Top Chef ™: Wisconsin
Season:
Week:
Indigenous, Native American, Food
Kristen Kish: "Did you know that Milwaukee translates to 'the good land' and the language spoken by the Potawatomi, Odawa, and Ojibwe tribes? There are actually eleven federally recognized tribal nations throughout Wisconsin that span across hundreds of miles of woodlands, lakes, and rivers where original and native ingredients are sourced and are making their way onto the plates of some of the best restaurants around."
Kristen Kish: "Here to tell us about this modern movement, chefs Elena Terry and chef Sean Sherman. Elena is the founder of Wildberries, a nonprofit that promotes traditional farming technique and was named one of 2020 two's most influential Native American leaders of Wisconsin."
"Sean is from the Oglala Lakota tribe. He's an educator, activist, and three times James Beard award winner. Three times! Congratulations."
Sean Sherman: "Growing up on Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota, I became a very young chef, and I had a great career. But I realized the complete absence of indigenous anything in the culinary world. So it sent me on a path to understand the food of my ancestors, to really bring indigenous foods to the forefront."
Kristen Kish: "Chefs, for your next elimination challenge, we want modern dishes using only Native American ingredients. For this challenge, you won't be cooking with any dairy, wheat, flour, sugar, pork, beef, or chicken. There's no shopping today. Instead, you'll have access to a pantry full of indigenous ingredients."
Kristen Kish: "Tomorrow, you'll have 3 hours to prep and cook your dishes. Joining us at the table will be enrolled member of Wisconsin's Menominee tribe and Chicago's first Native American executive chef, Jessica Walks First and chef and owner of Miijim, and a native of the Redcliff Ojibwe, chef Bryce Stevenson."
The Top Chef ™ contestants were invited to a Native American meal. The following items were eaten or learned:
There were white bean dips/spreads made from white tepary beans.
There was smoked walleye, masa chips, fresh raspberry, and sunflower sprouts.
There was a wild rice patty with rosehip sauce, topped with roasted mushrooms There were roasted sweet potatoes, dandelion greens, cedar braised bison.
For acidity, indigenous foods use sumac and a lot of the tartness in the berries.
Berries: aronia berry, which is also known as choke berry
There was hominy made from mandan corn.
There was braised duck and mustard greens.
Smoke was a huge flavor contribution.
There was bean cake of red bean flour and maple water, with a little roasted squash glaze on top, and wild hyssop, which has kind of anise flavor. And underneath is a plum sauce.
Get recipes ...
Subscribe to our weekly recipes and culinary tips from streamed cooking shows.
