Food History

I haven’t given you any new biscuit or scone recipes for a while. This is very negligent of me.

Tonight I’ll give you some US biscuits and cookies from 1808. The book is called The New-England Cookery, or the art of dressing all kinds of flesh, fish, and vegetables, and the best modes of making pastes, puffs, pies, tarts, puddings, custards and preserves, and all kinds of cakes, from the imperial plumb to plain cake. Particularly adapted to this part of our Country. and is by Lucy Emerson.

Cookies.
One pound sugar boiled slowly in half pint watar, scum well and cool, add two tea spoons pearl ash dissolved in milk, then two and half pounds flour, rub in flour ounces butter, and two large spoons of finely powdered coriander seed, wet with above; make rolls half an inch thick and cut to the shape you please; bake fifteen or twenty minutes in a slack oven-good three weeks.

Another Christmas Cookey.
To three pound flour, sprinkle a tea cup of fine powdered coriander seed, rub in one pound butter, and one and half pound sugar, dissolve three tea spoonfuls of pearl ash in a tea cup of milk, kneed all together well, roll three quarters of an inch think, and cut or stamp into shape and size you please, bake slowly fifteen or twenty minutes; though hard and dry at first, if put into an earthen pot, and dry cellar, or damp room, they will be finer, softer and better when six months old.

Lemon Biscuit.
Beat the yolks of ten eggs and the whites of five well together, with four spoonfuls of orange flower water, till they of a high froth, then put in in a pound of double refined sugar beat and sifted, beat it one way for three quarters of an hour; put in half a pound of flour, and grate in the rind of two lemons, and put in the pulp of a small one, beat them well; butter your tin moulds and put it in, sift a little fine sugar over them and put them in a quick oven, but do not stop the mouth up at first for fear they should scroch.

Spunge Biscuit.
Beat the yolks of twelve eggs for half an hour, then put in a pound and an half of fine sugar beat and sifted, whisk it well till you see it rise in bubbles, then beat the whites to a strong froth, and whisk them well with your sugar and yolks; beat in a pound of flour, with the rind of two lemons grated, butter your tin moulds, put them in, and sift fine powder sugar over them; put them in a hot oven, but do not stop the mouth of it at first; they will take half an hour baking.

Biscuit.
One pound flour, one ounce butter, one egg, wet with milk, and break while the oven is heating, and in the same proportion.

Butter Biscuit.
One pint of each milk and emptins, laid into flour, in sponges; next morning add one pound butter melted, not hot, and knead into as much flour as will with another pint of warmed milk, be of a sufficient consistance to make it soft-some melt the butter in the milk.

The third episode in books I couldn’t possibly give my sister.

“Mary Ann’s Gilligan’s Island Cookbook” with a foreword by Bob Denver
written by Dawn Wells, Ken Beck and Jim Clark. When I saw this book in a
second hand book shop (I was only passing time, seriously) it was one of
those must have’s. I actually bought it with the full intention of
giving it to Gillian. I looked at it and thought about it and decided
that after I’d had a good look at I would be able to give it to her and
it would be out of my life. Little did I know…

I wandered through the recipes and read the bits in between and it
became harder and harder to consider giving it away. I did let her look
at it, though. It has a bio of each character and various quotes not at
all appropriate to the recipe.

I adored Gilligan’s Island. I don’t know why, but things haven’t
changed. I’ve seen the odd excerpt and it’s been just as good as the
original

Recipes and quotes from the book will be forthcoming in due course. I’ll
use that old writer’s trick of the ellipsis to show time has passed even
though you won’t notice anything.

…

I’m tempted to just scan in this double page to show you the three
recipes, but I won’t, I’ll just tell you the names of two of them and
type up the other. On the even page we have Mom’s Meat Loaf Ramoo and
Mighty Sailor Man Meat Loaf…hmmm…I’m sensing a theme here. Now for
the quote.

Skipper: I can hardly wait to get to my favorite restaurant and my
favorite steak sandwich.
Gilligan: Your favorite steak sandwich?
Skipper: Yes, a filet between two sirloins.
Gilligan: Order my favorite too - a chocolate-covered hamburger.

On the odd page we have a photo of Gilligan sitting on a throne with a
crown on his head and a fishing net in his hand. The caption is
“Hmmmm…My kingdom for a chocolate-covered hamburger.”

Now for the recipe.

Giant Gilligan Burger

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Italian herbes
3 ounces cream cheese
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1 tablespoon horseradish, drained
1 1 5/8 ounce can french french onion rings

Mix the meat and salt, and divide the meat in half. Pat one half evenly
in ungreased 8-inch pie pan. In a small bowl mix the Italian herbs,
cream cheese, mustard, and horseradish. Spread the mixture over the meat
in the pan. Shape the remaining meat into an 8-inch circle and place it
on the cheese mixture. Pinch the edges together to seal. Bake at 350
degrees for 45 minutes for medium, 55 minutes for well done.

