Showing posts with label vegetables. Show all posts

7-Layer Casserole (1950s) ★★★


Hooray, a casserole!
Actually, I really love casseroles. They are one of my favourite foods - easy to make, and taste great! This one is also awesome because there are no canned soups (sorry, just not a fan!).


Original Recipe:

7-Layer Casserole

 Talk about your one-dish meals! Here's one with no pre-cooking. Just put in the layers, pop it in the oven, and get set for some real raves from your family!

 Start heating oven to moderate (350F.). Place these ingredients in layers in a 2-qt. baking dish with a tight-fitting lid:

 1. 1 cup rice, uncooked
2. 1 cup canned whole kernel corn, drained
3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour 1 8-oz. can HUNT'S TOMATO SAUCE and 1/2 can water over first two layers
4. 1/2 cup each finely chopped onion and green pepper
5. 3/4 lb. uncooked ground beef, seasoned with salt and pepper
6. Pour second can HUNT'S TOMATO SAUCE and 1/4 can water over all
7. Cover meat with 4 strips bacon, cut in half

 Cover dish and bake at 350F. for 1 hour. Uncover and bake about 30 minutes longer. Makes 4 - 6 servings.

 There's just no end to the tempting casseroles you can make with HUNT'S TOMATO SAUCE. It's particularly nice for leftovers. A little of this, a little of that, and HUNT'S TOMATO SAUCE - and a delicious dinner is on your table! Let your imagination be your guide...when Hunt's in the kitchen to help!


The Verdict:

Mr. Man thought this was weird. I thought it was okay. The flavours were nice together and it was ridiculously easy to make. I love a one-dish meal that has carbs, protein, and veggies all together. It's pretty economical. Oh, and I used short grain brown rice because it was what I had on hand and it was cooked to perfection!
However, using uncooked ground beef and bacon made it really greasy. I was quite concerned that there was no grease floating on top - meaning the rice and veggies absorbed all of that. Ewwww....Also, the bacon didn't get any direct heat, so it was all gummy, even though it was cooked through. I really liked the recipe though, so I made some modifications, which are below. I give it 3 stars as is, but it's probably worth 4 if modified.


Modernized Recipe:

(Adapted from 21 Ways to Serve Hamburger, found at Shelf Life Taste Test)

16 ounces TOMATO SAUCE
6 ounces WATER
1 cup RICE, uncooked
1 cup CORN (I used frozen)
1/2 cup ONION, diced
1/2 cup GREEN PEPPER, diced
3/4 pound GROUND BEEF, cooked and drained
4 pieces BACON
SALT, to taste
PEPPER, to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. In a 9x13 pan, layer the rice, corn (salt and pepper to taste), 8 ounces of tomato sauce, 4 ounces of water, onion, green pepper, ground beef (salt and pepper to taste), remainder of tomato sauce and water, and bacon. Cover with aluminium foil.
3. Bake for 1 hour, then uncover and bake for another 30 minutes. Turn the oven to broil to crisp the bacon on top, watching carefully not to burn it (alternatively, try pre-cooking the bacon and just crumbling on top).
4. Let cool slightly and serve.
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Benes y fryed (c. 1390) ★★★

Today's recipe comes from The Forme of Cury, one of Europe's earliest English cookbooks. Unfortunately, this is not a Medieval tome of curry recipes - "cury" is actually the Middle English word for "cookery".

Modern recipes would specify what type of bean is called for in the ingredients, however this Medieval recipe neglects to do so. Luckily, history can help us here. Green (string) beans were not originally native to Europe and didn't arrive there until the Conquistadors brought them to France in the late 1590s. Even so, green beans, much like green peas, weren't commonly eaten until the 19th century. We can also deduce that this recipe is likely calling for fava beans, because that is the Old World variety (New World varieties include kidney, pinto, black, etc.).

Original Recipe: 


 Modern Transcription:
Take beans and boil them until they are almost burst. Drain them and wring out the excess liquid. Add to them boiled and minced onions and garlic. Fry them in oil or in grease and mix in powder douce and serve it forth.

The Verdict:
So I've seen some versions of this recipe that are just, well, fried beans, but the Celtnet version calls for mashing the beans. I decided to go the frying route. The taste was different, but actually not as bad as I thought it would be. However, I don't like beans unless they are cooked IN something, like chili or casseroles. Mr. Man thought it was gross and was very unimpressed. I wouldn't make this again, but for someone who likes beans on their own and who likes cinnamon and those spices in savory dishes, this would probably be a nice dish.



