There are only three ways to get the ingredients for these recipes. One is to gather the fruits, greens, roots, and herbs from the hillsides, meadows and valleys themselves, being careful not to pick the poisoned, rotten or wormy ones or the ones that are on the endangered species list. Ditto hunting, trapping or fishing for the wildlife, which can be hazardous in itself, especially if you, as a human being, are an endangered species.
The second way is to plant a garden, an orchard and an enclosure and grow or raise these things yourself. This is still labor-intensive and subject to inclement weather, weed-removal and bug infestations. Plus, you still have to grind the corn or acorns and gut and skin the animals yourself, which is not a job for your typical squeamish former-suburbanite. There are butchers who will process the meat for you. But, while it may be healthier to eat naturally-grown deer, bear or bison, it may not necessarily taste better than the stuff you can pick up at your local grocery store.
The more sensible way to get these ingredients is the third option: buy them already processed, ground and gutted. This can be very expensive, because you're paying the salary of somebody else's hard labor and willingness to take physical risks, plus packaging, web design, marketing and all that goes into commercial sales. You can buy these items in specialty shops, over the Internet, and sometimes in your old-fashioned hippie health food stores. Just be aware of expiration dates and be prepared for sticker shock. And, fortunately, not all of these recipes have exotic ingredients like imported sapotilla, acorn meal or quail. Happy eating!
Apache Acorn Cakes
The easiest way to process acorns into flour is to buy a box or bag of acorn meal that has already been leached and ground. That way, you don't have to worry about wormy acorns or putting in seven or eight hours of hard labor just to get a couple of cups of acorn meal. Said processed acorn meal can be found on the Internet and maybe at specialty health food stores. Good for people with wheat allergies.
Mix two cups of acorn flour or one cup of acorn flour and one cup of cornmeal with enough water, a dollop of honey and a pinch of salt to make a very thick non-sticky dough. Wet your hands, pinch off clumps of dough and roll into balls. Pat balls flat and put on waxed-paper lined cookie sheet or plate for resting. Let dough rest for ten minutes. In a frying pan or cast-iron skillet, which you should pre-spray with Pam or some similar product, melt bacon grease, butter, bear fat, lard or whatever other grease you have on hand. Carefully put acorn meal cakes onto grease and let cook until lightly brown and dry. Flip them over and finish cooking until they are light brown and dry on that side, too. Done.
Arapaho Roast Quail
I would suggest that you buy quail that has already been killed, plucked and gutted. If you don't know a specialty butcher, whole quail is available on the Internet and can be FedExed. Once your quail has arrived, preheat your oven to 475-degrees and melt some butter with some salt, pepper and desired herbs, in the microwave. While your herbed butter is melting, rinse and dry your quail (you will need one-half to one quail per serving), and then put them in a greased baking dish. Pour the herbed butter on top of your quail, then top your quail, cross-crossed, with two slices of bacon per bird. Bake for at least fifteen minutes or until done. (The leg meat should fall off the bone.) Take quail out of baking pan and let rest. Pour the herbed butter, bacon grease and juices into a small saucepan, bring to simmer, add a tablespoon or so of flour, and make a nice gravy to serve with the quail. Done and done.
Aztec Xocolatl (Chocolate)
Bring one and a half cups of water to boil in a pot. Add one whole green chile pepper, seeds included. Let simmer for five to ten minutes. Pour the chile-water through a strainer into a second much larger saucepan. Add four more cups of water. Bring to slow boil. Add 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or a whole vanilla bean. Stir well. Let cook for five to ten minutes until cocoa is thoroughly dissolved and not clumpy. Take out vanilla bean if you have used one. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. It can be poured into small demitasse or espresso cups and drunk at this point, especially in winter, but it's better if you chill it in the fridge until it is very cold.
Blackfoot Potato Soup
Brown a pound of spiced ground meat or sausage in a Dutch oven with some onions and celery. Add at least two cups of water and four cups of diced potatoes or Indian Potatoes (which are a kind of wild bulb called the Apios Americana) and cook until they're fork-tender. Add more water if necessary. Then add a handful or two of the beans from the Apios Americana or a handful or two of fresh green beans and cook until the Indian potatoes are fully-tender and the beans are easily speared.
Caddo Green Tomato Pickles
Chop up about eight cups of green tomatoes and put in a Dutch oven. Add a tablespoon or so of salt. Add one or two chopped onions, two or three chopped hot green peppers, 2/3 cup sugar, and a cup or so of vinegar. Bring to a boil and then simmer for a few minutes to make sure that the sugar has dissolved in the vinegar and the vegetables are slightly cooked. Take off the heat and chill. Can be served with just about any kind of meat or slathered on fry bread, with or without meat.
