Celebrating America's Ethnic Roots

 THis Fourth of July celebrate the many centuries of immigrants that contributed to America's culinary table. Try different and new dishes and spices for a truly memorable American feast. The recipes are varied but all are delicious.

Yes you could have the German based hamburger and hot dogs. These are always fun but how about celebrating Middle Eastern immigrants culinary contribution - the kebab. These are easy to make on the grill.  It's just taking cut up chicken breasts and alternating them with grape or,cherry tomatoes, onions and peppers. You can marinate the meat in lemon for more flavor. Shrimp can also be used for an even tastier variation.Kabobs can easily made vegan with just having the veggies and omitting the meat. Tofu can also be part of the kabob. Marinate in Middle Easter spices like turmeric and sumac.Look to our Caribbean community for another barbecue must cook. Jerk chicken is a great addition to any outdoor party,It''s marinating or rubbing legs and wings with a combination of soy sauce, nutmeg, allspice and Chinese five spice powder. All of these symbolize the various ethnicities that make up the Caribbean.Marinate the meat overnight in this. You can also create jerk pork and lamb along with beef. Even shrimp can have that spicy , smoky flavor.

What about sides? Here look to the people who originally fed America -the indigenous tribes.Corn is an important part of any Fourth of July cookout.If you want moist, juicy kernels then soak int ears in their husks in water from half an hour to six to seven hours overnight. You can turn them into Mexican street corn by adding a sauce made of mayo, Mexican sour cream(or the america one if you can;t find the Mexican one) garlic ,lime zest and cilantro. Another indigenous staple was beans, A bean salad is always a welcome side when you eat out doors. Try a three bean type but add different spices. You could give it an Asian vibe by adding some soy sauce to the vinaigrette along with some freshly shredded ginger. Oregano  garlic and red wine vinegar will give it an Italian spin. Italy does give us pasta and it can be fun to create a pasta salad but think more Italian. A panzanella or bread salad from Naples is perfect .Mix ripe thinly sliced  San Marzano tomatoes with chunks of Italian bread and olive oil.YOu could add chopped red onion of you want more flavor along with garlic. Olives and mozzarella chunks can also be added for more weight. This is also good as a leftover for the next day.

America is a marriage of the indigenous and foreign. The same can be true of our cuisine. Try some of the recipes for this  truly American holiday.

Honoring Indigenous Recipes

 November is Indigenous People month. It's time to honor their contribution - which is a very big one - to the American table. These recipes can be made for Thanksgiving or even for a celebratory meal.

My state, New Jerse,y was home to the Lenni Lenape or Delaware tribe. One of their  recipes that could easily fit on a breakfast table is Sa'Pan or corn hominy.It's sort of like a sweet polenta with fruit and butter added.it's mixing a cup of white or blue cornmeal with a cup of very cold water. Two cups of boiling water and a pinch of salt is added. Dried fruit is blended in too in this stove top creation.A tablespoon of butter or lard is stirred in and blended .Beat the corn mix until smooth and serve with maple syrup.One of the biggest tribes, the Aligonquian has a dish honoring  The Three Sisters. This is corn, squash and beans ,Lima beans corn and squash are combined with red and green peppers, zucchini, tomatoes and eggplant.Onion garlic and parsley flavor it as does pepper and paprika. The onions, garlic and peppers are sauteed in butter or oil while the squash zucchini and lima beans are steamed and them added to the mix. The Wampanoag tribes of Massachusetts have an excellent stew made from turkey or chicken called sobaheg The birds are mixed with ground corn meal or hominy along with green beans, winter squash, onions and garlic.Ground sunflower seeds are added to thicken it.