Modernized Recipe: 

2 cups FAVA BEANS
4 cups BEEF STOCK
2 ONIONS, diced
2 cloves GARLIC, diced
BUTTER
2 tabelspoons POWDER DOUCE*

1. Soak the beans overnight in cold water. This will soften them and reduce their...flatulent properties.
2. After soaking, drain the beans. To fry beans, simmer the beans, garlic, and onion in beef stock until soft and then drain and fry in butter. To make mashed beans, cook the beans in the stock, fry the onions and garlic separately, and then combine everything to simmer for 30 minutes before mashing.
3. Mix in the powder douce.

*Powder douce is a Medieval spice mix, which varied by region and taste, but consisted of sugar and sweet spices. Find a recipe here, or simply sprinkle on a little of this and that. After all, there was no specific formula.
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Noodle Mixup (1933) ★★★★

For a 1933 recipe, this meal seems quite modern.


Original Recipe:
1 small onion, chopped
2 tbsp. fat
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 c. canned tomatoes
1 c. water
3 c. cooked egg noodles
1 c. canned kidney beans, well-rinsed and drained
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. salt

 Fry onion in fat until brown; add meat, tomatoes, and water and cook slowly until meat is done, about 25 minutes. Add egg noodles, beans, and seasoning. Heat thoroughly and serve.

The Verdict:
Although this meal was a little plain, it wasn't bad. Mr. Man and I both enjoyed it. It was very meaty though, with a whole pound of beef. A little less might have been nice. It also could have benefited from some garlic fried with the onion and we added cheese on top for some extra flavour. I would probably make this again.

Modernized Recipe:
(Adapted from The Farmer's Wife)

The original recipe is easy enough to follow.
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Corn Fritters (1912) ★★★★

Here's a way of getting some vegetables into your breakfast!


Original Recipe:
1 c. corn, cut off the cob
2 c. flour
pinch salt
1 tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tbsp. baking powder
enough water to make thick batter dough

 Mix all together and drop by spoonfuls into a pan half full of hot oil. Cook until nicely browned on all sides. Drain on paper towels. Serve with maple syrup.

The Verdict:
I was surprised to find that these were actually pretty good! With just water and flour, the dough was a little tough, but not so bad that it was gross. With the maple syrup these fritters could almost be dessert! Little Y liked hers so much that she used one to play the piano (okay, so maybe that's just strange). Mr. Man thought they were okay, but he tried them with mustard and said they were even better as a savory treat.

Modernized Recipe:
(Adapted from The Farmer's Wife)

1 cup CORN
2 cups FLOUR
A pinch of SALT
1 tablespoon SUGAR
1 1/2 tablespoons BAKING POWDER
WATER
OIL

1. In a fry pan, heat the oil on medium-low heat.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder. Add the corn. Add in water, a little at a time, to make a thick dough.
3. Using a spoon or an ice cream scoop, drop about a tablespoon of dough into the hot oil at a time. Fry until browned on both sides. Let the fritters drain on paper towels. Serve with maple syrup (or mustard!)
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Potatoes

The Potato Harvest by János Pentelei Molnár (1901)
August 19th is Potato Day! Potatoes have played  a huge role throughout history, especially in Ireland. I won't bore you with a long history lesson (you can look that up for yourselves on Wikipedia - seriously, does anybody NOT like reading those articles?!), but today I've got some unique potato recipes to share. Alas, I wasn't able to cook any this time!
Potatoes (1864)
(From A Poetical Cook-Book)
Leeks to the Welsh, to Dutchmen butter's dear;
Of Irish swains, potatoes is the cheer.
—GAY.
Wash them, but do not pare or cut them, unless they are very large. Fill a saucepan half full of potatoes of equal size (or make them so by dividing the larger ones), put to them as much cold water as will cover them about an inch; they are sooner boiled, and more savory than when drowned in water. Most boiled things are spoiled by having too little water; but potatoes are often spoiled by having too much; they must be merely covered, and a little allowed for waste in boiling, so that they may be just covered at the finish. Set them on a moderate fire till they boil; then take them off, and put them by the side of the fire to simmer slowly till they are soft enough to admit a fork. Place no dependence on the usual test of their skins cracking, which, if they are boiled fast, will happen to some potatoes when they are not half done, and the insides quite hard. Then pour the water off (if you let the potatoes remain in the water a moment after they are done enough, they will become waxy and watery), uncover the saucepan, and set it at such a distance from the fire as will secure it from burning; their superfluous moisture will evaporate, and the potatoes will be perfectly dry and mealy.

