Fresh parsley is almost a staple at my house. I generally have a bundle of parsley in a supermarket plastic produce bag in my refrigerator. For the first few days it looks great, and then it gradually begins to wilt, and looks sadder and sadder. Often, when making a dish that calls for parsley, I select the best stems of parsley, and then eventually end up discarding much of the bunch. So, I was pleased to discover a tip for keeping parsley fresh in a hundred-year-old magazine.
Source: Good Housekeeping (November, 1926)
The century-old tip calls for washing the parsley in cold water, then letting it stand in the water for an hour or so if it is slightly wilted. The water is then shaken off, and the parsley is stored in a glass jar with a lid in the icebox (or, in today’s terminology, the refrigerator).
I was curious how modern experts recommend storing parsley, so did an online search. Some of methods are similar to the hundred-year-old recommendation, but not exactly the same. For example, Martha Stewart recommends three different ways to store parsley:
Wash and dry the parsley, then put an inch or so of water in a glass jar. Place the parsley stems in the water (like a flower bouquet). The parsley in the jar can be covered loosely with a plastic bag. Store in refrigerator and change the water every few days.
Wrap washed parsley in damp paper towels and put into a resealable plastic bag or other container. Store in refrigerator.
Chop parsley and freeze in ice cube trays. The parsley in the trays should be covered with olive oil or water before freezing.
Cherry tomatoes are colorful, vibrant, and zesty. So, when I saw a hundred-year-old recipe for a cherry tomato salad, I decided to give it a try.
Novel Tomato Salad (Cherry Tomato Salad) made an attractive presentation, and was tasty. Yellow and red cherry tomatoes are arranged on a bed of lettuce and then topped with a vinaigrette-style dressing.
The recipe called for peeling the cherry tomatoes. A hundred-years-ago tomatoes were often peeled, but, since they are almost never peeled today, I considered skipping that step. However, in the end, I decided to follow the old recipe’s instructions, and peeled the tomatoes. The peeling was a little tedious– but after peeling the first 2 or 3 tomatoes, I got the hang of it, and the rest went quickly.
The salad made a nice presentation and was tasty. The peeling of the tomatoes affected both the look of the salad and the texture. The peeled cherry tomatoes were soft and juicy without the usual firmness of the skins. The tomatoes looked lovely arranged in the bowl, but had a soft, textured look rather then their usual shiny waxy skin. Also, the peeled cherry tomatoes soaked up more of the dressing which added additional flavor.
Here’s the original recipe:
Source: The New Winston Cook Book of Guaranteed Recipes (1926)
When I arranged the cherry tomatoes, in order to make a circle of red cherry tomatoes around the yellow ones, I needed more red tomatoes than yellow ones. When I updated the recipe, I increased the amount of red tomatoes to 1 1/2 cups, but this is a very flexible recipe, and the the number of cherry tomatoes needed of each color will vary greatly based on the size of the bowl and size of the tomatoes.
I’ve made several recipes this year which called for French Dressing. As I’ve previously indicated, a hundred years ago, French Dressing was a vinaigrette dressing, and quite different from the commercial, orange-colored French dressing that is common today. Here is the French Dressing recipe in the cookbook which contained the Novel Tomato Salad (Cherry Tomato Salad) recipe:
Source: The New Winston Cook Book of Guaranteed Recipes (1926)
heart leaves of iceberg lettuce (or use the leaves of another type of lettuce)
1 clove garlic
parsley, for garnish
Step 1. Put water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Put a few tomatoes at a time into the boiling water, scald for 15-30 seconds. Remove from water and peel the loosened skins from the tomatoes.
Step 2. Put the peeled tomatoes in the French dressing (see recipe below). Put tomatoes in refrigerator to chill and marinate for at least 30 minutes.
Step 3. Peel garlic and cut in half, then rub serving bowl with the garlic.
Step 4. Line bowl with lettuce, then put the peeled yellow tomatoes in the center and the red tomatoes around the yellow ones. If desired, sprinkle with additional French dressing.
Step 5. Garnish with springs of parsley.
French Dressing (Vinaigrette Dressing)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
Step 1. Put the salt and paprika in a small bowl.
Step 2. Gradually add the olive oil while stirring constantly.
Step 3. Then slowly add the vinegar, a small amount at a time, while continuing to stir.
A 1926 advertisement for Morton’s Salt described how iodized salt helped ensure the mental and physical health of children. The information in the advertisement was based on discoveries made a few years earlier. Iodine deficiency is a leading cause of preventable developmental and intellectual disabilities, as well as a cause of goiters, which is an enlargement of the thyroid gland.
In the early 20th century, a Swiss doctor discovered that a very small amount of iodine could prevent goiters. It was also found that salt was an effective way to distribute iodine. Salt does not spoil, and iodine in salt remains relatively stable when stored or heated. Since very little iodine needs to be added to the salt, it was a cost effective way to prevent disabilities and goiters caused by lack of iodine. Switzerland was the first country to put iodine in salt.
Soon, there was interest in adding iodine to salt in the U.S. In 1924, the Morton Salt Company began offering an iodized salt.
