This week marked my dear friend Cody Whitewolf’s birthday and 65th trip around the sun. We’ve been cultivating a friendship over the past five years or so that has become so incredibly dear to my heart. Sharing life experiences, common interests, spiritual beliefs and world views is something I cherish. Something that often comes up in conversation between us is food. Food that is connected to the land, where we live, mountain food culture, what grows here, the seasons, how we live and who we are.
Cody is Lakota-Cherokee by ancestry, raised in Huntington Beach, with food roots in California. I am of Celtic ancestry with food roots in the Southwest and California. While we are different people, with different backgrounds, what unites us, I believe, are our core values and our quest to reconnect who we are, our connection to the land, why we eat the things we do and how that tells the story of who we are.
Cody has been encouraging me to learn more and work with indigenous foods and cooking techniques, gifting me books, recipes and knowledge. I have to admit, being non-native, I’ve been cautious and reluctant in incorporating them into menus but I’m also a humble and honored student and believe that, with the right respect and understanding, some things can and should be shared. After all, indigenous ingredients are rooted in seasonal, sustainable, organic and fair-trade practices, and that is something I am wholeheartedly behind. And maybe, by figuring out the puzzle pieces of who we are, we just might find common ingredients that work together in harmony to create one delicious plate.
This week I’d like to share with you all a bit of our friendship journey, from our plates and hearts to yours.
Cody’s Sumac Salmon, with 3 Chili-Roasted Corn Sauce and Red Lake Nation Wild Rice
Salmon Rub:
Skeleton Coast Norwegian farmed Salmon – 8 oz filet
Celtic sea salt – 1/4 tsp
Sumac (cured) – 1/2 tsp
Cajun seasoning – 1/2 tsp
Technique: Heat a cast iron pan on medium high heat, add about 1 Tbsp sunflower oil to pan. Sprinkle salt and seasonings on the belly side and place in hot pan along with 3 sage leaves. Give it a shake to adhere the seasonings to the salmon and let it go for 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Flip over and let it go for 2 minutes. Remove pan from burner into a 400-degree oven and cook for 10 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 135 degrees.
3-Chili & Roasted Corn Sauce
8 ears of sweet corn – husks and silk removed
12 oz dried Ancho Chiles
12 oz dried Guajillo Chiles
12 oz Pasilla Chiles
1 brown onion – quartered and grilled
Celtic sea salt – 1 1/2 Tbsp
1. Boil 8 ears of sweet corn for about 40 minutes or until cobb can be pierced with a fork
2. Remove onto a hot grill and brown on all sides (or crank up the gas burner on your stove, grab a pair of tongs and roast)
3. Cut off the cob and reserve about 3/4 cup to sprinkle over your rice.
4. Rehydrate chiles by placing them in a large bowl, cover with hot water and let them soak about 1 hour or until tender.
5. Remove any stems from the chiles and place chiles, corn, onion and salt in a food processor and process until smooth
Red Lakes Nation Wild Rice
4 cups rice
4 1/2 cups vegetable broth
Juice of 1 lemon
Minced parsley – 1 Tbsp
Minced sage – 1 tsp
1. Bring 4-1/2 cups of water to a boil and sprinkle 1 Tbsp vegetable bouillon into water
2. Add rice, reduce burner to low, stir and cook for about 25 minutes or until rice is tender and no more liquid remains.
3. Stir in lemon juice, parsley and sage
To plate:
1. Place about 4 oz of Corn Sauce on a plate in a circle, leaving about 2 inches to edge of the plate.
2. Place about 1 cup of rice in the center, on top of the sauce and press down to form a mound.
3. Place salmon on top of the rice.
4. Sprinkle reserved corn kernels around the rice.
5. Garnish with a fresh sage sprig
Cody’s Sumac Salmon
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