Post by Okwes on Jul 31, 2006 15:16:40 GMT -5
Native Chef By GWENN FRISS
FOOD EDITOR www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/food/nativechef26.htm
<http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/food/nativechef26.htm>
When Earl Mills sold The Flume, the Mashpee restaurant where he served
versions of his native Wampanoag food for 27 years, people asked him
about retirement plans.
[http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/images/nativechef26.jpg]
[http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/images/bullet2.gif] Chef Earl
Mills Sr., also known as Chief Flying Eagle, 78, relaxes after an
afternoon of cooking at Siena Italian Grill and Bar in Mashpee.
(Staff photo by Ron Schloerb)
''I'll retire when I get old,'' he said, after he and his former wife,
Janice Mills, sold The Flume in 2004. At 78, Mills is not old, and he
shows no sign of retiring. He spent the better part of this past year
working as a prep cook at The Chart Room in Cataumet two days a week and
as a guest chef and ambassador of sorts at Siena Italian Grill and Bar
in Mashpee Commons. ''Whenever I'm trying to find him, I know he's not
out back because he doesn't smoke, and he's not in the walk-in
refrigerator, but it's 5:30 and, every time, he's out front schmoozing
the customers,'' says Siena owner Graham Silliman. Lately, diners have
been seeking out Mills, who is Chief Flying Eagle, former, longtime
leader of the Mashpee Wampanoag, to offer their congratulations on the
federal government's preliminary decision - after nearly a half-century
of petitioning - to recognize the Mashpee Wampanoag as a tribe of
indigenous people. ''Chef, how are you?'' Rosemary Burns says, early
one evening at Siena, leaning in for the half-hug and peck on the cheek
that Mills is quick to share with the ladies. Mills admires the work
Burns, Mashpee's town historian, has done to compile written records of
the history of the Mashpee Wampanoag. Mills says he hopes her efforts
will be bolstered by the tribal status the Mashpee Wampanoag are
expecting, based on initial reviews of their federal application for
recognition. ''The archives will need a bigger space,'' he says. But
tonight, Burns - who was a regular at The Flume - has stopped also to
compliment the food. ''We loved it,'' she says of her scrod Newburg with
winter squash - one of the dishes Mills makes at Siena based on native
ingredients, such as scrod and lobster. ''I'm from the Cape, and we
know how to cook fish,'' Mills says. ''The secret of fish is to have a
finely ground crumb and never be afraid to use a little butter. ...
Olive oil has a little different taste. It's OK. Olive oil is delicious,
but it's not butter.'' Mills has other fish secrets to share. Use a
pinch of salt, he says, to bring out flavor; then dip the filet in
melted butter before dredging in crumbs. But get some butter sizzling in
the fry pan first, then lace in lemon juice, before placing the filet.
