A Harvest of Heritage

The harvest may be more metaphorical than real in a society in which so few people remain connected to the land.

But reaping the fruit of efforts to move forward as individuals and as a culture has become just as important to observances of Kwanzaa, the African American holiday whose name means first fruits of the harvest in Swahili.

“We have been disconnected from our cultural heritage,” says Michael Williams, who founded the Comedy Act Theater in Leimert Park, where so many black comedians launched their careers. “The fact that our culture was not taught to us has made me realize just how much I want to recapture.”

Williams was among about 50 guests at a recent potluck Kwanzaa celebration hosted by Betty Price, owner of Kola Nut Travel, at her Inglewood townhouse.

“It is a time of the year when I have an opportunity to open my house to family, friends and loved ones,” she says between greeting new arrivals.

The holiday, celebrated Dec. 26 through Jan. 1, was born in Los Angeles and can trace its origins to the ashes of the Watts riots. Maulana Ron Karenga, chairman of the department of black studies at Cal State Long Beach, created Kwanzaa in 1966, the year after the riot, as a celebration of family, community and culture and as a way of focusing on accomplishments by people of African descent.

The seven-day celebration is a time for reflection and recommitment to seven principles: unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith. A candle representing one of the principles is lighted each day.

At Price’s home, the kinara (candleholder) holds three red Kwanzaa candles, three green and one black--the colors of black liberation.

The colors are symbolic: red for struggle and blood spilled by ancestors, green for the future and black for unity and the African continent.

At Price’s celebration, children light the candles, a recognition that they are the most important fruit of a cultural harvest.

Kwanzaa has quickly spread from its Los Angeles birthplace to dozens of countries around the world, with some estimates that as many as 20 million people observe it each year.

“Kwanzaa is spreading in West Africa, especially in Ghana and in parts of Nigeria,” says Nigerian journalist Dele Aileman, a guest at Price’s celebration. “Kwanzaa represents a kind of amalgamation of some practices on the continent of Africa and the experience of blacks in America.”

He says that farmers in Africa traditionally practice what is called the harvest of the first fruits.

“There is an aspect of that incorporated into Kwanzaa,” he says. “In Africa no one will eat the fruit of the Earth until there is a ceremony or festival. Some people in Africa will tell you that we do not celebrate Kwanzaa. That is a shallow response because there is an aspect to Kwanzaa that has always been celebrated.”

After lighting candles and reflecting on the principles, Price’s Kwanzaa turns to the food--a delicious array ranging from her Aunt Cynthia’s sweet potato casserole to a lentil pancake, from Jamaican jerk chicken and black-eyed peas (for good luck) to stuffed trout in seafood dressing.

A particular favorite was probation officer Joyce Rice’s “sex on the beach,” a sinful dessert with layers of pecans, butter, flour, cream cheese, pudding, Cool Whip, nuts and strawberries.

“I don’t have that many African dishes,” Price says. “My food tends to be African American.”

But the festival draws from several African harvest celebrations, and as Williams points out, the nourishment does not always come only from the food.

“I feel the importance of culture,” he says, holding his 3-week-old grandson, Kahlil. “More than anything, I feel the need to connect ourselves back to the continent, to our religions, to our languages, to our understanding of what we were like at one point.”

Those connections, other Kwanzaa guests say, hold the promise for a richer future.

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Scottigirl’s Black-eyed Pea Salad

Active Work Time: 10 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 2 hours 45 minutes

Salt

2 (1-pound) bags frozen black-eyed peas or 6 cups fresh

1/2 cup canned corn kernels

1/2 cup pimentos

1 cup chopped green onions

1/2 cup sliced black olives

2 large tomatoes, diced

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons paprika

1 tablespoon pepper

1/2 (16-ounce) bottle spiced Italian dressing (sometimes called zesty)

1 large bunch romaine lettuce

* Bring 2 quarts water to boil. Add 1 teaspoon salt and peas and boil until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain.

