Grilled Beef (or Bison) Skewers

I had grand intentions of creating a dish, Grilled Bison Skewers. It is a recipe from Chef Sean Sherman that would have been part of my Beyond Borders project. Chef Sherman is someone that I have closely followed, ever since I ate at his amazing restaurant Owamni and learned about his efforts to restore indigenous foodways. My parents gave me his cookbook, The Sioux Chef's Indigenous Kitchen, as a gift, where this recipe could be found. 

One day, while I was walking through the aisles of a grocery store, I decided to make the skewers. I knew that the grocery store had bison, so all I needed was the other ingredients. I got the corn and squash, but I could not find any turnips. After some thought, I decided to substitute parsnips. As I already had a lot of sumac and smoked salt at home, I was ready to get the bison meat.

I headed over to the meat section and perused the bison. The store had bison ribeyes and bison strip steaks, both of which were very expensive. Right next to them were packages of sirloin. Thinking (incorrectly) that it was bison sirloin, I grabbed a package, especially given it was much cheaper than both the ribeyes and the strip steaks. It was not until I was in the middle of checking out that I realized that it was beef sirloin, not bison sirloin. The grand intention of creating an indigenous dish came crashing down with what would be characterized as a colonialist ingredient. (Cows were introduced to this continent by the Spanish.) I could no longer do a Beyond Borders post, because the skewers did not reflect the cuisine of the indigenous peoples.

I was very frustrated with myself. Ordinarily, this post, even with its beef, would never have seen the light of day on this blog because of my mistake. However, I have another project, The Mindfulness Foodways, where I am working to change how I approach cooking. And, here is the thing: as I thought about this project, I acknowledged that my mistake was due to inadvertence. I also recognized how fortunate I was to be able to make such a mistake. If I was in the shoes of an indigenous person who was living on a reservation (where the conditions of poverty are well documented), I would most likely not be standing in a store with the range of food before me, let alone have the ability to buy expensive ingredients, like beef. I stood in a position of privilege, which remained a position of privilege even though I sought to honor indigenous cuisine. 

As part of being mindful, I must acknowledge my privilege and the conflict that it creates within me. I want to explore and learn about the cultures and cuisines of other peoples, yet, I do not walk in their shoes when doing so. My present circumstances limit my ability to travel and learn first-hand from the people themselves. While I hope to do that someday, I am presently left with all I can do to learn about their cuisine and culture from afar. In so doing, I spend a lot of time thinking through everything I write to ensure that the proper respect is given. Perhaps that intent, as well intentioned as it is, can allow an erroneous purchase to be overlooked. 

GRILLED BEEF (OR BISON) SKEWERS

Recipe respectfully adapted from Sean Sherman, 

The Sioux Chef's Indigenous Kitchen, page 128

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 1 to 1 1/4 pounds of bison sirloin (preferably, or beef sirloin), cut into 1- to 2-inch cubes  
• 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
• Pinch sumac
• Pinch smoked salt
• 2 to 3 ears of sweet corn, shucked and cut into 2-inch chunks
• 2 to 4 young turnips (or parsnips), cut into 2-inch chunks 
• 3 summer squash, cut into 2-inch chunks

Directions:

1. Prepare the grill. Heat the coals or a gas grill for direct heat.

2. Prepare the skewers.  Brush the bison with 1 tablespoon of the sunflower oil and sprinkler with sumac and smoked salt.  Brush the corn, turnips and squash with the remaining oil. Thread the meat, sweet corn, turnips, and squash alternately on 4 to 6 skewers. Sprinkler the meat and vegetables with additional sumac and smoked salt.

3. Grill the skewers.  Grill the skewers about 4 to 6 inches from the heat, turning frequently, until the bison is no longer pink in the center, about 15 to 20 minutes.  Serve drizzled with wojape.

ENJOY!

Restoring Virginia's Scallops

Scallops have always been an important foodsource up and down the eastern United States. And, around 1930, the State of Virginia was perhaps the largest producer of bay scallops in the United States. Just as there were oystermen/women and crabbers plying the waters around the Delmarva, there were also scallop fishermen (and women) who plied the brackish waters between the barrier islands and the eastern shore, harvesting scallops for the local market and beyond. 