''Fish is easy to cook, but you need really good heat for eight to 10
minutes - not 30 minutes,'' Mills says. The Scrod Newburg entree has
other small touches that reflect Mills' heritage. The winter - or
butternut - squash has a hint of maple syrup, not enough to make it
sweet but enough so the maple's essence lingers on the palate. Siena
sous chef Avelino Miranda says Mills is a stickler for detail, and it
shows in the food he puts on the table. ''When he makes his butternut
squash, he's particular about how the squash is placed in the pan,''
Miranda says. ''He wants the thicker pieces on the bottom of the pan and
thinner on top so they will be cooked evenly.'' Miranda says Mills will
not use frozen lobster in his ''phenomenal'' Newburg sauce because the
crustacean changes color when it's frozen, and Mills can't achieve the
proper shade for the sauce without fresh lobster. ''He does things in a
traditional (chef's) way, but he puts his own twist on it, and it really
makes a difference,'' Miranda says. ''He uses as much from the old
country - ingredients that would have been available to native Americans
- as he can and incorporates it into a nouveau cuisine.'' Mills makes a
delicious rabbit dish and a finnan haddie (made with salted cod) that is
so popular a customer once called from Florida to see what nights it
would be on the Siena menu so he could plan his trip, Silliman says. At
The Flume, Mills says, he would occasionally serve a traditional
Wampanoag dish like corned (salted) herring, with heads and tails off,
and slits cut down the back to reveal the tasty strips of dark fat that
run along the sides of herring to keep it warm. ''I would do that to
promote the personality of the restaurant,'' Mills says, adding that the
meat he grew up eating - squirrels, raccoons and other small game - did
not appeal to The Flume's patrons. ''I make tripe (cow's stomach) like
they did at the Parker House. When I first worked at the Popponesset
(Inn), we used to sell a barrel of tripe, but tastes change. Some things
don't move now,'' Mills says. He adds, ''Not just aboriginal people,
but people who are poor and people who eat everything, eat a lot more
innards. My father would hunt, and we would eat whatever was
available.'' Mills says his father taught him to hunt with a 16-gauge
shotgun. ''I can remember my father saying, 'It's going to kick back on
you,''' Mills says, lost in the memory. The chef still remembers the
spot on Meetinghouse Road where he shot his first rabbit for the family
table. The men in his family are all good cooks, Mills says, and still
gather each February for a game dinner. Mills taught his two sons and
three daughters to cook in their Mashpee home, as his parents taught
him. ''My mom was (Mashpee) tax collector and treasurer, and she cooked
and made beds for people in Cotuit. But she cooked for us. At every meal
we had salad - carrot salad with raisins, Waldorf salad with honey and
fruits. ''We would have banana fritters to go with the meal or fried
bread. And my mother would whip up hot milk cake in the oven. It was so
light, if she didn't put a knife across the pan it would go flying right
out,'' Mills says, embellishing the memory. Freshly caught eels were a
special treat, he says. Working with Betty Breen, another member of the
tribe, Mills gathered some of his mother's specialties and several other
Wampanoag specialties in ''Cape Cod Wampanoag Cookbook: Wampanoag Indian
Recipes, Images & Lore'' (Clear Light Publishers, 2001, $14.95). There
are not only recipes but stories of the Mashpee in which Mills grew up.
To this day, he still cooks in his mother's old spider, a cast-iron
frying pan with three legs and a long handle that can go right in the
hearth or other cooking fire. Whether cooking for friends or dining
alone, Mills says, he always makes a full meal, complete with little
touches like stuffing made with Portuguese bread or homemade
cracker-crumb breading for fish. These days, Mills' cooking is at home.
He's taking some time off from restaurant work to finish his third book,
a compilation of oral histories from longtime Mashpee residents. Here
are some of the dishes Earl Mills Sr. (Chief Flying Eagle) prepares at
Seina Italian Grill and Bar. Mills is taking some time off to finish his
third book, but plans to return to the Mashpee Commons restaurant
sometime in the fall. Baked Scrod
6 tablespoons butter or oil
1 cup Ritz cracker crumbs
6 6-to 8-ounce scrod (cod) filets (see note)
Salt
1/2 cup water
Lemon juice
1 recipe Newburg Sauce (See recipe below) Note: To achieve the taste of
restaurant-cooked fish, Siena owner Graham Silliman suggests bringing a
cooler to the fish market and keeping your fish on ice until you cook
it.
Preheat oven to 450 F.
Melt butter in a baking pan. Place crumbs on waxed paper. Coat each
piece of fish on the top side with melted butter or oil. Then dredge in
crumbs, adding a couple of shakes of salt over each fillet.
Put a small amount of water in the baking pan - about 1/2 cup, just
enough to slightly film the bottom of the pan - to keep the fish moist
and prevent it from sticking to the pan. Gently place the fish in the
pan, sepa�rating the pieces so that they don‘t touch.
Don‘t get water on the crumbs.
