Muslim Bean Pie
Heart of a lion, master of bean pies
Barbara Yost
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 9, 2005 12:00 AM
In the Zulu language, Ntosake Muhammad's name means "She who walks with lions/She who comes with her own things."
It's a perfect name for a woman who struggles every day and keeps things for so many trades: hairdresser's tools, sewing needles and all the ingredients for her acclaimed navy bean pies. With a work ethic that would impress Donald Trump, Ntosake, 49, juggles three jobs because none pays enough to keep her afloat.
People in the Valley's Nation of Islam community know the Phoenix woman for her pies of flaky crusts filled with a sweet custard made from eggs, navy beans and as much butter as beans. advertisement
Despite her hardships, Ntosake (pronounced en-toe-SOCK-ee) feels blessed. Born Antoinette Organ in the Bronx, New York, she grew up watching her grandmother, Annie Organ, work magic in the kitchen. Ntosake wasn't allowed to cook, but she was allowed to lick the bowl when Grandma made a cake.
By 17, Ntosake was on her own with an infant daughter, trying to remember what she had seen in that kitchen. Her keen eye served her well. "I was a good cook before I got a job cooking," she says.
In 1981, with two children now, she decided to get out of New York. One of the places she visited was Phoenix. "I right away loved it," she says. "It was peaceful."
Her daughter, Towana Muhammad, now 33, was 10. "I liked it. It was so open," she says. "It was way different from New York."
Four days after returning to New York, Ntosake bought bus tickets for the family and came right back to Phoenix. With tickets in hand, she had just $10 in her pocket.
"I struggled so hard," she says. Her apartment had no furniture so the family slept on the floor.
Living in her apartment building was an African-American Muslim family. They were good to Ntosake and her children, and other Muslims who visited the family always had a kind word. "I thought these people were united. They helped each other," she recalls.
One day they invited her to a study group. Ntosake dressed to the nines, topping off her outfit with a wide-brimmed red hat. She thought it was stunning, but the other ladies took her aside and said that Islamic women dress modestly for religious gatherings.
"I was so embarrassed," she says, laughing. But she converted to Islam and was given her present name.
For more than 10 years, Ntosake worked as the head cook at what is now called Native American Connections, a rehabilitation center. She learned to make fry bread, menudo, cornbread, enchiladas and tortillas from scratch.
Ntosake's recipe for bean pie is a secret, one that came from her Muslim circle of friends. She has tweaked it until she believes it's perfect.
For an event in late February celebrating Black History Month, she baked 500 bean pies. She had help, but it was still a grueling task. She counts in her head: 60 pounds of beans, 60 pounds of butter and a lot of eggs.
Inspired by her success at the Native American Connection, Ntosake has opened a small business called Nubian Queen Universal Services, an umbrella for her hairdressing, seamstress and catering work. From making a few desserts to hosting a whole party, she hopes to get her cooking business off the ground. She's especially interested in children's charity events.
Ntosake works out of a little south Phoenix Mexican restaurant called Cilantro's. Towana, who has four children, helps with the baking. "We never want her to stop making those pies," she says.
Ntosake now has five children, including Aazaad Muhammad, a star running back at Paradise Valley High School. "That's my baby," the proud mother says. "He's so cute!"
It's for her children that she works so hard.
"My heart is set on making those bean pies and having a small bakery," Ntosake says. "I want to have something I can leave behind."
DETAILS: Ntosake sells her bean pies at the Downtown Phoenix Public Market, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays, 721 N. Central Ave. (602) 493-5231.
Reach the reporter with news of people in the food business at (602) 444-8597.
Navy Bean Pie
1-unbaked 9" pie shell
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup evaporated milk
2 cups mashed, cooked navy beans
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp each: salt, ginger, nutmeg, cloves
Whipped cream (optional)
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Combine eggs and evaporated milk in a bowl. Add beans, sugar and
all spices. Beat at low speed of a mixer until well blended. Pour
into unbaked pie shell.
Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and
bake for another 35 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes
out clean. Serve warm with whipped cream.
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World Famous Muslim Navy Bean Pie
2 cups Navy Beans (cooked)
4 Eggs
1 14 oz. can evaporated milk
1 stick butter
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 T. Flour
2 cups Sugar
2 T. Vanilla
Cook beans until soft. Preheat oven. to 350 degrees.
In electric blender, blend beans, butter, milk, eggs, nutmeg and flour about 2 minutes on medium speed. Pour mixture into a large mixing bowl. Add sugar and vanilla. Mix well. Pour into pie shells. Bake about one hour. until golden brown. Makes 2 or 3 Bean Pies.
http://www.muhammadspeaks.com/Women.html
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Navy Bean Salad
A Nutritious Alternative to Potato Salad
By Sister Hughmerdes Allah
4 cups Navy Beans (Cooked-Not Mushy)
2 green onions (Chopped)
4 pcs. Celery (Chopped) 1 green pepper (Chopped)
1/2 cup relish Mustard to taste
Mayonaise to taste Salt & Pepper to taste
Mix together and serve. Use Everything as you would use in Potato Salad, (but not potatoes)
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Cream of Wheat Bread
1 Cup Unbleached Flour 3/4 Cup Cream of Wheat or Farina
1/2 Cup Sugar
2-1/2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
3/4 Teaspoon Salt
1 Egg (beaten)
3/4 Cup Milk
1/3 Cup Cooking Oil
Preheat Oven to 400
In a large mixing bowl stir together the Cream of Wheat, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In separate small bowl mix egg, milk and oil together. Add egg mixture to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened. Batter should be a little lumpy. Grease pan. Pour batter in pan. Bake about 30 minutes or until done.