Remove the meat loaf to a large serving plate, and place the onion rings
around the meat. Makes 4 servings.

Created especially for Gillian’s Food History blog by Suzie of Suz’s
Space, your home for preloved books. Now you want a link to Gilligan’s
Island books, but I don’t have any for sale so I’ll just link to some
adult comedy and humour books. Of course, some of them could be read by
teens, but don’t tell them that.

The next book in the set of books I couldn’t possibly let my sister have
is a Doctor Who Cookbook. My family are tragic Doctor Who fans. I recall
various episodes of the previous Doctors, but I was just too young at
that point. I was inducted into the tragedy during the reign of Tom
Baker. When he left things weren’t quite the same until the new series’
began. I wasn’t particular enamoured of Christopher Eccleston, but David
Tennant is fabulous and makes me think he’s better than Tom Baker.

Anyway, I’m told this blog should be about the cookbook and not Doctor
Who so I must take a moment and bring the book to the computer. Gillian
would probably mutter something about a mountain there, but I
won’t…back at the computer. It’s called “The Doctor Who Cookbook” by
Gary Downie. It has various suspects on the front cover. Just imagine a
Cyberman dressed as a matre d’ with a menu in hand, a dalek with an
apron and waitress hat on…mustn’t forget K9 in the corner with his dog
bowl.

Some of the recipes are just wonderful and some are not. It has recipes
from various actors who have appeared in Doctor Who over the years. That
includes Patrick Troughton and Jon Pertwee. It includes some people who
were only ever brief appearances. I will be including a couple of
recipes as the names are just fabulous and so appropriate to the character.

Dalek Bake with Exterminate Topping

This recipe was provided by John Scott Martin. John was the Supreme
Dalek from 1965 to 1988.

Exterminates 4 humanoids

Ingredients:

1 lb/453 g white fish
4 oz/113 g fresh breadcrumbs
1 tsp/1 1/4 tsp/7.5 g salt
Pepper
1 tsp/1 1/4 tsp/7.5 g parsley
2 beaten eggs
2 oz/56 g melted butter

Method:

Remove the skin and bones from the raw fish and chop it into small
pieces. Mix it together with all the dry ingredients. Add the melted
butter and beaten eggs. Press into a pudding bowl which has been greased
and sprinkled with brown breacrumbs.

Cover the bowl with greased paper and bake in the oven for 45 minutes at
350 degrees F, 180 degrees C.

Topping Ingredients:

1 oz/28 g dripping
1 medium onion
1/2 oz/15 g curry powder
1 oz/28 g flour
1/2 pt/10 oz/3 dl stock (bouillon) or water
1 tomato (peeled and chopped)
1 dessertspoon lemon juice
1 dessertspoon plum or gooseberry jam (jelly)
1 grated carrot
Sugar Salt

Method:

Melt the dropping and fry the onion and carrot. Sprinkle in the curry
powder and flour and fry thoroughly. Gradually add in the stock until it
begins to boil, then add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 45
minutes, with the lid on the pan.

To serve:

Turn the pudding on to a plate and into one side of the pudding stick
two thin sticks of raw carrot. Attach a circle of gherkin to one stick.
Either pour the hot topping over the pudding or serve in a separate dish
or sauce-boat.

I’m including a recipe from Verity Lambert, as the first producer of
Doctor Who and recently deceased, this is a thank you to her.

Hot Potato Salad

Serves 6 People

Ingredients:

2 lb/906g new potatoes
2 large Spanish onions (roughly chopped)
1/2 lb/226 g streaky bacon (cut off rind and cut into small strips) Small jar of mayonnaise 1oz/28 g butter 1 tsp/1 1/4 tsp/6.2 ml olive oil Celery seed Salt Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Method:

Part boil the potatoes with their skins until they are soft but not
completly cooked. Peel and slice the potatoes approximately one eighth
of an inch thick. Cook the bacon in the olive oil and butter until it is
fairly crisp then allow to cool.

Into a shallow oven-proof dish which has been greased with the
mayonnaise put a layer of potatoes. Sprinkle with celery seed, salt and
pepper and some of the onion. Continue until all the potatoes have been
used up. Mix cooked bacon and fat with the mayonnaise and pour over the
top of the last layer of potatoes.

Place in the oven which has been pre-heated to 375-400 degrees F,
190-200 degrees C (Gas Mark 5-6). Cook for about 30-40 minutes. Take
care that it does not dry up: if it looks too dry add a little more
mayonnaise, and serve.

