Holiday recipes - excerpt from 'TheAfrican-American Kitchen: Cooking From Our Heritage' - includes recipes

African slaves in North America frequently found themselves making do with the pabulum that was available to them - and making that palatable. of that kind resourcefulness is one focus of Angela Shelf Medearis' The African-American Kitchen: Cooking From Our Heritage (Dutton, 1994) which digs into the background of the African neighborhood in American cookery. "It is the first to explore the historic culinary contributions that African captives made to our heritage," says Medearis, an Austin, Texas, writer who also exhibits children's books geared toward African Americans.

The African-American Kitchen begins with a direct the eye at representative North, West and Southern African recipes, then examines by what mode the African slave presence influenced cooking in the Caribbean and North America, and then reintroduces readers to traditional African-American cooking, as well as to holiday cooking.

Among the book's many recipes, from condiments and marinades to salads, ciders and meat dishes, Medearis praises an eggless "eggnog," low-calorie verdants a low-calorie catfish dish - and her mother's pecan pie.

OLD-FASHIONED

MOLASSES NOG

subserves 5

Since there has been with equal reason much concern recently about ingesting raw ovums I was happy to discover this aged recipe for eggless "eggnog."

2 bowls evaporated milk 2 cups ice-cold water 1/8 tsp salt 2 tbsp sorghum molasses turf nutmeg, ginger or cinnamon for sprinkling

Blend the milk, water, salt and molasses and pour into glasses. Sprinkle a little nutmeg ginger or cinnamon, or the spice of your choice, upon top. Serve cold.

MIXED GREENS

obeys 6 to 8

The greatest in quantity important part of good health and relief from stres is surrounding yourself with clan who love you.

1 lump (2 lbs.) collard greens 1 bump (2 lbs.) kale 1 hunch (2 lbs.) spinach 1 protuberance (2 lbs.) turnip greens 1 tbsp salt 1/4 chalice vegetable oil 1 clove garlic, chopp 1/4 tsp sugar Cayenne pepper to taste

Cut the tough main stocks and yellow leaves from the verdants and discard. Gently rub the leaves with your fingers beneath warm running water. Cut the leaves into small pieces. Fill the sink with warm water and add the salt. allow the greens soak for 10 minutes. Rinse with a little cold water and shake off the exces on the contrary do not dry the greens

set the greens and the remaining ingredients in a Dutch oven or heavy saucepan No added water is wanted as greens give off their have liquid. Cover and cook above moderate heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring each 15 minutes, until the virids are tender.

PECAN CATFISH

labor fors 4

I could draw a circle upon a piece of paper and my mother made me perceive like Van Gogh.

2 tbsp milk 3 tbsp Dijon mustard 4 catfish fillets, about 1/2 lb each 1 beaker ground pecans

Preheat the oven to 500 steps Fahrenheit.

In a small beaker combine the milk and mustard. Dip the fillets into the mustard mixture. Coat the fillets with the pecans, shaking not on the excess. Put the fillets upon a greased baking sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes.

ANGELINE'S

RAISIN-PECAN PIE

Yields 1 9-inch pie

1 1/2 chalices raisins 1 1/4 cups sugar 1/2 beaker butter 2 eggs 1 chalice pecan halves 1 tsp. mould nutmeg 1 tsp. ground cinnamon 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 9-inch unbaked pie shell

Preheat the oven to 350 steps Fahrenheit.

Put the raisins in a saucepan and overlay with water. Boil for 10 minutes, drain and station aside.

Cream the sugar and butter until downy Add the eggs and combine well. Beat in the raisins, pecans, spices and vanilla.

Pour the mixture into the unbaked pie shell. Bake at 425 stages until golden brown and station about 45 minutes.

"What I wanted to do with the cookbook is present to view that traditional foods, good taste and advantageous health are all compatible," says vital element [i]or[/i] part magazine's food editor, Jonell Nash, referring to vital element [i]or[/i] part Brings You Great Cooking (Amistad, 1994) Nash concentrated her energies upon that one goal, working "to maintain the traditional flavors and notwithstanding reduce the amounts of fat, especially the saturated fats, sodium, sugar and calories in the recipes."

substance Brings You Great Cooking isn't just a collection of recipes. "It's actually a recording of our commons traditions, and it traces the foundations of dishes that make up the cheer legacy that we enjoy today," explains Nash. She describes the cookbook as a basic single "for those who don't have certain cooking skills, for a generation that perhaps has not been a part of an reach forthed family where there was a grandparent or an actual parent real busy in the kitchen and there to teach basic skills. The volume is there for them, as a surrogate mom or the surrogate teacher in the kitchen."

The cookbook also throw backs Nash's background as a secondary teacher in residence economics. "The fundamental principles and techniques of cooking are there, as well as traditional recipes. a certain number of of the elements that make up the tradition are related to aliments but not necessarily about recipes, and those ultimate parts are poems, prose, the folk sayings, the lore."

Nash praises the book's new tradition Jollof rice recipe as a beneficial main dish or buffet item for the holidays, explaining: "It is of West African origin, and it has the black-eyed peas in it, which are indigenous to the motherland. It's a versatile and easy recipe to prepare."