TOTAL 40 MIN; SERVES 2 TO 4

Medium-firm tofu has just enough moisture to crumble into a scrambled egg–like texture in this breakfast dish inspired by Indian anda bhurji.

Slightly pink in color, the kala namak (black salt) adds eggy, sulfurous flavors to this dish.

1 (19-oz.) pkg. mediumfirm tofu, drained 2 Tbsp. neutral oil (such as canola) 1 tsp. cumin seeds 1 small red onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup) 1 small fresh Thai chile, unseeded and finely chopped (about 1/2 tsp.)

1/4

cup chopped fresh cilantro

(black salt) at South Asian grocery stores or online at desiclik.com.

Lime wedges and buttered toast, for serving 1. Place tofu in a medium bowl.

Using a fork or your hands, crumble tofu into small pieces and curds, being careful not to over-mash. Set aside.

2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add cumin seeds; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add onion and chile; cook, stirring often, until mixture is softened and onion is golden brown around edges, about 6 minutes. Add tomato, garlic, and ginger; cook, stirring often, until tomato breaks down into a chunky paste,

QUICK BITES Top it: To make hiyayakko, a Japanese tofu dish, top a block of cold medium-firm tofu with fried garlic, scallions, dried wakame, sesame seeds, and soy sauce.

Mash it: Mash medium-firm tofu; season with salt, pepper, herbs, and lemon for a dairy-free ricotta substitute to layer into lasagna.

FE RM EN TE D TO FU Packed in jars with brine, Chinese fermented tofu (known as fu ru or jiang doufu) is excitingly potent; the dicesize cubes are capable of disappearing into your dish like a stealthy magic weapon.

Growing up, a jar was always in the back of the refrigerator.

Fu ru comes in a few varieties, one of which (hong fu ru) has deep-red brining liquid from the addition of fermented red rice yeast. This is the kind of fermented tofu that my dad would pull out a couple times a year to add to the braising liquid in a Cantonese-style ngau nam, a stew made from outside beef flank, the tough cut turning deliciously, meltingly tender. The jar of off-white fu ru, swimming in a brine seasoned with sesame oil and sometimes chile flakes, was my mother’s. It was sometimes included in a battalion of condiments to serve with a bowl of morning rice porridge, a typical breakfast in her native Taiwan.

The cubes are creamy and spreadable, with a salty, funky taste that may draw comparisons to feta or blue cheese.

Use them to season a simple sautéed green vegetable; the fu ru dissolves in water that’s added to the greens as they wilt and turns the liquid a cloudy jade-green. While fu ru can be eaten straight up from the jar, this flavor powerhouse also makes a great addition to sauces and dips.

—CATHY ERWAY

1 small tomato, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)

FOOD STYLING: CHELSEA ZIMMER; PROP STYLING: LYDIA PURSELL

1 garlic clove, finely chopped (about 1 tsp.)

1 (1/2 -inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated (about 1/4 tsp.)

1/2

tsp. ground turmeric

1/4

tsp. black pepper

1/4

tsp. kala namak (black salt)

3/4

tsp. kosher salt

AUGUST 2021

79

TOFU

EXTRA- F I R M TO F U

To make extra-firm tofu, soy-milk curds are pressed to expel as much moisture as possible. While there is variability among brands, this will be among the densest tofu in the refrigerated section, along with superfirm tofu. Uncooked, it has a squeakiness reminiscent of fresh cheese. Crisped in the oven or pan-fried, it’s a great addition to soups, stir-fries, and this sandwich that gives fried fish sandwiches a run for their money.

Crispy Fried Tofu Sandwich TOTAL 40 MIN, PLUS 12 HR FREEZING AND 12 HR THAWING; SERVES 4

Freezing and thawing extrafirm tofu and then wringing out its moisture makes the slabs more porous and receptive to the tangy pickle juice marinade in this craveworthy sandwich.

1 (14-oz.) pkg. extra-firm tofu, drained 1 1/2 cups dill pickle juice 1 Tbsp. hot sauce (such as Frank’s RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce), plus more for serving 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard 1/3

cup all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 oz.)

