A Fall Stew for Indigenous Peoples’ Day, and The Blue Zones Update

Hellooo on this Indigenous Peoples’ Day 2024.

I couldn’t resist sharing this fall recipe for you today from Alana Yazzie’s new cookbook The Modern Navajo Kitchen.

And for an update, scroll down to the bottom to learn about the Blue Zones “comically flawed data” on people in widely varied cultures living to 100. Dr Saul Newman says “What’s most astounding is that nobody in the academic community seems to have thought it’s ridiculous before this. It’s absurd.”

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I LOVE soups and stews – all the yum, comfort, and nutrition in every spoonful. In this recipe you’ll get protein from the beans, but we’re making it tonight and we’ll have some salmon in addition.

From The Skim,(I’ve been a subscriber since they launched in 2012 and it’s gotten better and better over the years.)“this savory and soothing stew features crisp white corn, tender yellow squash, and creamy pinto beans (aka “the three sisters”), making it the ideal introduction to Navajo food, according to Yazzie. “[It] reminds me of the fall harvest season on the Navajo Nation, when fresh produce is [bountiful], often being sold along the roadside.” Oh, and did we mention it’s nearly impossible to mess up?”

Let me know if you make it!

x Polli

Three Sisters Stew — Táá’ Ałdeezhí Atoo’

“Three sisters” refers to the traditional gardening method used by Indigenous tribes, in which corn, beans, and squash are grown together. The best time to have a three sisters feast is during harvest season in the fall. There is nothing like freshly harvested corn and squash with beans that have been slow cooking all day. This particular stew came into fruition because I craved these same flavors during the spring and summer months when Navajo squash and white corn are no longer in season. Serve with Fry Bread or Blue Corn Bread.

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 cup (118 g) diced (about ¼ inch, or 6 mm) yellow onion

• 1 tablespoon minced garlic

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup (115 g) diced (about ¼ inch, or 6 mm) zucchini

• 2. cups (288 g) diced (about ¼ inch, or 6 mm) yellow squash

• 1 teaspoon dried thyme

• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1 can (15 ounces, or 425 g) white corn, drained and rinsed

• 1 can (15.5 ounces, or 439 g) pinto beans, drained and rinsed

• 4 cups (960 ml) vegetable broth

• ¼ cup (45 g) white cornmeal

1. In a large pot over medium heat, heat the olive oil for 1 minute. Add the onions, garlic, and salt. Cook and stir for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are translucent.

2. Add the zucchini, yellow squash, thyme, and pepper and cook and stir for 5 minutes, or until the squash has softened.

3. Add the white corn, pinto beans, and vegetable broth and bring to a boil over medium heat. Let boil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the cornmeal and ¼ cup (60 ml) of water until combined.

5. Add half of the cornmeal mixture to the soup and mix until combined, then add the remaining cornmeal mixture and mix until combined. Return the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 20 minutes, or until the soup thickens and the vegetables are cooked through.

6. Ladle into soup bowls and serve with fry bread or blue corn bread.

Blue Zones offered hope as real-life fountains of youth – new research says they can be explained by comically flawed data.

xx Polli