Three Heritage Culinarians Offer the Perfect Recipes for a Juneteenth Brunch
Juneteenth is a head-scratcher for many U.S. citizens, especially those who are new to the observance. As you learn of all the working parts of the holiday, a proper introduction can include food. Culinarians Hardette Harris, Kimberly Fox Knight and Brooke Brimm offer some ‘perfect’ recipes for a Juneteenth brunch.
Red drink is a staple at a Juneteenth celebration. The original red drink is thought to be a hibiscus tea punch. As Juneteenth spread to different parts of the country, red soda pop became an option. Red is an important Juneteenth color that shows up in decor, clothing as well as red foods, veggies and fruit. Brooke Brimm, author and founder of Vegan Soul Foodies - a Facebook community of nearly half a million people - is sharing her red drink recipe: iced hibiscus tea.
Iced Hibiscus Tea
Ingredients
1/4 cup of loose dried hibiscus flowers
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 liters filtered water
2 cups organic sugar
Instructions
Pour 1 quart of boiling water over tea flowers
Steep for 15 mins
Add lemon juice, sugar and remaining water to a larger pitcher and stir until sugar is dissolved
Garnish with lemon wedges and fresh ginger slices. Serve over ice.
Traditional Juneteenth foods include traditional soul food such as BBQ, fried chicken, fried fish and seafood with side dishes like salad - green, potato and coleslaw - with red tomatoes and other fixings such as roasted corn, black-eyed peas, collard greens, baked beans and cornbread. It’s not unusual to see tamales served with traditional southern food in the Southwest.
Chef Hardette Harris worked in Texas for years before moving back home to North Louisiana. She is accustomed to the diverse ways in which Juneteenth is observed with food. The owner of Us Up North, a company that celebrates North Louisiana cuisine in Shreveport, believes that Juneteenth is a day to honor ancestors, especially with food. She shares two of her favorite dishes: Big Mama Shoats’ Purple Hull Peas and her Juneteenth Fried Chicken. Both recipes are inspired by her grandmothers.
Big Mama Shoats’ Purple Hull Peas
Ingredients
2 large smoked ham hocks (about 1 pound)
2 large smoked pork neck bones (about 1 pound)
4 ounces thinly sliced salt pork
10 to 12 cups water
8 cups shelled fresh purple hull or other field peas (about 2 pounds)
1 medium yellow onion, rough chopped
1 fresh okra pod chopped
1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
Rinse the ham hocks, neck bones and salt pork. Place them in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to just boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour. Skim away any foam from the surface. Taste the cooking liquid.
Return the cooking liquid to a simmer. Stir in the peas, onion, okra, seasoned salt, garlic powder and pepper. Cover and simmer until the peas are tender, but not falling apart (45 to 60 minutes). (The fresher the peas, the more quickly they cook.) Adjust seasonings and serve hot.
If desired, cook meat separately, reserve liquid and use it to cook the peas in. You may pull meat from the ham hocks and neckbones and add to the broth along with the peas.
Juneteenth Fried Chicken
Ingredients
3 lbs bone-in chicken pieces
1 ½ tsp garlic powder
2 T seasoning salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 seasoning salt
Dash of salt
Dash of garlic powder
1/2 tsp of baking soda
Instructions
Wash chicken and pat dry.
Mix all spices in a large bowl. Add chicken and coat. Let marinate for at least one hour or up to 24 hours.
Whisk flour, salt and pepper, seasoning salt, garlic powder and baking soda together in a bowl.
Dredge chicken pieces in flour mixture, shake off excess flour and set aside. Place floured chicken on a plate and let sit for at least 5 minutes.
After preheating oil to 350, dredge chicken again, shaking off excess and lower into at least 3-4 inches of hot oil. Fry for about 4 -5 minutes, turn and fry for an additional 5 minutes until golden brown or frying sound has quieted.
Remove chicken and drain on a wire rack or paper towel. Check for doneness.
Makes full 8 servings
Kimberly Fox Knight, owner of Gimme Pound, a heritage food company specializing in pound cakes, is presenting us with the sweetness required to top off a Juneteenth meal. Her inspirations are a generations-old family recipe and the flavors of summer from her youth in rural Virginia.
Strawberry Lemonade Marble Pound Cake
Ingredients
3 cups of Sugar
3 cups of all purpose flour
5 eggs (room temperature)
2 1/2 sticks of butter (room temperature)
1 cup of milk (room temperature)
1/2 cup of chopped strawberries
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of baking soda
2 teaspoons of strawberry extract
2 teaspoons of lemon extract
1/4 of lemon zest
For Coating of Your Pan
1 teaspoon of butter
2 tablespoons of flour
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325%
Prepare your cake pan by using the teaspoon of butter to coat your pan. Sprinkle some of the flour over the buttered pan, until it is completely covered.
In a mixing bowl, combine the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Once done, add 1 egg at a time while mixing your ingredients on a low speed.
In a separate bowl whisk the flour, salt and baking soda together. Once blended well, alternate the dry mixture and milk into the wet ingredients.
Mix together for about 2 minutes until the batter is smooth.
Once the mixture is smooth, remove 3 cups of the batter into another bowl. Add strawberries and strawberry extract into the separated mixture.
Fold together with a spatula.
In the remaining mixture, add lemon extract and zest. Fold together with a spatula.
For the marble look: Alternate the mixtures into the coated pan. Take a bamboo stick and swirl the flavors together between layers.
Place your cake in the oven and bake for 1hr 25min.
After your cake has been cooked, take it out to cool down.
Any left over should always be refrigerated.
This is just a sampling of ways to observe Juneteenth with food. However, the best way is to personalize it with your own family recipes. Wishing you a thoughtful and happy Juneteenth!
Robin Caldwell researches and writes about Black foodways, lifestyle and history. She is the publisher of Fresh & Fried Hard, a personal blog focused on Black women and food. A native midwesterner, exploring family history is a treasured pastime.
