America I AM Pass It Down Cookbook (26 page)
The Ganeshram’s Trinidad Breadfruit Oil-Down
New York, New York
SERVES 4
In Pass It Down editor Ramin Ganeshram’s father’s country of Trinidad, breadfruit is a starchy tree fruit that was a mainstay for slaves and indentured laborers because it was filling but cheap for plantation owners to provide. It was often flavored with an equally cheap cut of pork, such as pig’s feet.
“Oil-down” refers to the African cooking method by which vegetables are stewed in coconut milk until all of the milk is absorbed and just a bit of coconut oil is left in the bottom of the pan. Smoked ham, bacon, or turkey bacon provides good flavor in this dish, but purely vegetarian versions are just as good. This recipe is reprinted, with permission, from
Sweet Hands: Island Cooking from Trinidad & Tobago
(Hippocrene Books, 2010).
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 large onion, minced
1 fresh pimiento pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped, or 1 teaspoon paprika
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ pound smoked bacon or turkey bacon, diced (optional)
3 scallions, finely chopped
½ Scotch bonnet or other hot red chili pepper, stemmed, seeded, and minced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, or ½ teaspoon dried
4 cups coconut milk
1 large breadfruit, peeled, seeded, and chopped into large chunks
**
coarse or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Heat the canola oil in a deep saucepan and add the onion and pimiento pepper. (If using paprika, add with the coconut milk.) Sauté until soft. Add the garlic and bacon and sauté for 1 minute more.
Add the scallions, hot pepper, and thyme, and sauté for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in the coconut milk (and paprika if using) and bring to a boil.
Mix in the breadfruit and salt and black pepper to taste. Lower the heat and cover. Simmer for 30–40 minutes, or until the breadfruit has absorbed all the coconut milk. Serve hot.
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**
Breadfruit is available canned. One 16-ounce can is roughly equivalent to one fresh breadfruit. Drain well before using.
Chef Jeff’s Sautéed Succotash
Las Vegas, Nevada
SERVES 4 TO 6
Chef Jeff Henderson says that as a child, he did not like a lot of vegetables, but his grandparents made sure he ate them often. “When I had a choice, it was all about the succotash: several Southern vegetables sautéed with some good ham pieces.”
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons fresh garlic, finely minced
2 medium shallots, finely diced
1½ cups diced ham
2 cups fresh corn, off the cob
1 cup okra
1 cup canned or fresh lima beans
1 cup fresh diced tomatoes
2 cups preboiled baby potatoes, cut into quarters
1 medium red bell pepper, diced small
3 tablespoons fresh, flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
In a skillet or non-stick sauté pan, melt butter over medium heat, then add garlic and shallots.
After about a minute, add diced ham, all the vegetables and the potatoes. Let cook 10–12 minutes or until vegetables are tender and caramelized, occasionally stirring.
Remove from heat. Stir in parsley and thyme and season with salt and pepper.
Serve immediately with Pan-Roasted Catfish (
page 111
).
Kevono’s Spinach and Eggplant Lasagna
SERVES 10
Kevono Hunt has always enjoyed cooking for friends and family. This recipe was created shortly after his move to New York for one of his vegetarian friends. “She was begging me to cook something,” Kevono says, “so I decided to make her some lasagna using two of her favorite foods— spinach and eggplant. Being the cook that I am, I created something simple and easy so she could replicate it.”
4 cups water
2½ tablespoons of kosher salt
½ cup apple cider vinegar
2 bunches spinach
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 medium-sized eggplant, cut into 1/3-inch circular pieces
½ cup bell peppers in assorted colors, cut in small slivers
1 medium onion, cut in small slivers
¼ cup mushrooms
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon cardamom
¼ teaspoon paprika
½ tablespoon black pepper
½ cup white wine
1 package precooked lasagna pasta
1 12-ounce can of black beans
2 cups shredded mozzarella
2 pints ricotta cheese
2 jars of marinara sauce
4 garlic cloves
4 roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 sprig of rosemary
In a 4-quart pot, bring the 4 cups of water to a boil and add salt and apple cider vinegar. Clean and cut stems on spinach and place in water until the spinach changes to a rich green color, then place in an ice bath. Set aside for later.
Coat eggplant generously in olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Sear the eggplant until brown. Set aside.
Sauté the bell peppers and onions in olive oil, then add mushrooms and half of all seasonings. After 3 minutes, add white wine and let reduce. Set aside.
Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the box. Set aside.
In a lasagna pan, put ½ tablespoon of olive oil in the bottom and cover with black beans. Place eggplant on top of beans. Cover eggplant with ½ cup of mozzarella and spread ricotta over eggplant. Cover with marinara sauce. Place spinach on next layer and season with remaining seasonings. Coat with ricotta cheese and marinara sauce and another layer of pasta. Place sautéed bell peppers, onions, and mushroom on top and cover with ricotta and marinara sauce and the last of the pasta. Spread the remainder of the marinara sauce on top. Coat with ricotta and mozzarella.
Place roma tomatoes on top of mozzarella. Garnish with rosemary.
Bake lasagna in oven at 350° F for about 1 hour or until it reaches an internal temperature of 145° F.
Desmonette Hazly’s Roasted Summer Vegetable Medley
Los Angeles, California
SERVES 4 TO 6
Dr. Desmonette Hazly is a social entrepreneur and community culinary arts instructor.She says she went to cooking school so she could help her community. “I have incorporated culinary arts as my primary tool for social change and community advocacy,” says Dr. Hazly. “I use culinary arts to teach respect and self-worth to gang members, life skills and nutrition for teen moms, literacy and dignity to those who cannot read or write.” Her summer vegetable medley is easy to prepare and a great way to introduce healthful eating to anyone, no matter what their level of skill in the kitchen. Read more about Dr. Hazly
’
s work in the Summer Night Lights program in Sacred Table, Sacred Feast. (
page 265
)
3 zucchinis, sliced ¼-inch thick
2 yellow squash, sliced into ¼ thick pieces
3 red bell peppers, cut into ½-inch chunks
5 firm Roma tomatoes, cut into ½-inch chunks
2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
1½ cups Italian salad dressing
½ cup balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 400º F.
Place all vegetables in a baking pan and add Italian dressing and balsamic vinegar.
Toss vegetables until they’re fully coated with the liquids. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss once more before covering pan with foil and placing in the oven.
Cook 25 minutes. Remove foil, toss vegetables and return to oven uncovered. Cook another 25 minutes until vegetables are tender.
Can be served hot as a side dish or cold as a salad.
Teresa K. Toles’ Creamy Macaroni & Cheese
Indianapolis, Indiana
SERVES 4
As a little girl, Teresa Toles would not eat homemade macaroni and cheese, preferring the boxed stuff instead. It was not until she was in her late teens, watching her mother cook homemade macaroni and cheese, that she come up with her own way of cooking macaroni and cheese. “Now I have to cook macaroni and cheese for family and friends for holidays and events,” she says. Special beneficiaries of “creamy mac” are members of Ms. Toles' church, where she is choir directress and president of various auxiliary groups.
2 teaspoons salt
6 cups water
1¾ cups elbow macaroni
3 cups milk
2 sticks butter or margarine, cut into pats
1 pound Colby cheese, crumbled
2 pounds Velveeta cheese, cut into pieces
2 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 375º F.
Place water and salt in large pot and bring to a rapid boil. Add macaroni to boiling water, stir to separate, and let boil until tender (7–10 minutes). Drain in colander—do not rinse.
Pour noodles into a 9 x 12 baking dish. Dot the macaroni with the margarine. Mix well until all the margarine is melted and all the pasta is coated.