In the fall of 2022, I joined the staff at the Nasher. On day one, my colleagues gave a quick and vague meeting update on an upcoming project they called “Afro Mingei.” The explanation I asked them for was not so easy to deliver. A bar by Theaster Gates at the Nasher? Right. Sequestered in the Corner Gallery? Got it. Vinyl records, handmade pottery, whisky, tea, and soul food? Amazing! Do we know how to run a bar? Not really. But I quickly found that sort of thing does not stop the Nasher from moving forward.
A couple months later we opened Afro Mingei—a temporary space of conviviality designed by Theaster Gates, bringing together two distinct places with visual philosophies he felt naturally comingled: Japan and the African American South. Upon entering the dimly lit space with a speakeasy-like clandestinity, visitors were met with prints and neon designed by Gates, a small bar stocked with Japanese whiskies, and one long, communal table built with wood salvaged from the artist’s hometown of Chicago. On the menu they found craft cocktails and small bites—karaage chicken with tomato chow chow, pork rinds, ice cream with pecan pralines and candied kombu—all served on ceramic wares made by Theaster Gates. Guests raised their glasses (and their voices) over soul and R&B, played from over 1,000 records from Gates’s personal collection, spun by local DJs. The music took pauses for regularly programmed talks, readings, and performances from local artists of color. Strangers met and new friendships were formed.
This short description doesn’t capture all the magic and meaning, for the simple space teamed with consideration, nuance, and community, but on the occasion of missing an after-work Sazerac, I wanted to share an adapted recipe for my favorite dish from that pocket of time.
RECIPE:
Heirloom Cornmeal Dumplings in Shiitake Leek Broth
Recipe for 4 servings
Ingredients
Dumplings:
1 1/4 cups Anson Mills fine white cornmeal (or an alternative brand)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
2 ounces unsalted butter
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
2 teaspoons baking powder
Broth:
1 piece dried kombu, about 2 x 4 inches
1/4 pound whole shiitake mushrooms, quartered
1/2 a leek, quartered with green top removed
3 slices daikon radish, cut 1-inch thick
1 1/2 tablespoons white miso
1 tablespoon shoyu
1 stick cold cubed butter
*1/4 cup canned pumpkin purée
To make dumplings:
Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl.
Simmer milk and butter in a pot until combined, then add to bowl and let cool for 10 minutes.
Mix dough by hand and roll it out into a long piece, about 1-inch thick.
Cut dumplings by hand, so they are about 1 x 1 inch thick or smaller. Dust the surface and dough with flour if it becomes sticky.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
In medium-size pot, add water and 2 tablespoons of salt and bring water to boil. Once boiling, add dumplings into the pot.
Let dumplings cook for 3-5 minutes, or until floating at the top of the water.
Serve with broth.
To make broth:
Prepare the dashi by bringing 6 cups of water to a simmer in a large pot. Add kombu and remove from stove. Let sit for 20 minutes.
Add shiitakes, daikon, and leeks to broth. Let simmer on low heat for 2 hours.
Strain broth and discard the vegetables.
Bring broth to a boil. Add miso, shoyu, pumpkin puree and stir. Add butter to taste.
To finish:
Bring water to boil on stove top, drop raw dumplings and cook for 2-3 minutes or just until they float.
Add cooked dumplings into simmering broth.
Serve and garnish as desired. Chef Nat added chili oil, micro greens, and seared corn to each dish.
*Chef Nat’s original recipe calls for kabocha confit made from Japanese pumpkins. We simplified the recipe here with canned pumpkin puree.
Photo Credits:
Poetry reading by Brandon Goodluv in Afro Mingei: A Project by Theaster Gates, 2023. Photo by A Sea of Love, courtesy of the Nasher Sculpture Center
Anson Mills heirloom cornmeal dumplings served in shiitake leek broth with kabocha squash, chili oil, and My Epicurean Farm greens, served in Afro Mingei: A Project by Theaster Gates, October 2022 to April 2023 at the Nasher Sculpture Center. Photo by Grant Daniels, courtesy of the Nasher Sculpture Center