The Mitsitam Cafe Cookbook: Recipes from the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian by Richard Hetzler

  • Hominy salad with saffron vinaigrette

    from The Mitsitam Cafe Cookbook: Recipes from the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian The Mitsitam Cafe Cookbook by Richard Hetzler

    • Categories: Dressings & marinades; Salads; Side dish; Native American; Vegan; Vegetarian
    • Ingredients: apple cider vinegar; shallots; saffron powder; hominy; pearl onions; arugula; sun-dried tomatoes in oil
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Notes about Recipes in this book

  • Peanut soup

    • MissKoo on March 09, 2023

      Made by a friend for our cookbook dinner. The peanut flavor is rather subtle, and the serrano chile, cayenne, and lime juice add a nice complexity. It has good heat but not overwhelmingly so. The amount of cayenne was reduced by about half and because of the richness of the soup we opted for smaller servings.

  • Fennel salad with fig vinaigrette

    • MissKoo on March 09, 2023

      This was a wonderfully refreshing and interesting flavor-combination salad, made by another member of our cookbook group. None of us had had raw parsnips before -- they added another lovely crunch texture along with the carrots, fennel, and asparagus. The fig vinaigrette was just perfect with the salad ingredients. The cookbook suggests serving this salad with cedar-planked fire-roasted salmon which would be lovely in the summer. Definitely a keeper.

  • Peruvian potato salad

    • TrishaCP on July 19, 2015

      This was absolutely delicious. Lots of scrumptious little bites with hard-boiled eggs, olives, and green onions. I subbed yogurt for the sour cream, and it worked really well.

  • Buffalo chili

    • TrishaCP on February 03, 2017

      This was really good. We used the full amount of chipotle, plus Penzey's medium chile powder, and it was as spicy as I would like. I've never used chipotles in chile before, but I liked it! I think the recipe calls for too much masa harina- I would use half the amount next time.

    • EasyBakeThis on October 29, 2025

      I made the recipe as written except that I substituted a red pepper for a green one and I omitted the masa harina. It was excellent!

  • Maple and molasses baked beans

    • MissKoo on March 09, 2023

      This recipe uses cranberry beans and not many ingredients (bacon, onion, maple syrup, molasses, Dijon and dry mustard, salt and pepper). But the results were a Wow. Everyone at cookbook group dinner raved about these, a perfect side dish with Pueblo Barbecued Pork Rib Roast (Spirit of the Harvest cookbook). Haven't used cranberry beans in the past but will definitely make these beans again.

  • Blue corn bread

    • TrishaCP on February 09, 2019

      I thought this was very good. It is sweet like Northern style cornbread, but it only uses cornmeal (blue and yellow), so the taste was definitely of corn. Very heavy on the baking powder, which also kept it light in texture.

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  • ISBN 10 155591747X
  • ISBN 13 9781555917470
  • Published Sep 01 2010
  • Format Hardcover
  • Page Count 192
  • Language English
  • Countries United States
  • Publisher Fulcrum Group

Publishers Text

Since the 2004 opening of the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC, the museum's Mitsitam Cafe (mitsitam means "let's eat" in the Piscataway and Delaware languages) has become a destination in its own right. Featured on Rachael Ray's television show and praised by reviewers nationwide, the Mitsitam Cafecontinues to receive accolades from both critics and visitors.

Drawing upon tribal culinary traditions from five regions—Northern Woodlands, Great Plains, North Pacific Coast, Mesoamerica, and South America—the cafe's offerings feature staples that were once unknown in the rest of the world in dishes such as:

  • Squash Blossom Soup
  • Cedar-Planked, Fire-Roasted Salmon
  • Pulled Buffalo Sandwich with Chayote Slaw
  • Corn and Tomato Stew
  • Cranberry Crumble

Replete with beautiful photographs of the finished dishes as well as objects and archival photographs from the museum's vast collections, The Mitsitam Cafe Cookbook showcases the Americas' truly indigenous foods in ninety easy-to-follow, home-tested recipes.

A 1995 graduate of the Baltimore International Culinary College, author Richard Hetzler worked at several fine-dining restaurants in the Washington, DC, and Baltimore area before joining the food-service firm Restaurant Associates at the Smithsonian. Hetzler was on the team that researched and developed the groundbreaking concept for the Mitsitam Cafe: serving indigenous foods that are the staples of five Native culture areas in North and South America. As the executive chef of the cafe, he continues to create and refine seasonal menus that showcase the Americas' native bounty.