As a whole-hearted supporter of local Maryland food and cooking, I not only cherish the food we grow, but I also truly honor the champions of the eat local movement. Chefs like Nancy Longo and Spike Gjerde have been promoting the regional scene for decades, but there is one fellow we would like to single out. And that would be Chef John Shields.
John is a Marylander, born and bred, who trained at his grandmother’s knee from an early age. Gertie Cleary cooked in Baltimore’s vaunted church kitchens, which were and still are the repositories of cherished local traditions.
John stumbled into professional cooking by accident, but a long stay in the San Francisco area confirmed his passion and philosophy. This was the time of Alice Waters and the creation of the eat local movement. John bought into it with vengeance, and upon moving back home he created Gertrude’s Chesapeake Kitchen at the BMA.
Through numerous books and TV shows John has spread the good word and is considered the Ambassador of the Chesapeake Bay.
Recently I pored over John’s 2004 cookbook “Coastal Cooking” and found myself attracted to several recipes in particular. They all are easily adaptable to our local pantry.
“Seared Scallops with Orange, Fennel, and Polenta” is an old favorite of mine. I think the secret to this dish is cutting up julienned fennel, and sautéing it with shallots, garlic and ginger. A bit of white wine and orange juice makes a very nice complementary sauce. Place a dollop of polenta on a plate, arrange your lightly seared scallops around it, and pour on some of the sautéed fennel with its sauce. Fabulous.
I love a salsa that features Maryland’s star ingredients. “Crab, Corn, and Red Pepper Salad” is vintage John Shields. Dice the pepper, pick over the lump crab meat, and scrape the kernels off the corn cob. Toss in some sliced onion, olive oil, sherry vinegar and some Old Bay and you’re good to go. Serve it on a bed of butter lettuce or with tortilla chips as a dip.
Maryland is one of the best states for peaches. With that in mind, John came up with a “Peach-Pecan Couscous” that sounds irresistible. Cook up a batch of couscous and finish it by letting it steam itself. Cool the couscous, gently roast a cup of chopped up pecans, and add them along with 1 cup of dried peaches (I would use fresh if I couldn’t find dried) along with parsley, mint, ginger and orange zest. Moisten with lemon juice, fluff up and serve. A great side dish!
Finally, we all wonder what we can do with all those zucchinis we’re growing. Well, how about “Zucchini, Poppy seed Bread”? You’ll be making an unleavened batter which will include those poppy seeds along with lemon zest, brown sugar and two eggs. Take that zucchini and grate it vigorously until you have about 2 cups. Gently fold the zucchini into the batter, then fold it into your bread pans. Bake at 350° for about 75 minutes, and you’ll have moist slightly sweet bread that you’ll want to slather with fresh Maryland butter.