A healthy scallop fishery depends upon a few things. Perhaps the most important of which is eelgrass. This seagrass provides the habitat for young scallops to develop, as well as protection from predators, like blue crabs. Another important thing is salinity. Scallops thrive in environments with a higher salinity. Both of these factors were present along the eastern Shore of Virginia, from Chincoteague Island to South Bay, from the coast to the barrier islands, which served as a buffer to the Atlantic Ocean.

Things began to change in the early 1930s. A wasting disease began taking its toll on the eelgrass in the region. Then, in 1933, the Chesapeake-Potomac Hurricane wiped out all of the remaining eel-grass by literally moving the barrier islands to smother the seagrass beds. The entire habitat of the scallops was gone; and, with that, scallops went locally extinct in the Chesapeake Bay area. 

I was completely unaware of this history until our most recent summer vacation. I planned a family trip to Virginia's eastern shore. As I prepared our itinerary, I looked for "foodie" things to do, especially things that had a learning or experiential component. I found the website for the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), which has an eastern shore facility in Wachapreague, Virginia. As I read the VIMS website, I realized that this would be an interesting place to visit. I reached out to arrange a tour of the Wachapreague facility. I was particularly interested in the Castagna Shellfish Hatchery, which houses the aquaculture research programs. I thought that it would be great to learn more about the overall life cycle of shellfish. This education would pair well with a tour of the Lambert Shellfish oyster farm that I had scheduled for later that day. 

What was to be a tour about how shellfish are cultivated from seed to sprat turned into so much more. It became a lesson about how we can overcome a local extinction event through commitment and hard work. And, while many have spoken on this subject (just Google "scallops" and "Virginia"), I felt compelled to add whatever I can to this important discussion.  

Part One: Restore the Habitat

VIMS actually has two facilities: one on the eastern shore in Wachapreague and another on the middle neck in Glouchester Point. This latter facility is where the lesson begins. 

VIMS's Glouchester Point facility has served as the center of research and action to restore eelgrass habits in the Chesapeake Bay and along the eastern shore. The research was led by Robert Orth, who has earned the title, "Johnny Appleseed of Seagrass." Working with researchers and staff, Robert Orth developed a program that began with transplanting eelgrass from one part of the bay to another part. Once the eelgrass took root (both figuratively and literally), then the program evolved to focus on spreading eelgrass seeds, focusing primarily on four particular areas: South Bay, Cobb Bay, Spider Crab Bay and Hog Island.

Restoring eelgrass is not like planting grass in someone's yard. Generally speaking, one has to account for a wide range of variables. Eelgrass thrives within a certain salinity range. If the salinity is too low or too high, then it won't grow. It is also particularly vulnerable to human development, with runoff and deforestation taking tolls on eelgrass meadows. In sum, for eelgrass to thrive, it requires a very healthy, balanced environment. 

VIMS has restored eelgrass in approximately nine-thousand, five huundred (9,500) acres of the Chesapeake Bay, including the four bays and lagoons that I mentioned above. It believes these efforts have led to "the most successful seagrass recovery effort in history" and it is hard to doubt that statement. (VIMS has also shown its work, which can be seen here.)  

Part Two: Restoring the Scallops

While VIMS Glouchester worked to restore the eelgras, VIMS Wachaprague worked to restore the scallop population. This work begins at the Castagna Shellfish Hatchery, which is named after Michael Castagna, the first Executive Director of VIMS's Eastern Shore Laboratory. Castagna wrote the pioneering work that serves as the foundation of hard-shell clam aquaculture. 

The hatchery's researchers and staff started the restoration process with scallop brood stock from North Carolina, specifically the Bogue and Core Sounds. They had mixed success with their initial efforts. It was only after the researchers widened their vision, introducing brood stocks from New York and Florida, that things really began to change. 

To understand the process, which as a layperson I can only describe in very general terms, researchers start with adult scallops. They adjust the environmental conditions for the scallops to prompt the reproduction cycle. Once they have achieved that objective, the researchers remove the fertilized eggs and place them in a large tank, where they oversee the scallops during their initial stages of development.  