Bake for about 7 to 8 minutes. As soon as the crumbs begin to brown,
squeeze a little lemon juice on each piece. Fish should be flaky and
firm. Gently lift the edge of the fish with a wide spatula to test
doneness. If the fish is sticking to the dish, add a little bit of water
to the dish, not to the fish. Scrod may be placed under the broiler if
it‘s not brown enough. Do not turn the fish! Serve with Newburg
Sauce. Serves 6. Newburg Sauce 1 pound lobster meat
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup dry sherry
3 cups Cream Sauce Saute lobster meat in the butter until the color
begins to come off and meat is coated. Add half the dry sherry and
simmer for 10-15 seconds, coating meat with the sherry. Add the
necessary cream sauce to complement the lobster meat. Bring to a simmer
for 30 seconds. Add the remain�der of the sherry to thin the sauce
or add flavor.
Serve with toast points and a garnish of fresh pineapple. May also be
served with crab cakes, scrod or haddock. Serves 4 as an entree or 6 as
a sauce. Cream Sauce
3 cups milk
6 tablespoons margarine
6 tablespoons flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper Scald the milk in a double boiler over high
heat. Turn heat to medium high and keep milk warm. In another pan, melt
the margarine and add the flour, stirring continually until the
consistency resembles corn meal. Add two cups of the scalded milk and
heat the mixture to bubbling, continually whipping. Add the rest of the
milk. Continue to whip, keeping mixture smooth and thick. Add salt and
pepper sparingly. Indian Pudding
4 cups milk
1/3 cup corn meal
3/4 cup molasses
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
8 ginger snaps
1/4 teaspoon ginger Combine all of the ingredients in a double boiler
and whip over simmer�ing water. Continue to cook over a low flame
for an additional 1 to 1 1/2 hours, whip�ping occasionally, until
pudding starts to thicken. Once it starts to thick�en, remove the
whip and allow the pudding to thicken naturally and form a skim or crust
on top.
Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. If serving later,
refrigerate. Warm in a microwave or double boiler. Add milk, if
necessary. Serves 6 to 8.
FOOD EDITOR www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/food/nativechef26.htm
<http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/food/nativechef26.htm>
When Earl Mills sold The Flume, the Mashpee restaurant where he served
versions of his native Wampanoag food for 27 years, people asked him
about retirement plans.
[http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/images/nativechef26.jpg]
[http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/images/bullet2.gif] Chef Earl
Mills Sr., also known as Chief Flying Eagle, 78, relaxes after an
afternoon of cooking at Siena Italian Grill and Bar in Mashpee.
(Staff photo by Ron Schloerb)
''I'll retire when I get old,'' he said, after he and his former wife,
Janice Mills, sold The Flume in 2004. At 78, Mills is not old, and he
shows no sign of retiring. He spent the better part of this past year
working as a prep cook at The Chart Room in Cataumet two days a week and
as a guest chef and ambassador of sorts at Siena Italian Grill and Bar
in Mashpee Commons. ''Whenever I'm trying to find him, I know he's not
out back because he doesn't smoke, and he's not in the walk-in
refrigerator, but it's 5:30 and, every time, he's out front schmoozing
the customers,'' says Siena owner Graham Silliman. Lately, diners have
been seeking out Mills, who is Chief Flying Eagle, former, longtime
leader of the Mashpee Wampanoag, to offer their congratulations on the
federal government's preliminary decision - after nearly a half-century
of petitioning - to recognize the Mashpee Wampanoag as a tribe of
indigenous people. ''Chef, how are you?'' Rosemary Burns says, early
one evening at Siena, leaning in for the half-hug and peck on the cheek
that Mills is quick to share with the ladies. Mills admires the work
Burns, Mashpee's town historian, has done to compile written records of
the history of the Mashpee Wampanoag. Mills says he hopes her efforts
will be bolstered by the tribal status the Mashpee Wampanoag are
expecting, based on initial reviews of their federal application for
recognition. ''The archives will need a bigger space,'' he says. But
tonight, Burns - who was a regular at The Flume - has stopped also to
compliment the food. ''We loved it,'' she says of her scrod Newburg with
winter squash - one of the dishes Mills makes at Siena based on native
ingredients, such as scrod and lobster. ''I'm from the Cape, and we
know how to cook fish,'' Mills says. ''The secret of fish is to have a
finely ground crumb and never be afraid to use a little butter. ...
