Heritage birds in their finery. Learn more about them here.

Cake: A food for all occasions, wouldn't you agree? Yum.

No one wants to eat boring. So we celebrate colors, robust flavors, textures, scents and the stories that bring them all together. And no time is that more evident than during the holidays. Being from a Latin American country (Peru), we are choc-full of holidays—besides the Christmases and Easters, there are Saint’s Days, Independence Days, Birthdays, you-name-it-days.

Now that American Thanksgiving is upon us, people all over the U.S. are ready to bust out their finest—all in celebration of giving thanks for friends and family. And those of us with origins in other nations and living in the diaspora are no different. In addition to the typical turkey, ham and fixings, each culture brings their own to the table. And for many Latin Americans, this can include distinct versions of none other, than the tamale.

Ground white corn, ready to get all gussied up

In Peru, there are three distinct geographical regions: costa, sierra y selva—the coast, the highlands and the jungles. While my family is Indigenous, hailing from the sierra in the Andes, we love getting together with our coastal friends to exchange recipes and eat each other’s foods, especially since coastal dishes reflect a diversity of cultural integrations, from chifa (Peruvian Chinese) to Afro-Peruvian and Indigenous foods, spices and cooking techniques. The tamale is one such food that binds us together through not only its taste and texture, but also its labor intensive preparation.

Yellow chiles soaking in preparation for their appearance

Varying from region to region, from country to country, the tamale has a distinct local character drawing from common ingredients—generally ground corn, some type of filling and wrapped in its signature corn husk.

Corn husks soaking in water

The tamale can be oven-baked, steamed, and in the case of the Wanka (my people), the tamale, called umita (pronounced oo-mee-ta) is made with fresh ground green corn, sweetened and then baked in the earth with hot stones called Pachamanka (prounounced pa-cha-ma-n-ka). However, today, in honor of our coastal friends, the coastal-style tamale from Peru’s capital city of Lima is featured here.

Tamale filling with chile-covered chicken and Lima-signature egg and olive

One of the things I love most about the tamale preparation, assembling, cooking and eating is the time spent in the kitchen with other women. It’s a time of sharing scandalous gossip, exchanging ideas and stories and of real artistry.

Tamales happily cooking away

So this holiday season or any time of celebration in your life, I wish you closeness with family and friends, remembrance of traditions and origins, and the delicious taste of life in a beautiful meal. Happy Holidays—both here and there!

Peruvian Coastal Tamales

Peruvian coastal tamales (courtesy of our family friend, Zoila Bolívar)

(Makes approximately 3 dozen tamales, depending on the amount of filling and size of tamale)

Ingredients:
4 ½ lbs Dried and peeled corn (maiz)
2 lbs Instant corn masa flour (powdered corn especially for tortillas, tamales, etc) (2lbs)
4 medium-sized onions (purple, white or yellow)
½ lb shortening (and lard)
1 head of garlic
½ lb of dried red chiles (see aji colorado preparation)
6 dried yellow chiles (see aji colorado preparation)
4 lbs chicken or pork
2 tbsp salt (one tbsp when cooking the meat)
1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp cumin
6 hard boiled eggs (optional—although this is Lima-style)
1 small jar of pitted olives (optional)
Foil (optional—to wrap the tamales)
String (optional—to tie the tamales)
1 large 8oz package of corn husks

*This recipe may require large and deep pots, depending on how many tamales you want to make.

White corn preparation (It is recommended to do this the night before): Take the dried white corn and soak (2 hours). When the corn is soft, remove the “nose” or hard part of the tip of the corn kernel. Drain and towel-dry the corn, then grind the corn using a blender. The corn will emerge pulverized in powder-form. Put the now powdered corn into a large pot. Set aside.

Aji colorado preparation: Soak dried red chiles and dried yellow chiles for 1 hour or until very soft. Make sure to remove all seeds. Remove any hard particles, like tough or discolored skin. Some cooks prefer to completely remove all skin. This will be your preference. Then liquefy. Set aside.

Corn husks preparation: Soak the corn husks until softened. It does not take long for this to occur. It is recommended that you use the entire package since some husks may be smaller than others and you may have to use two or three husks for one tamale. Set aside.

Chicken/meat preparation: Cut the chicken into large bite size chunks. Boil the chicken in about 6 cups or more of water with one tbsp of salt, as if making chicken soup. You can also add chicken stock cubes if you like once the “soup” starts boiling. Do not discard the broth. You want to make sure you have about 5 or 6 cups of broth that will be added to the tamale mixture for additional flavor. Set aside.

To make the tamale filling using all ingredients:

1. Chop the onions into blendable pieces, add the entire head of garlic and place into a blender to be liquefied until smooth.
2. Heat a saucepan on medium-high heat, coat with a little cooking oil and then add the onion/garlic mixture. Add the white pepper and cumin. Cook for at least 30 minutes or until the mixture becomes more solid and not watery. The mixture will darken in color. Stir, until much of the water is evaporated from the mixture and it is more creamy in texture rather than watery. Slowly pour in the chile mixture and stir. Cook, stirring the total mixture together, for 15 minutes. This is called aji colorado.
3. In the meanwhile, take the powdered corn in the large pot that you’ve set aside and add to it the instant corn masa. Stir the dry mixture together. Then, add the chicken broth that you’ve saved from boiling the chicken, to the dry mixture. Stir. Add in the majority of the cooked aji colorado and stir. Make sure to save some of the mixture to add together with your cooked chicken—enough to produce a chile coating of the chicken. Set the chicken aside once again.
4. The entire corn/aji colorado mixture is then put to simmer on the stove over medium heat. The heat will thicken the mixture towards the final product, which is a thick, gooey (not watery) consistency. When the mixture reaches this consistency, let it cool and set aside. When it cools, it will thicken even more into a final paste-like product that we will use to slather on the corn husks.
5. Now it’s time for the corn husks! Drain the water that the husks have been soaking in and pat them dry. Slather on one or two husks some of the corn mixture, add in pieces of the chicken and if desired, one or two pitted olives and one or two sliced pieces of the hard-boiled eggs, and then slather with the corn mixture again. You can either tie the corn husks together with corn husk strips that you tear off yourself or wrap in foil and then tie with string.
6. In a large pot(s) of boiling water, immerse the foil-covered tamales, making sure no filling is coming out of the foil or the corn husks. Boil for one hour to one hour and half, depending on the size of tamale you’ve made.
7. Drain all water and allow the tamales to cool. Do not unwrap until cooled or else the tamales will be soggy.