You may afterwards place a napkin, folded up to the size of the saucepan's diameter, over the potatoes, to keep them hot and mealy till wanted.

This method of managing potatoes is in every respect equal to steaming them, and they are dressed in half the time.
There is such an infinite variety of sorts and sizes of potatoes, it is impossible to say how long they will take doing: the best way is to try them with a fork. Moderate sized potatoes will generally be done enough in fifteen or twenty minutes.


The Potato Eaters by Vincent Van Gogh (1885)
Potato Apples (1896)
(From The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book)

2 cups hot riced potatoes
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup grated cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
few grains cayenne
slight grating nutmeg
2 tablespoons thick cream
yolks 2 eggs

Mix ingredients in order given, and beat thoroughly. Shape in form of small apples, roll in flour, egg, and crumbs, fry in deep fat, and drain on brown paper. Insert a clove at both stem and blossom end of each apple.


Potato Harvesting at St.Annes in 1927
Potato Pears (1900)
(From My Pet Recipes, Tried and True)

6 or 8 large potatoes
butter
cream
pepper
salt
cloves
beaten egg

Boil potatoes, when well done mash thoroughly, adding a little butter, cream, pepper and salt. Mould into shape of pears, putting a clove into stem and brush over with beaten egg, and put into the oven to brown slightly.


'Digging and bagging potatoes', the Warrnambool potato harvest 1881 
Mock Fish Balls in Curry or Cream Sauce (1898)
(From The Golden Age Cook Book )

5 ounces of plain boiled potatoes
3 ounces of butter
1 slightly heaping tablespoonful of Groult's potato flour
2 eggs
onion juice
salt
pepper

Curry Sauce
1 heaping tablespoonful of butter
1 heaping teaspoonful of flour
1 even teaspoonful of curry powder
milk
1 tablespoonful of good Madeira

Put the potatoes through a patent vegetable strainer or mashed very fine. Add the butter and potato flour, the eggs slightly beaten and stirred in a little at a time, a few drops of onion juice and salt and pepper to taste. Have a saucepan of boiling salted water over the fire, dip a tablespoon in cold water and then into the mixture and take out in oblong balls as nicely and uniformly shaped as possible, and drop them carefully into the boiling water, which must not boil too violently as the mixture is tender and would cook to pieces. Put them in without crowding and let them cook three minutes, taking them out one after another as they are done. Put in a colander to drain while preparing the curry sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan and add to it the flour, curry powder, stir well and add milk until of the consistency of cream sauce. Put the balls into the sauce and let it come to a boil, remove from the fire, and add the Madeira. Serve on a platter, garnish with parsley and serve. The curry powder and wine may be omitted if not liked, and the balls served in plain cream sauce.

Harvesting potatoes in Idaho's Boise Valley, circa 1920
Potato Sausages (1915)
(From Dr. Allinson's Cookery Book)

1 pint of mashed potato
2 eggs well beaten
1 breakfastcupful of breadcrumbs
2 ounces of butter (or Allinson nut-oil)
1/2 saltspoonful of nutmeg
pepper and salt

Mash the potatoes well with one of the eggs, add seasoning, form the mixture into sausages, roll them in egg and breadcrumbs, and fry them brown.
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Baked Tenderloins and Baked Sweet Potatoes (1886) ★★★★★

This cookbook included the recipes for a whole meal here - tenderloin, sweet potatoes, and sausage-stuffed apples. I decided not to make the stuffed apples, because I don't like apples with savory food, but I know lots of other people do, so the recipe for those can be found by clicking on the cookbook link and then clicking to the next page.


Original Recipe:

 The Verdict:
It was good! I was worried that I might have wasted an expensive chunk of meat, but this turned out really lovely. The potatoes were delicious as well, and I'm kind of iffy with sweet potatoes, so that's saying a lot. They took on the pork drippings and were very flavourful. The only thing is that they were well done after 40 minutes, while the pork took about 80, so by the end we had mashed potatoes really. Which was okay, but next time I think I would remove the potatoes after 40 minutes to keep them intact. I think I will actually save this recipe and make it again, because it was really simple with great taste.