Created especially for Gillian’s Food History blog by < a href="http://www.suzs-space.com/showproductlist.asp?cat=1&sub=6&subsub=6551">Suzie of Suz’s
Space, your home for preloved books.

I’ve found out why I lost those missing days. No need to send out a search party. Whatever virus it is that I was avoiding acknowledging has resolved itself into a nicely hollow cough. I’m thinking of applying for acting jobs in horror movies that require nicely hollow coughs.

Fortunately, I’m prepared for this, now I realise I’m not well – when I was much more unwell I kept blogging, so this time I have emergency posts at the ready. Tomorrow and the day after, my sister will tell you all about the books she refuses to give me. I particularly covet the Dr Who Cookbook, so watch out for those posts.

Tonight I want to give you a little something from Captain Francis McClintock’s “The Voyage of the ‘Fox’” before I put it away. It’s only a little book, but very evocative. I found myself yearning to write a novel set on a ship caught in the winter ice, drifting towards freedom. Then I realized that if potatoes were a treat after that winter, then maybe I wouldn’t really enjoy getting too far into the travel spirit. Still, it’s an amazing book.

What I love about it particularly is that McClintock explains food. I’ve already mentioned this, I know, but you need to hear about page 62. In fact, let me give you an extract, because McClintock is a better writer than I am, and besides, he was there. I may be getting older, but I was simply not around in the 1850s.

“Petersen saw and fired a shot into a narwhal, which brought the blubber out. When most Arctic creatures are wounded in the water, blubber more frequently than blood appears, particularly if the wound is superficial – it spreads over the surface of the water like oil. Bills of fare vary much, even in Greenland. I have inquired of Petersen, and he tells me that the Greenland Esquimaux (there are many Greenlanders of Danish origin) are not agreed as to which of their animals affords the most delicious food; some of them prefer reindeer venison, others think more favourably of young dog, the flesh of which, he asserts, is “just like the beef of sheep.” He says a Danish captain, who had acquired the taste, provided some for his guests, and they praised his mutton! After dinner he sent for the skin of the animal, which was no other than a large red dog!”

McClintock, later in the journey, was hungry enough to eat blubber. He was never hungry enough to eat dog, or if he did, he didn’t chronicle it.

I’m sorry I haven’t been blogging properly this week. I think I might have three-year-itis. Either that or I’m just in peak teaching period and need more moments out than I suspected.

I have found some cool stuff from the expedition that went to find the Franklin Expedition, a century and a half ago. I know more about how to achieve drift in an icebound ship than I ever thought I would know, as well, but I’m not going to blog about that. Nor am I going to write about the Finding Franklin expedition tonight. Soon, though. I just need to find some energy from somewhere.

I had energy earlier in the day, but that got eaten up by radio interviews. Australia is suddenly fascinated with the non-American aspects of Halloween and I am the port fo call for a whole bunch of radio stations who want to ask questions about it. It’s a good reason for you getting excuses today, rather than a proper post. It doesn’t explain there being no post yesterday, though. Yesterday I taught and taught and taught and when I got home I said to myself “I’ll just lie down for an hour.” Obviously I needed sleep…

There are still a few hours to get comments in if you want this week’s prize. I’ve decided that anyone who is eligible for this week’s prize is also eligible (depending on postage rates) for the grand prize at the end. I haven’t made up my mind what the grand prize is yet, and I am open to bribes or even just suggestions if any of the prizes I’ve mentioned but haven’t yet offered appeal to you in particular.

If you don’t want a copy of the Conflux program book, then it’s because you don’t know what it is. It is mostly interviews with people, and snippets about the Roaring twenties, and short stories. Since you may not have known that and you might have thought that it was something much duller, I’ll give you till tomorrow morning to comment. This is especially fair since I have skipped some blogged recently, due to the exigencies of life (that phrase covers a multitude of sins, including overwork).

I’ll do my best to get back to normal as quickly as possible. I managed fine (well, it wasn’t fine at this end, but I managed) when I had the major illness – now I am convalescing, things are much harder. This is one of life’s mysteries. I’m sorry about it though. I didn’t mean to not blog.

Last night I taught a bunch of stuff about Medieval cosmology and its effects. What has this to do with food history? Well, people in Western Europe in the Middle Ages saw reality as stuffed full of different beings who did interesting things. Some of them were motive forces in the universe (pushed planets around, for instance) and some interacted with human beings. Some got up to mischief, and some deputized for God. It was a rich landscape.

It was my turn to bring food for the mid-class break, so I chose a recipe called “angel’s food” because I thought it made sense, to eat Angel’s food if we were talking about angels.

