Category: Food

Old-Fashioned Chicken Curry (Recipe 2)

 

Chicken Curry on plate

I was surprised to find a Chicken Curry recipe in a hundred-year-old St. Paul, Minnesota church cookbook compiled by the Sisters of St. Joseph. Chicken Curry is a traditional Indian dish, and I would not have expected it to be commonly made in the U.S. in 1925. But, maybe one of Sisters had been a missionary in India, or maybe I just did not realize how small the world already was becoming.

The Chicken Curry was lovely and had a very nice sauce.

Here’s the original recipe:

Chicken Curry Recipe
Source: Diamond Jubilee Recipes Compiled by the Sisters of Saint Joseph (St. Paul MN, 1925)

Two teaspoons of salt seemed like a lot, so when I updated the recipe, I changed it to 1 teaspoon.

The recipe called for covering the chicken with water and then thickening with flour. When I made this recipe I had a lot of broth, so a measured out 2 cups of broth and only thickened that amount.

The original recipe called for a whole chicken that was cut into pieces. These days rather than selling chicken parts for the entire chicken, they are often sold by the particular type (thigh, breast, leg), so when I made this recipe I decided to use chicken thighs.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Chicken Curry

  • Servings: 4 - 5
  • Difficulty: moderate
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1 3-lb. chicken cut into pieces (or 3 pounds of chicken pieces) – I used thighs.

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon curry powder

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup flour

water

Put vegetable oil in skillet and heat using medium heat. When hot, add the chicken pieces; cook for 10 minutes. Turn the pieces of chicken. Make a space at one side of the skillet and add the onion slices. Cook for another 10 minutes.

In the meantime, combine vinegar, salt, curry powder and 1 cup water in a small bowl. Then add to the chicken and onions. Add enough additional water to just barely cover the chicken. Bring to a boil and cover. Cook until the chicken is tender (about an additional 20 minutes).

Remove lid and measure out 2 cups of broth. Set aside.

Melt butter in saucepan then stir in the flour. Gradually add the broth while stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and when the mixture has thickened remove from the heat. Strain the sauce.

To serve, put the chicken pieces on a plate. Top with the sauce. Serve with rice.

Addendum: After this post was published, a reader discovered that I’d previously done a post in 2019 with another Chicken Curry recipe. I added “Recipe 2” to the title of this post.  Not quite sure how I had forgotten doing the original one. In any case, both versions are nice. Here’s the link to the other version:

Old-Fashioned Chicken Curry (Recipe 1)

http://www.ahundredyearsago.com

Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Sticks

oatmeal sticks

When I was recently browsing through the recipes in a hundred-year-old cookbook I saw a recipe for Oatmeal Sticks and was intrigued. Breadsticks are a nice addition to a meal, and I thought that Oatmeal Sticks might be a nice change of pace. When I read the recipe, I was surprised that flour was the main ingredient and that the recipe called for a relatively small amount of oatmeal, but decided to proceed anyway and give it a try. Many breadstick recipes call for yeast, while this recipe was in a cookbook published by the Rumford Baking Powder Company so it called for the use of baking powder.

The Oatmeal Sticks were very rustic and had an artisan look. They were tasty but denser than the typical breadstick and had the texture of a quick bread. I could not tell that the baked Oatmeal Sticks actually contained oatmeal, though it may have contributed to the texture.

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Oatmeal Sticks
Source: Rumford Complete Cook Book (1925)

It took me substantive time to shape the Oatmeal Sticks, and even though I tried to do it very carefully, they were not as smooth as the typical bread stick (which I will again attribute to the use of baking powder rather than yeast).

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Oatmeal Sticks

  • Servings: approximately 18 sticks
  • Difficulty: moderate
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1 1/4 cups milk

1/2 cup oatmeal (I used quick 1-minute oatmeal.)

3 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 cup shortening

Preheat oven to 425◦ F.  Using medium heat, bring milk to a boil, then stir in the oatmeal and turn off heat.

In the meantime, in a mixing bowl combine the flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder, then cut in the shortening. Add the cooked oatmeal and mix until all the ingredients are combined, then put on a prepared surface and knead for a few minutes until the mixture is smooth. Roll into sticks about the length and diameter of a pencil. Place on baking sheets (space about 1 1/2 inches apart). Cover dough that has not yet been made into sticks as well as the sticks that have been shaped while working to prevent them from drying out. Put in oven and bake until lightly browned (about 10 minutes).

http://www.ahundredyearsago.com

Winter Salad Suggestions a Hundred Years Ago

 

Lettuce with Cucumber Sauce on plateA hundred years ago salad options during the winter months were more limited than they are today. Here is what it said in a 1925 cookbook:

Almost every variety of vegetables and fruits may be made into salads. Eggs are used also, as well as many kinds of fish and meat. Vegetable salads are the most common and should therefore receive first consideration.