Dedicated VIMS staff, like Hatchery Manager Reba Smith, watch over the nascent scallops, feeding them different forms of algae to help them grow. They use four different types of algae, which are maintained in a multi-colored array of carboys. The specific algae used depends on where the scallops are in their metamorphosis. 

As the scallops develop, they are moved to the nursery. Other VIMS staff, including Nursery Manager Darien Kelly, continue to oversee the scallops' metamorphosis. Kelly watches them as they develop, providing them with local creek water that contains natural plankton, while also monitoring the sediment loads in that water. As the scallops develop, their little swimmers turn into feet, which they use to affix themselves to surfaces (like eelgrass). This is how scallops differentiate themselves from other mollusks. Scallops can move around, where as oysters and mussels affix themselves to a spot permanently. Likewise, while clams have some ability to move, that is mostly digging themselves into the mud and sand for protection. Scallops can swim, a trait that helps in their development and their protection.  

While in the nursery, the scallops grow in long raceway tables. The staff continue to feed algae as they monitor the scallops until they reach their juvenile stage, which takes about 60 days to 120 days. At that point, the scallops are ready to be introduced into the "wild." The scallops are moved to ground cages in areas like the South Bay, where they can continue to grow and develop. They are also released into other areas  where VIMS has successfully re-established eelgrass habitats The young scallops use their "feet" to attach themselves to the eelgrass, which enables them to develop out of reach of many predators. 

The work of VIMS' Wachepreague facility does not end with the reintroduction of the scallops to the bay. Staff conduct annual surveys of the scallops stocks in areas like South Bay, Cobb Bay and Hogs Island, to see how the scallops are faring on their own. This survey is extensive and hard work, as staff survey large stretches of the seafloor by hand. They record their findings, as well as collect new potential broodstock that could be used to continue the process so that the scallop populations can be further increased.

Based on its studies, VIMS has determined that, since 2018, their work -- as well as the environmetnal conditions -- have enabled scallop populations to increase in certain areas along the eastern shore of Virginia. The above chart shows the general increase in scallop populations, but the rates differ by specific area. For example, scallop populations have generallly increased in both Cobb Bay and South Bay. However, in South South Bay, the scallop populations have increased at an even greater rate.

Source: Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences

And, just recently, VIMS conducted its annual survey for 2025. The survey produced more amazing results, showing that the scallop population had increased substantially over the past year. The results showed that the surveyed areas generally went from .0652 scallops per square meter to .114 scallops per square meter.  This new number bodes well for two reasons: one is known as propagule pressure, which is the point where spawning may be taking place in nature; and the second involves the potential of restoring a recreational scallop fishery. 

Overall, the important work of VIMS has done something that is truly rare: they have countered a local extinction event, bringing back an animal that had been wiped out nearly 100 years ago. This work demonstrates that we can play an important role in repairing the damage done, whether by Mother Nature or by our own hands. 

I am incredibly thankful for the staff of VIMS's Wachapreague facility, especially Managers Smith and Kelly, for taking the time out of their busy day to tell us about their work. I know that both my family and myself left the facility truly impressed with their commitment and their hard work. I hope that they continue to find success to the point that there is not only a recreational scallop activity, but a potetnial scallop fishery once again. 

PEACE.

P.S.: To learn more about VIMS, as well as the work of Managers Smith and Kelly, check out the latest from W&M News. 

Around the World in 80 Dishes: Estonia

"Kuna eestlased pole suured arvult, siis peavad nad selleks saama vaimult." 

(Since Estonians are not large in numbers, they must become so in spirit.")

-- Jakob Hurt (Estonian forklorist)

The Baltic countries have always fascinated me. Three little countries -- Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia -- each with a fierce sense of independence and solid understanding of their own identity. Those identities were born out of a shared history over the past two hundred years. As the first challenge of my Around the World in 80 Dishes in the Baltic region, I get to explore the northernmost of the three countries ... Estonia. This challenge also provides me with an opportunity to explore the Estonian culture and cuisine, which itself gives rise to a story of how an identity can awaken in the darkness of occupation, as well as survive the trip through the peaks and valleys of history. 