* Mix corn, pimentos, green onions, olives, tomatoes, sugar, 1 tablespoon paprika, pepper and salt to taste until well-blended. Add 1/2 bottle Italian dressing, and more to taste or if mixture appears too dry. Chill at least 2 hours.

* Place romaine lettuce leaves in serving bowl. Put pea salad on top of leaves and sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon paprika.

18 to 24 servings. Each of 24 servings: 130 calories, 593 mg sodium, 4 mg cholesterol, 8 grams fat, 14 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams protein, 0.75 gram fiber.

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Monkey Bread

Active Work Time: 25 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 9 hours

This bread is prepared with lots of butter, which helps it pull apart in very neat sections.

1 cup milk

1 3/4 cups (3 1/2 sticks) butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 (1/4-ounce) envelopes dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water

4 eggs, beaten

4 1/2 cups flour

* Scald 1/2 cup milk. Add 1 cup butter, (cut into pieces? kg) sugar and salt. Remove from heat and let stand at room temperature until lukewarm.

* Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add dissolved yeast, eggs and flour to milk mixture and mix well. Place in bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

* Punch down dough, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise again in warm, dry area until doubled in volume, about 3 hours.

* Melt remaining 3/4 cup butter and set aside.

* Roll out dough into rectangle about 18x12 inches. Cut dough into 2-inch squares. Dip each piece in melted butter and arrange pieces, overlapping, in 2 bundt cake pans. Place cloths over pans and let rise 30 minutes.

* Bake at 350 degrees until brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove pans from oven and allow bread to cool 10 to 15 minutes before removing from pans.

10 to 15 servings: Each of 15 servings: 372 calories, 402 mg sodium, 116 mg cholesterol, 23 grams fat, 34 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams protein, 0.10 gram fiber.

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Sex on the Beach Cake

Active Work Time: 35 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 hour 35 minutes

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter

1 1/2 cups finely chopped pecans

1 1/2 cups flour

3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese

2 cups powdered sugar

2 (12-ounce) containers nondairy whipped topping

1 (3.9-ounce) box vanilla instant pudding

1 (3.9-ounce) box chocolate instant pudding

3 cups cold milk

1 quart strawberries, rinsed, dried and stemmed

1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans

* Melt butter in saucepan. Add finely chopped pecans and flour and blend into paste.

* Spread paste evenly over bottom of buttered 13x9-inch baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven to cool, about 1 hour.

* Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar and 1 container nondairy whipped topping in large mixing bowl and smooth mixture over crust.

* Mix vanilla and chocolate pudding mixes and milk on medium speed in bowl of electric mixer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Pour pudding mixture over cream cheese mixture. Top with remaining container nondairy whipped topping, then strawberries, stem side down. Sprinkle coarsely chopped pecans over topping. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

24 servings. Each serving: 347 calories, 199 mg sodium, 49 mg cholesterol, 25 grams fat, 32 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams protein, 0.28 gram fiber.

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Sweet Potato Greens and Rice

Active Work Time: 40 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 hour

Sweet potato greens can be purchased in season at African American and Filipino grocery stores. If not available, substitute other greens such as turnip greens. If using chopped spinach or collards, add 1 tablespoon of pureed split peas. Instead of hot sausage, you can substitute smoked fish, shrimp, chicken or a combination.

8 bunches sweet potato greens or 2 large bunches turnip greens

1/2 pound hot sausage such as Louisiana andouille

2 tablespoons water

1 onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

2 cups cooked white rice

* Rinse greens well and trim away stalks. Chop greens.

* Saute sausage in skillet with water 10 minutes. Add greens, onion and bell pepper and cook over low heat until cooked down and tender, about 20 minutes.

* Serve over cooked rice.

8 servings. Each serving: 162 calories, 179 mg sodium, 16 mg cholesterol, 7 grams fat, 20 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams protein, 0.55 gram fiber.