Modernized Recipe:
(Adapted from Miss Corson's Practical American Cookery)

1 PORK LOIN*
1 large SWEET POTATO, cut in chunks
2 teaspoons DRIED POWDERED SAGE
1 teaspoon SALT
1 teaspoon PEPPER
1 tablespoon OIL

1. Preheat the oven to 450F. Use a baking dish or a cast iron skillet and coat the bottom with a little bit of oil. Add in the cut sweet potato. Place the loin on top of the potatoes. Brown in the oven for about 10 - 12 minutes.
2. Remove the dish from the oven and lower the temperature to 425F. In a small bowl, mix together the sage, salt, and pepper. Rub it all over both sides of the meat and sprinkle some on the potatoes, making sure to coat them evenly (perhaps temporarily removing the pork to a plate would make this easier). When you return the pork to the dish, turn it upside-down so that the underside gets browned as well.
3. Return the dish to the oven and bake for 40 minutes. If you want potato chunks, remove them after the first 40 minutes and bake the loin another 40 minutes. If you want more of a mashed-style potato, leave them in.

* I used a large pork loin, but you could also you other pork loin/tenderloin cuts (or even pork chops). In that case, the baking time should probably be reduced. I imagine that the originally given 40 minutes would work well with smaller cuts of meat.
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Picnic Lunch (c. 1905) ★★★★





Summer is the perfect time for picnics, so I thought I would share this bill of fare for a picnic lunch from a circa 1905 California cookbook. I also decided to include some lemonade with our picnic. It isn't listed in this menu, but it was included in another picnic menu from the same cookbook. Also, I didn't make the salad dressing because I just used mayonnaise.
Overall, it seems like picnic food hasn't changed much over the years!












Original Recipes: 
The Verdict:
Veal Loaf: It was good, but I overdid the celery salt just a bit. It's very strong stuff, so you only need a pinch. Other than that it was yummy.

Cheese Sandwiches: Well...it's just mustard and cheese in bread, so....yeah, it was good.

Olive Sandwiches: Mr. Man really liked these, but our olives had apparently gone off, so he threw it out. He said otherwise the sandwich would have been delicious.

Potato Salad: Mr. Man LOVED this. But he loves anything with cayenne, so I wasn't surprised. He practically licked the bowl clean.

Wafers: At first I thought these were super weird and didn't really like them, but the more I ate the better they tasted. They cooked up with domes in the centers and were really spongy like mini pancakes. I am assuming you are supposed to eat these with jam, since the menu says to bring along some jelly. They taste very buttery and are alright on their own, but really delicious with jam.

Overall, a lovely picnic and all the recipes were edible!










Modernized Recipes:
(Adapted from The Times Cook Book, No. 2 )

Veal Loaf
1 1/2 pounds GROUND VEAL or BEEF
1/4 pound BUTTER, softened
1/4 cup CRACKERS, crushed, or BREAD CRUMBS
1/4 cup MILK
1 EGG
SALT
PEPPER
SAGE
THYME
CELERY SALT
BUTTER

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, thoroughly mix together ground veal (or beef; I used ground beef), butter, crackers/bread crumbs, milk, egg, and spices to taste.
3. Form the meat mixture into a loaf shape and place in the middle of the lined cookie sheet.
4. Bake the loaf for about 1 hour, basting occasionally with some butter which has been melted with a little water.

Cheese Sandwiches
BREAD
BUTTER, softened
SWISS CHEESE
MUSTARD

1. Butter slices of bread. Fill sandwiches with cheese and mustard.





Olive Sandwiches
BREAD
LETTUCE
OLIVES
MAYONNAISE or SALAD DRESSING

1. Dice olives and mix them with enough mayonnaise to spread on the number of sandwiches you want. I think I used about 5 olives and 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise for 1 sandwich.
2. Spread the mixture on crisp lettuce leaves and place between two slices of bread.

Potato Salad
12 medium POTATOES
3 tablespoons PARSLEY, minced
3 tablespoons CELERY, minced
2 tablespoons ONION, minced
SALT
CAYENNE PEPPER
3 HARD BOILED EGGS, diced
1/2 pint MAYONNAISE or SALAD DRESSING

1. Peel and dice 12 medium potatoes. Boil until tender.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients.

Salad Dressing
2 EGG YOLKS
1 tablespoon BUTTER, softened
4 tablespoons VINEGAR
1 teaspoon SALT
1 teaspoon SUGAR
1 teaspoon MUSTARD
1/2 cup CREAM

1. In a small bowl, beat together the egg yolks and the butter. Mix in the vinegar, salt, sugar, and mustard. 
2. Put boiling water in a larger bowl or pot and float the smaller bowl with the dressing in the boiling water. Whisk until it thickens.
3. When the dressing has thickened, take it off the heat and let it cool. Mix in the cream.