Naturally, lettuce heads the list. It is more popular because we can get it when other vegetables are almost unobtainable. The round, close heads are more generally used than the long-leaf variety. Curly lettuce, while pretty, is tougher than either of the other two. Lettuce contains little nutriment, but is rich in mineral salts. . .

In winter, when fresh salad plants are hard to obtain, a tomato jelly or salad made from canned or fresh (cooked) string beans, or even from the remains of baked beans seasoned with parsley and onion juice, is economical and satisfying.

Rumford Complete Cook Book (1925)

Old-Fashioned Macaroni with Spinach

Marcaroni with Spinach

Macaroni with Cheese is the ultimate comfort food, but it can get a little boring. So, when I saw a hundred-year-old recipe that called for adding spinach I decided to give it a try.

The Macaroni with Spinach was tasty – though not creamy like most modern Mac and Cheese recipes. It was not creamy because the old recipe did not call for adding any milk. Because of the lack of liquids, I needed to use care when baking this dish to ensure that the macaroni did not dry out and get hard. I covered the baking dish for most of the time it was in the oven and then removed the cover for the last few minutes to crisp the bread crumb topping.

I had some leftovers when I made this recipe which I carefully put in another dish. I added some milk before reheating which helped keep the macaroni moist.

Here is the original recipe:

Macaroni with Spinach
Source: American Cookery (February, 1925)

Spinach cooks down a great deal, but two pounds of fresh spinach seemed like a lot of spinach when the recipe only called for 1/2 pound of macaroni (about 2 cups of dry macaroni). One pound of spinach would be plenty.  When I made this recipe I substituted a 12-ounce bag of frozen spinach for the fresh spinach. I am not sure why the recipe author called for pressing the spinach through a colander after it was cooked. I tried to do this. (Actually, I pressed it through a Foley mill.) I ended up with a small amount of puree and lots of spinach that wouldn’t go through. I ended up finely chopping the spinach that didn’t go through the mesh and stirring it into the puree. This worked fine, but I realized that if I was going to use all the parts of the spinach that I didn’t need to press it through a colander or Foley mill so I revised the recipe to just indicate that the spinach should be finely chopped.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Macaroni with Spinach

  • Servings: 6 - 8
  • Difficulty: moderate
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1 pound fresh spinach (or 1 12-ounce bag frozen chopped spinach)

2 cups macaroni

2 cups grated cheese (I used cheddar.)

approximately 1/2 cup fine breadcrumbs (I grated 1 slice of bread.)

1 tablespoon butter

hard-boiled egg for garnish (optional)

tomato slices for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 375◦ F. Wash spinach then put in a large skillet and sauté using medium heat with just the water that clings to the leaves until it wilts. Remove from heat and finely chop. (Alternatively use frozen chopped spinach that has been thawed.)

In the meantime, cook the macaroni following package instructions.

Also, in a small skillet melt the butter. Add the breadcrumbs and stir. Cook until the bread crumbs are just beginning to brown while stirring occasionally (about two minutes).

To assemble the dish put one half of the cooked macaroni in a baking dish. (An 8 X 8 dish or a 1 1/12 quart dish works well). Then put a layer containing one half of the chopped spinach on top of the macaroni. Next add a layer containing one-half of the grated cheese. Repeat the layers with the remainder of the macaroni, spinach, and cheese. Top with the buttered breadcrumbs.

Cover and put in the oven. Bake until hot (about 30-40 minutes.) Remove the lid for the last 10 minutes so that the breadcrumbs will be crispy.

Remove from oven and (if desired) garnish with hard-boiled egg slices and tomato slices.

http://www.ahundredyearsago.com

Old-Fashioned Cream of Onion and Potato Soup

Cream of Onion and Potato Soup in bowl

Brrr. . . it’s freezing outside, and soup’s the perfect food to warm body and soul. So when I saw a hundred-year-old recipe for Cream of Onion and Potato Soup, I decided to give it a try.

The soup was lovely. It was creamy, comforting, and flavorful.

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Cream of Onion and Potato Soup
Source: American Cookery (November, 1924)

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Cream of Onion and Potato Soup

  • Servings: 5 - 7
  • Difficulty: moderate
  • Print

3 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes (about 2 1/2 cups cubes potatoes)

5 medium onions, coarsely chopped (about 2 1/2 cups chopped onions)

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons flour

4 cups milk

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

parsley sprigs (for garnish)

1 hard boiled egg (for garnish)

Put the cubed potatoes and chopped onions into a large saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil using high heat; reduce heat and simmer until tender (about 12-15 minutes). Remove from heat and cool slightly, then puree. (A food processor or blender works well.) Set aside.