Check us out on November’s YBR!

And on Hearth and Soul!

For example, in my language of Quechua Wanka, we call the moon Mama Quilla (pronounced ma-ma kee-ya, with a double ll sound for the “ya” part)—Mother Moon. She is our grandmother, and farmers in my community use her phases to decide when to plant crops. In the Anishinaabe or Ojibwe Native language, Ojibwemowin, the moon is called giizis (pronounced gee-zis). And each month is named in Ojibwemowin using geezis as a part of the month name. For example, August is Manoominike-giizis (pronounced ma-noo-min-i-kay), or Wild Ricing Moon—the time of anticipated harvest of wild rice.

Artist: Rabbett Strickland, Ojibwe artist. Source: White Earth Land Recovery Project & Native Harvest at http://nativeharvest.com/

Wild rice, manoomin (pronounced ma-noo-min), is one of the sacred foods of the Ojibwe. Bands of Ojibwe people tell a migration story where their ancestors historically trekked far and wide to find the “food that grows on water.” Wild ricing or the harvesting of wild rice takes place in Ojibwe country of Wisconsin and Minnesota generally around August or September. The rice, which is actually not rice but a wild grain, is harvested by Ojibwe people by hand, using canoes and wooden sticks called knockers where the tall rice plants are bent with one knocker while another is used to shake the rice into the canoe. The process is back-breaking, time-consuming and just all-around tough work. After being gathered, the rice must be processed by scorching to remove the hulls, and then finished, leaving a wondrous product ready to be cooked.

Knockers! Passed down from the generations. Courtesy of Cutler-Arbuckle family

So with a fresh harvest of wild rice, chilly Fall days and a striking harvest moon, I decided to heed Nelly’s advice and “go slow.” While this can apply to slow foods, for Indigenous people, it can simply mean being conscientious within one’s ecology. And going slow to me also means taking the time to appreciate some good Northwoods comfort food. Mmmmmm.

I decided to make a wild rice hot dish for my main Ojibwe wild rice harvester, niinimooshe (pronounced nee-ni-moo-shay), or “my sweetheart.” Wild rice hot dishes are a combination of the ancient and the modern, combining tasty wild rice with cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soups. Countless variations on the hot dish are prepared with much gusto for cultural feasts and other community events and vary in complementing ingredients—from chicken to pork sausage to venison, and yes, vegetarian too.

Wisconsin wild rice, freshly harvested, scorched and finished

Preparing wild rice: Boil, then simmer

Being aware of healthier eating, I opted to use a ground turkey and turkey sausage in my hot dish, as well as low-sodium, low-fat ingredients. However, I did top it off with extra crispy tater tots because, well, tater tots are awesome.

Tater tot wild rice hot dish: Just out of the oven!

A big serving, just for you. Eat up! There's seconds!

And, because we had gone to an apple orchard and picked up Honey Crisp apples, I also made an apple pie for dessert. It was the very first apple pie I ever made. In my entire life. For reals.

Honey crisp apples from the orchard

Honey crisp apple pie

So here’s to those who nurture manoomin, to those who do the gathering, to gorgeous harvest moons, to cooking, to eating, and to going slow! Sing it!

Tator Tot Wild Rice Hot Dish

Tater Tot Wild Rice Hot Dish
(feeds

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups of prepared wild rice (see instructions below)
1 lb. of ground turkey
½ lb of turkey sausage
1 can of chicken broth
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
2 chopped celery stalks
½ chopped white onion
1 large bag of tater tots
1 ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese (optional)

Instructions:

1. Wash the wild rice thoroughly to eliminate any chaff
2. In a pot, soften the rice (less than 2 parts water, 1 part rice), bringing rice to a boil for 5 minutes, then simmering on low-medium for 20 minutes (You don’t want the rice to have split yet or to be mushy in consistency, so watch it carefully)
3. Brown the meats, drain grease
4. Brown the celery and onion (I use a little of the grease from the sausage)
5. Combine the meats, celery and onion, rice, chicken broth, cream of mushroom and pour into a casserole dish (You’re going to want about an inch and half depth of casserole, so make sure it’s a big dish)
6. Bake covered at 350 for 1 ½ hours
7. Remove from oven, top with tater tots and bake for another 30 minutes, covered
8. Remove from oven and add mozzarella and bake uncovered for 10 minutes

Honey Crisp Crunch Top Apple Pie

Honey Crisp Crunch Top Apple Pie
(modified from Paula Deen’s recipe at www.foodnetwork.com)

Ingredients for filling:
2 doughs for a 9-inch pie
½ cup of sugar
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
5 Honey Crisp apples, peeled and sliced thinly
14 oz unsweetened applesauce
1 ½ tbsp lemon juice

Ingredients for crunch topping:
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tbsp brown sugar
pinch of salt
1 tbsp of room temp butter

Instructions:

1. Line the pie pan with dough
2. Combine sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt
3. Add in apples, applesauce and lemon juice
4. Spoon the mixture into the pie pan
5. Top the pie with the other dough, either making your own designs or criss-crossing
6. Make the crunch topping by mixing together all ingredients with a fork until crumbly and then sprinkle over the crust
7. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes, then reduce to 350 and bake for 45 minutes or until the crust is a golden brown

For more information on Ojibwe wild rice, harvesting and language, please see the White Earth Land Recovery Project, WOJB (of the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Ojibwe), and the Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC).