What did people think angels ate? I’m so glad you asked. It’s basically a dip, made with cream cheese (I used ricotta), orange blossom water and honey. I do the whole thing by taste rather than using set quantities of an ingredient. The trick with this (which I quite forgot last night) is to make sure you taste it at the same temperature you’re serving it. My dish was perfectly angelic when I tasted it, just out of the refrigerator, but two hours later the orange blossom overpowered it a little.

What I like about the recipe is that it reminds me that the universe was considered to be quite a bit more crowded in the Middle Ages than now. Our lives are more lonely without all those intelligent beings around. Food is a good remedy for loneliness, I find, and Angel’s Food is obviously the perfect solution all round.

You can find the recipe (both in the original and translated) in Barbara Santich’s book, The Original Mediterranean Cuisine.

Today is another day for giveaways. Just like last week, they will be open to anyone who comments on a post of mine between now and Monday, North American time.

Today I have three copies of the Conflux program book (which has three short stories, plus a bunch of other cool writings) and, for each copy, a recipe. The recipe may be from the fifteenth century, the seventeenth or from some other time period entirely – it will be a surprise. I’m happy to make it a surprise that meets dietary restrictions, though, so make sure you put foods you can’t eat or won’t eat in your comment!

My life is more about magic this week than about food history, though I have put some severe contemplation into possible themes for next year’s Conflux banquet. I still tell people that it will be three courses with all dishes set in aspic, but aspic is a terrible thing to do to a nice ice cream, so it won’t be that at all.

Several people have asked me to do an Elizabethan dinner. The food would be terrific and it’s something that would be great fun to plan. The problem I have with it, however, is the costuming: it will be too hard for anyone but the most dedicated. If any of you can suggest a theme that includes Elizabethan food but offers more and simpler costume choices, I’d be very interested in hearing. I have some fine late sixteenth century recipes that I so want to play around with.

All I can say right now is that the theme will have something to do with secrets or conspiracies. And that I’m open to suggestions over the next two weeks. After that I put my thoughts to the committee and lo, we have a theme. Then the menu design and testing begins.

Don’t you love the olden days? The days when coconut was considered an exotic ingredient and put into everything? On top of that it was often spelt cocoanut? In fact, I do recall my Nana saying coconut with 4 syllables co-co-a-nut.

Cocoanut Puffs

Mix two cups RED RIDING HOOD Cocoanut with one cup powdered sugar, the beaten whites of two eggs and two tablespoonfulls of flour. Place on buttered tins and bake quickly.

Cocoanut Crumb Custard

INGREDIENTS:- 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs, 1 tablespoon dessicated cocoanut, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon butter, 2 eggs, 1 1/2 cups hot milk, pinch salt, few drops vanilla essence, grated nutmeg.
METHOD.- Combine beaten eggs, salt, sugar, crumbs, cocoanut, vanilla, milk and butter. Pour into buttered pyrex dish, sprinkle with grated nutmeg and bake slowly in a dish with water until set.

Cocoanut Curry

Meat, stock, curry powder, salt and apple. Mince meat and add with enough stock seasoned to taste, cut up an apple small and gently simmer together with a dessertspoonful of good pungent curry powder and two heaped tablespoonfulls of EXCELSIOR COCOANUT. Always add enough salt and a little vinegar. Serve either alone, with rice in a separate dish, or place in centre with rice round. Curry should never be made without cocoanut.

I don’t think I’ll ever see it again without hearing Nan’s voice in my head now. Really.

There is a smudgy recipe for Black Boys (that appear to be round lamingtons with plenty of cocoanut) which I’m pretty sure would be renamed for today’s press. As I’m sure Kidney Potato Cakes (which are actually a sweet), Jap Cakes, and Paper Bags would be. And here’s a hip one from the newspaper:

A Special Cake for the Kiddies
REQUIRED:
Half a pound of “Frenlite” flour
One ounce Bird’s Custard Powder
Two ounces of margarine
Two tablespoonfuls of marmalade
Two heaped teaspoonfuls of Burwick’s baking powder
A little lemon flavouring or lime-juice cordial
About half a teacupful of household milk
Mix together the flour, custard powder and baking pwder. Rub in the margarine lightly, warm the marmalade slightly, add it and the lemon flavouring to the dry ingrediants. Add as much milk as is required to make the mixture moist enough to drop heavily from the spoon, then pour into a well greased tin and bake in a moderate oven (Regulo 5, Electric 400 degrees) for about an hour. Place on a sieve to cool.

Yum. Well, at least it didn’t have cocoanut in it.

