Chef Sean Sherman's Cookbook The Sioux Chef's Indigenous Kitchen is one of the most unique culinary works of recent years. Chef Sherman, who is of a member of the Ogala Lakota tribe, focuses on utilizing indigenous ingredients as the core of these recipes. European staples such as wheat flour, dairy and sugar are avoided in favor of duck, quail, wild turkey and wildflowers. Some of his ingredients are familiar (Mustard Greens) others less so or not thought of typically as food (Dandelion, Knotweed and Mallow). Despite the somewhat esoteric nature of the material the recipes are easy to follow and require the basics with regard to kitchen tools. The recipes found here are distinct such as Bison Tartare, Smoked Turkey and Acorn Soup, Griddled Maple Squash, and Sage and Rose-Hip Roasted Duck as well as Wild Rice Pilaf With Wild Mushrooms. In a crowded cookbook field it sometimes difficult to find something genuinely new and innovative even as it is ancient. Chef Sherman's work here (which won the prestigious James Beard Foundation Book Award) is both eye opening and educational as he is preserving a way of cooking and even a way of life that he has shared with the public.
 |
| Photo credit Mette Nielsen |
Wild Rice Pilaf with Wild
Mushrooms, Roasted Chestnuts, and Dried Cranberries
Psíŋ na Čȟaŋnákpa na Úma Cȟeúŋpapi
na Watȟókeča T’áǧa
Serves 4 to 6
Wild rice is a flavorful and
remarkably satisfying food. The mushrooms add a dark, meaty flavor and texture,
while the chestnuts are creamy (and high in protein). This meatless dish will
appeal to omnivore and vegetarian alike. Cooked wild rice will keep several
weeks in the refrigerator and for at least a year when frozen in a plastic
freezer bag.
2 tablespoons sunflower or walnut
oil
1 pound assorted mushrooms, cleaned
1 tablespoon chopped sage
½ cup chopped wild onion or
shallots
½ cup Corn Stock or vegetable stock
2 cups cooked wild rice
½ cup dried cranberries
1 cup roasted, peeled, chopped
chestnuts*
1 tablespoon maple syrup to taste
½ to 1 teaspoon smoked salt to
taste
In a large skillet, heat the oil
over medium-high heat and add the mushrooms, sage, and onion. Cook, stirring,
until the mushrooms are nicely browned and the onion is soft, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the stock, wild rice, and cranberries and cook until the liquid is
nearly evaporated. Stir in the roasted chestnuts. Season with maple syrup and
smoked salt to taste.
*To roast and peel chestnuts, use
the sharp point of a small knife to score an X on the flat side of the chestnut
and place on a baking sheet. Roast in a 350°F oven until the skins begin to
peel back. The length of roasting time will depend on the freshness and size of
the chestnuts and range from about 10 to 25 minutes.
Remove, and when cool enough to handle, peel.
From The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen by
Sean Sherman with Beth Dooley (University of Minnesota Press,
2017)
Copyright 2017 Ghost Dancer, LLC. All rights
reserved. Used by permission of the University of Minnesota
Press.