Check us out on Hearth’ n Soul!

*Zomppa does not endorse sites or artists mentioned in this article. They are provided as resources for your information and interest only.

First,  my mom, who immigrated from Haiti almost 40 years ago, stepped foot in the Museum of Fine Arts for the first time.  A self-educated woman of petite stature, her eyes glistened with amazement and gratefulness.  She moved from painting to painting, Iranian ewers to Japanese woodblock prints, reading about each piece.  For that moment, her ailments disappeared.  She walked those exhibit halls with confidence as she flirted with each piece of art. Our Haitian Creole was just an echo in the exhibit halls among several other languages spoken that day…a testament to the universality of art.

Second, it was the first time my 14 month old walked the halls of this great museum, cruising past Renoir masterpieces, an Egyptian asophagus and El Greco.  He stood in the European art gallery, lifted his little head (well, actually, he has a large head….it’s ok, I make big head babies! LOL!) and just stared at the wonderful portraits.  He would tilt  his head as far back as he could and then bring it forward towards the ground – it was amusing to observe his playful innocence.  He seemed particularly interested in St. James  and I wondered if it was the firery red of Saint James’ robe that caught his attention.  I stood in marvel as I watched my oldest sit with a friend on a cushioned ottaman to sketch their version of Anubis and my baby smiling at what – at first sight – appeared to be dark and melancholy figures.  I smiled as I thought that this may be the beginning of a pleasurable experience with fine art or any art.

While my boys share a curiosity about art and interest in many things, they do not share that certain something that has the potential of becoming a critical marker of their difference: food allergies.  As you have read in previous post, my oldest is allergic to a lot of foods.  It turns out, the baby (so far) is not.  It was less of an issue when the baby’s only source of nourishment was milk; however, things changed when the baby started eating solids.  My oldest became more interested in what his brother was eating.  At first his questions were – well – just questions, and more on the curious-side.  He would ask: “Can I eat that?”  “Does his lunch have wheat?” As the months passed and his brother’s palate (and belly) expanded, his questions were protest  “Why can’t I eat that?”  “Why do some people have food allergies and others don’t” “That’s not fair, why does he get to eat that?”

I decided that day that my baby can go without fries.  For the first time, and yes I too had a first at the Museum of Fine Arts – I decided that on this day my boys would eat the same food.  They both chomped on carrots and took spoonfuls of rice.  My oldest was so happy to share his wheat-free, egg-free chicken nuggests with his little brother.

It was easy.  It was stress-free.  It was temporary salvation.

I know that every day I will be faced with this decision and so I vow to take it day-by-day.  No pressure.  Most importantly, I let my oldest know that I too am trying to figure it out.  He watched me diligently inquire about each food.  My truth is – I know that at a certain point in my boys development they may feel like they don’t have anything in common with each other.  I will not let my oldest boy’s allergies to food become a reason for him to envy his little brother.  At this stage in their development, my boys are not foodies!  Similar to their fine art experience, their relationship with food is also at the surface.  I look forward to the day when they will look for the deeper meaning behind those wonderful paintings and art pieces at the museum.  Perhaps by then, my oldest will outgrow his allergies and they will be able to dine at a restaurant and experience another first – their first meal together where both can enjoy unrestricted goodness.  Perhaps! But Sunday was not that day.

What would you do?  You may have a lot of questions about my decision and I would love to hear from you.

I had the fortune to visit and eat my way through Vancouver last year, and truly, it is an eating destination for all the athletes, families and visitors from around the world.

Location: The Water Street Cafe, Vancouver, BC

From the “Snow Leopard,” Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong, the first skier from Ghana to Samir Azzimani, the lone athlete from Morocco, the Winter Olympics is the time when athletes from all over get to showcase and represent their respective nations. The Olympics allows the world come together and see how similar we are: who didn’t want to hug Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette after her bronze-winning performance after her mother’s sudden death or feel for the Dutch speedskater Sven Kramer who was on his way to the gold only to be mistakenly sidetracked by his coach?

Yet despite sugar-coated messages about an increasingly shrinking and equal global society, regional inequities seem to be deepening further. From falling water tables to rising temperatures, we’re in deep, deep trouble, particularly as food demand increases. However, while the troublemakers are global, the consequences seem to fall heavier in certain regions. For example, while China is reducing malnutrition (although urbanizing to a degree that hurts grain reserves and the environment), the percentage of malnourished children in India is astonishingly high. I have written a bit on inequity in India and the issue of hunger and malnutrition.

So is there a solution? GMOs?

Pankaj Mishra pointed out the hypocrisy of a ‘modern’ India heading on the path towards Modernity, while children and farmers live in increasing debt and dependence on a growing bureaucratic food system. India’s “successful” Green Revolution in the 1970s when staple food production increased as a result of “aid” and “advanced” crop techniques are now seeing more dire consequences, including farmer debt, food insecurity, widening urban-rural gap, and rural income inequality, not to mention malnutrition, dependence on foreign oil. Between 1993 and 2003, 100,000 farmers committed suicide in rural areas, clear signs of desperation.

Food aid?

Development aid seems to be determined by the invisible hand of foreign policy and domestic agribusiness, rather than by goodwill, at least in the U.S. For example, according to journalist Celia Duggar who focuses on food aid, the U.S. requires all donated food to be grown in the U.S., driving up cost and delaying delivery of needed food. What does this mean? That middlemen, including Archer Daniels Midlandand Cargill, made over $700 million in 2004 by selling food commodities through USAID.

Meanwhile, those in Haiti coming out the devastating earthquake has to keep waiting for food while counterfeiters create fake food coupons. Take a look at this chart from 2007 that follows food aid.

Source: New York Times

In whose interest do these policies lie?

