At Plymouth, Massachusetts, way back in the fall of 1621, the pilgrims raked in a good harvest thanks to the Wampanoag tribe who shared their seeds and know-how with them. As a result, Captain Miles Standish invited the pilgrims’ benefactors Squanto and Samoset, as well as Wampanoag Chief Massasoit, to join them for a three-day harvest celebration. But when Squanto and Samoset showed up with about 90 family members, the Pilgrims didn’t quite know what to do. Their three-day feast might only have lasted three minutes had it not been for Chief Massasoit who immediately gave orders for his men to go back and bring more food. And so it happened that the guests supplied most of the food for the first Thanksgiving. All of the food was 100 percent organic and most of it local — except for some Holland cheese and a few special spices from the Old World. And you can bet it was an excellent feast.
For your own excellent feast, and as a way of acknowledging and thanking the Native Americans to whom we owe so much, I propose a Thanksgiving feast based on Native American foods and a dinner in which hierarchy takes a day off. Instead of a "main dish" and "side dishes," try a menu in which each dish is special and stands equally upon the table. You can’t do better than by starting with the "three sisters of life."
Three Sisters of Life
Much of Native American agriculture and cuisine was based on corn, beans, and squash, which the Indians called "three sisters of life." Native Americans planted seeds for these three vegetables all together in a "hill" rather than in a row. Lescarbot, a French explorer, noted in 1608 that the Indians of Maine, like those of Virginia and Florida, plant their corn in hills, "and between the kernels of corn they plant beans marked with various colors, which are very delicate: these because they are not so high as the corn, grow very well among it."
The reason corn and beans grow so well together is that legumes, such as beans, have nitrogen-fixing bacteria on their root nodules. These bacteria form a symbiotic relationship with legumes and together they enrich the soil and act as a natural fertilizer. The "fixed" nitrogen then becomes available for other plants (the corn and squash) to absorb and use to form proteins, which can then be spread throughout the food chain — to us, for example, as in this deceptively simple recipe for cranberry beans. With its gentle savor and tender texture, this dish will win over anyone yearning for good, old-fashioned, comforting beans.
Basic Cranberry Beans
3 cups shelled fresh beans (try to find Vermont Cranberry, Borlotto, Montezuma Red, or Tongue of Fire)
1-2 Tablespoons olive oil
Savory or thyme sprigs and/or bay leaf.
1. In a heavy saucepan, combine beans, optional herbs, olive oil and cold water to cover. Bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat to very low. Cover and cook until beans are tender. Small beans may take 15 minutes, while larger ones may take 30.
3. When beans are tender, add salt and other seasonings. Uncover and allow to cool in liquid. Remove herb sprigs or bay leaf before serving. Serves six.
You can eat the basic beans as they are, or dress them up in one of these ways:
* Cook minced shallots in olive oil and add to the drained beans with minced fresh herbs of your choice.
* For a warm bean salad, drain beans and toss with olive oil or nut oil, lemon juice, and minced parsley and scallion greens, then serve at room temperature.
* Make a "Three Sisters Stew" by gently cooking chopped onions and small chunks of a quick-cooking squash such as Red Kuri or Kabocha. Add to the drained beans. Then add two to three cups cooked corn kernels and mix onions, squash, and corn into beans.
Indian Corn: Not Just for Looks
All corn is Indian corn in that it was all first cultivated by Native Americans. Today, corn is the most studied, most tinkered with, and quite possibly most debased of all New World vegetables. It began as a nutritious staple, whose diversity was enhanced by the Native Americans who created brilliantly colored varieties for use in religious rituals as well as in a multitude of foodstuffs. The Indians categorized their corn by intended use: for flour, for hominy and porridge, for popping, and so forth.
Today corn is a mere shadow of its former self, genetically transmogrified into a high-sugar item used mainly for the high-fructose corn syrup found in nearly every juice and soft drink, as well as in every processed food you can shake a stick at. The industrialization of corn has produced strains completely unlike the robust corns of the past, and has brought about fundamental changes in U.S. agriculture that represent the very antithesis of what biodiveristy is all about.
But you can bring back a semblance of the true corn by making the Native American dish, posole (pronounced poh-soh-lay). The Pueblo peoples of the southwest have been making this for generations and although it is now mostly eaten around Christmas and New Year’s, it was a staple winter dish for thousands of years. Traditionally, posole contains meat, but with a few additional flavorful vegetables such as onions, carrots, and celery, you and your guests can enjoy a tasty vegan posole.
Vegan Posole
1 large can cooked hominy (16 oz.)
1 can of vegetable broth
1 green chile (roasted and peeled)
1 large onion, diced
2 large carrots, diced
2 stalks of celery diced
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon each of oregano, garlic powder, cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1. Sauté the onions and celery until the onion is transparent. This can be done with water and veggie stock or with olive oil.
2. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a low boil. Simmer 30 to 45 minutes.
3. Serve posole with cornbread or corn pudding and a garnish of cilantro. Serves six.
Askuta-squash
The word squash comes from the Algonquin word askutasquash, meaning something that is eaten green or in its unripe state. We generally eat summer squash green, but winter squash, even pumpkins, can be eaten young, and the eastern woodland Indians enjoyed them that way. The following recipe uses four important Native American vegetables: squash, chile, corn (hominy), and green pepper.
Squash-Hominy Stew with Chiles
1 or 2 winter squashes, adding up to 1H to 2 pounds (Acorn, Butternut, and Kabocha are good in this recipe)
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 Tablespoon corn oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
2-3 teaspoons mild ground chile or 1H Tablespoons blended chili powder
2 Tablespoons flour
2 cups strong vegetable broth
2 cups water
1-pound can hominy, drained and rinsed
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup packed cilantro leaves.
1. Halve the squash and scoop out seeds. Cut into one-inch slices. Pare off peel. Cube the flesh to end up with about one quart of cubes.
2. Stir cumin seeds in a large saucepan over moderate heat until fragrant, about one minute. Transfer to a dish.
3. Add oil to the pan and stir in all but three Tablespoons of the onion. Add squash, one teaspoon cumin, and the salt. Cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about five minutes. Add garlic, chili, and flour, stirring to coat.
4. Add broth, water, and hominy. Bring to a boil. Simmer, covered, until squash is just tender, about 15 minutes. Uncover and simmer gently until it is very tender and stew thickens, another 15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, mince together reserved onion, green pepper, remaining cumin, and cilantro. Stir into stew just before serving. Serves six.
Terra Brockman is the director of The Land Connection Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving farmland and promoting small-scale, diversified, organic agriculture in Illinois. Visit www.thelandconnection.org or call 309-965-2407 to learn how to get involved.