Next, early American cuisine inspired by favorite flavors from 500 years ago.

Both delicious and highly nutritious.

Find out what was on the fire long before the first European colonists ever arrived.

- So if you're trying to cut down on meat, - this is a wonderful main course to have.

- So it's a healthy dish as well.

- Very healthy, and it's all indigenous.

Also, an original indulgence enjoyed by Native Americans that the Lenape tell us is still enjoyed today.

- I have a recipe that's very authentic.

- Yeah?

- It's from Anita Mathis, from the Delaware tribe, - and it's for grape dumplings.

Then chef Melissa reveals how to use indigenous ingredients to make a mouthwatering meal sure to satisfy the hungriest warrior.

- The dish is actually then incorporating so much - of what the Leni Lenape would have used in their dishes - Exactly, yeah.

- We really want to fill it out - and make it - interesting, but still honor that tradition.

- Good.

and so-called new native cuisine prepared with a blowtorch?

That's next on Drive By History... - These are so delicious!

...Eats.

Made possible by Sunbasket, organic carrots, purple potatoes, steaks for the grill, all ingredients from the kitchens of Chef Justine at Sunbasket, ready to heat meals and meal kits.

Sunbasket meal delivery.

Information at Sunbasket.com.

[Music] Every day, thousands of motorists pass by countless history markers and say to themselves, one of these days I'm going to stop and read that.

If you watch Drive By History, you know that's how every episode begins.

I start with a history marker, then go on an investigation to find out what happened and why it mattered.

What you don't know is that the food or the eats often plays into that part of the history.

But there's just not enough time to chew on that part of the past.

And that got me thinking, why not revisit that history, but with the focus on the food.

This is Drive By History: Eats.

[Music] The investigation I'm revisiting today begins in Parsippany/Troy Hills, New Jersey, at a natural formation known as The Rock House.

Sacred to the Lenape, The Rock House is one of the few structures still standing that's directly connected to the tens of thousands of people who called the region home long before the first European settlers arrived.

During our previous investigation, historian Camilla Townsend, a preeminent scholar of indigenous history, explained that 500 years ago, the entire area was humming with activity, with the Rock House sitting on the edge of a bustling village and thriving farms.

Contrary to what you might see in the movies, when the colonists arrived, the Lenape were hardly savages.

Rather, they were farmers and highly skilled at that.

- After they got corn, beans, they paired it up with squash, - called them the three sisters, - and then their lives - began to change quite a bit because they became - settled sedentary people for part of each year.

- And so there were certain areas - where there was permanent villages like, right here.

The three sisters, however, were more than simply nutritious crops.

The Native Americans discovered that by planting the three sisters together, they worked to help one another thrive and survive.

Corn provided tall stocks for the beans to climb as they reached for sunlight.

Beans provided nitrogen to fertilize the soil, while also stabilizing the tall corn during heavy winds.

The squash's broad spiny leaves protected the bean plants from predatory animals.

It's no wonder that for centuries, these foods have been at the center of Native American culture and traditions.

To find out more, I turn to food and culture historian Dr Libby O'Connell, author of The American Plate.

- We know that thousands of years ago, - people in southern Mexico - were growing beans, squash and corn together, - the three sisters.

- We know because archeologists have told us - that the Leni Lenape people had it around 1000 years ago.

- That's sort of different.

- You know, we have too long thought of Native Americans - as almost like these static cardboard figures.

- But they went through changes too, and one of the changes - they went through 1000 years ago would have been their diet.

As we head to the table, Libby tells me that the Lenape culture was complex and advanced and that the Lenape diet was diverse, with meat often a component of the meal.

However, for the sake of today's conversation, she's chosen to focus mostly on the three sisters.

Again, that's corn, beans and squash.

- OK, Libby, I'm curious to see what you got for us.

- I've got some recipes, - Yeah?

- surprise, surprise.

- And one of them is three sisters squash succotash, - It's inspired by an article in The New York Times.

- And I took it from there.

- Yeah.

- But the three sisters work well together, - not only in the field, but on your plate.

- They look beautifully, you know, the way - you're supposed to have lots of color on your plate.

- They also, when combined - corn and beans make a complete protein.

- So, if you're trying to cut down on meat, - this is a wonderful main course to have.

- So, it's a healthy dish as well.

- Very healthy, and it's all indigenous.