I like the title “Etceteras For The Christmas Table”. If I used that term now, my kids would wonder what on earth I was talking about - but I still remember that usage of the word. In this case the Etceteras refer to: Mince Meat Layer Pies, Devilled Almonds, Suger (sp.) Nuts, Nut Mincemeat, Glazed Fruit and Nuts and Refrigerator Fruit cake if you were wondering.

And then there’s Girdle Cookery. Is it bad that I giggle looking in this section? In my head Girdle cookery should be the recipes without 3 pounds of butter, sugar, and dripping. I know that the word Girdle is still used, but it confuses me. I want to yell “Griddle, griddle, griddle!” but even now, I’ve said it so many times that it too has lost all meaning.

Rice Girdle Scones

INGREDIENTS: I cup boiled warm rice, I cup milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 cup self-raising flour, 2 eggs, 1 tablespoon melted butter.

Method: Beat the egg yolks, add milk, salt, warmed drained rice, melted butter, and sifted flour. Mix evenly and then fold in the stiffly whisked egg whites. Place spoonsful of the mixture on hot greased girdle and cook till evenly browned underneath. When surface is puffed and full of bubbles and edges appear cooked turn each cake and brown tghe second side. Serve hot with butter, maple, mock maple, or golden syrup or honey.

Luncheon Girdle Scones

INDREDIANTS: Cold cooked rolled oats porridge, self raising flour as required.

Method: Work as much sifted slef raising flour into the cold rolled oats porridge as will enable it to be rolled out about an inch in thickness. Cut mixture into triangles, place on hot, greased girdle and cook till both sides are evenly brown, turning the scones once. Split and serve hot, after spreading with butter.

Finally, I have to wonder if there is a future for food named for the Royal family? Prince Harry Cake? King William Biscuits? Not so much.

Prince of Wales Cakes

Quarter pound of this Self Raising Flour, quarter pound butter, vanilla, half small cup milk, quarter pound cornflour, 3 ozs. sugar, 1 egg. Sift flour and cornflour on to a plate or paper, beat butter and sugar to a cream, add beaten egg and essence, stir in flour and mix gradually and alternately, half fill greased patty tins and bake 10 minutes.

I wonder if Prince Charles has them for his birthday?

Don’t forget to comment in order to win one of my amazing prizes (for a particularly interesting subset of amazing). While I wait for you to comment, here’s some more from Alyson and her cookbook.

Our Lady of the Op Shop Cookbook has become quite the shadowy figure in my subconcious. Last night she kept me from sleep, you know, like those movie detectives who have something niggling away at them that they know will crack the case….but with sleep drool and unattractive sheet creases and without the mood music. Clearly, I have way too much time on my hands. As I’ve mentioned previously the lack of food spattered pages perturbs me, as does the neat contained handwriting. But that wasn’t it. Was it the fact that she uses Epsom Salts in a drink recipe?

FIFTY-FIFTY DRINK

3 Lemons - 3 Oranges - 4lbs sugar - 1/2 0z. citric acid - 1 oz tartaric acid - 3/4 pkt Epsom Salts - 3 pints boiling water

Put all ingrediants into a basin with grated rind and juice of fruit. Pour 3 pints of boiling water over all. Stir well and when cold, strain and bottle.

Smaller quantity
2 lemons-2 oranges-2lbs sugar-1 oz citric acid - 2 pints boiling water.

Perhaps it bugs me that there is a separate typed (and very aged) collection of recipes inside the back cover held together with an old brass y pin.

“COMMONWEALTH DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH.
NUTRITION SERVICES.

PUDDINGS, SWEETS and DESSERTS FOR TODDLERS.”

And yet there is not a scribble, nor a smudge from tiny toddler fingers through the whole book.

No, I think what bothers me most, the greatest mystery for me is the low ratio of handwritten recipes to cut and pasted ones. I would make it one to ten. Does that seem strange to you?
Except for the recipe from Aunty Leah, there are no annotations on her other handwritten recipes except to correct quantities. Where did she get her handwritten recipes from, and why did she like them enough to jot them in?

CANADIAN TEA CAKE

One heaped cup mixed fruit. One cup brown sugar. 1 cup water. 1 tablespoon dripping. Boil five minutes. Sift together one cup flour (amended to 11/2 cups flour) 1/2 teaspoon following nutmeg, cinnamon, mixed spice, bicarb soda, pinch salt.

Make well in dry ingrediants Add boiled mixture when cool.
Bake in mod. oven 1/2 hour.

L. O. G. Jam

1 Lemon. 1 Orange. 1 Grapefruit.
Slice, cover with 9 cups water. Stand over night.
Bring to boil gradually. Simmer till tender. Add 9 (nine) cups sugar. Boil about 40 min. till jells.

