Thursday, June 7, 2012

HISTORY OF JUNETEENTH

Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation which had become official January 1. One of General Granger’s first orders of business was to read to the people of Texas, General Order Number 3 which began most significantly with: The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and free laborer. Later attempts to explain this two and a half year delay in the receipt of this important news have yielded several versions that have been handed down through the years. The story often was the messenger who was murdered on his way to Texas with the news of freedom. Another is that the news was deliberately withheld by the enslavers to maintain the labor force on the plantations. A range of activities were provided to entertain the masses, many of continue a tradition today. Rodeos, fishing, barbecuing and baseball are a few of the typical Juneteenth activities. Certain foods became popular and Synonymous with Juneteenth celebrations such as Strawberry soda pop.Today the most popular traditional is barbecuing. On January 1, 1980, Juneteenth became an official Texas states holiday.

WHAT'S COOKIN' IN JUNE

What a year we are moving right along can you believe we are half way through the year. June doesn’t have a major holiday but my family celebrates June 19 with a big Juneteenth picnic. This month I will share some of my family favorite Juneteenth recipes. I would love to share the story of Juneteenth with you, it one of those story every African American should know.

Monday, April 23, 2012

HAT’S ON HAND VEGETABLE SOUP Here is a simple recipe for chunky vegetable soup using ingredients that you have on hand. This is easy to make and can be served as a starter or as a main course. Don’t worry if you don’t have every vegetable listed; this soup recipe is very flexible. Use whatever you have on hand. 1 onion, diced 2 stalks celery, thinly sliced 2 carrots, thinly sliced 2 teaspoons vegetable oil 8 cups water or low sodium or low fat vegetable stock 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 sweet potato or rutabaga, diced 1 cup green beans, cut into bite-size pieces 1/2 cup fresh peas 1 cup chopped cabbage, kale, collards, or other green 1 tablespoon fresh or 1 teaspoon dried herbs (thyme, rosemary, tarragon, savory, etc.) 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley salt and black pepper to taste Place onion, celery, carrots, and oil in large soup pot. Sauté 10 minutes over medium heat until onions are soft. Add water or stock, garlic, potatoes, beans, and vegetables. Bring to boil. Cover and simmer 20 to 30 minutes until potatoes are tender. Add remaining ingredients except parsley, and seasonings. Simmer 10 minutes until vegetables are tender. Remove from heat. Stir in parsley. Season with salt and black pepper

Thursday, February 2, 2012

NANA'S COLLARDS GREENS


Collard Greens

Ingredients
1 pound smoked turkey tails
5 bunches collard greens - rinsed, trimmed and chopped (4 bags of *pre-washed greens
2-3 cups water (just to cover the meat)
5 cups chicken stock or (low sodium chicken stock in the can or cartons)
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 onion coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon granulated sugar (artificial sweeteners)
1/8 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste

Preparation:
In an extra large pot, bring smoked turkey tails and water to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 30 hour.

Immerse greens in a sink full of water and wash well to remove sand and grit. Lift out, drain water, fill sink, and repeat the procedure approximately 3 or 4 times to ensure they are clean and free of sand, grit and insects. Cut out the thickest part of stems that runs down the center and coarsely chop the greens.

Increase the heat under the smoked turkey tails to medium-high; add about 1/3 of the greens to the pot. Cover, and cook for about 5 minutes, until wilted. Add remaining greens in two more batches, until all the greens fit into the pot.

Stir in the broth, garlic, vinegar, sugar, black pepper, and red pepper flakes; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally about 2 hour or until the greens are tender. When done taste and adjust **seasoning.
smoked turkey tails and cut meat from bones. Dice and add back to the greens. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a serving bowl. If desired, pass the juices (also known as pot liquor) for dipping cornbread.

*wash your pre-washed greens just one time, yes they need to be washed because no respectful soul sister would just dump a bag in the pot.
** If it need a little salt, this is the time to add the salt.

WHAT IS SOUL FOOD

Black History Month, WOOHOO!! It"s time for everybody that everybody celebrate the achievements by black Americans and a time for recognizing the central role of African Americans in U.S. history.

I will cover not only Soul Food recipes, but how to prepare them in a healthy way, low fat, low calorie and low carb. Have no fear all recipes have been tested and consumed by family and friends and rated TOE-TAPPING GOOD.

In the mid 1960's when the civil Right Movement was just beginning, terms like soul man, soulful and just soul were used in connection with blacks. It caught on with main stream American and someone coined the term, soul food for the black cuisine and it stuck. My dad said when they gave pork the name soul food the price of pig parts and pig inners double in price and everything the Government though was soul food the price was double and that was the end of low cost PIG PARTS.

Each black family, however, has it’s own idea of what is soul food.
Today most people think of soul food, is a table heavy with trays of watermelon, ribs, candied sweet potatoes or yams, greens and fried chicken. Hogshead cheese sliced on saltine crackers with hot sauce and beer is one such dish. Crab cakes, carrot and raisin salad, fried cornpone, hush puppies, red beans and rice, greens, liver and onions, lima beans with ham hogs, stewed okra and tomatoes, cornbread dipped in buttermilk, fried catfish, smothered chicken, pickled pigs feet, cabbage, neck bones, tongue, chittlin’s, tripe, gumbo, breaded fried pork chops with a mess of green, black-eyed peas…..…… and grits. Although grits is truly a southern dish.

Our family idea of soul food cooking is how really good southern Negro Cooks, cooked. They would cook with what they had available to them; such as chickens from their own back yard and collard greens they grew themselves, as well as home cured ham, and baking powder biscuits, chitlins and other pig parts.