I'm curious, though, is this recipe - representative of how Native Americans - would have used the three sisters?

- Well, it's representative - in that they would be eaten together, often in a large pot, - but not individually in the squash, - So not this preparation?

- ...so neatly put.

- But you're using the ingredients - and you're using the flavors put together.

- So in that way, it's authentic.

- But the presentation style?

- No, it's not authentic.

- So it's really an homage to the three sisters.

- That's right.

- OK, I'm curious what else you've got.

- I have a recipe that's very authentic.

- Yeah?

- It's from Anita Mathis - from the Delaware tribe.

- OK. - And it's for grape dumplings.

The Delaware tribe is the English name for the Lenape And it is embraced by the Native American community today.

- Interesting.

- Now there are native forms of grape - that have been here for thousands of years.

- Right.

- And this recipe uses wheat flour, - which would not have been used 500 years ago, - but it is authentic in that it's served today.

- They get, you know, for powwows - or family get togethers, and people really love it.

- So what do these foods then tell us about this history - Well, as we know, food gives us a great window through - which to look at the past, right?

- And what we see is that this group of Native - Americans ate very nutritious food.

- They ate a wide variety of food.

- It's not just the three sisters, - you know, there's lots of game, there's lots of fish - in the waterways.

- There's lots of...there are lots of birds in the air.

- There's so much that they're catching the stuff in nets.

- It's really a remarkable bounty - in this section of North America.

- And protein rich.

- Protein rich.

- And that's one of the things that people notice - when they came here from Europe - was how tall and strong the people were.

- And that's a sign of a high protein diet.

The three sisters are rooted in antiquity.

How will they play on the modern palate?

To find out, I turn to Chef Melissa Fairchild Clark, who is determined to create a dish that's delicious at any time.

- We are starting with a dish - that brings all three sisters together.

- Perfect.

- so we've got our squash represented.

- I'm using summer squash here.

- Right?

- Corn and beans.

- We've got our pan preheated.

- So I'm just going to start out with a little bit of onion - in there.

- OK, terrific.

- And then we'll build from that.

- Well, this is amazing because the dish is actually - then incorporating so much of what the Leni Lenape - would have used in their dishes.

- Exactly.

- Yeah, we really want to fill it out - and make it - interesting, but still honor that tradition.

- Good.

So were going to cook the onion then - until it's translucent?

- Yep, exactly.

- Perfect.

- You're catching on.

- I'm learning.

- You taught me.

[Laughter] - OK, so it's been about five minutes.

- What's our next step?

- Our next step is to add the zucchini.

- So I'm going to add some yellow.

- OK. - And this I'm using - summer squash, it's coming into season - It's a little bit easier to cook with.

- OK. - And a lot nicer on your knives.

- Very good.

- Well, I got to say it smells delicious.

- Yeah, whenever you start cooking with onions, - people get happy and excited, I've learned.

- OK, so it's been about another - five minutes cooking the zucchini.

- What's our next step here?

- Our next move is to add the corn and the chili powder.

- OK. - So we get those in there.

- Making my mouth water already.

- Right?

Yeah.

- Wait until you smell the chili powder bloom, it's really nice.

- So I'm just curious, - what's the reasoning of - staggering the ingredients going into the pot?

- You're always considering cook time.

- OK. - so you have more wiggle room with cook time - when it comes to an onion than zucchini.

- Once you overcook zucchini, - it really loses a lot of its texture, - which can be an issue for some people.

- And then the corn, - I want to be a little bit more al dente - and have a bit more of a crunch.

- So I'm adding that to just barely cook it.

- Got it.

Smells amazing.

All right, so what's next?

- So next, we're going to add our collard greens.

- OK. - And I just minced those up - fairly fine and some Black Eyed Peas.

- And since the beans are already cooked through, - we're really just trying to wilt the collards and get them - super bright green.

- OK. - And then we're done with our heating element aspect.

- The smell is amazing on this, but what strikes me is the fact - that we've got the three sisters in there now.

- So they not only grow together, - but they complement each other in a dish.

- Yes, a lot of farmers will say and seasonal cooks will say, - what grows together goes together.

- It's very true.

- It's something worth - paying attention to when youre just cooking on the fly.

- And I think this looks beautiful.

- I also have to say it's an incredibly healthy meal, too.

- Yes.

- So it looks like we're ready to plate.

- Yes.

- So let's get on to the next step.

