Tomorrow is Juneteenth, which commemorates the recognition of freedom for enslaved Africans in Texas in 1865, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued. Traditional Juneteenth holiday fare includes red-colored foods, along with barbecue and other Black American classics. Korsha Wilson reports this week in The New York Times on the new spins that cooks are putting on these menus, with dishes that reflect their own family histories and regional traditions, including some drawn from all over Africa and the Caribbean. It’s an inspiring read that will make you hungry, too.
We have more Juneteenth inspiration for you here, red-hued and otherwise, like Millie Peartree’s roasted shrimp jambalaya. In Millie’s version, both the shrimp and rice are cooked in the oven, for a hands-off recipe with deep, comforting flavors. You could serve it with a pitcher of strawberry-ginger lemonade for a bright and festive Juneteenth feast.
Featured Recipe
Roasted Shrimp Jambalaya
More food for thought
Tamarind-glazed chicken thighs: With a sweet and sour glaze made from tamarind and orange juice punched up by chile flakes, Ashley Lonsdale’s glazed chicken thighs are glossy, savory and falling-off-the-bone tender. To get the deepest caramelization on the chicken skin, Ashley recommends drying them thoroughly before adding to the pan. Patting with paper towels gets the job done, but I also like to spread them out on a plate and leave them uncovered in the fridge for an hour or so.
Sheet-pan baked feta with broccolini, tomatoes and lemon: Yasmin Fahr’s easy sheet-pan dinner is stunning, a vivid mosaic of gold, green and purple, but that’s not even the main reason people go nuts for it. The combination of salty, warm feta in a bubbling, lemony sauce sweetened with red onions is irresistible. As one reader notes, “Had to stop myself from going back and eating what was supposed to be tomorrow’s lunch!” I can relate.
Spicy cucumber noodle salad with clams: In this cool and spicy noodle dish, Eric “Can-Do” Kim streamlines the classic Korean banquet dish golbaengi muchim. He substitutes a can of clams and their juices for the usual snails or whelks to give the gochugaru dressing a similar, but pantry-friendlier, hit of saline umami.
Ginger-dill salmon: Ali Slagle takes less than 30 minutes to coax bright, intense flavor from a handful of ingredients: salmon fillets, fresh dill, ginger, grapefruit and orange. She serves everything with slices of avocado, whose buttery flesh echoes the soft, silky fish.
7Up cake: This dense, sweet pound cake is adapted from a recipe sent to Sam Sifton by a reader, whose grandmother kept it on an index card tucked in a cookbook published in 1971 by the Symphony League of Jackson, Miss. The soda makes the citrus flavor really pop (pun intended) in this cake, baked in a Bundt pan. Slice it thin and serve for dessert, or toast it for a midafternoon snack.
Don’t all these fantastic recipes make you glad you subscribe to NYT Cooking? If you don’t, now’s a great time to do so. If you need any technical assistance, you can send an email to the genius minds at [email protected]. And I’m at [email protected] if you want to say hi.
And — we want to hear from you! Specifically, we want to know what questions you have about camp cooking (besides how to make a great s’more). Send your questions to [email protected], and Ali Slagle might answer them.
That’s all for now. I’ll see you on Monday.
Melissa Clark has been writing her column, A Good Appetite, for The Times’s Food section since 2007. She creates recipes for New York Times Cooking, makes videos and reports on food trends. She is the author of 45 cookbooks, and counting.
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