1/4

cup cornstarch

1/2

tsp. black pepper

1/2

tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste

1/2

tsp. paprika

1/2

tsp. garlic powder

1/2

tsp. crushed red pepper Neutral oil (such as canola), for frying Toasted hamburger buns, spicy mayonnaise, pickles, and shredded green cabbage, for serving

1. Cut tofu slab in half horizontally to split. Cut each piece in half crosswise to make 4 (2 1/4x 31/4- x 3/4-inch) slabs. Place tofu slabs in an even layer in an airtight container. Cover and freeze 12 hours. Transfer tofu to refrigerator, and let thaw 12

80

AUGUST 2021

hours. Wrap tofu slabs in a clean kitchen towel, and press down on tofu to remove any excess liquid. Pour pickle juice into a shallow dish. Add tofu slabs, and let soak 10 minutes, flipping tofu slabs once after 5 minutes.

2. Stir together hot sauce and mustard in a small bowl; set aside. Stir together flour, cornstarch, black pepper, salt, paprika, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper in a separate shallow bowl. Pour oil into a large, heavy skillet to a depth of 1/4 inch; heat oil over medium-high until oil is gently rippling or reaches 350°F. 3. Remove tofu from pickle juice, and pat dry; discard pickle juice. Working with 1 tofu slab at a time, dredge

tofu in flour mixture, gently pressing to adhere. Tap tofu against bowl to shake off excess; transfer to a plate.

4. Working with 1 floured tofu slab at a time, lightly brush hot sauce mixture all over tofu. Re-dredge tofu in flour mixture, gently pressing to adhere. Tap tofu against bowl to shake off excess; transfer to a plate.

5. Carefully add tofu slabs to hot oil; fry until crispy and golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes, using tongs to flip tofu halfway through cook time.

Remove fried tofu from skillet, and place on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet.

Immediately sprinkle tofu with salt to taste.

6. Serve tofu on hamburger buns with spicy mayonnaise, pickles, cabbage, and hot sauce.

WINE Fresh, peppery Austrian

white: 2020 Domäne Wachau Grüner Veltliner Federspiel Terrassen NOTE A standard 32-ounce

jar of dill pickles, such as Mt. Olive Hamburger Dill Chips, should yield roughly 1 1/2 cups dill pickle juice.

QUICK BITES Wrap it: Grate extra-firm tofu and mix with shredded cabbage, gochujang, ginger, and soy sauce.

Wrap in premade dumpling wrappers, and steam or pan-fry.

Press it: Press extra-firm tofu in a tofu press; cube, pan-fry, and use in place of paneer in recipes such as saag paneer or matar paneer.

PRESS FOR SUCCESS When it comes to stir-fries and similar dishes, the crispier the tofu, the better. And what is antithetical to crispiness? Water. Tofu, especially the grocery store variety, is filled with it. One of the best ways to quickly get rid of the water? Press the tofu. There are many tofu presses on the market, but the EZ Tofu Press ($22, eztofupress.com) is the simplest and most versatile.

It’s essentially two slabs of food-grade plastic held together with bolts and grommets, which you tighten for 10 to 15 minutes, compacting the tofu to half its original height. The result is tofu that is denser and less crumbly, meaning it cuts neatly and has a crispier end result when pan-fried. Having a press in your arsenal is one of the cheapest ways to transform tofu from good to great.

—KHUS HBU S HAH

S I L KE N TO F U

Silken tofu has the highest moisture content of this bunch. It is unpressed and made from coagulated extra-rich soy milk left to set so it becomes scoopable, custard-like, and jiggly. It shines in savory preparations, like yudofu, a Japanese dish of tofu simmered in dashi, but it’s a knockout in sweet recipes, like these springy, strawberry- or lemonflavored Pon de Ring.

Pon de Ring (Mochi-Tofu Doughnuts) TOTAL 45 MIN; SERVES 8

Silken tofu gives these doughnuts a chewy, springy texture, playing the role of both dairy and eggs. Mochiko (sweet glutinous rice flour) helps the doughnuts get an airy, crispy crust. To make your own strawberry powder, pulse freeze-dried strawberries in a food processor until finely ground. For a lemony flavor variation, see below.