CARE turned down $45 million in federal food aid, citing that some of these policies hurt the people they are supposed to help. Instead of donating tons to middlemen, then, how about finding and supporting the indigenous programs that work directly with those in need, such as a revolutionary community kitchen scheme in India to combat malnutrition? Or giving cash donations to support the World Food Programme, which has gotten 75% more food for countries such as Kenya, Uganda, and Zambia by buying corn grown IN those countries rather than shipping them from the U.S. (novel idea?). After all, it doesn’t seem fair that only SOME of us get to eat food like this.

Location: Kirin, Vancouver, BC

For those of us working in the do-gooding world of development and relief aid: it’s time to stop patting ourselves on the back about our wonderful intentions and seriously take a look at our results. When it comes to food security, there shouldn’t be a Gold medalist or Silver medalist.

We should all be standing on the podium together.

When I had the opportunity to go to Tibet, I jumped at it. In recent years, there have been a lot of romanticization about Tibet. It’s been trendy to put prayer flags on front porches, talk about the Dalai Lama, and fantasize that it is a country of yogis and vegan Buddhists.

Lhasa is an incredible place with rich history and culture. There is one monastery famous for its 2PM daily debates. All the monks gather in the courtyard and the monks are paired up. A topic or question is introduced, a hand is slapped and the other must respond. It was mesmerizing watching these monks in saffron robes slap their hands and finger their beads, deeply interested and engaged with words and thoughts.

I actually had the fortunate to be present when the Dalai Lama gave an audience in New York City over a year ago. It was in Tibetan, so I had no idea what he was saying, but I recall being totally charmed anyways – he stood delivering a speech to an audience of hundreds as if he was talking to each person individually, smiling, laughing.

In any case, it is tough to get visas to Tibet, and a day after I entered the country, the border had shut down again because of some protest in Taiwan. While I could talk about politics here, let’s talk about food instead. Come with me on food photo journey.

The Dalai Lama’s home is beautiful…

…but even it couldn’t avoid the wonderful global commercialization. Yes, that DOES say BUDWEISER!

The first night we arrived, it was late and we were all hungry. Of course, the largest place that was still open happened to be Chinese.

It was a place where you could get a Mongolian hot pot–where they stick a big pot of boiling water or stock and you put in what you want–meats, vegetables, fish.

The tricky part was there were a few vegetarians in the group and no one who spoke Mandarin more than a few words, including numbers and basic words like “vegetable, meat, and no”, so trying to convince the waitress that we needed a stock that was “NO MEAT, YES VEGETABLE” proved to be an arduous task. (The part about Buddhist vegans? Not here). In the end, my sister and I got to go into the kitchen. I spent 30 minutes pointing to greens and flapping my arms like a chicken while shaking my head “no.” No joke.

It was fascinating watching behind-the-scenes, the deft chopping of vegetables and fine slicing of meat into thin slivers so that they would cook in the broth.

Subsequently, it was straight up Tibetan food.

You must know by now, I’m a meat eater. Tibetan’s version of fatty pork belly is insanely sweet and rich.

Can you smell it? YUM! Tibetans also use a lot of yak meat instead of beef, which I found a bit game-y. (As much as I love beef and bison, I am actually not a lamb or goat fan). Yak and tomato, however, go splendidly together.

Of course, vegetarian options are widely available. But let me continue on this yak thing…Tibetan food has many influences of Nepalese, Indian, and Chinese flavors, from dals to fried rice. There’s also some interesting blends of East and West with this yak and fusilli dish.

But my favorite, oh, my favorite are MOMOS. Maybe we can convince ZomppaTsering to share her famous recipe (which are better than any I’ve had). Momos are juicy dumplings wrapped in either doughy buns or a thinner wrap. When you put one in your mouth, they “pop” and the juices just flow. Dipped in a hot sauce (ZomppaTsering makes one we have dubbed “Magma”), they are blissful. (Yes, they come vegetarian, too). These? Yak.

Guess what? Tsampa, Tibetan tea, is also made with yak…yak butter, which can be found in large quantities on the streets.

My favorite place to have tea, though, was a hidden gem. One afternoon of wandering the street markets, I peeked into a little hallway to discover  a gorgeous and open atrium. It was a teahouse/restaurant and soon my favorite little hangout with my favorite traveling buddies.

Whatever your politics, whether you’re vegetarian or a yak-eater, eating is spiritual, eating is communal, eating is connecting with our bodies.

Eating in Tibet is an experience like eating on the rooftop of the world.

Cake Mountain Man and our dear friends, L&P, came over for a “small” dinner with enough food to feed twelve. We ate, played board games, ate, played more. Even our ice skating (aka me falling) didn’t do much to cancel out the calories we consumed.

My certified organic turkey from Whole Foods cost 10x the amount of the discount turkey at a larger grocery store, but the quality, taste, and knowledge that it was raised humanely and heathily helped me to swallow the cost…and raised my continued ire that we as Americans have become too used to cheap, processed, industrial food. Anyways, I digress…

No company sponsored/paid for my use of anything – they don’t even know I used their products, but I wanted to share what ingredients I used to note that it is possible to put together meals that are organic and natural without ridiculous costs.

I love cooking for Thanksgiving – the planning and preparation is half the fun, and I adapted some fabulous recipes I found on some great sites:

• Cooking Light’s Apple Cider-Brined Turkey: this brine filled with ginger and allspice is FABULOUS.

I don’t remember eating or making a juicier turkey. I brined it for about 18 hours. During the first 30 minutes of baking, I freaked out at how brown the underside got, but realized it was to sear the juices in.

• Saveur’s Rich Gravy: this takes a little while as you are making your own stock, but oh my gosh, the flavor and richness is beyond good. Just start it right after the turkey goes into the oven – you don’t need to really watch it while it simmers.

