Indigenous Food Sovereignty

Recipe by Heather Ponchetti Daly, Eva Trujillo, and Alexandria Hunter, Home Chefs

Chef’s Notes

Scrunch aluminum foil over your baking sheet to create texture that supports oysters and keeps them level while baking.

Servings: 4–6 Prep Time: 30–40 min Cook Time: 30 min

Ingredients

• 1 dozen Pacific oysters
• 1 cup miner’s lettuce or watercress, finely chopped (microgreens or spinach may be substituted)
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 3 green onions, finely chopped
• 1 cup dill, finely chopped
• 1 cup parsley, finely chopped (optional)
• 1 cup blue cornmeal
• 2 tablespoons avocado oil, divided

Instructions

1. Shuck oysters, keeping them in the half shell. Collect the liquor from each oyster in a bowl and refrigerate both the oysters and liquor.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon avocado oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the blue cornmeal and toast, stirring often, until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. In another skillet over medium heat, warm the remaining tablespoon of avocado oil. Add shallot and green onions and cook until reduced and fragrant.
4. Toss miner’s lettuce (or watercress), dill, and parsley in a bowl. Add to the skillet with the shallot and onions, followed by the reserved oyster liquor. Stir and cook for 5–7 minutes, until reduced. Remove from heat.
5. Preheat oven to 400°F. Arrange oysters on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place a spoonful of the herb and onion mixture on each oyster, then top with a spoonful of toasted blue cornmeal.
6. Bake for 10–15 minutes and serve hot with lemon wedges.

Recipe by Heather Ponchetti Daly, Home Chef

Chef’s Notes

• Substitute other dried fruits as available.
• Walnuts, almonds, or other nuts may be used instead of pine nuts.

Servings: 4–6 Prep Time: 15 min Cook Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

• 2 cups wild rice
• 2½ cups vegetable stock
• 1 pound mushrooms, sliced
• 2 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped
• 1 cup shallots, chopped
• 1 cup roasted pine nuts
• 1 cup dried cherries
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons sunflower or avocado oil
• Smoked salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, sage, and shallots. Cook, stirring often, until the shallots are soft and the mushrooms are browned, about 5–10 minutes.
2. Reduce heat to low. Stir in vegetable stock, wild rice, and dried cherries. Cover and simmer until the liquid is nearly absorbed, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
3. Stir in roasted pine nuts. Season with maple syrup, smoked salt, and pepper.
4. Serve warm, ideally as a side dish with local seafood.

Recipe by Heather Ponchetti Daly, Eva Trujillo and Alexandria Hunter, Home Chefs

Chef’s Notes

• If fresh giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) is available, clean the large blades with saltwater and use them to wrap the fish for steaming in place of corn husks.
• Sumac is a bold red spice with a citrus-like acidity, traditionally made from dried berries. Lemonadeberry (Rhus integrifolia), a cultural resource for the Kumeyaay, is part of the sumac family. Grinding your own dried berries is the most authentic option, but commercially cultivated sumac is also a way to honor Indigenous foodways.

Servings: 4–5 Prep Time: 30 min Cook Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

• 1 whole fish (4–5 pounds, such as California sheephead, California halibut, or rockfish)
• 1 cup dill, chopped
• 1 cup epazote, chopped (or substitute Mexican oregano)
• 1 cup sage leaves, chopped
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 2 cups watercress, chopped
• 8 dried corn husks or blades of fresh giant kelp (see Chef’s Notes)
• Ground sumac, to taste (see Chef’s Notes)
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Place dried corn husks in a bowl of water to soak. Meanwhile, clean, scale, and dry the fish. Score the sides and season the outside and cavity with salt, pepper, and ground sumac.
2. Lay 4 soaked corn husks on a baking sheet and place the fish on top.
3. Preheat oven to 350°F. In a bowl, combine dill, epazote, sage, green onions, and watercress. Stuff the cavity of the fish with the herb mixture.
4. Cover the fish with the remaining soaked corn husks or kelp blades. Bake at 350°F for 1 hour. The meat should flake easily from the bones when done.
5. Remove corn husks, transfer the fish to a serving platter, and serve family-style. This pairs well with cactus and bean salad (Eh’paamarrickkomich).