By Sidonie Maroon

Culinary Educator for the Food Co-op

Life Lessons

My Grandma, Winnie A. Dennis Wilson, born February 29, 1916, gave me cooking lessons every weekend of my ninth year. I cooked beside her throughout my childhood, and as with all those we hold dear, I keep her always in my thoughts.

The landscape of my kitchen has changed. Gone are the days of frying chicken in Crisco, baking biscuits with white flour, peeling potatoes, or making milk gravy. Yet I still cherish her Oklahoma hospitality and how she infused meals with grace.

Angel Food Cake

My first cooking lesson was to make an angel food cake from scratch, and she meant from scratch. I whipped twelve egg whites into frothy peaks with a hand whisk until my arms ached. I can still hear her Southern drawl: “If you can make angel food cake from scratch darling, you can do anything,” and I believed her. There was always a magical element to Grandma: She was one smart cookie.

Kitchens Have Changed

Grandma wouldn’t recognize many ingredients in my pantry, spice shelves, or fridge. My Granddad grew a garden, but they didn’t eat the same vegetables I buy. Besides the changing ingredients, the way I cook would also be foreign. Grandma cooked the food of her culture, although she delighted in an occasional Chinese dish.

Every day, she made a big farmhouse meal at noon, that was dinner, with a light supper around six. For breakfast, we had scrambled eggs, bacon, white toast, margarine, oatmeal and tea. Life centered around black tea, never coffee, and lots of homemade peanut-butter fudge and oatmeal cookies. I cook a broader range of dishes, with more attention to nutrition, and use different techniques and appliances. My kitchen and cooking has evolved, but sometimes I still long for the mingled smell of lemon Joy and bacon.

Legacy Lives

My Grandma used more boxes and cans than I do. She delighted in convenience foods as a break from her toil. “Life gets tedious,” she’d say. She made the same things well and never felt the need for variety. Yet, she cooked from the garden in season, preserved fruit, made jelly, canned tomatoes, and was known for her wine jelly made with Granddad’s elderberry wine. I learned the soft-ball stage of candy making by rolling boiled sugar around a tea saucer filled with water. Despite changes in ingredients and techniques, our underlying values remain the same, and her artistry and legacy live on in my kitchen.

Winnie’s Wisdom

Connect everything to a family story. The table is for gathering, because it’s where we pass on our culture. Make it a special place, a memorable place, set it with soul and grace, Food carries heritage, remember who your people are, and honor them. Art and beauty are important. Watch birds and deer from the kitchen table.

Dinner is about more than eating. It’s about relationships, the long haul, labor and love. It’s not always fun, but it’s up to you to set the tone. Repeat simple things that work. Make easy meals that look like a big deal. Don’t give away all your secrets. Good food is made using tried-and-true methods. Flavor doesn’t lie. No one can take your skills away, so build them, educate yourself. Hone mastery, resilience, self-reliance, and believe that anything can be done through effort and dedication.

Recipe: North African Beans and Greens Stew

Makes 2 quarts

Easy

The plan for this stew is to cook the chickpeas, either on the stovetop, or in the Instant Pot.

Roast veggies in the oven with the olive oil, garlic and spices mixed in. Strain the beans, and return the bean broth to the pot, or Instant Pot, and cook until soft. Finish by combining the chickpeas, broth, kale, roasted veggies, edamame, sweet corn, tomato paste and lemon juice together. Taste and correct for acid and salt. Serve parsley at the table with fresh bread and a whipped spread made with 1/4 cup sheep feta, 2 T butter and 2 T olive oil.

Chickpeas

1 ½ cups dry chickpeas, soaked overnight if using the

stovetop method

1 teaspoon sea salt

6 cups water

1 bunch kale, finely chopped, including stems

Sheet Pan

1 large onion, chopped

2 medium carrots, diced

1 medium sweet potato, chopped

2 ribs celery, diced

3 large cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Harissa Spice Mix

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

1 teaspoon coriander seed

1 teaspoon cumin seed

¾ teaspoon caraway seed

1 teaspoon sea salt

¼ to ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper or to taste

½ teaspoon cinnamon

Finishing

1 cup frozen edamame beans

1 cup frozen sweet corn

¼ cup Italian parsley, chopped

4 tablespoons tomato paste

¼ cup lemon juice, or more

Chickpeas Instant Pot: Add beans to the pot, salt, and water. Set for 45 minutes at high pressure with a natural release. Strain the beans. Pour the bean broth back into the pot. Add the chopped kale and set to high pressure for three minutes with an instant release.

Chickpeas stovetop: Soak the beans overnight. Add them to a large pot with fresh water and one teaspoon sea salt. Bring to a rolling boil, boil for ten minutes, skimming off any foam, reduce to a medium simmer, cover with an ajar lid and cook until done, about 45 minutes to 90 minutes.

Strain the beans and return the broth to the pot. Add the kale and cook at a simmer until soft, about 10 minutes.

Sheet Pan: Preheat the oven to 425 F. Ready a large sheet pan with parchment paper. Prep the veggies. Add the whole spices to a spice grinder and g ind into a rough powder. Mix the olive oil and garlic together. Massage the olive oil/garlic and spice blend into the veggies and roast for 35 to 40 minutes. Stir several times.

Finish by adding the chickpeas, kale, broth, roasted veggies, edamame, corn, tomato paste, and lemon juice together. Taste and add more salt or acid if needed. Heat as much stew as you will serve, and refrigerate the rest.