In the meantime, put the butter in a Dutch oven or other similarly-sized pan; melt butter using medium heat. Stir in the flour, then gradually add the milk while stirring constantly. Add the salt and pepper, then stir in the pureed vegetables. Bring to a boil while stirring occasionally.  When served, if desired, the soup may be garnished with parsley sprigs and slices of a hard-boiled egg.

http://www.ahundredyearsago.com

Old-Fashioned Whipped Gelatin

Whipped Gelatin in bowlWhen my mother hosted family Christmas gatherings when I was a child, she always made two bowls of “Fluffy Jello;” one made using red gelatin and the other green. She said that “the kids like Fluffy Jello.” She made it by using electric beaters to add lots of air and foam to cooled gelatin that was almost ready to set. I hadn’t had Fluffy Jello in years and had forgotten all about it until I saw directions for making whipped gelatin in a hundred-year-old cookbook.

Directions for whipping gelatin
Source: The New Home Cook Book, published by the Illinois State Register, Springfield, IL (1924)

I decided to whip some gelatin. It was airy and light – and brought back lots of warm memories of day and people from long ago. It’s not just kids who like “Fluffy Jello.”

The 1924 directions called for using a Dover mixer, which is a hand-turned rotary mixer, to whip the gelatin but otherwise it is very similar to how I remember my mother doing it. The old directions also called for using a metal mixing bowl and setting it in ice water to keep everything very cold. This worked well and the gelatin whipped very nicely. I used a box of gelatin that called for using 2 cups water, and said that it made 4 servings. The gelatin did double in volume, and in my opinion it would make 6 to 8 servings, not the 12 mentioned in the directions.  This suggests that the author of the directions used a larger package of gelatin than what I used.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Whipped Gelatin

  • Servings: 6 - 8
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

1 3-ounce box of flavored gelatin

Prepare gelatin in a mixing bowl according to package instructions.  Put the mixing bowl with the gelatin in the refrigerator.  Refrigerate until the gelatin just begins to thicken, then set in a pan of ice, and beat with electric beaters until the gelatin is very foamy. Pour into serving dish (a 1-quart bowl works well) and refrigerate until set (at least 2 hours).

http://www.ahundredyearsago.com

Old-Fashioned Mexican Chocolate (Hot Chocolate)

Mexican Cocoa

Brrr. . . It’s snowy outside and time for a hot chocolate drink. I started searching in my 1924 cookbooks for an old recipe that would fit the bill. When I saw a recipe for Mexican Chocolate (Hot Chocolate), I immediately knew that was the one I wanted to try.

I’ve always liked Abuelita Mexican Hot Chocolate with its wonderful spicy hints of cinnamon, and wondered if Mexican Chocolate would have a similar taste.

The verdict: The Mexican Chocolate was delightful with a lovely combination of chocolate, cinnamon, and expresso flavors. It is similar in taste to Abuelita Mexican Hot Chocolate, but not sweet. If desired, sweetened whipped cream can be added to sweeten it.

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Mexican Chocolate (Hot Chocolate)
Source: Modern Priscilla Cook Book (1924)

When I found this recipe, I thought that it would be quick and easy to make. I was surprised that it required more interpretation than I thought it would, and I ended up googling hot chocolate recipes to get a better understanding of the process required to end up with a smooth and creamy drink. When I make hot chocolate I generally use cocoa, but I interpreted “chocolate” in this recipe to mean unsweetened baking chocolate and I needed help in figuring out how to proceed when using baking chocolate. To get a smooth and frothy drink, I learned that the melted chocolate and boiling water should be combined in a saucepan, heated, and stirred until smooth; then the hot milk mixture should be gradually added while whisking constantly.

A hundred years ago, baking chocolate often came in one-ounce squares. Today, the squares are often 1/2-ounce. I used two 1/2-ounce squares.

I substituted instant coffee for the ground coffee to eliminate the need to strain the hot chocolate.

The old recipe says that it makes 3 servings, yet only calls for two cups of milk (and 1/4 cup of water). Given the size of modern mugs, this recipe actually only makes enough for two relatively small mugs.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Mexican Chocolate (Hot Chocolate)

  • Servings: 2
  • Difficulty: moderate
  • Print

2 cups milk

1 1/2 tablespoons instant coffee

1 stick cinnamon

1 ounce baking chocolate (2 1/2-ounce squares), melted

1/4 cup water

sweetened whipped cream, if desired

In a saucepan combine the milk and instant coffee; add the cinnamon stick and heat the mixture until hot and steamy using medium heat while stirring constantly. Remove from heat and remove the cinnamon stick.

In another saucepan combine melted chocolate and boiling water; stir until smooth. Turn heat to medium, and gradually add the hot milk mixture while whisking constantly. Continue heating until steamy and frothy. If desired, serve with sweetened whipped cream.

http://www.ahundredyearsago.com