For Xmas My oldest daughter got a mixer from her father. She enjoys being in the kitchen and we have encouraged her culinary interest. YAY FOOD! This xmas was a hard one for me, as it is the first one where Anais and I have been apart. It was hard for me to think of a gift for her, as every time I thought of her I was overwhelmed with sadness, but also I usually enjoy making gifts for her and I didn't have the time to spend on crafting with school preoccupying most of my time this year. I finally (at the last minute!!!, shame one me) thought of making her a cookbook of all her favorite recipes of mine to compliment the cooking gear she was going to be getting from her dad. I wanted to make it in PDF format and compile some files to make it like a book, but then she would have to wait some time to get to see it and use it. So, this morning I thought-what about that blog that I thought I was going to use and never did? I could post all my recipes there so she could see them as I type them out, and then I will cut and paste them from the blog to put into PDF format for the book? HMMM smart cookie?!
So this is for you Anais and anyone else who should care to take a gander. I will post your favorite recipes on the blog and compile them for your binder/book as I go. Seeing as I am taking this Sunday off for New Years I am going to try and post a few up for you right now. They are in random order as I find them in my mind and other places so there is no accounting for selection, LOL! Here goes, enjoy;
Pierogi dough
2 c flour
2 eggs
Mix and kneed dough. Add water or flour as necessary for consistency. Roll into golf ball size balls and let rest for ten minutes or so. Flatten and fill with whatever. Boil pierogies and saute in butter until golden.
Notes: I find this dough to be a little eggier than the stuff you get when you buy pierogies in the local markets in Chicago. It tastes a lot like homemade egg noodles. The dough can get stiff if you work it too much too, but it does function and it make a good pierogi.
Mom's Fry Bread Recipe
1 small 5 oz can evaporated milk room temp(not to be confused with condensed milk)
+ enough hot water to make 1 c (3oz)
one yeast packet
1 Tb sugar
2 1/2 c flour
2 Tb butter
2 tsp salt
Oil for frying.
Pour room temp evap milk into 1c measuring cup, add enough hot water to the evaporated milk to equal 1c, roughly 3 oz. Add yeast and 1Tb sugar to the milk and water mixture, let rest 5 min. Put 2 1/2 c flour in mixing bowl add liquid mixture, butter , and salt. Knead and let rise one hour or until doubled. Then pull off balls of desired size and flatten with your hands. Leave a hole in the center and fry until golden on both sides. Corn oil is good for frying, but peanut has good flavor and crisco is acceptable. Do not use olive oil or other low temp oils.
Fry bread toppings:
Wojapi is a fruit topping taught to me that is very tasty. It has a special meaning. Wo=life, ja=giving, pi=fruit maybe when Indians were given flour as rations the fruit was the only healthy part of the meal they were getting. But this is my recipe for wojapi.
Wojapi:
1 lb of fruit (A mixture is always pleasing to the palate. Plums and cherries and blueberries is good, or something like gooseberries, chokecherries and strawberries. Persimmons are a nice seasonal and traditional native american fruit just make sure you don't get the Japanese kind.)
Water enough to juice up the fruit.
Some sweetener for tart fruit. (It can be honey or brown sugar or molasses or sorghum, apple juice concentrate anything on hand)Persimmons will not need any.
Cornstarch
Bring the fruit and water to a boil. Make a mixture of 1 T cornstarch to 3 Tb water. Mix this into the boiling fruit. Make sure to mix rapidly as it will gel quickly. If this does not thicken the mixture enough for you you can do it a second time-some people like a very thick wojapi. Remember it will thicken a bit as it cools.
Honey and powdered sugar are less fuss and common toppings.
You can also make Fry bread Tacos. Here is my recipe for Fry bread taco filling.
Fry Bread taco Filling:
1lb ground beef or package of morning star veggie crumbles
2-3 cans green chiles
brown meat, add chiles
Notes: How easy is that! Most indians I know don't always go for salt or a lot of seasonings, but I think it tastes good too with some garlic and onions sauteed in there. Top your fry bread with the filling , with chopped tomatoes and lettuce, sour cream and onions and put on some powwow music! Might I suggest Tha Tribe. OOH, that also reminds me of Navajo Stew.
Navajo Stew
1 chopped onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 pound ground lamb or lamb stew pieces
coarsely chopped green hatch chiles (or canned whole chiles)
posole corn (or can of traditional style hominy)
4 c water
Saute onion, throw in garlic. When translucent, add lamb and brown. Throw in Chiles, corn and water.Slow simmer until the corn bursts and looks like popcorn. If you are using canned hominy just simmer until tender. Salt to taste.
Notes: This delicious and simple watery stew was fare at the powwow where I took my 3 day old daughter Mure. I could not stand being in the house any longer and The fry bread was calling my name. I think it was her first outing and her first powwow. I am not even sure they added onion and garlic-it might have just been chiles, lamb, and posole. I remember once making this with Blue corn posole. You can get it in all sorts of colors there. It is meant to be spicy and blood pumping -invigorating and simple. It reminds me very much of New Mexico and how you can throw 3 things in a pot and have them taste good. It also reminds me that many there were poor and lived simply. I sometimes miss the simplicity of the desert. This recipe in turn reminds me of my "white chili" recipe.
White Chili
I large white onion chopped fine
1 pound ground chicken or 4 planks of quorn crumbled for a vegetarian alternative
3 cloves garlic
1 can small white beans
3 small cans chopped green chiles
1 cube vegetable bouillon (try to use a natural cube without MSG)
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 can traditional style hominy (8oz)
I bunch cilantro,chopped
In a large cooking pot or dutch oven, Chop onion and saute until translucent. Add ground chicken and cook thoroughly until there are no longer any pink areas. Throw in beans directly from can-Do NOT Rinse! Toss in everything else. Add some cilantro. Simmer until all flavors are well mingled. Serve with a dollop of cour cream, crumbled tortilla chips, cilantro,and cheese for garnish.
Black Chili
I large red onion chopped fine
I lb ground sirloin/grass fed beef or 1 bag morning star farms beef crumbles
3 cloves garlic
1 can black beans
1 chipotle chile chopped fine(I prefer one from a can of them, save the rest for another time)
1 cube vegetable bouillon (tomato flavor is good too, again something natural with sea salt , no MSG)
1 tsp chili powder
1 can regular hominy
In a large cooking pot or even a crock pot for that matter, saute the red onion. You will want to saute the red onion for a very long time, almost until it is overdone. It tends to retain it's crispness for a very long time, and I like the vidalia flavor here but not a firm onion. Add the beef and brown it. I do not drain the beef, that is why I try to make the chili with something extra lean. The beans like to have a little bit of fat. Throw in the garlic until it looks a little soft. Toss in the black beans straight from the can-Do NOT Rinse! Add the chipotle, bullion, chili powder and hominy. Simmer until all flavors have mingled. Garnish with VERY finely chopped fresh tomatoes and a dollop of sour cream.
I guess this is all I've got for today. Happy cooking Anais,
Love Momma
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