1 lb. silken tofu, drained 1

1/3

cups mochiko (sweet glutinous rice flour) (such as Koda Farms) (about 6 1/8 oz.)

1 1/3 cups bleached cake flour (about 5 oz.)

1/4

cup plus 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar

1/4

cup freeze-dried strawberry powder (such as Nature Restore), divided

1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. baking powder 1/4

tsp. fine sea salt Neutral cooking oil (such as peanut oil), for frying

1 cup powdered sugar (about 4 oz.)

5 to 8 tsp. whole milk (or plant-based alternative), divided

1. Using the back of a spoon, press drained tofu through a fine wire-mesh strainer set over a medium bowl. Add mochiko, cake flour, sugar, 3 tablespoons strawberry powder, baking powder, and salt.

Stir until mixture is smooth and well combined, about 1 minute. (Dough will look dry and crumbly at first, but tofu will hydrate mixture, allowing it to come together into a ball.)

2. Pour oil into a large Dutch oven to a depth of 2 inches; heat over medium to 350°F. Meanwhile, cut 8 (5-inch) squares of parchment paper; set aside. Divide dough evenly into 8 pieces (about 31/2 ounces each). Cover with a damp paper towel to prevent drying. Working with 1 dough piece at a time and keeping remaining pieces covered, divide dough piece evenly into 7 pieces (about 1/2 ounce each). Roll each piece into a ball, and arrange balls in a 3-inch ring on 1 prepared parchment square, ensuring adjacent balls are touching so that the ring holds together

QUICK BITES Slice it: Slice or scoop cold silken tofu onto sliced tomatoes, and top with fresh basil and balsamic vinegar for a vegan take on caprese salad.

Drizzle it: To make taho, a sweet Filipino snack, drizzle brown sugar syrup over gently warmed silken tofu, and top it with pearls of sago or tapioca.

while frying. If dough is sticky, lightly moisten hands with water. Re-cover assembled ring. Repeat process with remaining dough pieces and parchment squares.

3. Carefully place 2 doughnuts with parchment paper squares in preheated oil in Dutch oven. Fry until golden brown and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes, flipping doughnuts halfway through cook time and removing parchment paper using tongs. Using a spider, transfer doughnuts to a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Repeat frying process with remaining doughnuts, returning oil to 350°F in between batches.

4. Whisk together powdered sugar and remaining 1 tablespoon strawberry powder in a medium bowl. Add 5 teaspoons milk; whisk until smooth. Whisk in remaining 3 teaspoons milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, to thin glaze to desired consistency.

5. Dip 1 side of each doughnut into glaze. Let stand until glaze hardens, about 5 minutes.

Doughnuts are best served immediately, but will hold at room temperature up to 4 hours. Doughnuts will become bouncier as they cool.

VARIATION To make lemon

doughnuts: Omit strawberry powder in dough. Add 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest and an additional 3 tablespoons cake flour. For the glaze, omit strawberry powder and use lemon juice instead of milk, starting with 1 tablespoon and adding an additional 1/2 teaspoon at a time to reach desired consistency.

Garnish with lemon zest.

NOTE Find mochiko at East

and Southeast Asian markets or online at asianmart.com.

AUGUST 2021

81

k Coo ,

d G ar e ne

r

Gua dia

FROM HER KITCHEN IN MICHOACÁN, IMELDA CAMPOS SEBASTIÁN PROPAGATES THE CUISINE OF THE INDIGENOUS PURHÉPECHA COMMUNITY—AND MAKES SOME OF THE MOST DELICIOUS FOOD IN MEXICO. TH

E

nt a l p E ISSU

r,

a

n

BY

Michael Snyder PH OTOG RA PHY BY

felipe luna AUGUST 2021

83

ve r y WEEK,

IMELDA

CAMPOS

SEBASTIÁN

walks a mile from her pine cabin on the rocky northern slope of the Cerro San Marcos and down into the center of Cherán, an Indigenous Purhépecha community in the west-central state of Michoacán in Mexico, to broadcast her radio show “El arte del bienvivir”—The Art of Living Well. For an hour, she shares her generational knowledge of traditional medicine and foodways over the airwaves of Radio Fogata, 101.7 FM: the utility of sorrel for detoxifying the liver, how fava beans can strengthen the joints, the lujo (luxury, a favorite word, usually uttered with a smile that reads as a wink) of a simple soup jeweled with chard and carrots, a pale green chile güero as its solitaire.

