Squash with Hemp and Arugula
Thomas J. Story
This recipe comes from Seattle restaurant Tomo. Preparing squash two ways creates a delightful combination of textures and flavors. The miso marinade gives the seared squash briny umami depth, which is a pleasant counterpoint to the pickled squash. Hemp purée is an earthy base while arugula oil adds both freshness and richness.
This recipe and others like it first appeared in the story "'Brutalist Ryokan Meets Coastal Dive Bar': James Beard Winner Takes Seattle’s Tomo over the Top," from Sunset's 2022 Garden Issue.
How to Make It
1
To make the miso squash:
1. In a blender, blend eggs, miso, vinegar, mirin, sake, and salt until smooth. Marinate squash in miso sauce overnight.
2. Heat a large cast-iron pan over high heat until smoking. Remove squash from marinade and brush off any excess marinade. Working in batches to avoid crowding the pan, sear each side of the squash until charred, about 30 seconds.
2
To make the pickled squash:
1. In a large bowl, combine vinegar and salt and stir to dissolve.
2. Combine squash and seasoned vinegar in a large resealable plastic bag, and let refrigerate overnight.
3
To make the hemp purée:
1. Combine 2 cups water and hemp seeds in a pressure cooker and cook on pressure 2 for 20 minutes. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, combine hemp seeds with 6 cups water in a large pot, and boil until seeds have split and most of the water has cooked off, about 45 minutes.
2. Put hemp mixture in a blender and blend until it reaches a porridge-like consistency, adding water if necessary. Pass through a medium wire strainer into a bowl and season with salt to taste.
4
To make the arugula oil:
1. In a blender (ideally a heavy-duty blender like a Vitamix), combine grapeseed oil and arugula and blend for 6 minutes.
2. Strain this oil through a coffee filter into a squeeze bottle. Let cool.
3. To serve: Place a dollop of hemp purée at the base of a bowl. Arrange slices of squash, folding some over to make ribbons, but layering different sizes and alternating between pickled and roasted squash. Finish with a squeeze of arugula oil.
Ingredients
Miso squash
3 medium eggs
1 cup white miso
¾ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup mirin
¼ cup sake
¼ cup kosher salt
2 medium green squash, sliced thinly lengthwise
Pickled squash
1 ¼ cups Champagne vinegar
1 tbsp kosher salt
2 medium yellow squash, sliced thinly crosswise
Hemp purée
2 ¼ cups raw hemp seeds
Arugula oil
½ cup grapeseed oil
3 cups baby arugula
Directions
1
To make the miso squash:
1. In a blender, blend eggs, miso, vinegar, mirin, sake, and salt until smooth. Marinate squash in miso sauce overnight.
2. Heat a large cast-iron pan over high heat until smoking. Remove squash from marinade and brush off any excess marinade. Working in batches to avoid crowding the pan, sear each side of the squash until charred, about 30 seconds.
2
To make the pickled squash:
1. In a large bowl, combine vinegar and salt and stir to dissolve.
2. Combine squash and seasoned vinegar in a large resealable plastic bag, and let refrigerate overnight.
3
To make the hemp purée:
1. Combine 2 cups water and hemp seeds in a pressure cooker and cook on pressure 2 for 20 minutes. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, combine hemp seeds with 6 cups water in a large pot, and boil until seeds have split and most of the water has cooked off, about 45 minutes.
2. Put hemp mixture in a blender and blend until it reaches a porridge-like consistency, adding water if necessary. Pass through a medium wire strainer into a bowl and season with salt to taste.
4
To make the arugula oil:
1. In a blender (ideally a heavy-duty blender like a Vitamix), combine grapeseed oil and arugula and blend for 6 minutes.
2. Strain this oil through a coffee filter into a squeeze bottle. Let cool.
3. To serve: Place a dollop of hemp purée at the base of a bowl. Arrange slices of squash, folding some over to make ribbons, but layering different sizes and alternating between pickled and roasted squash. Finish with a squeeze of arugula oil.
