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Tonight I made Turtle Island Elkloaf and Maple Squash.


"Maple Squash"

Ingredients:

Squash:
10 oz. package frozen butternut squash cubes
pinch of fine sea salt

Maple Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup maple vinegar
1/3 cup sunflower oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger


Directions:

Microwave the squash in the bag for 5 minutes, or according to instructions on the package. You could also use fresh cubed squash and steam that in a pot. Drain the squash and put it in a serving bowl. Sprinkle with a pinch of fine sea salt.

To make the maple vinaigrette, pour 1/4 cup maple vinegar, 1/3 cup sunflower oil, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, and 1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger into a medium jar and shake for a few seconds until emulsified.

Pour two tablespoons of vinaigrette over the squash, stir, and serve.


Notes:

None of us were impressed by the texture of frozen, steamed butternut squash which was spongy rather than creamy. Fresh squash would likely perform better, but this is what we had. Squash of all kinds is a traditional Turtle Island (North American) food.

Sea salt was a hugely popular trade item in Turtle Island. People also tracked animals to salt deposits and collected mineral salt, so that works too. Table salt will do if that's all you have.

Maple vinegar is a traditional ingredient, made from the last tapping of maple sap in spring. It has a brash top note, similar to a white wine vinegar, but it mellows into a more complex flavor with fruity, earthy, and metallic notes chased by a ghostly hint of maple. To bring out the maple base, simply add maple syrup. Honestly if you have one, you want the other; they go together like salt and pepper.

Maple syrup is made by tapping maple trees in winter and boiling down the sap until it thickens. The syrup can be pale and delicate, or dark and strong. Presently I have a rich amber syrup with strong butterscotch notes. Mixing this with maple vinegar brightens the syrup and brings out fleeting floral and sunny flavors. In a vinaigrette, the maple syrup acts as an emulsifier, and I found it much easier to blend in than honey.

Sunflower oil is native to Turtle Island (North America). It has a similar non-flavor as vegetable oil and be used the same for cooking.

Wild ginger is a native herb. Garden ginger works similarly.

The maple vinaigrette is based on the maple dressing in The Sioux Chef's Indigenous Kitchen, but with ginger instead of mustard, so I wanted to write down my house version. Every time I got some on my fingers, I licked it off; it's very habit-forming that way. As you can see from what I did with it today, it can be poured over vegetables or fruit as a top dressing. I also think it'd work on toast or pancakes if you don't want something too sweet. Consider this a base that produces a light, delicate vinaigrette with a bright taste that won't overwhelm other flavors. You can flavor it with whatever else you want -- onion, garlic, chive, sage, wild greens, berries, etc. Just match whatever you're making.

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Date: 2019-12-30 07:55 pm (UTC)
corvi: (Default)
From: [personal profile] corvi
Sounds tasty, except for the frozen squash. :)

In my experience, Asarum canadensis has a slightly mustier, lemony (but not sour) flavour than regular ginger. I think a little lemongrass powder added to regular powdered ginger would do a great job approximating the flavour of wild ginger. Or maybe a tiny bit of lemon zest? That might taste too "bright", though. Hm.

It's worth noting that many foragers recommend against eating wild gingers in the birthwort family (ie, Asarum species), as they contain carcinogens that act on the kidney. As far as I know, all the known cases of people getting kidney cancer from plants in that family involved very high doses taken as a weight loss supplement, not occasional culinary enjoyment. Dose makes the poison, and all that. I personally have enjoyed wild ginger a couple of times and would do so again, but people should be aware of the risk and judge for themselves.

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