America I AM Pass It Down Cookbook (13 page)

Did you know?
Ground sumac was used by the ancient Romans to add sour flavor to dishes—long before they discovered citrus fruits.

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*
Ground sumac can also be purchased online from Penzey’s spices,
www.penzeys.com
, or Kalustyan’s in New York or online,
www.kalustyans.com
. Urfa chile can also be purchased from Kalustyan’s.

Imani Wilson’s Brown Stew Chicken

Queens, New York

SERVES 4 TO 6

When Imani Wilson was four years old, her parents, grandmothers, and aunts started a cookbook for her that she has expanded and added to through her years growing up in Queens, New York, and then as a world-traveling journalist. A writer and ethnomusicologist of Barbadian and Jamaican descent, Ms. Wilson says what she enjoys most about cooking is perfecting the art of combining flavors and textures. Her traditional Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken begins with a caramelized sugar base, believed to be a West African cooking style brought to the Caribbean. Together with the browning, as the caramel foundation is called, allspice, fresh ginger, and Scotch bonnet peppers create an extraordinary depth of flavor to the dish.

1 3-pound chicken cut into eighths plus four additional chicken thighs
juice of 3 limes
1/3 cup kosher salt
4 cups of water
1¼ cups green seasoning (
page 232
)
¼ cup peanut oil
3 garlic cloves, mashed
10–15 shallots chopped, to yield 1½ cups
½ cup ginger, cut into batons
5 tablespoons Demerara or turbinado sugar
½ cup soy sauce
1 scotch bonnet pepper
1 teaspoon ground or 1 tablespoon whole Jamaican allspice
3 cloves garlic, sliced
sea salt and pepper to taste
½ cup chopped scallion for garnish

Wash the chicken in cold water, then place them in a large, deep bowl or pot and add the lime juice, salt, and three cups of water. Stir the mixture until the salt is dissolved. Set aside, refrigerate for 1 hour.

Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry. Remove all the skin and fat and set aside.

Add 1 cup of the green seasoning to the chicken and mix to coat. Mix reserved skin with ¼ cup of green seasoning and mix to coat. Allow both mixtures to marinate for an hour.

Place the chicken skin in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. When the fat has been rendered and the skin has fried crisp, remove the skin crackings with a slotted spoon and set them aside. Pour the rendered fat and peanut oil into a large enamel or cast iron Dutch oven and add the chicken. Brown the chicken in a single layer, about 7–8 minutes per side, cooking in batches. Once the chicken pieces have been browned on both sides, remove chicken from pot and set aside on a wire rack set over a sheet tray or a paper towel-lined tray.

Add the mashed garlic, shallots, and ginger to the pan. Fry until the shallots begin to soften, then remove shallot mixture from pan. Sprinkle sugar over bottom of pot and allow to melt. When sugar begins foaming, about 1 minute, add soy sauce, Scotch bonnet, and allspice. Return the shallot mixture to the pot, stirring well to mix.

Return the chicken and any juices to the pot and lower heat to medium-low. Simmer, covered, over medium heat, stirring occasionally. After 45 minutes, remove the Scotch bonnet pepper. Add 1 cup of water and continue cooking for 20 minutes. Add the sliced garlic to the pot. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper, as needed. Stir to mix and remove from heat. Let sit for 10 minutes.

Sprinkle the crispy skin and chopped scallions over the stew to serve. Serve with plain rice.

Chicken & Noodles

Columbus, Ohio

SERVES 4 TO 6

Lisa Ghee is a self-professed convenience seeker in the kitchen. She learned this dish from her mom, Constance. It’s great taste lies in the simplicity of the ingredients, which include both fresh wholesome ingredients and packaged dry soup mix for added flavor.

1 whole chicken, cut into eighths
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 cup shredded carrots
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1 package of dry onion soup mix
1 quart chicken stock (
page 13
)
1 package egg noodles

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Place chicken in Dutch oven or deep roaster and add celery, carrots, salt, pepper, allspice, onion soup mix, and just enough water to cover the chicken pieces by 1 inch.

Cover and cook until chicken is tender, about 1 hour.

Remove the chicken from the roaster and debone. Return the chicken pieces back to the Dutch oven and add the chicken stock and egg noodles. Bake 15 minutes more. Serve hot.

Hope Galloway’s Spaghetti & Turkey Meatballs

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

SERVES 4

“Spaghetti and meatballs were a tradition in my household, and my grandmother passed the recipe down two generations,” says Hope Galloway.

“This is a meal that got the whole family to the table and communicating and catching up. It was filling and tasted great, even the next day. It is and will always be one of my family’s favorites.” Ms.

Galloway has updated this beloved recipe to offer a healthier twist: Instead of ground beef she uses ground turkey.

1 pound ground turkey
1 egg
1/3 cup seasoned or Italian breadcrumbs
¼ cup chopped onion
¼ cup chopped green bell pepper
½ teaspoon seasoning salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ cup vegetable oil
1 16-ounce jar marinara sauce
1 box spaghetti cooked according to package directions

Pass It Down TIP

For an even healthier version, Hope Galloway suggests baking the meatballs in a 350° oven for 30 minutes instead of frying them, and using low sodium spaghetti sauce.

In a large bowl, combine the turkey, egg, breadcrumbs, onions, green bell pepper, seasoning salt, and black pepper. Mix well using your hands and form into golf ball-size meatballs.

Heat the oil in a large deep skillet on medium-high. Add the meatballs and fry until brown on all sides, about 5 minutes.

Heat the marinara sauce in a large saucepan and add the meatballs. Simmer for 15 minutes and serve over spaghetti.

Brother Elijah’s Turkey Meatloaf

Shoreview, Minnesota

SERVES 6 TO 8

Alisia Marie Brown was educated formally in the culinary arts at California State University, Long Beach and Johnson and Wales University, Charleston. She is currently pursuing a degree to teach culinary arts so she can share her love of cooking with others. Brown says while she has traveled all over the country working in the best restaurants and with skilled chefs, her biggest cooking lessons have come through two generations of family, including her mother and both of her grandmothers, who, incidentally, all made really great meatloaf. Brown developed her meatloaf recipe for her nephew, Elijah. “It’s made from ground turkey, instead of the standard beef because it’s leaner,” she says.

MEATLOAF

3 large eggs, lightly beaten
kosher sea salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 pounds ground turkey
1 cup celery, finely chopped
½ cup carrot, finely chopped
1/3 cup each of yellow and red peppers, finely chopped
1–2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
6 large leaves fresh sage, finely chopped, or ½ teaspoon dried sage
1 tablespoon onion powder
½ teaspoon liquid smoke
1–1½ cups Italian bread crumbs

SAUCE (ORGRAVY)

1 cup finely diced onion
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon kosher sea salt or to taste
2 cups orange juice
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
½ cup light brown sugar or molasses
1 cup vegetable stock
2–3 tablespoons of tomato paste

Preheat your oven to 350° F. In a small bowl, gently combine the eggs, salt, pepper, olive oil, Dijon mustard, and Worcestershire sauce and whisk together. In a large bowl, combine the turkey and the rest of the ingredients, except the bread crumbs. Add in the mixture from the first bowl and mix.

Fold in your bread crumbs to mixture until well incorporated.

Using a pan spray, coat a sheet pan and form your meat loaf. Once it is formed, place in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to an hour before cooking.

Bake at 350° F for 1 hour covered. Then put sauce on top and bake uncovered for 20 minutes.

FOR SAUCE

Sauté your onion in a heavy pan until golden. Add garlic, crushed red pepper, and salt and allow the garlic to soften.