First Nation's Cookbook

By Sandra McGrath

Welcome to my cookbook. This book contains Native American recipes, hunter's recipes and a few Appalachian recipes. I also placed in a few recipes that are more modern but tried to use ingredients that were around two hundred years ago. First Nation Cookbook is not just a cookbook; there is a section using herbs and spices for medicinal teas and I used WebMD to explain any type of problem that could arise. There is a blurb, not my authorship, about the Abenaki Indians and a couple of our legends. There is even a section of tips and cultural crafts included. I believe this book is different from any other cookbook and I hope you enjoy trying some of the recipes. All proceeds from this book are going to the tribe for education of our Tribal community as well as the general public.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Oct 5, 2018
• ISBN: 9781642984194

Book preview

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First Nation's Cookbook

Sandra McGrath

Copyright © 2018 Sandra McGrath

All rights reserved

First Edition

Page Publishing, Inc

New York, NY

First originally published by Page Publishing, Inc 2018

ISBN 978-1-64298-418-7 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64298-419-4 (Digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Bread

Baked Blueberry Rolls

Matilda

2 cups flour

3 tsps. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

4 tbsps. cold shortening

3/4 cup milk

Sift dry ingredients together and cut in shortening.

Add milk.

Knead lightly a few seconds, using as little flour as possible.

Mix in blueberries or huckleberries.

Roll out half in thick.

Cut with biscuit cutter.

Bake 450 degrees Fahrenheit about 12 minutes.

Typically speaking, this would not be an Indian recipe except the Indians would have used maple syrup instead of sugar and would have used home-ground flour. They may have fried them or, if they had an oven, would have baked them.

*****

Beer Bread

3 cups self-rising flour

4 tbsps. sugar

1 12 oz. beer

Mix.

Put into greased bread pan.

Bake 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 55–60 minutes.

Makes 1 loaf.

If you have no self-rising flour, use 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder to each 1 cup all-purpose flour.

*****

Did You Know?

With the sugar in the mix, it is called johnnycake in New England. In the South, they do not add sugar, so it is called corn bread.

*****

Corn Bread

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup melted shortening

1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal

3/4 cup sifted flour

1 tsp. salt

2 tbsps. sugar

2 1/2 tsps. baking powder

Beat eggs and add milk and shortening.

Sift remaining ingredients together and add and beat well.

Pour into greased shallow pan and bake 400 degrees Fahrenheit until it shrinks from sides of pan, 20–25 minutes.

*****

Cranberry Bread

1 egg, beaten

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. soda

1 cup sugar

2 tsps. melted butter

1/2 cup orange juice

2 tbsps. hot water

1 ground orange rind

1 cup cranberries

1 cup chopped nuts

Bake 1 hour 10 minutes at 325 degrees Fahrenheit in bread pan. Store in fridge 3 hours.

Cranberries are common in many areas of New England and were a Native American favorite.

*****

Dark Rye Bread

2 cups scalded milk

2 tbsps. sugar

2 tbsps. butter

1 tsp. salt

1 cake yeast

1/2 cup lukewarm water

6 cups rye flour

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

2 tbsps. caraway seeds

Pour scalded milk over sugar, butter, and salt in large bowl.

Soften yeast in lukewarm water. When milk mix is lukewarm, stir in softened yeast and 3 cups rye flour. Beat thoroughly, then beat in remaining flour.

Cover and let rise in warm place until doubles.

Turn onto well-floured board.

Knead in whole wheat flour and caraway. Knead until dough is smooth and holds shape.

Divide dough in half and shape into two round/oblong loaves.

Place loaves in greased round/oblong pans. Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled.

Bake 400 degrees Fahrenheit in oven 15 minutes.

Reduce to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake 35–40 minutes more.

Brush with melted butter the last 5 minutes Makes 2 loaves.

*****

Easy White Bread

Matilda

2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 tbsp. salt

2 packages yeast (1 package equals 2 1/2 tsp.)