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Blueberry Muffins:
Prepare Recipe above. Use muffin pans instead of cake pan. Before pouring batter in pan. Fold 1/4 cup Blueberries into batter. Makes 10 to 12 muffins.
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Apple-Raisin Muffins:
Prepare Recipe above, except stir 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon into the flour mixture. Fold 1 cup chopped peeled apple and 1/4 cup raisins into batter.
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Zakiyah's Muslim-style Stuffing
Prepare 1 Cream of Wheat Bread Recipe. Toast 7 slices of whole wheat bread. Let All Bread cool. Crumble Cream of Wheat Bread and Toast into large mixing bowl. Add 2 Cups finely chopped celery, 2 medium-sized onions (finely chopped), 3 Tablespoons Ground Sage, 1 /2 teaspoon ground pepper, 1 Egg, and 3 cups Chicken or Vegetable Broth to Bread. Mix well. Bake in 13x9x2-inch baking pan at 400 until slightly firm. Serves 10 to 12 people.
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Muhammad Speaks Newspaper
P.O Box 44261
Detroit, MI 48244
Phone: 313-371-7033
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Baking Whole Wheat Bread
"If you do not have the knowledge of how to prepare your bread, seek a Muslim who knows how to prepare it. Some Muslim sister will teach you." -How To Eat To Live, Book 1, Page 65
"Toast that is browned through and through is much easier on our stomachs than the slice of bread that is not toasted."
-How To Eat To Live, Book 1, page 38
Whole Wheat Bread 4 cups Wheat Flour 3 small yeast cakes
1-1/2 cups milk
2 cups unbleached flour (or dried yeast) 1/2 cup Mazola oil
3 whole eggs 1 tablespoon salt 4 tablespoons sugar or honey
Heat milk to luke warm, pour some over crushed yeast, add 1 tablespoon sugar to years, let rise. Sift flour together and add all dry ingredients, beat eggs, push flour away from the side of the bowl. Add in eggs and half of oil. Work flour into eggs slowly, add yeast mixture and mix well. Add rest of milk and beat all of the flour in until it forms dough. If the dough is too soft add more unbleached flour. Turn out on board and knead it with the heel of hand 150 times, using the rest of the oil to knead the dough. Put dough in oiled bowl. Let it rise double its size, then turn it out on board and knead it again for 150 times, let it rise again double its size. Then make out rolls or loaves. Put in pan to bake, let then rise, then bake in oven 300 degrees until well brown.
DO NOT EAT BREAD FOR 24 HOURS
Kneading & Rising The Dough
To knead the dough, place it on a lightly floured surface. Knead by folding the dough and pushing it down with the heels of your hands, curving your fingers over the dough. Turn, fold, and push down again.
To check the dough to see if it has doubled and is ready for shaping, press two fingers 1/2 inch into the dough. Remove your fingers; if the indentations remain, the dough has doubled in size and is ready to be punched out.
To punch the dough down, push your fist into the center of the dough, pressing beyond the surface. Pull the edges of the dough to the center. Turn the dough over and place it on a lightly floured surface.
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Teachings From Messenger Elijah Muhammad on Bread
From How To Eat To Live Book 1
Eat whole wheat, but not the whole grain -- it is too much for the digestive system. Eat wheat -- never white flour, which has been robbed of all its natural vitamins and protiens sold separately as cereals. Page 6
Whole wheat bread, cooked thoroughly, is the best bread. It should be ground very fine. It can be ground almost as fine as its white kernel. Page 10
Bread should be cooked thoroughly and slowly, and if you have plenty of time, cook the bread two or three times and then eat it. Page 30
Cook it slowly after it has risen a couple of times in the mold; this must be done thoroughly so that all of the risen cake or loaf is thoroughly cooked through and through under the heat of the oven. After it is cooked, do not eat it until it has set a day or two; even three days is not too long to wait for it. It is never stale because of age if kept in the right place. Never eat freshly cooked bread of any kind, as it is difficult for the stomach to digest. Page 37
Some people pull the brown crust off the bread to eat the unbrowned core. But by doing this ou are throwing aay the most digestable part of the bread and accepting that part which is hard to digest. Page 38
Cook bread throughly. If you have a refrigerator, put your leftover bread in it, or place it where it will keep moist and won't dry out. If that does not taste good, cook it over again. There is no such thing as stale bread. Let no bakery or anyone fool you. It is for your health. Page 65
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Muhammad Speaks Newspaper
Garlic Fried Chicken & Cat Head Biscuits