Barely five feet tall with long, graystreaked plaits and fingers gnarled from decades grinding masa on her centuryold metate, doña Mela, as everyone in Cherán calls Sebastián, moves through town with a hunched yet regal bearing.

The unofficial guardian of her community’s culinary and cultural traditions— practices that, until a decade ago, were on the verge of annihilation—she presides from her wooden cabin on the Cerro San Marcos, where I’ve eaten some of the finest food I’ve encountered in five years living in Mexico.

“I wouldn’t call myself important,” she told me on a chill autumn morning last November as she ground sesame seeds, peanuts, and pepitas for the

84

AUGUST 2021

pipián that we would eat that day for lunch, warm and soothing as embers.

She cocked her head back and squinted up her nose, a habitual look of authority and wit, somehow both affectionate and remote, that undermined completely the words she’d just spoken. “I would say I’m original. I own my roots.”

Since 2011, Cherán has been famous throughout Mexico for defending those roots. In April of that year, after years of violent incursions by illegal loggers armed by drug cartels that hoped to clear the native forests for lucrative avocado plantations, the people of Cherán mounted an uprising. In the course of a single day, the community, led by a group of older women, drove the loggers and criminal informants—and the politicians and police who had aided and abetted them—out of their community. Immediately after, they lit 189 bonfires, one for nearly every corner in town. At first, the bonfires (the fogatas

Rebeca Cucue Campos, 39, is the second-oldest of doña Mela’s seven children—all of whom, doña Mela says, are excellent cooks—and the oldest daughter.

Since the uprising, she has run a series of workshops for women suffering from domestic abuse.

that gave the community radio station its name) served as protection against possible retaliation. Over the next nine months, they became spaces where people gathered to share stories and food and their vision for the future.

Doña Mela spent those months circulating among the bonfires, sharing recipes that many of her peers hadn’t eaten since childhood and many young people had never tried at all. Smaller communities in the surrounding countryside had preserved their ancestral

language and foodways, culinary and linguistic traditions with roots in an Indigenous empire that had resisted domination by the neighboring Aztecs for centuries before nearly being wiped out by Spanish invaders in the 16th century. Yet in Cherán, centuries of federal policies designed to assimilate or destroy Indigenous identity, combined with large-scale migration to the north (there are as many people from Cherán living in the United States as there are in the community itself), had opened a chasm between young people and their history. At the fogatas, doña Mela helped to bridge that gap with dishes from a nearly lost repertoire: atapakuas, rich, masa-thickened stews of wild mushrooms stained red with guajillo chiles; of fava beans, onions, tomatillo, and cilantro; or of ground seeds and legumes, similar to the pipianes found around Mexico, but brightened, on the day we ate together in November, with wilted sorrel from her kitchen garden (recipe p. 92). “People would ask, ‘Doña Mela, when will you come and cook for us?’” she recalls. “‘God must have blessed your hands.’” She accepts this notion as reasonable, if not demonstrably true. “People have always seen something special in me.”

That sense of pride, unyielding as the water from the nixtamal—the ancient process of cooking corn kernels in lime to break down their outer membranes— that she uses to slick her hair back over her scalp. (“Natural hair gel,” she calls it.) At the age of 8, she cooked her first meal for people outside her home: a simple pot of rice toasted gold, stewed with tomatoes, onions, and garlic—such a triumph, doña Mela says, that the nuns she’d cooked for made a point of congratulating her after the meal.