• Saveur’s Corn Bread-Sausage Stuffing with homemade Southern Corn Bread: I hate to brag, but this turned out pretty darned good. I made the cornbread the day before so it could sit overnight.

I baked them in muffin tins so that it would be easier to freeze and reheat them in single servings.

• Sweet Beet and Green Bean’s Vegan No-Bake Chocolate Pumpkin Pie: I used Newman-Os (no hydrogenated oils and YUM), Ghiradelli bittersweet chocolate, and Farmer’s Market Organic Pumpkin.

I’m not sure if I did this correctly as it didn’t set properly, but the taste sure was good! Not too sweet, just right.

L&P brought over the best green bean casserole I’ve ever had, butternut casserole with Grand Marnier, bread pudding, a bourbon pecan pie, and a pumpkin pie. I also had some fabulous Rofumo cheese (hickory-smoked) slathered with what may possibly be the best Seven Pepper Jelly from Foster’s Market.

Before you think me wealthy (trust me, I’m not!), I borrowed some things, like brining bags from L&P from Williams-Sonoma, which made life easier, and had some leftover Tracklement’s Cranberry Sauce with Port as a complement to turkey sandwiches the next day (the Foster’s pepper jelly also serves as an amazing accompaniment to leftover turkey).

I also stretched the dollar as far as possible by cooking down the carcass for some fabulous turkey stock, which I turned into a turkey-macaroni soup with homemade tomato sauce, mushrooms, celery, and salt and pepper.

Last but not least, I used Whole Food’s affordable, private-label 365 Organic Mayonnaise and Trader Joe’s Orange Flavored Cranberries to make a scrumptious turkey salad sandwich using leftover meat.

Eating healthy is not cheap, but it doesn’t have to break the bank. I am grateful for more healthy options when I cook, and I am grateful for friends with whom to share them.

]]> http://www.zomppa.com/2009/11/29/thanks-to-quality-friends-quality-ingredient/feed/ 5 http://www.zomppa.com/2009/11/22/the-indian-in-the-cupboard/ http://www.zomppa.com/2009/11/22/the-indian-in-the-cupboard/#comments Mon, 23 Nov 2009 03:33:10 +0000 Belinda http://www.zomppa.com/?p=4096 How many of you remembering making those “Indian headdresses” and “Pilgrim hats” out of construction paper to celebrate the “first” Thanksgiving? It seemed rather simple. A project that taught us how all the Indians and the Pilgrims got together and became friends. That was history. Pilgrims are history. Indians are history.

What little kids often learn in school is that all “Indians” wear feather headdresses and eat corn. Little kids also often hear about “Indians” only around Thanksgiving.

Indians are a relic of the past, relegated as a figurine toy on a shelf, as was the case in a favorite childhood book, The Indian the Cupboard. Right?

Wrong.

This past weekend was the 14th Annual American Indian Heritage Celebration at the NC Museum of History. Almost 10,000 visitors learned, explored and engaged with native peoples from all over the country. There were dancers and artisans and storytellers. The American Indian cultures are very much alive, vibrant, and modern, as much as they are diverse.

With over 560 federally-recognized tribes (not including non-recognized ones), a major falsehood of simplistic stereotypes is that the American Indian culture is singular and static. Far from the truth. A member of the Cherokee tribe can no easier communicate linguistically with a member of the Navajo tribe than someone from Malaysia and someone from Thailand. While there may be some shared experiences of being native in the U.S., the diversity of the American Indian peoples is of course reflected in the food.

It isn’t all about corn. A great place to experience the different cuisines is at the National Museum of the American Indian. Hands down it is THE BEST food of all the Smithsonians (the others tend to serve standard reheated burgers). The food at the NMAI is fresh and the menu changes with the seasons. The cafe, “Mitsitam” which means “let’s eat!” in the Native language of the Delaware and Piscataway peoples, serve foods from five regions,  from turtle chowder from the Northern Woodlands,  to papusas from South America, to cedar-planked salmon from the Pacific Northwest, to totopos (corn chips) from Meso America, to buffalo chili from the Great Plains.

Despite this diversity, many American Indians grapple with similar issues facing their communities. American Indians have higher rates of obesity, heart disease, and diabetes (twice as high) than the general population. Many of these communities also grapple with other serious issues such as the negative impact of climate change and access (or lack thereof) to educational opportunities. Yet often, because the general population often relegate “Indians” to only historic discussions around Thanksgiving, these issues often get overlooked. These issues are not issues of the past. These are issues of our brothers and sisters today.

A couple weeks ago, the National Congress of American Indians, which represent 250 federally-recognized tribes, celebrated the opening of the first embassy for tribal nations (including Alaskan Natives). Perhaps platforms like this can raise greater awareness of such issues and remind the general population that American Indians are not “all the same,” and certainly not frozen in time.

Let us not gloss over history nor ignore a living people with construction paper headdresses this Thanksgiving. Instead, let’s take this Thanksgiving to give thanks for the colorful richness of our family, friends, neighbors – both familiar and strange – and of course, for the food we are lucky enough to write about, take photos of, and eat.

The Foodbuzz Visa Signature 24, 24, 24 Challenge, of course!?@!#!@

Huh?

The Challenge: Inspired by the Foodnetwork’s Chopped, the 6 ladies of Zomppa.com participated in a 3 hour food-a-thon using 5 mystery ingredients, our culinary expertise (or  rather, lack there of??) and our own, personalized, yet creative juices.  All of us, except for the lovely Kat – she was our chairwoman and ultimate judge – cooked in our respective kitchens located in San Diego, CA; Washington, DC; Durham, NC; Arlington, VA and Toronto, Canada.  Dishes were served to a loved one of choice who ate and subsequently, commented on the meal.