Olive oil has a little different taste. It's OK. Olive oil is delicious,
but it's not butter.'' Mills has other fish secrets to share. Use a
pinch of salt, he says, to bring out flavor; then dip the filet in
melted butter before dredging in crumbs. But get some butter sizzling in
the fry pan first, then lace in lemon juice, before placing the filet.
''Fish is easy to cook, but you need really good heat for eight to 10
minutes - not 30 minutes,'' Mills says. The Scrod Newburg entree has
other small touches that reflect Mills' heritage. The winter - or
butternut - squash has a hint of maple syrup, not enough to make it
sweet but enough so the maple's essence lingers on the palate. Siena
sous chef Avelino Miranda says Mills is a stickler for detail, and it
shows in the food he puts on the table. ''When he makes his butternut
squash, he's particular about how the squash is placed in the pan,''
Miranda says. ''He wants the thicker pieces on the bottom of the pan and
thinner on top so they will be cooked evenly.'' Miranda says Mills will
not use frozen lobster in his ''phenomenal'' Newburg sauce because the
crustacean changes color when it's frozen, and Mills can't achieve the
proper shade for the sauce without fresh lobster. ''He does things in a
traditional (chef's) way, but he puts his own twist on it, and it really
makes a difference,'' Miranda says. ''He uses as much from the old
country - ingredients that would have been available to native Americans
- as he can and incorporates it into a nouveau cuisine.'' Mills makes a
delicious rabbit dish and a finnan haddie (made with salted cod) that is
so popular a customer once called from Florida to see what nights it
would be on the Siena menu so he could plan his trip, Silliman says. At
The Flume, Mills says, he would occasionally serve a traditional
Wampanoag dish like corned (salted) herring, with heads and tails off,
and slits cut down the back to reveal the tasty strips of dark fat that
run along the sides of herring to keep it warm. ''I would do that to
promote the personality of the restaurant,'' Mills says, adding that the
meat he grew up eating - squirrels, raccoons and other small game - did
not appeal to The Flume's patrons. ''I make tripe (cow's stomach) like
they did at the Parker House. When I first worked at the Popponesset
(Inn), we used to sell a barrel of tripe, but tastes change. Some things
don't move now,'' Mills says. He adds, ''Not just aboriginal people,
but people who are poor and people who eat everything, eat a lot more
innards. My father would hunt, and we would eat whatever was
available.'' Mills says his father taught him to hunt with a 16-gauge
shotgun. ''I can remember my father saying, 'It's going to kick back on
you,''' Mills says, lost in the memory. The chef still remembers the
spot on Meetinghouse Road where he shot his first rabbit for the family
table. The men in his family are all good cooks, Mills says, and still
gather each February for a game dinner. Mills taught his two sons and
three daughters to cook in their Mashpee home, as his parents taught
him. ''My mom was (Mashpee) tax collector and treasurer, and she cooked
and made beds for people in Cotuit. But she cooked for us. At every meal
we had salad - carrot salad with raisins, Waldorf salad with honey and
fruits. ''We would have banana fritters to go with the meal or fried
bread. And my mother would whip up hot milk cake in the oven. It was so
light, if she didn't put a knife across the pan it would go flying right
out,'' Mills says, embellishing the memory. Freshly caught eels were a
special treat, he says. Working with Betty Breen, another member of the
tribe, Mills gathered some of his mother's specialties and several other
Wampanoag specialties in ''Cape Cod Wampanoag Cookbook: Wampanoag Indian
Recipes, Images & Lore'' (Clear Light Publishers, 2001, $14.95). There
are not only recipes but stories of the Mashpee in which Mills grew up.