It’s a simple lesson for all of us: when you like a recipe enough to copy it into your personal recipe book, remember to note where the idea came from, and why you liked it.

Enquiring future generations may like to know.

You think you know someone from studying something they once owned and loved, as though their personality, thoughts and feelings leeched onto the pages of a cookbook while they handwrote their recipes in. In reality, it’s all a guess - take my own handwritten recipe book. Now give it back! I can’t live without it!

Seriously though, it shows my interests, my evolution from a faddish, shortcut cook with no kids, responsibilites and time to peruse magazines to a shortcut cook with, OK, with very bad shorthand and the ability to reduce a recipe to 5 sentences whilst on the phone and pulling fighting children apart at the same time. The better recipes have food stuck on the pages; the lesser used pages have simply stuck together over time. Come to think of it, perhaps they are less used BECAUSE the pages stuck together (Note to self: investigate stuck together pages).

There are few things I can surmise about the lady who spent at least 20 years writing what is now my op-shop cookbook. She has a sweet tooth, going by the overwhelming amount of desserts and baking recipes she has clipped and stuck under various euphemistic titles. She enjoyed baking, indicated by the small pencil cross consistently marking almost every baking recipe in her book. The lady liked her cheese: she has an entire chapter dedicated to cheese recipes, many of which are printed slips that came from the packets of Maxam Cheese:

GUARANTEE TICKET
We guarantee this package to contain
8 ozs. of choicest cheese

MAXAM CHEESE JELLY ICE BOX RECIPE
1/2 cup Butter
4 ozs. Maxam Cheese
1/2 teaspoon Salt
2 tablespoons Gran. Sugar
1 tablespoon Cream
1 Cup Flour

Method: Cream butter and cheese together. Add the sugar, cream, salt, and flour, and mix well.
Chill in ice box over night, then roll out thin on a floured board. Cut into squares. Fill centre with tart jelly or with sugar, cinnamon and chopped nuts. Fold over corners. Bake in a moderate oven 12 minutes, temperature 325. Take out of ice box only enough dough to work with at one time.
MAXAM CHEESE PRODUCTS

Very possibly, our lady had an ill person in her family she didn’t like much as under her ‘Invalid Cookery’ chapter she has three recipes: Scalloped Brains, Eggs Poached in Milk and Stewed Oysters. On the other hand, my father would say she liked her sick person very, very much. It’s a contentious issue.

She was a practical person as she reinforced the index letters down the edge of the pages with cloth tape on the back. Also, she probably (and cleverly) cooked with her recipe book resting on a clean surface, like the kitchen table, because there is not a smudge of food, nor a spot of grease throughout the ENTIRE BOOK! Clearly, I find that unbelievable. And worrying.

Finally, I can say with some certainty, that the lady of the op shop cookbook had an Aunty Leah, as shown by the handwritten receipt:

Nut Loaf (Aunty Leah’s)

1/2 cup sugar
2 cups S.R. Flour
1 egg
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon butter

Beat butter and sugar to a cream. Add eggs, beat well. Stir in flour. Add milk and nuts. Half fill greased nut loaf tins with mixture and bake 1/2 hour in a slow oven.

ALYSON HILL is a mad, crazy woman. She really likes writing, op shops,food and cooking, especially when it has shortcuts and interchangeable ingrediants. She has a short attention span which her blog, hopefully, benefits from: Laugh in the Sun.

Today, one of my special guest posts (and tomorrow, too - in fact, I have a short series for this one - just keep on reading to see why - Alyson’s writing is addictive).

I asked Alyson for a couple of lines about herself and this is what she gave me (she is modest and I had to rip it from her): ALYSON HILL is a mad, crazy woman. She really likes writing, op shops,food and cooking, especially when it has shortcuts and interchangeable ingrediants. She has a short attention span which her blog, hopefully, benefits from: Laugh in the Sun.

Op Shop Cookbook

It was a gift from my parents, although both claim it was ‘their’ idea. Dad says he was drawn to the brown tape binding incongrously standing tall on the bookshelf in the Salvo’s store, and Mum said it reminded her of the ledgers she used to work with in the public service over 40 years ago. No matter, someone bought an index book sometime in the last 60 something years and painstakingly cut and pasted -in the old sense of the word- recipes from magazines and newspapers of the time. They entered recipes from CWA meetings, neighbours and letters from friends in neat handwriting, using a fountain pen. It may once have been black ink, but has faded to grey and in some cases brown.