Below are the the Rules:

* Five ingredients, chosen and divulged by chairwoman at start time
* 3 hours from start time to cook 1 entrée and 1 dessert
* No use of recipes/internet/cookbooks
* Use of existing pantry items only
* Should reflect regional/ethnic flavors and heritage
* Scores based on taste, presentation, and creativity (1= Don’t Make Again, 5= Make Again)

The Mystery Ingredients : salmon, brie, olives, pumpkin, and strawberries.

Our chairwoman states,  “I purposely chose rather random ingredients to give my chefs a good challenge. I was particularly tickled about the olives…Having grown up in Italy, they have been a stable in my diet all my life….”

The Results: Out of this world.

For a group of woman with no professional experience and skills ranging from the everyday cook to the ‘clueless and dangerous, shouldn’t-be-near-an-open-flame’ cook, I’d say the outcome is a true culinary masterpiece.

True to form, the ladies of Zomppa displayed a diverse, yet gorgeous culinary homage to the plethora of spices, flavors, cooking methods and cusines that our  world has to offer.   Their dishes intrinsically present each woman’s preferences and perspectives, which are heavily shaped by her own heritage, cultural influences and accumulated knowledge of  international flavors and cuisine.

The Winner: Belinda!  Kat, the Chairwoman, had difficulty in chosing a winner, but she states, “…I felt that she  [Belinda] integrated her ethnic background and regional setting beautifully…both [of her] dishes made me want to gobble them down immediately …”  With her Stuffed Salmon with Tomato-Olive Tapenade and Pumpkin Hush Puppies with Chocolate Strawberry Reduction, Belinda incorporated elements of Chinese, Japanese and Italian flavors and cooking techniques, as well as her intricate knowledge of local produce and traditional favorites.

Belinda’s Stuffed Salmon with Tomato-Olive Tapenade

Congratulations, Belinda, from your friends at Zomppa!  For a more detailed description of the dishes, recipes and loved one’s commentary, please see the following.

Belinda’s Pumpkin Hush Puppies with Chocolate Strawberry Reduction

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The Chairwoman’s Report (Kat):

How and why did you select these ingredients?
I purposely chose rather random ingredients to give my chefs a good challenge. I was particularly tickled about the olives because I knew they would probably cause problems. Having grown up in Italy, they have been a stable in my diet all my life. The pumpkin was really out of respect for the season we are in.

Who won and how did you decide on the winner?
Belinda won.  After taking into consideration the Judges and Challenger’s reports, I then decided to pretend that I was sitting in a restaurant with the “Specials Menu” in front of me with pictures. What would I pick to eat?

How did the challengers perform with their: presentation, creativity, and reflection of regional flavors?
I think they all did a fantastic job and it was really difficult to pick winner, especially as I couldn’t get to taste them. I was impressed at how they were all able to incorporate a regional/ethnic spin to their dishes with these ingredients. There was certainly no shortage of creativity by all the participants and I just don’t how they could come up with such yummy dishes.

San Diego, California (Lys):

What was your first thought about these ingredients? Oh my goodness, are the olives going to be too salty for the rest of the ingredients?

What was your biggest challenge? Figuring out how to add depth to the dish so that it’s interesting and I’d want another bite.

What do you think was your greatest success? Combining the dishes!! Unconventional, I know, but I accidentally used the spoon that I’d stirred the smoothie with to taste the olive mixture and my eyes lit up! What can I say? I love my sweets with my salts!!

Salmon Turnovers With Brie and Olives

Entree: Salmon Turnovers w/ Brie and Olives
Score: Taste 4 Presentation 4 Creativity 3
Comment: I was really surprised with how complex the flavors turned out!

1. Saute in oil from olive jar:
4 shallots
20 kalamata olives
1/4 tsp. celery seed
1/4 tsp. black pepper
Pinch of Salt

2. Take one sheet of puff pastry and cut into 6 rectangles. Layer on each rectangle:
1 tsp. goat milk brie
2 tsp. canned wild salmon
2 tsp. olive mixture
3. Seal turnovers and bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees.

Comments: Most of the ingredients were grown right here in southern California! We live in a very multi-cultural area and have a lot of Indian restaurants around our house. These turnovers remind me of the samosas at our favorite place! Also, my mom is Scandinavian and I grew up eating salmon in all kinds of different ways. The olives made me think of the capers that you traditionally eat with lox and I tried to think of my dish from that perspective. Salty olives matched well with the fish and the brie added a nice creamy texture.

Strawberry and Pumpkin Smoothie

Dessert: A Smoothie for all Seasons
Score: Taste 4 Presentation 3 Creativity 2
Comment: Surprisingly good! Earthy and sweet at the same time!

24 ripe strawberries, hulled and quartered
¼ c. pureed pumpkin
½ c. ice

1. Blend ingredients

I surreptitiously tried the olive/salmon mixture with my smoothie spoon and WHAM I had a wonderfully salty and sweet meal.

Comments: We are so lucky to live in California where we have fresh Strawberries almost year-round, these came from a neighboring farm and taste like summer. Sometimes I like to remember the flavor of fall and that’s what I think the pumpkin adds to the smoothie – a nice earthiness that reminds me that even though it’s 80 degrees year-round somewhere it’s a lovely fall day.

Washington, DC (Tonija):
What was your first thought about these ingredients? Oooo, I don’t like olives!

What was your biggest challenge? Implementing my concept into actual dishes.

What do you think was your greatest success? If you can call it a success, it was the salmon.

Pumpkin-Crusted Salmon With Sauteed Spinach

Entree: Pumpkin-crusted Salmon with Sauteed Spinach
Score: Taste 4 Presentation 4 Creativity 4
Comment: I enjoyed the creamy pumpkin flavor.

1/2 can of pureed pumpkin
3 TB heavy whipping cream
Cinnamon
Nutmeg

1. Salt the salmon and smother it in the pumpkin mixture
2. Place in the oven at 350 for 10-12 minutes
3. Sautee spinach with olive oil, garlic and salt. Skewered olives as garnish.