While the first peoples to settle in the region arrived nearly 13,000 years ago, this post will focus only on the past 250 years. Back in the mid-1800s, the Russian Empire occupied all of what constitutes present-day Estonia. Yet, the Tsarist government allowed a certain degree of localized government in the Baltic region. This autonomy primarily benefited the Germanic nobility, which had previously dominated the government and economic strutures. It also provided enough room for independent thought amongst the maarahvas (country folk) and others whose heritage was closer to Finland than Prussia or Germany. That thought coalesced around an eestlane identity. It grew around the Estonian language, with the first Estonian newspaper being published John Voldemarr Jannsen in 1857. Soon, more literary works began to emerge, including the poetry of Lydia Koidula, as well as Estonian theater. As a passage from one of Koidula's most noteworthy poems illustrates, there was a strong current of developing nationalism: 

My country is my love,

To whom I've given my heart

To you I sing, my greatest happiness,

My flowering Estonia!

Your pain boils in my heart,

Your pride and joy makes my happy,

My country, my country!

At its simplist, nationalism involves an effort to separate oneself. For the eestlane, they sought to separate themselves not just from the Germanic nobility, but also the larger Russian empire. As one could expect, the Tsarist empire was not pleased with such independent thought; and, in the 1890s, it began a russification campaign intended to bring the occupied closer in line with the occupier. For example, the Russian language replaced Estonian and German in schools and in newspapers. Yet, the Estonian identity did not die or even fade. Estonians continued to pursue their culture and develop their identity, just away from the eyes of the government. In the process, Estonians achieved the second highest literacy rate within the Russian empire. 

Russification fiurther led to an evolution in the Estonian identity, expanding it into the political sphere, as Estonians worked their way into government positions. By the time of the Russian Revolutions (of 1905 and 1917), there were Estonian political parties. With the parties came demands, including freedom of the press and freedom of speech, as well as greater autonomy and even independence. They achieved that independence between the two great wars (from 1917 until 1939), but it would take the end of the Cold War and the fall of the Soviet Union before Estonia would achieve lasting independence, which began on August 20, 1991, and continues to this day.

This quick discussion of the Estonian identity, although grounded in history, also provides the background for Estonian cuisine. While the cuisine is as eestlane as the people, history has left its mark. The influences of the Swedish, Germans, Russians and even the Finnish can be seen in the various dishes that find their way to the Estonian table. 

As for that table, Estonia has four general, regional cuisines. First, there is the northern Estonian and Tallin region, where one could find traditional dishes like verivorst (blood sausage) and a range of seafood dishes. Second, along the western shores and islands, seafood also reigns in the cuisine, with herring dishes and a black bread known as leib. Third, there is the southern Estonian region, where the dishes focus more on the land than the sea. Finally, there is the eastern Estonian region, where Russian influences can be more readily seen. The common theme that ties together all of thes regions is a simplicity in terms of ingredients and processes, reflecting the peasant origins of many of the dishes. 

APPETIZER

The start of this challenge begins with the Russian influence. It is a dish brought to Estonian by the Soviets. Shashlik are the kebabs of Central Asia, but it is the Soviets that introduced them throughout their union.  In Estonia, the skewers are made usually with pork, which is cut up, combined with onions, garlic and vinegar, and then left to marinate overnight. Once they are ready for the grill, they are skewered and grilled over charcoal (although a gas grill works just as well). 

In researching this dish, I came across an interesting description of a recent event -- Midsummer's Eve, "When the Village Folk Come Together -- at the Estonian Open Air Museum: 

Kolkhoz apartment building. It is the year 1988, and the idea of independence of Estonia has found its way to Sookuru collective farm. There was a meeting in Hirvepark in Tallinn a year earlier, the concept of self-managing Estonia is in the air, and five national patriotic songs by Alo Mattiisen are becoming more and more popular. All of it happened so fast and is hard to believe! The dwellers of the building have hung out the Estonian tricolour flag; they are singing new and old songs about the homeland and planning to organize a support group for the Popular Front of Estonia. Shashlik will be served.

While the Soviets may be gone, the skewers -- and Estonian independence -- remain.  