Usually when I select hundred-year-old recipes to make, I choose recipes that I think look tasty. However, occasionally I’m intrigued by a recipe that seems unusual or unique, and decide to give it a try. This is one of those times.
I had an eggplant and wanted to make a recipe that would use it. I came across a recipe for Eggplant with Cheese on Toast in a 1926 issue of American Cookery magazine. It was very different from any eggplant recipe that I had ever seen – though I got the impression that the magazine editor really liked the recipe because the magazine included a grainy photo of the dish while most recipes did not have photos. In any case, I decided to give it a try.
The recipe called for cooking strips of eggplant, and then adding them to a sauce that included lemon juice and nutmeg. The sauce was then put on toast points to serve, and topped with cheese and a sprinkle of paprika, which made an appealing, interesting presentation.
The eggplant mixture and cheese were delightful toast toppers. I was pleasantly surprised by how tasty the Eggplant with Cheese on Toast was – though the lemon was the predominant flavor.
Here is the original recipe:
Source: American Cookery (October, 1926)
I cut bread slices into points prior to toasting, and then toasted them in a toaster oven after they had been cut – but, they could be toasted prior to cutting. Or, whole slices of bread could be used, rather than making toast points.
Step 1. Peel eggplant, then cut into half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Cut the eggplant into strips approximately 1/2 inch-wide. (If the eggplant is particularly long, cut the eggplant halves into half to make the strips a more manageable length.)
Step 2. Put water with a small amount of salt into a saucepan; bring to a boil then add the eggplant strips. Reduce heat and simmer until the eggplant is tender. Remove from heat and drain.
Step 3. In the meantime, melt the butter in a saucepan, then stir in the salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Gradually, add the 1 cup water while stirring constantly. Continue stirring until the sauce thickens, then stir in the lemon juice.
Step 4. Put the cooked eggplant strips into the sauce and gently stir the mixture.
Step 5. If desired, in the meantime, cut slices of bread into points. For each serving, stack 3 slices of bread on top of each other and then cut from one side to the other, starting at one corner and going to the center of the other side. Then toast the toast points in a toaster oven or under the broiler. (Disregard this step if whole slices of bread are used, and instead just toast the bread.)
Step 6. To serve: Arrange the toast points (use 3 per serving) or the toast slices on plates. Top with the eggplant mixture, then sprinkle with grated cheese and paprika.
Times were a-changing and things were quickly modernizing. By 1926, many families, especially in the larger towns and cities, had electricity; and, electric refrigerators were quickly replacing the ice boxes which had been considered “modern” earlier in the 20th century.
Frigidaire refrigerators were so popular that people often just referred to their “Frigidaire.” The use of the term “Frigidaire” to generically refer to any refrigerator continued well into the middle years of the 20th century. I can remember my mother saying things like, “Get the food out of the Frigidaire.”
It is also fascinating how modern the woman’s outfit looks in the advertisement. Just a few years earlier, her dress would have been much longer and would have covered her ankles.
When I was a child, Peach Ice Cream was a favorite on hot sunny days. The sweetness of the ice cream combined with the refreshing tartness of the peaches always hit the spot during the dog days of summer. So, when I saw a hundred-year-old recipe for Peach Ice Cream, I decided to give it a try.
This Peach Ice Cream recipe is a winner. The ice cream was easy to make, and it had a lovely peach flavor. It tasted just like I remember, and made a recent hot day seem just a little cooler.
Here is the original recipe:
Source: The New Winston Cook Book of Guaranteed Recipes (1926)
I used a small automatic electric ice cream maker to make this recipe, so I halved the recipe when I updated it. If a large ice cream freezer is used, the amounts in the original recipe should be used.
I was concerned that the peach slices might discolor and begin to turn brownish while they sat after the sugar was added; so, even though the recipe didn’t call for it, I also stirred in a little lemon juice.
Step 1. Put peach slices, sugar, and lemon juice in a bowl; stir to mix ingredients. Let sit for 1/2 hour – 1 hour.
Step 2. Thoroughly mash the peaches. A potato masher can be used to mash the peaches into very small pieces, or the peaches can be briefly pulsed in a blender or food processor. (There should not be large peach chunks or they will harden like ice cubes in the ice cream; conversely, the peaches should not be totally liquified.)
Step 3. Put the mashed peach mixture and the half and half in a bowl; stir to combine. Thoroughly chill the mixture in the refrigerator.
Step 4. Put the chilled mixture in ice cream freezer, and freeze following freezer directions.
The number of cars in the U.S. rapidly increased during the 1920’s. By 1926, almost half of the households owned a car, and people were enjoying the freedom that it provided. A popular leisure activity was to have a motor car picnic. People packed elaborate meals into picnic hampers, and then drove to scenic spots for a picnic.
Motor car picnics were the latest fad at the time. I recently was surprised to see information about them in two different 1926 magazines. American Cookery had a menu for a motor car lunch basket, and Good Housekeeping had an article about equipment needed for picnics that contained a photo of a family enjoying a picnic with an auto in the background.
Source: American Cookery (October, 1926)
When I read the menu for the motor car lunch basket, I felt exhausted. It must have taken a lot of work for the cook to prepare all the food and other items needed for the picnic.