Comments: It’s what I had. I guess pumpkin is grown nearby somewhere.

Wonton-Amera

Dessert: Wonton-Amera
Score: Taste 2 Presentation 5 Creativity 4
Comment: Wontons- a great dessert wrapper: neat, clean and bite-sized.

1. Cut 1 apple into small chunks. Place in bowl.
2. Cut 6-8 strawberries into small pieces and mix with apples.
3. Mix in a teaspoon of lemon juice.
4.Into each wonton wrapper place 2 pieces of each fruit on top of a small piece of brie.
5. Sprinkle with cardamom.
6. Wet the edges of the wonton wrapper and close around the mixture. Repeat this as many times as you like.
7 Place wontons on baking sheet and place in oven on 300 for 10-12 minutes.
8. Remove from oven and sprinkle with cardamom and powdered sugar.

Comments: Thought of what went well with brie. Apples are grown around here.

Arlington, VA (Patty):

What was your first thought about these ingredients? Brie?  My husband hates brie and he is my judge!  How to incorporate it in a recipe that he will actually EAT and then, ENJOY!

What was your biggest challenge? The tart. I wasn’t sure what the strawberries were going to do in the tart – I was afraid they would completely disintegrate and ooze all over the place.

What do you think was your greatest success? The salmon cakes!

Fried Salmon Cakes

Entree: Fried Salmon Cakes
Score: Taste 5 Presentation 4 Creativity 5
Comment: I’m not a texture person. I can’t really stand mushy stuff, but somehow she made this salmon cake taste moist and a bit fluffy. And the flavors that came through were gréât : lemony, smokey, and with an extra bite in the middle from the brie. Was really great.

1 can of wild caught salmon
5 pitted kalamata olives, finely diced
1 garlic, minced
3 tablespoons of finely diced green onion, white and green par
2 tablespoons of finely diced flat leaf parsley
1 egg, whites only
1 cup of whole-wheat panko
½ cup of Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons of mayonnaise
1-½ teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of pepper
1 teaspoon of chili powder
1 teaspoon of paprika
6 teaspoons of brie
1 egg, beaten
1-½ cup of cornmeal
Olive Oil

1. In a large bowl, mix the wild salmon (make sure you remove some of the bones), olives, garlic, green onion, parsley, egg white, panko, yogurt, mayonnaise, salt pepper, and chili powder and paprika powder. Combine all ingredients until well mixed.
2. Put a palm-sized amount of salmon in your hand and roll into a ball. Place a teaspoon of the brie in the middle of the ball and cover with the salmon. Flatten the salmon into a about ¾-1-inch patty. Dip in the egg and then the cornmeal. Make another 5 patties.
3. Heat oven to 350 degrees
4. Heat a sauté pan until hot, on medium heat, and then add enough oil to cover coat the bottom of the pan. Brown the patties on each side for 2 minutes, or until brown. Place the browned salmon cakes on a cookie sheet. Brown all the cakes.
5. Place all the cakes in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, sprits on some lemon juice and serve with salad. Enjoy!

Comments: Homage to the south, which fried fish coated with cornmeal is tradition.

Pumpkin Strawberry Tart

Dessert: Pumpkin and Strawberry Tart
Score: Taste 5 Presentation 4 Creativity 5
Comment: I hate pies and was forced to eat this. But I love it ! I thought it was going to taste all wet and nasty but it tasted awesome !! It was fluffy and really tasted. My daughter couldn’t get enough, too.

1 can of pumpkin puree, about 1 lb
¼ cup of butter, softened
2 eggs
½ cup of half and half
½ cup of granulated sugar, add more if your pumpkin is not very sweet
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
½ teaspoon of nutmeg
1 prepared piecrust dough
12 small/medium strawberries, halved

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place your prepared piecrust dough in a 9-inch tart pan. Do not pull on sides, otherwise, when cooked, the crust will shrink! Once in tart shell, place tart shell in the refrigerator until ready for use.
3. In a large mixing bowl, mix the pumpkin, butter, half and half, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg
4. Put the pureed pumpkin in a large mixing bowl. In a smaller mixing bowl, add the butter, eggs, half and half, and sugar. Mix until well combined. Add the liquid ingredients to the pumpkin puree and mix until very well combined.
5. Take tart shell out of the refrigerator and place it on a cookie sheet. Decorate the bottom of the shell with the halved strawberries. Pour the pumpkin batter into the tart shell until it is almost to the top of the shell.
6. Bake in oven for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool and serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream!

Comments: I am half African-American and have family from the south. Pumpkin pie is a HUGE part of fall holidays and gatherings. With autumn officially here and pumpkin as an ingredient, I felt it was necessary to make the pie.

Durham, NC (Belinda):

What was your first thought about these ingredients? Man, olives? I hate olives!

What was your biggest challenge? Timing – getting everything done at the same time without anything soggy, but worrying that I would mess up something and end up with nothing. And no recipes.

What do you think was your greatest success? Making things I’ve never made before (i.e. hush puppies) with ingredients I’d never used (i.e. olives) and making a complete meal that reflected regional flavors.

Stuffed Salmon With Tomato-Olive Tapenade

Entree: Name Stuffed Salmon with Tomato-Olive Tapenade
Score: Taste 5 Presentation 5 Creativity 5
Comment: Fish perfectly cooked. Brie and salmon and spinach = great combo. Tomato-olive tapenade was an innovative complement.

2 salmon fillets
¼ cup onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic
Pepper
Salt
Dill week
Olive oil
1 cup chopped spinach
Brie

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Pound salmon fillets and rub with olive oil and dill
3. In bowl, combine chopped spinach, onions, and garlic. Season with salt
4. Spread spinach mixture on salmon fillet
5. Slice brie and add on top
6. Carefully roll salmon and tie with string
7. Bake for about 15-18 minutes

Tomato-Olive Tapenade

2 large tomatoes
1 cup olives

1. Chop olives in food processor
2. Add chopped tomatoes and blend
3. Spread on top of salmon

Comments: I needed to do something with the olives and figured the saltiness of the olives would work well with tanginess of tomatoes. I added NC-farm tomatoes to show my support for local producers.I added a side dish with buckwheat soba noodles, sweetened corn, with soy sauce and fish sauce. I kept this dish light and wanted the sweetness to complement the saltiness of the olives.

