African Stew
Ingredients
3 tbsp. butter
½ cup Virginian ham, diced
2 onions, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
1 rib celery, diced
3 garlic cloves, sliced
2 cups butternut squash, roughly chopped
1½ tsp. salt
3 1/3 tsp. pepper
2 tbsp. flour
1 tbsp. tomato paste
2 cups mushrooms, quartered
1½ quarts stock
1 cup diced tomatoes
2 ears corn, kernels removed, cobs scraped
15 oz. black-eyed peas, cooked
Instructions
Combine the butter, ham, onions, carrots, celery, garlic and butternut squash in a medium sauce pan. Season with salt and pepper. Add the flour and stir, cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and mushrooms and cook 1 minute. Add the cobs from the corn and the stock and simmer until mushrooms are tender. Add the corn kernels and tomatoes, cook for 2 minutes. Add the black eyed peas and cook another minute. Serve with cornbread.
Cornbread
Ingredients
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1 cup cornmeal
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. sugar
1½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1½ cups buttermilk
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Lightly grease an 8-inch baking dish. In a large bowl, mix together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, buttermilk and butter. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the cornmeal mixture and fold together until there are no dry spots (the batter will still be lumpy). Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake until the top is golden brown and tester inserted into the middle of the corn bread comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the cornbread from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes before serving. Makes four servings.
Recipes courtesy of Colonial Williamsburg’s Executive Chef Travis Brust