The Navajo of the Southwestern US have also contributed to the American table. Their most famous dish, fry bread comes with a sad history. This was created in 1864 when the US government gave  the tribe   flour, sugar, salt and lard as they made their long walk from Arizona to Bosque Redondo, New Mexico. This new land couldn't sustain their traditional crops of vegetables and beans. The recipe is similar to the sopapllas to  the Pueblos and Hispanos of New Mexico. Yeast is added for rise and it's fried in melted shortening or vegetable oil. You could add a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg for flavor. The Pacific Northwest and British Columbia had the Tlingit tribes. They survived on the famous salmon of the area and made chowder with it. Yelloweye chowder , a often made soup is a mix of yelloweye salmon, carrots and celery, Clam juice and chicken stock are the base while bacon, oregano and onions also add flavor.  Heavy cream and milk are also added to give it a New England clam chowder vibe It would make for a nice holiday meal starter or served in small bowls or cups at a holiday party,

The Indigenous tribes have always will have contributed to the American table. Honor them by featuring a dish at your Thanksgiving table. These are the recipes of a true America and represent the country's ancient cultures.

Celebrating Our Native Foods

 Thanksgiving is a time of celebrating what the indigenous people have given us. We need to acknowledge their contribution to this great table of ours. We can use these ingredients and recipes in our own holiday dinners as well.

The New York Times Food section touched upon this Wednesday. Brett Anderson wrote about this after witnessing a buffalo hunt on fort Peck Indian reservation Montana. The indigenous tribes always thank what they've killed or picked , making sure others have food as well. That was probably the idea of what we know as the "First Thanksgiving." it was probably more of a harvest festival in 1621 in which the belief of giving back was established. Thanks to the various tribes throughout North and South america, we have a variety of different foods. The Pilgrims probably received the Three Sisters, squash, beans and corn from the Wampanoag tribe. These can easily be incorporated into our modern day dishes. squash is a no brainer. acorn squash is a nice side and can easily be microwaved if you don't have room in the oven.You can add a mix of butter and brown sugar for the hollowed middle. Squash can be easily pan roasted too. Beans can be used as an extra in salad or as a tasty hot side.Baked beans are a no fuss make and can be cooked in a crockpot. Corn is another side that will compliment the turkey. You can easily serve ti hot or cold as a salad, mixed with chopped peppers. Of course it is good , being one of the main ingredients in cornbread.

The indigenous tribes fo Mexico and Central America gave us some of the best and most famous ingredients. Without them we wouldn't have tomatoes or potatoes. Tomatoes have been gracing American salads for generations but they're also good Provencale style, sauteed in a garlicky mix of olive oil and butter and topped with heaping amount of breadcrumbs and herbs. Potatoes are another Thanksgiving veggie that have often been the shining costar. Many have them mashed but they're truly delicious Hasselback style, sliced through to form crispy chips and seasoned with oil, salt and whatever  minced herbs you'd like to flavor them. You can even top them with turkey gravy if you'd like. Sweet potatoes are another indigenous tuber from Central and South America. They  too, are great roasted Hasselback style, especially when they're sprinkled with cinnamon or honey mixed with butter.Many home bakers will also bake them into pies and even tarts.For something a little different and easier, try them in small individual galettes spiked with cinnamon, cardamon and nutmeg. 

Celebrate and use these indigenous North , Central and South American ingredients in your Thanksgiving menu this year. They are delicious but also a reminder of what was given to our ancestors. It was the tribes way of including us on their shores.

July Fourth Wishes

Have a good July Fourth , whether you celebrate with a socially distanced barbecue or eating outdoors at your favorite diner or restaurant.

Keep in mind that America, like its' cuisine, is  multi ethnic with all sorts of flavors adding to the mix. Like squash , corn and beans we have the Indigenous Peoples who were first here, like the Europeans who brought hamburgers and fries, hot dogs and ice cream, like the African Americans who brought yams and peanuts and like the Asians who brought noodles and soy, we are diversified. 

 Our table is varied.

Sit down together and celebrate it. Enjoy this unique Fourth. Stay safe and full.

Thank You For The Food

As we become more and more woke - we need to give thanks where's it much needed - the indigenous people. They fed our earliest settlers and received only racism and loss of land in return.We need to be grateful for not only their sacrifices but also for their  contributions to our varied  American table.  They showed us  how to grown and collect squash, corn and maple syrup, They gave us salmon and wild turkey, tomatoes and potatoes, cocoa , avocados and coffee.

Yes, we should be thankful for having food on our tables and leftovers in the fridge. We should also be thankful for the first Thanksgiving and what the indigenous tribes generously gave us.