ESTONIAN SHASHLIK

Recipe from Nami-Nami

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 kg (2.2 pounds) of pork shoulder
• 4 large onions
• 2-3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tablespoons vinegar (30% proof)
• 2 teaspoons finely ground salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon caster sugar

Directions:

1. Prepare the pork. Cut the pork into thick slices (about 1.5 to 2 centimeters, or 3/4 to 1 inch), then small chunks (4 centimeters by 4 centimeters, or 1.5 inch by 1.5 inch). Place in a large bowl. Peel the onions and cut into thin slices. Add to the bowl with the crushed garlic, salt, pepper and sugar. Sprinkle the vinegar on top. Wearing a pair of kitchen globes, massage the meat and onions for about 10-15 minutes, so the onion juices are released and the seasonings are firmly massaged into the meat chunks. Instead of dark red, the meat should be paler. Cover the bowl and marinate in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

2. Prepare the shashlik. Remove the meat from the refrigerator and let the meat come to room temperature, about 1 hour. If using wood skewers, soak the skewers for about 1 hour. Piece the meat chunks onto skewers.

3. Grill the shashlik. Prepare a charcoal fire or heat a gas grill to medium-high heat. Place the shashlik on the grill grate. Grill the shashlik for about 3-4 minutes, and turn. Repeat this process until each side is grilled and the temperature reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit (62.8 degrees Celsius).

MAIN COURSE

The main course -- and the challenge for my Around the World in 80 Dishes -- is Frikadellisupp, which has been described as "the kind of soup that makes a meal." As Jennifer Eremeeva writes for the Moscow Times, "[e]fforts to pin down a 'classic' recipe for Frikadellisupp are frustrating, since the soup is nothing if not a thrifty 'sweep the fridge' improvised recipe for stretching meat into a meal, by combining it with bread, and anything else that might reach its sell-by date." 

I decided to prepare the meatballs in a slightly different manner than the recipe suggests. Instead of cooking them in the soup, I separately baked the meatballs and then added them to the soup. I did this in part because the preparation of the meatballs was a little different than other meatballs that I made. There is no filler (for example, breadcrumbs) and I feared that the meatballs would break up in the soup. By baking them first, I ensured that the meatballs would stay together in the soup. (I baked them in the oven at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes, times will vary depending upon the size of the meatballs.)

Apart from that, I could not find much describing the history of this dish. It may very well be something that has always been there, especially when times were difficult (and, for Estonia and Estonians, there were many difficult times since they achieved their independence and reclaimed it again). 

FRIKADELLISUPP

Recipe from Cook, Eat Share

Serves 4

Ingredients (for the soup):

• 3 carrots
• 1 turnip
• 1 leek
• 1 parsnip
• 2 celery sticks
• 2 medium potatoes
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2-3 tablespoons of oil
• Fresh or dried dill

Ingredients (for the meatballs):

• 1 egg
• 1 onion
• 200 grams minced meat (pork or beef)
• Salt
• Black pepper

Directions:

1.  Prepare the vegetables. Wash, peel, and chop carrots, turnip, leek, parsnip and celery into bite sized pieces. Heat an oil in a large pot over medium heat and add the chopped vegetables. Fry slightly for about 5 minutes. 

2. Prepare the soup. Add about 2 liters of water. If you would like a thicker soup, add less water and more vegetables. Bring to a boil and add the chicken stock cube or chicken broth. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

3. Prepare the meatballs. Place the minced meat in a bowl. Finely chop the onion and add to the bowl. Add the egg, salt, black pepper and mix well (use hand or wooden spoon). Using your hands, form small balls out of the mix and place them onto a plate for later.

4. Continue to prepare the soup.  After the 30 minutes, add peeled and chopped potatoes. Simmer for a further 10 minutes and then bring the soup to a boil. Add the meatballs and boil until they surface. Right before turning off the heat, add the fresh or dried dill. 

5. Finish the dish. Once the meatballs are cooked and the vegetables are soft, the soup is ready. Serve with a slice of bread or toast. 

*     *    *

For my first foray into Baltic cuisine (and, for that matter, northern European cuisine) as part of my Around the World in 80 Dishes challenge, I think that this challenge went well.  I particularly liked the soup, and this recipe made me think abouut additional soups that I will be doing in future challenges. Until then...

PEACE.