Wafers
1 cup UNSALTED BUTTER, softened
1 cup SUGAR
2/3 cup BUTTERMILK
1 teaspoon BAKING SODA
2 EGGS
1/2 teaspoon SALT
FLOUR
JAM, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. In a medium bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until combined. Mix in the buttermilk, baking soda, eggs, and salt.
3. Add enough flour to make a soft dough. I think I used 2 cups, or maybe less.
4. Drop teaspoonfuls of batter on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 7 - 10 minutes, or until firm and golden around the edges. Serve with jam if desired.
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Rhubarb Toast (c.1886) ★★★★

One of the reasons I love spring is because rhubarb is in season (let's ignore that the first day of summer is in a week)! 

Original Recipe:


 The Verdict:
The original recipe seemed like it was meant to feed a small army or something, so I quartered it. I still ended up with over a cup of sauce. The sauce is very tart, so if you like your rhubarb on the sweeter side, I suggest adding more sugar to taste. I didn't mind it, but it was rich so I barely made it through the two slices. It was good though; basically like a rhubarb jam. I actually poured some over a slice of cake and I enjoyed it a lot that way. So yay! Multipurpose sauce!

Modernized Recipe:
(Adapted from The Woman Suffrage Cook Book)

1/2 cup WATER
1/8 cup SUGAR
1/2 pound RHUBARB, diced
WHOLE WHEAT BREAD or GRAHAM BREAD

1. In a small saucepan, heat the water and sugar to boiling. Add the rhubarb and cook until the rhubarb is soft and falls apart, about 5 minutes or so. Let cool.
2. Toast bread and butter it. Serve with cooled rhubarb poured over it.
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Glazed Carrots with Peas (1911) ★★

(Can you tell I'm trying to use up the mint I bought?! As the Japanese say, mottainai!)

It always interests me when a recipe calls for an ingredient that must have been well known at the time, but is no longer common today. In this case, I wondered what a can of "French peas" was exactly. Was the recipe calling for the infamous mushy peas? Or were they simply whole, canned peas? Was it a canned recipe for French-style peas? A post on Restaurant-ing Through History enlightened me: apparently in the mid- to late- 19th century, peas imported from France were all the rage. They were so popular among the upper classes that "French peas" on a menu was a distinguisher of class, privilege, and delicacy. Mrs. Beeton wrote in her 1861 The Book of Household Management, "in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, Fuller tells us they were brought from Holland, and were accounted "fit dainties for ladies, they came so far and cost so dear." An 1896 cookbook from Boston remarks that peas "appear in market as early as April, coming from Florida and California, and although high in price are hardly worth buying, they having been picked so long." So while the following recipe might seem like a simple side dish of veggies, the social history behind it is quite a bit more detailed.

I actually had never heard of peas with mint before I had my daughter - at which point peas and mint baby food appeared. However, the combination of mint and peas was nothing new to Mrs. Beeton, who wrote that mint "is valuable as a stomachic and antispasmodic; on which account it is generally served at table with pea-soup". An earlier 1840 cookbook gives directions for cooking peas with mint and states that this is a very English method. 

Original Recipe:


 The Verdict: 
Unfortunately I have to say that I rinsed these peas off in an attempt to salvage them for dinner, but even then couldn't bring myself to eat them. Amazingly, Little Y just gobbled them up (after rinsing), so...I guess this recipe wasn't a total flop? But 1/2 a cup of butter is just SO MUCH BUTTER. I even used the carrot butter for the peas and there was a ridiculous amount left. Also, there is a lot of sugar there for just 3 carrots. I wasn't a huge fan of the mint with the carrots, but the peas were alright. I would eat this if I had to, but I would never make it again. If you like sweet carrots (I don't) and mint on your veggies, you would probably enjoy this, but perhaps with a bit less sugar and like, 1/4 cup max of butter. Points for prettiness though!

Modernized Recipe:
(Adapted from Good Things to Eat)

3 medium CARROTS
1/2 cup BUTTER
1/3 cup SUGAR
1 tablespoon FRESH MINT, chopped
1 can SMALL PEAS (or use desired amount of fresh or frozen)
BUTTER, for seasoning
SALT, to taste
PEPPER, to taste

1. Wash and peel the carrots. Cut them into cubes or use a small cookie cutter to make "fancy shapes".
2. In a saucepan, melt the butter with the sugar and mint. Add the carrots and cook on low heat until glazed and tender.
3. If using canned peas, drain and rinse them. Boil water in a saucepan and cook the peas for five minutes. When done, drain and season with butter, salt, and pepper.
4. Mound the peas on a serving dish and surround them with carrots. Serve hot.
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