A  happy and thoughtful Thanksgiving to all, whether here in the States or those Americans around the world.

The Joy Of Canadian Cooking

Mexican cuisine usually gets all the attention when it comes to North American cuisine. Yet Canada also has a varied and interesting culinary heritage that marries native with European traditions. The result is a  meld  that  should make Canadian cuisine interesting and exciting.

Today's New York Times Food section is devoted to all things Canadian. One of the most interesting articles came from Dan Bilefsky, a long time Times writer and native Canadian living in Montreal. He interviewed First Nation chefs, Cezin Nottaway and George Lenser, both responsible for taking back an important part of their heritage. For centuries the Canadian government tried to erase the various tribal customs and languages. They were successful in that but not in taking away foods the Kitgan Zibi and Nisga'a nation that the two chefs represent. Chef Nottaway not only cooks native meat such as moose and beaver , she also hunts them too. She believes what her grandmothers taught her. - that animals will become lonely and suffer if they're not hunted. She does give a prayer of thanks to their spirits. There has been some uproar when to comes to seals. Even though the indigenous have special hunting licences to obtain their meat, the seal killing has rightly brought about protest from animal rights groups. The killings were very violent and traumatic, drawing six thousand names on a petition.Still Canadians are embracing the native dishes, as food trucks featuring them pop up in the major cities.

Another Canadian tradition, the butter tart was also featured. Sara Bonisteel,a freelance writer and first time contributor to the Food section wrote about these treats. They are the most simplest of bake goods to make. The filling is nothing more than brown sugar,butter and egg. Raisins are added along with vanilla extract.Other Canadian bakers ave tossed in toasted coconut , chocolate chips and nuts.It's orgins are murky,It could have evolved from the Scottish border, Bakewell tarts and the Quebec sugar pie.It's a pretty easy bake. with a simple butter crust and a custard filling.Maple syrup can be drizzled over them after baking. Canadians love their whiskey and there is also an article on it along with wines from the Lake Ontario region. For a while Canadian whiskies were dismissed as being bland and bottom shelf. That's all changing thanks to Davin de Kergommeaux, a whiskey writer from Ottawa.His articles are  introducing a new generation to peppery one hundred percent rye grain or ones finished in port and rum barrels. As far as the wine, Ontario was once known for ice wines, wines made from frozen on the vine grapes. It is changing thanks to vingerons such as Francois Morrisette who guide the grapes from infancy to fermentation.

Canada is a country  full of interesting cultures and cuisines. It's time for them to be acknowledged and tried. The Great North is full of great food and drinks.

As American As Squash????

This time of year gets me thinking back to the indigenous peoples and what they ate at the time of the first Thanksgiving. The phrase American as apple pie is kind of inaccurate because the early English settlers brought that over.. What really is true American food? All good for you natural stuff like unprocessed fruits and veggies - not the burgers (from Germany) or the fries (from Belgium and France) like we all think.

Squash corn or maize make up the heart of the indigenous diets.This was supplemented by any meat or fish that original peoples hunted. The American staple , succotash is really native in its 'origins. What is great about the staple is that they can be made a variety of ways, even to this day. Squash can be baked and then mashed. Corn can be ground for fritters or for pone or cornbread. Beans can be mashed or boiled and then flavored. Pumpkin , part of the squash family was also cooked and probably mashed. All these are loaded in antioxidants and vitamins giving the natives a better diet than the European settlers.

The tribes that the Pilgrims ate with gave them maple syrup , cranberries, apples and pears to add Io their vitamin starved diets. Also oysters and fish were in abundance, both loaded with nutrients. Most of the early settlers from the Virginia colonies up to the Massachusetts , relied on the Indian for food. Here in New Jersey the Lenni Lenape , showed the settlers how to gather shellfish from the great Raritan Bay along with hunting wild turkey and geese. There was also wild asparagus and onions too.

As American as apple pie??? Not quite. Try as American as popcorn and squash. The native American knew how to eat and how to respect the earth. They passed that down to us - and we should be grateful for those beliefs.