Combine.

Heat in saucepan 2 1/4 cups milk, 1/4 cup oil.

Add 1 egg and warm liquid to flour mix. Beat 1/2 minute at low speed, 3 minutes at medium speed.

By hand, stir in 4 to 5 cups more flour to form a soft dough.

Knead on floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 1 minute.

Cover dough, let rise in warm place until light and doubled, 45–60 minutes.

Punch down dough. Shape into two loaves. Place in greased pans.

Cover, let rise in warm place 30–45 minutes.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 40–45 minutes until loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

Remove from pan immediately.

*****

Indian Fry Bread

4 cups flour

2 tbsps. baking powder

2 tsps. salt

2 1/2 cups water

Add a little bit of water at a time to flour, powder, salt. Mix.

Roll into small balls.

Pat flat with hole in the middle.

Fry in oil at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until brown both sides.

*****

Pumpkin Pine Nut Bread

Lori Fuller

2 cups flour

3 eggs, beaten

1 tsp. baking soda

3/4 cup milk

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup oil

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups cooked pumpkin

1 1/4 cups pine nuts, roasted

Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a medium-size bowl, mix eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla. Mix well, then add pumpkin. Mix well and fold into dry ingredients. Add pine nuts. Pour batter into 2 greased 5×9-inch loaf pans and bake for 45 minutes.

The pine nuts generally taste better if, before they’re added to the mix, you put them on an ungreased cookie sheet in the oven for about 10 minutes at about 350–400 degrees Fahrenheit. It roasts them a little.

*****

Rosemary Garlic Herb Bread (machine)

Matilda

1 1/2 cups water

4 tsps. soft butter/margarine

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

4 cups bread flour

2 tbsps. sugar

2 tsps. salt

1/2 tsp. dried rosemary

1/4 tsp. dried thyme

1/4 tsp. basil

*Optional: 3 inches branch of fresh rosemary, finely chopped

1 3/4 tsps. yeast

Add liquid ingredients.

Add solid ingredients (except yeast). Make a well for yeast in flour and add yeast.

Select the Basic setting. Start bread machine.

*****

Sourdough Bread and Rolls

1/4 cup oil

1 tbsp. salt

2 eggs

3 tbsps. sugar

4 cups flour to 1/2 cup sourdough starter and water

Bake 40–45 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Sourdough Starter

1 (0.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

2 cups warm water

2 cups all-purpose flour

Add all ingredients to list.

In large non-metallic bowl, mix together dry yeast, 2 cups warm water, and 2 cups all-purpose flour, and cover loosely.

Leave in a warm place to ferment, 4 to 8 days. Depending on temperature and humidity of kitchen, times may vary.

Place on cookie sheet in case of overflow. Check occasionally.

When mixture is bubbly and has a pleasant sour smell, it is ready to use.

If mixture has a pink, orange, or any other strange color tinge to it, throw it out and start over.

Keep in the refrigerator, covered until ready to bake.

When you use starter to bake, always replace with equal amounts of a flour-and-water mixture with a pinch of sugar. So if you remove 1 cup starter, replace with 1 cup water and 1 cup flour.

Mix well and leave out on the counter until bubbly again, then refrigerate.

If clear to light brown liquid has accumulated on top, don’t worry, this is an alcohol base liquid that occurs with fermentation. Just stir this back into the starter; the alcohol bakes off, and that wonderful sourdough flavor remains!

Sourdough starters improve with age. They used to be passed down generation to generation!

*****

Whole Wheat Bread

Matilda

5 cups flour

2 packages dry yeast

2 3/4 cups water

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup shortening

1 tsp. salt

3 cups whole wheat flour

In large mixing bowl, combine 3 1/2 cups regular flour and yeast.

In a saucepan, heat water, sugar, shortening, and salt until warm, stirring constantly to melt shortening.

Add dry mixture and beat at low speed 1 minute.

Scrape bowl. Beat 3 minutes on high speed.

By hand, stir