Maque Choux, Pinwheel Cookies, Black Women in Food

Welcome back to the Project, Pantry, Purpose series, everyone. I hope you all had a safe, enlightening week. My family attended a local protest (above) this past Sunday which reinforced all the lessons I’ve been learning over the last few weeks, and, to be clear, learning way too late. The big takeaways for me, though, as it relates to what I do on this blog and in my food writing in general, is this: I am accountable. It’s not enough to attend one rally, or two or ten. As one speaker said, “You have a responsibility in your circle in your environment in your community to have these conversations.” For me, that community is here, and even though everything feels performative and never 100% correct, you all have my word that I will make it as inclusive as possible, especially when it comes to including BIPOC. I can do so much better and I will do so much better. I will promote and support more Black food writers and cookbook authors; I will make sure a recipe’s history is not whitewashed; I will raise money however I can to support organizations doing the hard work on the front lines. Thank you for listening. Here are a few things to re-launch the PPP series…

Pantry: Burrata, Beans, Maque Choux

Burrata is the new chicken in my (almost) vegetarian house. When I’m trying to figure out dinner, I use it as an anchor, placing it on a platter then thinking about what I can surround it with. Last night that was a pot of white beans (more beans!) sautéed with onion, garlic, chili flakes, and a spoonful of tomato paste. (I added a little of the bean’s simmering liquid to loosen it up a bit; you can add water or vegetable broth if you are using canned beans.) I had storebought pesto, so that was next. Then I made the maque choux (Creole fried corn and peppers) from Toni Tipton-Martin’s Jubilee. The corn “milk” mixes with the cream — “It’s like what Cole slaw would be if corn took over,” said Abby — and I had to stop her from eating the whole bowl. (The recipe for that is in my post for Cup of Jo today.) I added some toasted buttered bread, and decided this was the kind of summer dinner where you sit in patio chairs and eat with plates in our laps.

Project: Pinwheel Cookies

What do you do when the thermometer hits 89 degrees? In our house, my daughter cranks up the oven and bakes pinwheel cookies. I forgave her as soon as I ate one. (Or two or ten.)

Purpose: For the Culture

Klancy Miller, author of Cooking Solo, is launching a food magazine dedicated to Black women in food and wine. She told Edible: “This project is important to me because I got my first food job when I was 15 and went to culinary school in my early 20s and in all my time reading my favorite food magazines I never saw many women who look like me.” Miller has reached her initial fundraising goal and is working on her first issue. Please follow her progress on instagram at @fortheculturefoodmag.

Stay safe.

The goal of the Project, Pantry, Purpose series to keep us sane, distracted, connected, and USEFUL. It began in March 2020. Please continue to comment below with suggestions for recipes, projects (for kids and adults), good deeds, donation ideas, stories, movies, games, puzzles. Or just tell me how you’re doing, what your daily routine is, and especially how DALS can help you or people in your community. You can also email me directly at [email protected].