- OK. - All right.

- So I'm just going to grab a spoon over here - and smash this down.

- This is a steamed sweet potato, - which is a really great way to maintain nutrients - and it acts as such a good base - to pile a bunch of other healthy things on top - Making my mouth water looking at it.

- It's amazing.

[Laughter] - Yeah, and it smears really nicely.

- So about how long did it take to steam it - to get it to this consistency?

- Depending on size, about 45 minutes.

- OK. - Yeah.

- So we've created a bed here then for our three sisters.

- Yes.

- Wow.

- So this looks so incredibly healthy, - but it smells wonderful too.

- Yeah, I love sweet potato as a bed.

- I think it's a little bit more of a flavor interest than, say, - white rice or quinoa.

- But it... - Right, it's got color.

- Exactly.

- You can smell all of the different ingredients in it.

- Yeah, the vibrance is great.

- It is very filling, too.

- I think that's one of the worries - that people have with a vegetarian dish is that they won't be full.

- But with, you know, this is a whole half - of a sweet potato -- it's pretty hearty.

- And I'm just topping it with a little chopped salad - I made of carrot tops, some fennel fronds and chive.

- So these are things that you would typically throw out, - but I like to find creative ways to reincorporate them.

- Very nice.

Well, I can't wait to taste it.

- Yeah, me either.

- So we're on to - our next dish here, and I see grapes sitting out here.

- Yes, a little nod to the fact - that we are making grape dumplings.

- Perfect.

- So what's our first step?

- So the first step - because we are cooking the dumplings in grape juice - with a little bit of sugar is we're going to get that - boiling right off of the bat.

- Good.

- And then we will move on to the dough.

- Good, so that's going to start heating up.

- Exactly.

- Just going to get the heat on for that.

- Cover it to get that going faster - and we can move on to the dough now.

- Perfect.

- So we're going to start by adding - our dry ingredients into the bowl.

- So I have some flour... whoop... - Yeah, gotta get it all in there...yeah.

[Laughter] - Get it all...this is baking.

- Uh...some sugar.

- Then baking powder and salt.

- OK. - And I'm just going to combine those lightly in here - so that they're a bit homogenous.

- Gotcha.

- And then we move on to adding - our cubed butter about pea size.

- So I'm going to get that out into here - and then I just want to get - the butter kind of coated in that flour mixture.

- So you're looking for a very crumbly dough then.

- Exactly.

Yeah.

- OK. - So we've got the butter incorporated in there.

- Yes.

- It looks very crumbly to me.

- Yeah, so it's nicely coated.

- I'm just going to - add the grape juice a little bit at a time.

- OK. - You want to get a little bit incorporated and then - And I see you're using your hand so you can really - get a sense of the texture?

Exactly.

- Gotcha.

- It lets you - make sure that you're not over-hydrating the dough, - which isn't the end of the world.

- You can just add a little bit of flour.

- True, yeah.

- But, you know, a little bit at a time - so you don't have a pool in the bottom that you've got to - reckon with.

- Right.

- So the dough came together really well.

- Really beautifully.

- I can still see the chunks of butter in there, though.

- Yes, and I want to be careful not to overwork it.

- So we are gonna get ready to do the next step of this.

- Yep.

- Get a little bit of stuff out of the way.

- And this is just my like board dusting flour.

- OK. - You want to liberally dust your surface to make sure - that the dough isn't going to stick to it.

- Because you do have a kind of wet dough, huh?

- Yes, it's pretty wet, but that's - that's typical for a dumpling dough.

- So I'm going to kind of plunk it down on there - lightly flour it a little bit more so it sticks to my hands - a little bit less.

- Do you have to be careful how much you work with it - once it's on the board as well?

- Yes, the more you work with something like this, - the more gluten you're going to develop - and therefore the chewier it's going to be.

- So... - We don't want tough dumplings.

- exactly...as minimal as possible.

- And then I'm going to - just take my board cutter and kind of cut it - kind of like you would a rustic gnocchi.

- OK. - So strips at first - and then ultimately a little rectangular shapes - Ah, this is so easy.

- So... - yeah, it's really kind of - I don't want to say mindless, but like minimal effort, - let's call it.

- And you just... and you don't even need to be exact.

- You don't need specific shapes.

- They kind of expand in different ways.

- So you don't have to worry about that - they're all the same size when you put them in the pot.

