The following pages, in the first section of the book, contain a selected compilation of food columns and recipes originally published at http://barbarabretton.com/ from 2006 to 2010. On recipes, credit has been properly given where appropriate and all have been tested in our kitchen. Essays on food are not necessarily meant to be scintillating, it just turns out food is an aphrodisiac no matter how you cut it… In the second section a few recipes are given to represent the cultures encompassing the author's gene pool.

Three-Generations Removed Chinese Pepper Steak Of the many ethnicities that comprised what has become the Watley-Browne household, we are descended of coolies. I mean this is in the historical sense of the term and not the racial slur, of course. Not that this is a contemporary term by any means. For those not "in the know", coolies were day laborers of Asian descent - mostly Chinese and Indian. The Chinese were generally employed building railroads and docks. The ones in North America managed to create villages and eventually the famous Chinatowns of today in New York and San Francisco. The ones in Puerto Rico, where our ancestor landed, managed to completely integrate into the local population. This meant their culture was mostly lost and few today even know of this footnote in their history in the Caribbean Island. This February marked a new lunar year for the Chinese, the Year of the Tiger. And during the celebrations we make at least one Chinese-inspired meal. This year we were a little remiss - too many extraneous reasons to list here - but I still made something which I've since dubbed "Three-Generations-Removed Chinese Pepper Steak". This is a simple and very satisfying little recipe that fakes the Chinese-American classic, is ready in 20 minutes and doesn't require a trip to an ethnic market. I say "fake" because it lacks two ingredients you'd normally use here: soy sauce and cornstarch. Mom is allergic to soy, so I substituted with Worcestershire sauce; and although I had cornstarch, I instead dredged the meat in seasoned flour to thicken the sauce. The preparation for this dish is a quick ballet, it has its own grace and I like it because everything is ready at the same time and ready to serve. I started with about 1 ½ pounds of flank steak (sirloin is a good substitute) and marinated in Worcestershire sauce, pepper and an abundance of garlic powder. Start boiling water for rice. Julienne a medium sized green pepper. Put on rice and lower heat. Julienne a large onion and garlic to taste (I used 4 large cloves). Heat pan with olive oil. Make ¼ cup bullion and add a dash of red wine vinegar. Set aside about a tablespoon of flour and dredge over steaks. Turn heat to medium low and sauté onions until almost translucent, add peppers and garlic. Remove when garlic begins to turn golden (do not burn!). Add a tablespoon of oil (peanut for a more authentic flavor, but vegetable or corn is acceptable). Turn heat to medium and add meat when oil is hot, quickly brown on one side for about a minute; turn and top with sautéed vegetables, add stock and cover to steam for about 3-5 minutes. Serve over rice. This is the strip down version and it is one of those quick, comfort foods where the steaming aroma satisfied as much as the meal itself. You can add mushroom is you have them. By the same token, you can use a variety of peppers for a more colorful dish. Supermarkets carry a variety of canned baby corn and water chestnuts that can be added and just heated through if you want to make full use of the cupboard. Those who like it spicy and live dangerously may add a little ginger. Remember, this is meant to be simple so don't overdo it. The main point of this meal is to have it ready in 20 minutes so you can sit back, relax, eat and enjoy… I suggest a fortune cookie and some ice cream to cap it (you do know the Chinese invented ice cream, of course!).

Kali Amanda Browne was born in New York, came of age in Puerto Rico and has spent her entire adult life in Brooklyn, NY. Her ancestors came from all the places listed herein, some leaving their mark more prominently than others. Perverse and twisted, cynical and a little naïve, she has entirely too much time in her hands. Follow all her current and upcoming projects at http://amapolapress.weebly.com/.