Cheyenne Jerky Soup
Put some water in your Dutch oven. Add a couple of handfuls of chopped or torn-up beef jerky, deer jerky, buffalo jerky, or dried-out leftover pork chops, chicken, turkey or overcooked steak. Add a couple of handfuls of greens (spinach, kale, dandelions, wild onions, whatever) and some parched or dried corn, and add more water until you have twice as much water in the pot as you do ingredients. Simmer at least half an hour until both the corn and jerky are rehydrated and soft. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Chickasaw Three Sisters Stew
Brown ground pork in Dutch oven. Add a can of rinsed beans (pinto, kidney, white, black-eyed peas, black, whatever), a can of rinsed corn, some chopped tomatoes, some fresh diced or sliced squash (zucchini, gooseneck, chopped-up banana squash, winter squash, fresh pumpkin, whatever works), some cumin, salt, pepper and chili powder to taste. (You will want to rinse the canned vegetables to remove the extra salt.) You can also throw in some diced potatoes if you wish. Add some water to your Dutch oven to cover all of the vegetables, and then cook until done and the flavors have married, maybe half an hour to an hour.
Chippewa Wild Rice
Put one cup of wild rice (not brown rice) in a strainer and run under cold water until it is clean. Meanwhile, bring three cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Add the wild rice, lower heat, and let simmer for 35-45 minutes, until the rice is tender and the water has been absorbed.
Choctaw Banaha Bread
You will need to wash and boil a number of corn shucks for this recipe. Corn shucks are those dry beige-white papery parts of the corn when it was still fresh corn-on-the cob. You can buy them by the bag-full in grocery stores that sell Mexican food because they're used for making tamales. So, while your corn shucks are boiling (ten minutes, no more), you will need to fill your other Dutch oven about three-quarters full of water and set it to boil. Now, in a bowl, mix two cups of cornmeal with one teaspoon of baking soda and one teaspoon salt. Add a cup and a half of boiling water (being careful) to the cornmeal mixture and stir until it is stiff but friendly.
Meanwhile, take your corn shucks out of the boiling water, put them on cake racks and let them cool until you can touch them. While you're waiting, take one of the shucks and tear it into long thin strips. Once everything is cool enough to touch, wet your hands, form the cornmeal dough with your hands into oblong cakes and stick them long-ways in the center of your corn shucks. Fold the left side of the shuck over the right side, making sure that they've overlapped and completely covered the cornmeal cake. Take your thin strips of corn shucks and tie up each end of your cornmeal "envelope" until it is tight. Drop them carefully into your second Dutch oven of boiling water, cover with a heavy lid, and let hard-simmer for about 40 minutes. Take out, put on cake rack to cool, unwrap and serve with butter and honey or syrup or to sop up gravy or stew.
Chumash Grilled Abalone
Abalone are a protected species so you must familiarize yourself with rules and regulations before you go scuba-diving to gather them. Otherwise, shuck, clean and trim the abalone as soon as you get home from diving, then stick it in the fridge overnight. The next day, while the coals of your grill or barbecue are heating up, take the abalone meat out of the fridge and pound it with a meat mallet (or the side of a wine bottle) in order to tenderize it. Melt some butter with some lime juice and garlic in a small saucepan or in a bowl in the microwave. Slap the abalone steak onto your grill and baste with your butter-lime-garlic sauce. Cook about 20-30 minutes depending on the size of abalone steak, turn, and baste and grill for another 20-30 minutes. Should be fork-tender. Eat while hot. Please note: if by chance you end up on the beach with a bunch of baby abalone, which legally you shouldn't, then they won't need tenderizing but can be grilled right after they have been shucked, cleaned and trimmed.
Comanche Fried Corn
Unless you already have some bacon fat, bear fat, lard or some other grease in your fridge, fry up some bacon. Set fried bacon strips aside, and make a nice sandwich unless you really want to add it to the corn later. You can use canned or frozen corn, but fresh corn works best. Shuck some ears of fresh corn, being careful to remove all of the corn-silk. Cut the corn from the husk and set aside. Chop up one onion and sauté it in the bacon grease until the onion is clear. Add corn and some salt and paper to taste. You can also add a small can of green chilies and some garlic, if you like. Throw in some canned lima beans and you've got succotash. Simmer and stir until it starts to sputter, and serve.
