Recipes
Tamales Mole Negro
8 chicken thighs
1 medium onion, quartered
2 cloves garlic
8 whole peppercorns
1 tsp salt
2 c lard
6 c masa
1 tbsp salt
1 qt mole negro
Banana leaves for wrapping
Prepare banana leaves by cutting out 16 8 x 10 inch rectangles. Tear off long strips from uncut leaves to tie packets.
Place chicken thighs in a large saucepan with onion, garlic, peppercorns and 1 tsp of salt. Add water to cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer until meat is cooked through and falling from bones, about 45 minutes. Remove chicken thighs from broth and allow meat to cool to manageable temperature. Reserve broth for future use. Remove skin and shred meat. Discard bones and skin.
Heat mole to a boil then reduce heat to low and continue cooking for 5 minutes. Stir in shredded chicken and remove from heat.
Combine masa and salt in a large mixing bowl. Place lard in separate bowl and whip to aerate. Work lard into masa until a thick paste is formed, adding water if necessary.
Heat banana leaves for a few seconds on a hot griddle to make more pliable and to prevent cracking. Stack beside work surface.
Place ½ c of prepared masa on banana leaf and spread into an oval. Spoon about ¼ c of chicken in mole onto masa.
Fold right and left edges of banana leaf over the masa and chicken, overlapping slightly. Fold top and bottom edges toward each other. Tie securely with strips of banana leaf.
Lie tamales flat in steamer tray above boiling water, arranging in layers if necessary, seam sides up. Cover tightly and steam for 1 hour, adding additional boiling water as necessary to prevent tamales from burning.
Let tamales stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Mole Negro
3 dried Mulato chiles (2 oz)
6 dried Pasilla chiles (3 oz)
6 dried Ancho chiles (3 oz)
3 dried Guajillo chiles (2 oz)
½ c peanuts
1/3 c sesame seeds
½ c almonds
3 oz dark chocolate, chopped
1/3 c raisins, packed
8 tbsp Mexican oregano
6 tbsp cinnamon stick, crushed or 4 tbsp ground cinnamon
5 tbsp whole allspice
4 tbsp whole cloves
1 ½ c saltine crackers, crushed
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 qt chicken stock
3 c vegetable oil
2 Mexican plantains, peeled and chopped
Stem and remove seeds from dried chiles. Rinse under cold running water and then soak in chicken stock with raisins in a large stockpot over medium heat being careful not to bring stock to a boil.
In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the onion and garlic in the vegetable oil until translucent.
Add the plantains, spices, nuts and sesame seeds to the oil and cook until browned, being careful not to burn them.
Combine all ingredients together in the stockpot. Add chocolate and crackers and blend with an immersion blender or transfer to a countertop blender and work in batches until liquefied.
Cornbread
Recipe courtesy of Carolyn Sutton and Chareta Wheeler
cooking instructors at Hope and Healing
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp spoonable sugar substitute
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup skim milk
2 T canola oil
2 egg whites beaten
cooking spray
Directions:
Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; stir well.
Combine milk, oil and egg; add to flour mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened.
Spoon batter into an 8 inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
Fried Green Tomatoes and Fresh Crab Salad with Mixed Greens and Balsamic Syrup
Recipe courtesy of Chef Felicia Willett of Felicia Suzanne's Restaurant
2 cups balsamic vinegar
½ cup light brown sugar
sprigs of fresh thyme
pinch of black pepper
12 slices of fresh green tomatoes, cut ¾ inch thick
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten with 2 tablespoons milk
2 cups fine dried breadcrumbs
2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Creole Mustard
¼ cup chopped fresh tarragon leaves
¼ cup capers, finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 hard boiled eggs, grated
Crystal Hot Sauce
1 pound fresh domestic lump crabmeat, picked for cartilage
3 cups mixed greens
drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
In a non-reactive saucepan, over medium heat, combine the vinegar, sugar, thyme and black pepper. Bring to a boil and cook until the mixture becomes thick and syrupy, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and strain. Cool completely.