The lady who made this book was methodical, organised, possibly anal retentive and efficient. She indexed her index book with her own headings inside the front cover. She pencil marked recipes that she had tried and/or liked with a small cross in the corner (chocolate crackles, Ginger Fingers, Oat cakes); two if it was good (Date Nut Slices, Apple Shortcake, Coconut Loaf). She did NOT splash food on her pages and there are NO grease marks that make the paper go shiny and almost see through like in my personal recipe books, but perhaps that says more about me than it does about her.

It is tricky to accurately date the book, but there are references to a King, alive and well, socialising with his Queen written in much the same tones as modern references to Brad and Angelina, sad to say. The English King died in 1952, so it’s a good guess that the book originated as early as the late 1940’s. This recipe, cut from a newspaper , supports the possibility. It is under ‘C’ for ‘Cooking Without Eggs’ and reading between the lines, smacks of the deprivation I’ve heard older relatives talking about.

An Eggless Cake.
There’s nothing nicer than a good fruit cake for Christmas, even if it’s not quite so rich as in pre-war days.

REQUIRED:

One pound of “Frenlite” Flour.
Six ounces of margarine or drippings.
Six ounces of dates or figs or sultanas.
Candied peel, if possible.
One small teaspoonful of bicarbonate of soda.
One tablespoonful of Sarson’s vinegar.
Rind and juice of an orange (or lime juice).
A little milk or fruit juice.

Rub the margarine lightly into the flour, then add the chopped fruit peel, and grated rind and juice of the orange. Dissolve the soda in a little milk, and add it with enough milk to form a stiff mixture. Lastly add the vinegar and mix all well together. Put the mixture into a well-greased tin and bake in a moderate oven (Regulo 5, Electric 400 degrees) for about one nd a half hours. Let it cool slightly in the tin before turning out.

From a later less deprived article, also under ‘Cooking Without Eggs’:

Syrup Spiced Cake

INGREDIENTS: 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons golden syrup, 1 cup sultanas, 2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon powdered cinnamon, 1 teaspoon carbonate of soda, pinch of salt, 1/4 cup chopped peel, 1/2 cup soured milk (or fresh mild with few drops of lemon juice).

Method:- Sift the flour, cinnamon, salt, and sugar, and rub in the butter. Add chopped peel, sultanas, warmed syrup and stir in the soda dissolved in the milk. Mix thoroughly and bake in buttered cake pan in moderately hot oven for 3/4 to 1 hour. Brush surface with melted butter and sprinkle while hot with a tablespoon castor sugar sifted with 1/2 teaspoon powdered cinnamon.

Today my thoughts turn to poison.

A surprising amount of the food we eat contains toxins. We treat the food to make it palatable. When people explain this to me they often had in folk history to explain that it’s OK to eat it, really. Different stories for different foodstuffs.

The food near me now is a bag of cashews, and one does not eat cashews without treatment. If you get the right bag of cashews you can taste just a little of the remnant of the toxin.

What interests me today is not the stories that people make up to explain how these foods were discovered as foods and not as evil stuff that may not be touched (mainly because I can’t recall any of the stories). We add stories to our foodstuff the way we add stories to the history of the words we use. Everything becomes a narrative. It’s part of the fabulousness of human existence.

What is sparking my interest today is that there are just as many foodstuffs that contain toxins (mild or otherwise) in their natural state that we totally ignore. Acorns, for instance. Food for pigs, I’m told. But wash them in the right way and apparently they can be ground into perfectly delightful flour.

To find out why acorns were rejected and cashews accepted as fit for human consumption I would have to travel the paths for each of them. There is no general rule for these things. It’s interesting, though, that each and every ingredient we have before us today (or not, as is the case with acorns) has a multitude of paths that has brought it to its current place in our diet.

Today is the first of the blogiversary prizes. I thought I’d give you until Monday to put your email down for this one, because long weekends are vastly desirable. Everyone who gets sent something in the post will also get a copy (thanks to the wonderful Karen Herkes, Chair of Conflux) a special copy of one of the Conflux Committee’s favourite drink recipes, featuring the Conflux art by Jane Virgo.

So, what is the first thing I’m giving away? One of the picnic cloths, I think. It’s just big enough to fit a sandwich, and the material is a nice cotton. I have several (hand sewn by me – this is maybe not something I should admit to, given my writing skills are definitely superior to my sewing) and they each reflect different decades. With the cloth I’ll include a picnic-worthy recipe from that period.

To win this strange and unique object, all you have to do is say something (preferably polite) in the comments to this post. You have until Monday morning, US time.

I won’t send anyone their winnings immediately – I intend to make a little collection and cause the lady at the post office one period of large chaos rather than many of small, but I shall select a name from a hat (or maybe a cooking receptacle) and email the winner and get an address. This is how you know to wait, anxiously, by your letterbox.