Crow Berry Pudding
Put a couple of cups of fresh or thawed berries (seeded, if necessary) in a food processor. These can be strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, chokeberries, gooseberries, mulberries or any other kind of berry or a mix. Pulse them until they're pretty well chopped but not pureed. Pour into a saucepan. Add some water, maybe half as much as you have berries. Simmer slowly, adding water if needed, until they are thick and the pectin has been released. Taste, and add honey as needed. Can be served hot or cold, as is, over ice cream, or as a barbecue sauce if cooked with a few chili peppers.
Incan Quinoa Delight
Cook the quinoa according to the instructions on the box. Let cool. Throw into a large bowl. Add as much or as little as you like of the following: drained and rinsed canned corn, onion, bell pepper, tomato, drained and rinsed canned black beans, black olives and avocado. In a small bowl, mix virgin olive oil, some lemon juice, cilantro, salt, pepper, coriander, cumin, garlic powder and either honey or agave nectar. Pour the dressing onto the quinoa, beans and vegetables, stir or toss well, and serve.
Iroquois Maple Candy
Put one cup of real maple syrup and one half-cup of water in a deep saucepan and simmer to soft-ball stage (238 degrees on candy thermometer.) Turn off heat. Add one-half cup of any kind of nut and one-half cup of any kind of dried fruit. Mix well and drop by small spoonful's to cookie sheet covered with aluminum foil or waxed paper. Let cool. Chewy, crunchy, sweet, rich and delicious!
Kiowa Fry Bread
In a large bowl, mix together two and one-half cups of regular flour, three tablespoons of baking powder, one-half teaspoon salt and one cup of warm water into dough. Throw some more flour on a large sheet of waxed paper, plop the dough on it, and knead until it is as smooth as a baby's behind. Add more flour to the waxed paper as needed. Roll out the ball of dough with a rolling pin or a round empty bottle of wine. Cut into shapes or just pat into fat tortillas. You might want to poke a hole in the middle of the dough shapes in order to facilitate even cooking. Heat up some bacon grease or some kind of vegetable oil in a Dutch oven until it is 370 degrees. Carefully drop in your fry bread dough into the oil or grease and fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels to soak up the extra oil. Can be eaten as is, sprinkled with powdered sugar, sprinkled with regular sugar and cinnamon, drizzled with honey, sorghum or syrup, used to sop up gravy or stew, or used as a base for layered cooked meats, grated cheeses, raw shredded or sliced vegetables, black olives and sour cream.
Kumeyaay Grilled Grunion
If you are going to one of the beaches in Southern California and you know that you will be there during one of the grunion runs, and you're either starving to death or feeling adventurous, here is a recipe for grilled grunion. First, make sure that somebody in your group has a fishing license. Second, before you head out to the beach, google how to scale and gut grunion. Then, when you think you have a reasonable idea of what you're doing, take a bucket, a pair of kitchen shears or a sharp knife, some charcoal briquettes, a bit of lighter fluid, a pancake turner, a small bottle of virgin olive oil, some lemon, and any other herbs you might want to add, paper plates, napkins, a couple of six-packs or some bottles of white wine, and some kitchen matches. You might want to bring a First Aid kit, too.
Next, find a beach that has fire-pits and no curfew and preferably no entrance fee. Prepare your fire-pit, wait around for the grunion run, and try not to drink too much. Once you see the little silver fish squirming around in the moonlight, catch your bucket-full of grunion. Then have your bravest and most sober warrior behead, scale and clean them. Have said warrior hand them off to the griller who will coat them with olive oil and throw them on the grill. The grunion will need about three to five minutes per side to cook, so whomever is doing the cooking will have to work fast. Have paper plates and napkins handy, and be prepared to spit out bones. Be sure to clean up your mess afterwards because nobody likes a dirty beach. And you can do two things with the fish guts: You can either leave them for the seagulls and crabs, or you can take them home and give them a proper burial under your azaleas or your corn, squash and beans.
Lakota Sweet Cornmeal Pudding
Preheat oven to 275 degrees and butter a one-quart baking dish. Heat three cups of milk in a large saucepan until the edges start to bubble. Slowly stir in 1/3 cups cornmeal and 1/4 cups dark molasses. Stirring constantly, let cook until thick for about ten minutes. At this point, I like to add a large dollop of butter or margarine to "richen" it up. Add 1/4 c. white sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon ginger and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon to the cornmeal mush and mix well. Pour into your buttered baking dish and bake for two hours. Can be served hot with ice cream or cold with heavy cream drizzled on top.