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Adwoa’s Fish Chili

Active Work Time: 30 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 10 hours

1 pound dried black beans

Water

Seasoned salt

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 potato

2 carrots

1 onion

1 1/2 pounds fish such as red snapper or cod

Salt, pepper

2 green onions, sliced

1 tablespoon oil

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 (15 1/2-ounce) can stewed tomatoes

1 (16-ounce) can tomato sauce

* Soak beans 8 hours or overnight in water to cover by 2 inches.

* Drain beans and place in saucepan with water to cover by 2 inches, or about 10 cups. Add seasoned salt to taste and minced garlic.

* Chop potato, carrots and onion into small pieces. Add to beans and cook until almost tender, about 1 hour.

* Season fish with salt and pepper to taste.

* Saute green onions in oil until tender, 2 minutes. Add fish and cook 10 minutes, flaking with spatula as it cooks.

* Add chili powder, tomatoes and tomato sauce to fish. Mix well and simmer over medium heat until tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

* Add fish to beans, mix well and cook on low heat, 20 to 30 minutes.

12 servings. Each serving: 226 calories, 390 mg sodium, 17 mg cholesterol, 3 grams fat, 33 grams carbohydrates, 19 grams protein, 2.82 grams fiber.

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Cynthia’s Sweet Potatoes

Active Work Time: 35 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

3 large sweet potatoes

1 teaspoon salt

Water

2/3 cup butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

Nonstick vegetable spray

1 cup flaked coconut, loosely packed

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 cup chopped pecans

1/3 cup flour

* Peel sweet potatoes and cut into 2-inch slices. Put in saucepan with salt and water to cover and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes.

* Melt 1/3 cup butter. Set aside.

Strain and mash sweet potatoes. Combine with 1/3 cup remaining butter, granulated sugar, vanilla and eggs, stirring well to incorporate all ingredients. Spray 2-quart casserole with nonstick vegetable spray and spread potato mixture in dish.

Blend coconut, brown sugar, pecans and flour. Add melted butter and mix until well blended. Sprinkle over potatoes. Bake at 375 degrees until golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes.

Serves 10 to 12. Each of 12 servings: 377 calories, 378 mg sodium, 76 mg cholesterol, 16 grams fat, 57 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams protein, 0.7 gram fiber.

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Geraldine Jones’ Louisiana Seafood Stuffing

Active Work Time: 35 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

This recipe will stuff up to 8 large trout. Have a butcher dress the trout for stuffing and bake the stuffed fish at 350 degrees 15 to 20 minutes. Bake any remaining stuffing until brown, 20 to 30 minutes. This recipe is also a great side dish for other entrees. Chicken gizzards can be found at Asian and Latino markets. Be sure to finely mince the gizzards to avoid toughness.

1 (1-pound) box corn bread stuffing mix

3 tablespoons corn oil

1 onion, diced

3 stalks celery, finely diced

1/2 bell pepper, finely diced

3 cloves garlic, finely diced

1/2 pound chicken gizzards, finely minced

1 (8-ounce) jar oysters, liquid reserved

1/2 pound small shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 (6-ounce) can crab meat, liquid reserved

2 teaspoons seasoned salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 bunch green onions, finely diced

1 bunch parsley, minced

* Place corn bread stuffing mix in large bowl.

* Heat 2 tablespoons oil in skillet and saute onion, celery, bell pepper and garlic until tender, 10 minutes.

* In another skillet, fry minced gizzards in remaining 1 tablespoon oil 10 minutes. Add oysters, shrimp and crab meat and cook until shrimp is done, 5 to 7 minutes.

* Add gizzard mixture to bowl along with reserved oyster and crab juice. Fill empty oyster jar with water twice and add to stuffing mix. Add more liquid if stuffing appears too dry. Blend sauteed vegetables,seasoned salt, pepper, green onions and parsley into stuffing mix. Return stuffing to skillet. Cook on low heat about 10 minutes, then return to baking pan and bake at 350 degrees until brown, 25 to 30 minutes.

16 servings. Each of 16 servings: 187 calories, 412 mg sodium, 43 mg cholesterol, 5 grams fat, 25 grams carbohydrates, 11 grams protein, 0.32 gram fiber.