To this day, he still cooks in his mother's old spider, a cast-iron
frying pan with three legs and a long handle that can go right in the
hearth or other cooking fire. Whether cooking for friends or dining
alone, Mills says, he always makes a full meal, complete with little
touches like stuffing made with Portuguese bread or homemade
cracker-crumb breading for fish. These days, Mills' cooking is at home.
He's taking some time off from restaurant work to finish his third book,
a compilation of oral histories from longtime Mashpee residents. Here
are some of the dishes Earl Mills Sr. (Chief Flying Eagle) prepares at
Seina Italian Grill and Bar. Mills is taking some time off to finish his
third book, but plans to return to the Mashpee Commons restaurant
sometime in the fall. Baked Scrod
6 tablespoons butter or oil
1 cup Ritz cracker crumbs
6 6-to 8-ounce scrod (cod) filets (see note)
Salt
1/2 cup water
Lemon juice
1 recipe Newburg Sauce (See recipe below) Note: To achieve the taste of
restaurant-cooked fish, Siena owner Graham Silliman suggests bringing a
cooler to the fish market and keeping your fish on ice until you cook
it.
Preheat oven to 450 F.
Melt butter in a baking pan. Place crumbs on waxed paper. Coat each
piece of fish on the top side with melted butter or oil. Then dredge in
crumbs, adding a couple of shakes of salt over each fillet.
Put a small amount of water in the baking pan - about 1/2 cup, just
enough to slightly film the bottom of the pan - to keep the fish moist
and prevent it from sticking to the pan. Gently place the fish in the
pan, sepa�rating the pieces so that they don‘t touch.
Don‘t get water on the crumbs.
Bake for about 7 to 8 minutes. As soon as the crumbs begin to brown,
squeeze a little lemon juice on each piece. Fish should be flaky and
firm. Gently lift the edge of the fish with a wide spatula to test
doneness. If the fish is sticking to the dish, add a little bit of water
to the dish, not to the fish. Scrod may be placed under the broiler if
it‘s not brown enough. Do not turn the fish! Serve with Newburg
Sauce. Serves 6. Newburg Sauce 1 pound lobster meat
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup dry sherry
3 cups Cream Sauce Saute lobster meat in the butter until the color
begins to come off and meat is coated. Add half the dry sherry and
simmer for 10-15 seconds, coating meat with the sherry. Add the
necessary cream sauce to complement the lobster meat. Bring to a simmer
for 30 seconds. Add the remain�der of the sherry to thin the sauce
or add flavor.
Serve with toast points and a garnish of fresh pineapple. May also be
served with crab cakes, scrod or haddock. Serves 4 as an entree or 6 as
a sauce. Cream Sauce
3 cups milk
6 tablespoons margarine
6 tablespoons flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper Scald the milk in a double boiler over high
heat. Turn heat to medium high and keep milk warm. In another pan, melt
the margarine and add the flour, stirring continually until the
consistency resembles corn meal. Add two cups of the scalded milk and
heat the mixture to bubbling, continually whipping. Add the rest of the
milk. Continue to whip, keeping mixture smooth and thick. Add salt and
pepper sparingly. Indian Pudding
4 cups milk
1/3 cup corn meal
3/4 cup molasses
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
8 ginger snaps
1/4 teaspoon ginger Combine all of the ingredients in a double boiler
and whip over simmer�ing water. Continue to cook over a low flame
for an additional 1 to 1 1/2 hours, whip�ping occasionally, until
pudding starts to thicken. Once it starts to thick�en, remove the
whip and allow the pudding to thicken naturally and form a skim or crust
on top.
Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. If serving later,
refrigerate. Warm in a microwave or double boiler. Add milk, if
necessary. Serves 6 to 8.