All these vegetables come from the earthy funky side of the taste palette, so the orange juice adds a little sweet to act as a foil, and the soy sauce helps pull all the elements together. The fushimi and manganji peppers are Japanese heirloom chilies, and like shishito are not spicy. They taste like amplified versions of shishito, with the long and thin fushimi having a slight sweetness to it, while the fatter and all around bigger manganji has thicker walls give meatiness along with a full flavor that has subtle sweetness along with umami that I can only characterize as “green-ness”.
INGREDIENTS:
1 bunch Tokyo turnips, leaves washed and reserved, turnips topped and tailed, peeled if needed, and cut into ½-inch wide wedges
3 zucchini, washed, ends removed, cut lengthwise into ½-inch wedges, then cut into 1½-inch lengths
A large handful (10-15), or whatever you have, of fushimi and manganji peppers (shishito will work as well), stems snipped off if you wish
1 tablespoon sugar (or as needed)
¼ cup orange juice, or as needed
2 tablespoons butter, or as needed
Neutral flavored oil such as rice bran or grapeseed as needed
Large flake salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon soy sauce/shoyu/tamari (try to find an artisanal soy sauce as the flavor and brewing methods really make them stand out as something more than “salt”)
2-3 scallions (if you wish), whites slice 1×1/8th inch, greens sliced very thin 1-inch long
METHOD:
In a sauté pan just large enough to hold the turnips in a single layer, bring enough water to cover the turnips by 50% to a boil. When boiling, salt liberally. When the water returns to the boil, add the turnips and cook just until they lose their raw edge. A knife should be able pierce the side but not go all the way in. Drain the turnips and return the pan to the heat. Turn heat to medium and cover the pan bottom in a thin layer of sugar. Cook until the sugar turns golden brown and smells of caramel. Keep an eye on it so it does not burn. As soon as it reaches golden brown, add 1 tablespoon butter and pull the pan from the heat. Add the turnips and toss, using a wooden spatula to loosen the caramel from the pan so it coats the turnips. Return pan to the heat and cook, allowing the turnips to color a little. Add the orange juice. Lower heat to medium-low and cover the pan. Allow orange juice to reduce and form a glaze. If liquid runs out before turnips are tender with a little firmness to them still, add more juice or water and carry on. If the turnips are done, remove pan from heat but keep warm.
When you start the turnips sautéing, heat a heavy 12-inch pan (or whatever you have that is close) over medium-high heat. While it heats, put the peppers into a bowl and spray or lightly drizzle with oil and toss to evenly coat. Repeat with the squash batons, and if using, the scallion whites.
When the turnips are tender and glazed, lightly film the hot pan with oil and get it really hot. Add the squash to the pan and season. Cook, tossing to keep from burning, until the squash has browned and blistered and is no longer raw. It should be hot all the way through, but not necessarily soft. Remove to a large bowl. Add the peppers to the pan. Cook, turning with tongs as needed to blister all over. Cook just until peppers are blistered and color changes. They should not be limp, but puffed up a little and speckled with blistering. Transfer to the bowl with the squash. If the peppers are really long, cut in half or as needed.
Add the remaining butter to the pan and when it stops foaming, add the soy sauce. Swirl, and add the turnip greens, using tongs to coat with the flavored butter. Allow to cook without disturbing for 3-4 minutes unless they are burning. You want some parts to get crisp. Flip the greens after a few minutes and wilt them. If using scallions, add the whites with the greens.
While the greens cook, if needed, reheat the turnips. Scatter the squash and peppers with coarse flaky salt and toss to combine well. Add the hot turnips and toss again. Use tongs to scatter the wilted greens over the vegetables in the bowl, toss to combine well, and transfer to a platter or plates, topping with a few scallion greens slivers. Serve hot with rice or another grain.
Serves: 4
Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen
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