Throughout her youth, doña Mela honed a set of skills (embroidery, sewing, styling her classmates’ hair) that she would later use to supplement the income her husband, don Fidel, earned as a farmer. For the first 11 years of her marriage, doña Mela lived with her husband’s family in town—his grandmother, who taught her much of what she knows of traditional medicine, his parents, and his three sisters, along with their families. While Fidel tilled the land on the Cerro San Marcos where they now live, doña Mela prepared three meals per day for at least

"I would say I'm original.

I own my roots."

Doña Mela’s kitchen garden, overlooking the town of Cherán below and the extinct volcanoes that surround it, supplies vegetables for her cooking, as well as a steady supply of herbs for the Indigenous medical traditions that she learned from her in-laws.

10 people. The softball-size lipoma that she carries on her right shoulder, says her eldest daughter, Rebeca, is the result of “11 years as a slave to my father’s family.” Doña Mela, ever triumphant (and still carrying the mindset of her generation), describes those years differently. “It’s good to live with people who are demanding. There’s always a ‘but,’” she told me before adding her own: “but I learned a lot from them.”

In 1988, don Fidel finally convinced his boss to sell him the land on the hill, which, though fertile, was also steep and rocky and therefore unattractive to farmers increasingly dependent on tractors and labor-saving technologies. That year, don Fidel and a pregnant doña Mela moved with their six young children to the Cerro. There, she built her first kitchen—a three-walled wooden shack, its southern side facing

out over the village below, surrounded by its phalanx of hills—and planted her kitchen garden, wild with the herbs she uses to make ointments and tinctures.

I’ve been fortunate enough to spend several days in that kitchen since my first trip to Cherán in August 2019. On that first visit, I squinted through white plumes of smoke as doña Mela slipped a neat corn-husk pouch filled with huitlacoche, mint, tomato, and onion into the blinking red coals and watched

AUGUST 2021

85

The Campos family moved from the center of Cherán to their 6-acre plot on the Cerro San Marcos some 30 years ago. In the years preceding the uprising, doña Mela watched the destruction of the forested hills on the far side of town from the cabin that houses her kitchen. In the past 10 years, she’s watched the forest—and the culinary traditions it supports—slowly return.

her hands flit over the screaming-hot surface of a clay comal, flipping tomatillos, onion, and tender fava beans picked just moments earlier—the spartan list of ingredients for a crushed salsa as sweet and bright as spring grass. When I returned in October 2020 to see if she might be willing to work on this story with me, she handed over the last fresh corn of the harvest, its kernels the color of pomegranate seeds. A month after that, I came for a long weekend, during which we spent hours around the hearth coating starchy medallions of chayote root in a thin batter of egg white and flour and molding meatballs from ground beef, mint, tomatillo, and masa (though doña Mela’s cooking highlights plants, meat is also an important part of the local diet), which we boiled in a rust-red broth of puya chiles that coated my lips with a sticky-hot balm of fat.

While we cooked, doña Mela recounted the many kinds of work she’d done to ensure that, as she put it, “there was never misery in my house”—the years selling food at Cherán’s weekly market, running a corner shop, farming, and, in recent years, traveling around Michoacán to give classes on the inseparable practices of traditional medicine and cookery.

In the coming years, she’d like to visit the three of her seven children who live in the United States, especially her eldest, whom she hasn’t seen in over 25 years. She dreams of building a traditional wooden cabin called a troje and filling it with artifacts from her community’s day-to-day life: cooking utensils and farming implements, bits of pottery, and embroidered blouses, a museum memorializing the same traditions she helped save from extinction.

On our last afternoon together, as we cleared away the debris from that day’s feast, stashing leftovers in a rickety wooden cabinet, I asked, half joking, if there was anything else she’d done that she’d forgotten to tell me about. “What haven’t I done?” she asked, head tipped back, eyes narrowed—her habitual gesture of pride, amusement, and love. “Or better: What’s left for me to do?”

88

AUGUST 2021

from left: A small hut at the entrance to doña Mela’s property, which she plans to eventually replace with a museum; doña Mela’s nursery, where she raises herbs and flowering plants, some of which she will later plant in the garden

AUGUST 2021

89