Season both sides of the tomatoes with salt and pepper; allow to sit for 10 minutes. Add the flour, egg wash and breadcrumbs in three separate shallow pans. Season each mixture with salt and pepper. Dredge each tomato in the seasoned flour, coating completely. Dip each tomato in the egg wash, letting the excess drip off. Finally dredge in the seasoned breadcrumbs, coating completely. In a large sauté pan, over medium heat, add the oil. When the oil is hot, fry the tomatoes until crispy, about 2 minutes, turn the tomatoes over and continue to cook. Remove and drain on paper towels. Season with salt and pepper. In a mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, tarragon, capers, parsley and eggs. Mix well. Season with salt and hot sauce. Fold in the crabmeat.
To serve, place a fried tomato in the center of each plate. Spoon some of the crab salad over the tomatoes. Top the salad with another tomato, pressing the tomato slightly, forming a sandwich. Drizzle the entire plate with some of syrup. In a mixing bowl, toss the greens with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Garnish with the remaining parsley.
Yields: 6 servings
Black and Blue Berry Crisp
Contributed by Bryant Terry / Spring 2007
Yield: 8 Servings
Soundtrack Suggestion: “Black Berry Blossoms,” Abbey Lincoln
For the fruit
3 cups fresh blackberries
3 cups fresh blueberries
1 cup apple juice
2 Tbsp maple syrup
2 Tbsp organic raw cane sugar
½ teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch fine sea salt
2 Tbsp arrowroot or cornstarch
For the topping
½ cup melted coconut oil
1/3 cup maple syrup
½ cup chopped walnuts
½ cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 cups rolled whole oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Preheat oven to 375.
Place the berries in a large bowl. In a separate bowl combine apple juice, maple syrup, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, ginger and salt. Whisk in the arrowroot (or cornstarch) and pour over the berry mixture.
To make the topping, in a small mixing bowl, combine the coconut oil and maple syrup and whisk well. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining topping ingredients, mix well and add the coconut oil/maple syrup mixture. Toss well until mixed.
Transfer the berry filling to a 9” x 13” baking dish and sprinkle the topping over the berries evenly. Bake for 10 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 350°F and bake another 20 to 25 minutes, or until the topping is golden and the filling is bubbling.
Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
Born and raised in Memphis, Bryant Terry is a whole foods chef, food justice activist, and founder of b-healthy! (Build Healthy Eating and Lifestyles to Help Youth). His first book, Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen, celebrates local, healthy, sustainable food for everyone
Issue 7 / Fall 2008
Sweet Potato Tamales
King Oyster Mushroom Scallops
Shiitake Mushroom Gravy
Parmesan & Rice Spoon Bread
Rabbit with Butternut & Apple Fritters
Pear Chow Chow
Baked Pecan & Acorn Squash
Pumpking Creme Brulee
Issue 6 / Summer 2008
Fresh Figs with Goat Cheese
Fig Essense
Amaranth Pudding
Eggplant & Tomato Bread Salad
Eggplant Rotolo
Fresh Fig Ice Cream
The Sauce
Empanada with Chimichurri
Curry Soup
Issue 5 / Spring 2008
Aunt Jeanette's Deviled Eggs
Walnut and Red Pepper Quinoa
Asparagus with Balsamic
Pan Fried Grit Cakes
Sorghum Creme Brulee
Issue 4 / Winter 2008
Sweet Potato and Pecan Risotto
Duck Gumbo
Greens Soup
Kale with Andouille Sausage
Cranberry Apple CrispSauerkraut Soup
Red Snapper Bonne Femme
Beef Carbonnade
Spiced Giner Cake
Fig Rolls
Issue 3 / Fall 2007
Egg Fettuccine alla Carbonara
Double Braided Rich Bread
Cauliflower Risotto
Butterbean Shortcakes
Sweet Potato and Shiitake Flan
Neola Farm's Eye of Round with Roasted Vegetables
& Port Pan Sauce
Holiday Traveler Crust-less Apple Pie
Autumn Glory Compote
Braised Squash
with Figs and Rosemary
Issue 2 / Summer 2007
Cornmeal Crusted Grouper
with Gazpacho Vinaigrette
Cinnamon Sugar
Roasted Chicken
Roasted Salmon
with Edamame Succotash
Fresh Tomato Tart
Fresh Herb Gremolata
Issue 1 / Spring 2007
Chicken Sage Soup
Rosemary Lemonade
Kathleen's Salad
Kudzu Quiche
Black and Blue Berry Crisp
Garlic Scape Pesto
Garlic Scape Soup
Stir-Fried Asparagus w/ Ginger
Brownstone Front Cake
Cheese Straws
©2006 Rich Ground Media LLC