Mojave Meat Jerky
First, you're going to need to get yourself a hunk of meat. This can be deer, bear, mountain lion, antelope, pronghorn, snake, lizard or squirrel, but I would recommend beef brisket, maybe about two and a half pounds. Have your butcher slice it so that it's in 1/8" x 1/5" x 6" strips. Take it home and put it in a large bowl with some herbs, spices and garlic. Mix well and let it marinate in your fridge overnight. The next morning, cover your cookie sheets with aluminum foil and turn your oven on to the lowest setting. (I would suggest doing this in the winter, when you can warm your house and make jerky at the same time.) Take your marinated beef (or deer or whatever) strips out of the fridge and position them in long non-touching lines on the cookie sheets, then put the cookie sheets in the oven for about ten hours. At the end of ten hours, take them out of the oven and turn each beef strip over, and stick it back in the oven for another ten hours. At the end of that time, your beef (or whatever) strips should be bone dry and last forever. if not, give them another couple of hours in the slow oven.
Nakota Parched Corn
Melt two tablespoons of lard or bacon fat in a skillet. Add one teaspoon salt and maybe two cups of fresh or thawed corn. Stir and cook until the corn is a golden brown. Take off heat and let cool. This stuff should also last forever.
Navajo Green Chili Stew
Heat bacon fat or oil in a Dutch oven. While it is melting, cut some round steak or pork roast into 1" cubes. Carefully scoot meat onto fat or oil and let brown. Add 1/4 cup water and let simmer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, dice four potatoes and one onion. Add them to the simmering meat in the Dutch oven. Add garlic, basil, cumin, two cups of chopped green tomatoes, one small can of green chilies, salt, pepper and two cups of water. Cover and simmer for one hour, but check on it periodically to see if you need to add more water. It is done when the meat and the vegetables are all fall-apart tender.
Oneida White Corn Mush
Take a cup or so of dried white corn and roast the kernels in a slow oven until they are a golden brown. Take out of the oven and let cool for a few minutes. Pulverize them in a blender or food processor until you get to the desired texture- rough, medium or powdery. Heat to boiling four to six cups of salted water in a large saucepan. Slowly pour in white corn meal, stirring or whisking constantly until thick and bubbly. Spoon into large bowls and top with butter, salt, pepper, gravy, cooked beans, sugar, maple syrup, honey, sorghum, or whatever. Will be very hot for a long time, and probably somewhat lumpy. Just saying.
Pawnee Pemmican
You will need to sacrifice some of your beef jerky (see Mojave Meat Jerky, above) and throw it into your food processor to be chopped as finely as you want it, along with very dry raisins, walnuts, perhaps some spices and some honey. Any dried fruit, nut or seed can be used instead of raisins and walnuts. To that, you will want to add some rendered fat. I hear that bear fat is sweet and not as disgusting as it sounds, but I would stick with rendered lard or suet. You will want to add only enough hot rendered fat to glom the chopped jerky, raisins, walnuts and honey together. Then dump it out of the food processor and roll it into balls, pack it into a square cake pan and slice it into chunks, or put it in muffin cups. This stuff, too, should last forever, but if you hate it, give it to the dog
Shawnee Cake
Place one cup of cornmeal and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Bring one cup of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Dribble the boiling-hot water onto the cornmeal while stirring constantly. Once it is cement-like, stir in one-half cup of milk and stir. Grease a frying pan or cast-iron skillet with bacon grease. When the pan is hot, drop batter by spoonfuls onto hot grease and flatten until it is about 1/4" thick. When the first side is brown, flip and fry the other side, adding more grease as necessary. Serve hot with butter, maple syrup, sorghum or applesauce.
Yurok Fish Head Stew
Cut up one whole salmon into chunks that will fit in your Dutch oven. Fill with enough water to cover. Simmer until tender. Take out fish and set aside to cool. While it is cooling, chop up some potatoes, celery and onions and put them in the pot. Add salt and pepper and a can of corn. Simmer until vegetables are done. While they are cooking, put the salmon head aside and separate the rest of the salmon from the bones. Discard bones. Put the salmon and the head back in the Dutch oven, give it all a quick stir, and serve. If you have leftover salmon broth, freeze it for the next time.
Zapotec Sapotilla Smoothie
Peel and de-seed a sapotilla and blend with crushed ice, a frozen banana, and, if you like, some pineapple juice until smooth. You should taste hints of caramel, brown sugar, banana and pineapple.
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