Pumpkin Hush Puppies With Chocolate Strawberry Reduction

Dessert: Pumpkin Hush Puppies with Chocolate Strawberry Reduction
Score: Taste 4 Presentation 4 Creativity 4
Comment: Great idea – never have had flavored hush puppies before.

Pumpkin Hush Puppies
½ cup pumpkin puree
1 cup corn meal
1 cup flour
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
½ cup milk

1. Combine milk, eggs, and sugar
2. Add pumpkin puree and combine well
3. Add remaining dry ingredients and mix well
4. Heat oil in deep skillet or wok
5. Measure a few tablespoons and dip in hot oil
6. Deep fry on each side until brown

Chocolate Strawberry Reduction
1 cup strawberries
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup milk
3 TB butter

1. In double broiler (or pot over another pot), melt butter
2. Add sugar until mixed well
3. Add milk and cocoa butter
4. Meanwhile, puree strawberries and heat over medium heat until reduced
5. Combine both sauces

Comments: Hush puppies are hugely popular in NC. I wanted to honor that, but I have never made hush puppies before, so this was a huge challenge. I also wanted to celebrate the fall with pumpkin. I made them in a wok!

Toronto, Canada (Tsering):

What was your first thought about these ingredients? I have never eaten or cooked pumpkin. Never eaten salmon. But was glad to see brie, strawberries, and olives. Yummy. The ingredients on their own seems great, but in terms of trying to plan a meal, I drew a blank.

What was your biggest challenge? Trying to figure the easiest way to peel the pumpkin.

What do you think was your greatest success? Getting my whole family involved in the process. Everyone was really excited.

Hot! Pumpkin Soup

Entree: Hot! Pumpkin Soup with Salmon and Brie Wrapped in Bacon
Score: Taste 5 Presentation 3.5 Creativity 4.5
Comment: I liked the mixture of Indian flavors with the pumpkin. I liked the fact that Tsering made the dish with fish, and the whole thing was crispy and the whole thing melted in my mouth.

Soup
2 TB Canola oil
1 1/2 cups chopped pumpkin
1/2 small red onion
3 garlic cloves
1 TB cumin
1 large carrot, chopped
3 red chili peppers
3 TB chopped fresh coriander

1. Heat pressure cooker
2. Once hot, add oil, saute onion until translucent
3. Add garlic and chilis, and saute for 2 minutes
4. Add pumpkin and carrots
5. Add salt, pepper, and cumin powder, mix well and cook for five minutes
6. Add 5 cups of water
7. Put pressure cooker lid on and let it whistle twice
8. Once remove lid, puree soup and sprinkle with fresh coriander

Salmon and Brie Wrapped In Bacon

Salmon and Brie Wrapped in Bacon
1 piece salmon fillet
Brie
4 slices bacon

1. Cut salmon into 4 1-inch pieces
2. Make small slits in the salmon and add salt, pepper, and brie into slits
3. Wrap bacon around pieces
4. Heat skillet and oil
5. Place pieces in skillet and cook until fish is done

Comments: It was a really long day for us, the weather, our mood, so I wanted something to pick our moods up and comfort us. Since my husband does not eat fish, to address his taste profile, I wrapped it in bacon. Since we are moving in a couple of days, all the items we needed to finish in the pantry, I used. South and North Indian flavors and Tibetans love soup.

Strawberry Jam With English Muffin

Dessert: Strawberry Jam with English Muffin
Score: Taste 4 Presentation 3 Creativity 3
Comment: A little sour, but good.

15 fresh strawberries, washed and cut
1 cup of water
¼ cup of organic sugar
English muffins

1. Add ingredients together and let it simmer until it becomes a thick gooey mixture
2. Spread on toasted English muffins

Comments: As a family, we’re not much of a dessert people, and I cannot bake well, so I opted for something that I loved. Jam on English muffin.

Traditional Gujarati meals are served on a silver platter with small silver bowls. Breads such as wheat rotis, chapatis, and fried puffy puris (LOVE THEM) accompany the meal. Dishes included dals (lentils), spiced aloo (potatoes), and the most flavorful greens. This is usually finished with buttermilk.

One dish that is ridiculously out of this world is mango ras – aam ras – a cooling, sweet, refreshing mango puree. You can eat it with a spoon or top it on ice cream…and the best thing is that right now is mango season in Gujarat. Ras can be made with milk or cardamom or simply mangoes pureed into a smooth consistency. The most famous mangoes in Gujarat are known as Alphonso mangoes, and they are one of the most expensive kinds. Frankly, I have never, ever eaten better mangoes in my life. I usually love mango-flavors but not the mango itself as it is often fibrous. Alphonso mangoes just slide down your throat and they are the sweetest, purest, freshest mangoes I have ever had the fortune of eating.

Another popular snack food is paan. It is a betel leaf full of ingredients, such as cloves, cardamom, rose syrup, mint, and areca nuts. Some also include tobacco. It apparently is used as a mouth freshener, which I can attest – it works! There are many flavors and the first time I had one, I didn’t know what to do with the complexity of flavors exploding in one quick bite. It was minty, but sweet with the rose syrup, and then a bit grounding with the nuts – I think I must have tasted about 25 different flavors of every combination in that one bite. One of the best things was watching the vendor make the paan with such precision and care.

Gujarat has such a rich food culture and cuisine that I could spend a lifetime here and only learn a little. Exploring local food and culture in a global context – the journey can be as sweet as an Alphonso mango.