- No, not at all.

- Not at all.

- Well, they're definitely - starting to look like dumplings.

- Yes.

- So what's next?

- So next, we have brought our - grape juice and sugar mixture to a boil.

- We reduced it down to a simmer, - and now we just add the dumplings to it.

- Oh, nothing could be easier.

- No, not at all.

- And you know, a few at a time gently dropping them in.

- You don't want any splash back, and I'm - being very brave right now because my hands are - covered in a barrier anyways.

- Yeah, you've got a barrier.

- OK, so it's been twelve minutes.

- Yes.

- I can smell the grape juice.

- Well, let's check them out, they look pretty good.

- They do look good.

- So what do we do next?

- They puffed up really nicely, - so now we just get a few of them in the plate - Nice.

- ...and... - Looks like the sauce thickened up a little bit, too.

- Yes, with the flour that I dusted the plate with, - the sauce was able to thicken a little bit.

- And that looks beautiful.

- That does.

- There you go.

- And we have some flowers right here.

- Yes.

- These are violets.

- I always love to garnish with edible flowers.

- And not all flowers are edible.

- No.

- So indigenous history spans a much longer - timeframe than does the history of our nation.

- And given all that history, I have to believe that - Libby O'Connell has at least one more recipe waiting for us.

- So Libby, I never really thought about it before, - but did the Native Americans have dessert?

- Not dessert like we would have - after the end of a couple of courses.

- But, you know, were also devoted to desserts.

- I thought it would be fun to do a contemporary spin - using authentic indigenous ingredients.

- OK. - I did come up with a recipe for butternut squash brulee - OK. - ...that was kind of fun.

- So everything in this dessert is grown - and has been grown here for 1000 years.

- So these ingredients that they would have had access to - Exactly.

- but the preparation isn't necessarily... - you know, it's sort of new native.

- Oh, I like that.

- Right?

- Mm hmm - And I think it's kind of fun.

- So we took butternut squash, and - Delicious.

- it's very sweet when it's baked.

- And we added a little maple sugar to it - Again, beautiful, yeah.

- Yeah, a little bit of oil.

- This recipe also includes - sunflower seeds, because that was an important - part of the Leni Lenape diet.

- OK. - so you mix the butter...butternut squash with the sugar, and then you add in the..um...sunflower - seeds to add a little crunch to it and heat it up - and then you sprinkle some butter...maple syrup on top.

- And you brulee that.

- So I have to tell you, Melissa, when Libby - was explaining this recipe to me, - the first thing that came to my mind - is that dreaded word fusion.

[Laughter[ - But it really is a synthesis - of Native American and European American cuisines.

- Yes, I love the word synthesis for it, for sure.

- Good.

So walk us through what we're going to see here.

- So I've got a ring of acorn squash that I roasted off.

- And then it's really a traditional brulee, - other than this being the vehicle for it.

- OK. - So I have a little bit of pastry cream - that I made ahead of time, - some blackberries, a blackberry compote - and some sugar to create the brulee.

- And naturally, fire.

- Of course.

[Laughter] - Good.

- So, ready to go?

- Let's go.

- OK. - Yeah, are you kidding - I want to get to eating too.

[Laughter] - Fair.

- So I'm just going to spoon in enough pastry cream - to bring it up to the rim of this.

- And then we want to sprinkle on our sugar - and this is, you know, liberal, - but you only want to come up to the edge - and not necessarily get it onto the plate itself, - and you do have to assemble this on the plate itself.

- So for those who may not know - what we're going to do is actually burn the sugar.

- Yes, we're going to toast - Toast the sugar, excuse me - Some people do prefer it more burnt.

- It's a lot like toast in that way.

- Some people love burnt toast.

- I like mine golden brown.

- Mmhmm.

- And so we're just going to come in with the torch - and at home, people could - do this under their broiler, in their oven.

- I just happen... - I case they don't have a flame thrower.

- In case they don't have a flame thrower at hand.

- You can easily do this under the broiler.

- You just have to keep a pretty close eye on it.

- Right, that smells amazing.

- Because it does... - Yeah, and it toasts up pretty quick.

- Hmm.

- OK. - Getting a nice golden brown on there?

- Looks great.

- Oh, it smells good, too.

- So then set that aside.

- OK. - Sadly.

- Yes.

[Laughter] - Then I'm just going to add some of this blackberry compote - to it, and I love to create a little bit of a pile.