This one is open to anyone with a postable address. Anywhere in the world, basically. I might not be able to do this with heavy items. If you get more than one of my celebratory gifts then I’ll send them all at once. OK, so it’s not just about the lady at the post office – it’s also about getting you fabulously interesting packages.

PS My spellchecker tells me that ‘postable’ isn’t a word. Please do not take this as an omen. Comment on this entry and a killer sandwich wrap could be yours. Unique. Strange. And vaguely historical.

PPS If the picture works then I have solved some technical issues - it’s one of the lovely ones Trudi made me. Thank you, Trudi!

Today, a guest post with a difference, hopefully the first of several.

My sister keeps an eye open for books for me, since she has an intimate acquaintance with books herself. Sometimes, I fall in love with a book and she says “Sorry, this one’s mine.” Sometimes she says “Sorry, this one’s mine” before I even get to see the book. I asked her if she would talk about this a little. There was one book in particular that sparked it – she’ll reach that when she’s ready. In the meantime, here’s the first of her guest posts. Tomorrow, I’ll talk about the first blogiversary giveaway.

“There are few books I couldn’t possibly give to my sister. I know she blogs on Food History and so I’ve passed many cookbooks to her over the years. She’s been blogging about the boxful I managed to get for her through Freecycle. Unfortunately for her, there are a handful of books I can’t possibly gift her. I have four in mind at present and here is the first one.

Although these creations have no cavity in the middle lined with crystals, the name geode still seems appropriate, for when this giant layered truffle is cut in half, it looks like some of those handsome rocks. You can make a huge geode 5 to 6 inches in diameter, or several smaller 2- to 3-inch ones. You can even place a chocolate cordial in the middle if you wish. These make splendid gifts.

Yields 2 large or several smaller

Ingredients
1 recipe Chocolate Truffles (found on page 147 of this wonderfully
decadent book)
12 ounces white chocolate, grated
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons boiling water, approximately Confectioners’ sugar as needed. Semisweet, bittersweet, or couverture chocolate, melted and cooled slightly Cocoa powder

1. Have the chocolate truffle mixture cooling in the refrigerator.

2. Place the white chocolate in a pan over hot water. Add the boiling water to the chocolate and whisk over heat until the mixture is perfectly smooth.

3. Continue beating the white chocolate until it thickens somewhat, then leave it to cool at room temperature. You should have both chocolate mixtures at the same packing and firming consistency. (Do not refrigerate the white chocolate as it will harden too much.) If necessary, add a little confectioners’ sugar to solidify the white chocolate.

4 To make 2 large geodes, form 1 white and 1 brown ball, each 1 inch in diameter. Wrap the white ball in some brown truffle mixure and place in the freezer; wrap the brown ball in white chocolate. Continue building each truffle with layers of alternating colors, smoothing each layer as much as possible and occasionally placing the balls in the freezer to solidify. When the mixtures are used up, place the geodes in the freezer to harden.

5. To make smaller geodes, form several balls of alternating colors and build them up, but with fewer layers. Chill.

6. Brush geodes with melted chocolate and roll in cocoa. Wrap and refrigerate at least 1 day.

7. To serve, slice the large geodes in half and place them on a platter; each guest cuts a wedged portion for himself. Place smaller geodes on a platter for individual and halved portions.

Created especially for Gillian’s Food History blog by Suzie of Suz’s Space, your home for preloved books.”

I promised a new picture for my blog. Someone (who shall remain nameless) was tired of my moustache cup jokes.

I have some really lovely pictures of dried fruit, courtesy the amazingly talented Trudi (I’ve had them for a while, but there were uploading hiccups) and shall introduce them gradually over the next few months, but today I’m giving you a photo that is as uncheerful as I could manage (I’m perfectly happy, in case you were worried, but I do love this statue). It has no relation to food history, but fits what I’m doing this weekend.

The statue bears no relation to what’s happening on this blog over the next few weeks, either. As I promised, there will be giveaways – not quite the ones I promised, because none of you expressed an enthusiasm for one element above another, so I’ll offer you the one I feel like on a given day. You won’t know what is coming, basically (the price of being silent) or if the next one will be bigger and more exciting than the last. They’re all cool, and if you want to put yourself down for more than one gift, feel free – I’ll post them all at the end of the anniversary-celebration period and all that will happen is you’ll get a bigger parcel if you win more than one item.

I have a little free calendar (I love firms that offer freebies like this!) so that everyone can have something. At the end of the prize season, everyone who has put their name in and given me a valid email will get a copy, so that no-one misses out completely.

The best thing of all? I have some guest posts for you. Also, I’ve been doing a little research, so we’re back to meatier posts, in between the guest posts and the giveaways. October and November are going to be fun!!