- And then use some of that sauce - and the back of my spoon to drag it - in a circular motion.

- Oh look at you getting fancy.

- Yeah.

- And then just some fresh blackberries as well - to garnish with.

- Beautiful.

- And then, yeah, you've got a beautiful desert, - I'm going to add a little bit more - because who doesn't love an overloaded fruit desert?

- I also love blackberry, so... - There you go.

These are for you, Ken.

- Thank you.

But what are you going to eat?

- OK, Melissa, it's that time.

- It's time.

- We get to try -- all right.

- Let's start with the three sisters - succotash over sweet potato.

- Mmm.

- So this is the one that's supposed to be super bright - and fresh and summery.

- So we'll see.

- All right.

- Mmm.

- Yeah.

- It is all of those things.

- What I'm picking up, though, is a little bit of the chili - powder that you put in it.

- Yes.

- It doesn't make it hot, but it gives it a little spice - in a nice way.

- It's that... - yeah, that smokiness and that depth - that really gets balanced out by that herb... - chimichurri on top.

- And then I feel like it all becomes...it tastes healthy, - but not in that like taste healthy.

- Not at all.

Not at all.

- It really does have that hardiness - from the Black Eyed Peas - and from the wild rice and the sweet potato.

- But I'm also going through the flavor of the corn.

- Yes.

- I'm getting...is it carrot tops that are on the top.

- Yeah.

- It's amazing.

- I can actually taste a little bit of that in it.

- Yeah.

- It's so good.

- It's very good.

And... - And the sweet potato on the bottom?

- Yes.

- Really rich.

- Delicious.

- Next, yeah.

- Move this aside.

- And let's do the grape dumplings next.

- I've been so curious to try these.

- Me, too.

- Oh, I got a little flower on it, too.

- Oh, lucky you - Mmm.

- These are so delicious!

- Those are amazing.

- I love them.

- You can taste the grape - because obviously it's permeated the dumpling.

- But it's so light, it's not heavy.

- I thought it was going be like a gnocchi.

- It's not - No.

- And the texture is really great.

- I love how quickly it comes together and - I love how few ingredients it takes.

- It's easy, and it's also an incredibly traditional dish.

- This recipe was actually sent to us by a member of the - Lenape tribe, and she told us that this is something they had - in the past and still do enjoy at their celebratory events.

- Oh, that's really interesting.

- Having tasted it, I completely understand.

- Yeah.

- OK, on to the last dish that we made today.

- Very excited about this one.

- I am, too.

- All right, what's the best way to eat this?

- Um...Fork first.

- OK. [Laughter] - Always.

- No fingers - I'm just going to kind of dig in, - Ah... - almost like pie.

- Yeah.

- And it is super gooey and oozey.

- And I'm just going to drag it - through the raspberries a little bit.

- Excellent.

- Yeah.

- So get a little bit of the raspberry.

- That's really nice.

- There's a crisp, burnt smokiness from the sugar, - the sweetness and creaminess from pastry cream, - a little bit of unctuousness from the squash.

- And then it's all balanced out by the acidity of - the raspberries.

- Absolutely.

- It's not an entirely sweet dish.

- No.

- There's a savory component to it.

- Yeah, but I tend to when I go for desserts, - have that touch of savory to balance out all of the sweet - because if it's all just sweet all the time, - there's...there's no interest.

It's very one note.

- No, this has many notes and I can still...I'm tasting - all the different flavors that are coming through.

- Yeah.

- It develops.

- It does, it absolutely does.

- And I think that the...the... berry compliments it perfectly.

- Yeah.

The Parsippany Rock House has witnessed more history than I can possibly imagine.

How much of that history has been lost permanently?

Nobody knows.

But what we do know is that the food history survives.

From the cuisine of Native Americans were better able to understand America's past and given its sustainable nature, well, it just might inform our future as well.

See you next time.

Made possible by Sunbasket.

[Music] Organic carrots, purple potatoes, steaks for the grill, all ingredients from the kitchens of chef Justine at Sunbasket, ready to heat meals and meal kits.

Sunbasket meal delivery.

Information at Sunbasket.com Interested in trying any or all of our native and native inspired cuisine?

You can find today's recipes on our website.

Visit us at DriveByHistoryEats.tv When you take history off the page and put it onto the plate, you take a piece of the past and bring it into the present.