Old-Fashioned Hot Slaw with Sour Cream Sauce

Hot slaw with sour cream dressing

When browsing through a hundred-year-old magazine, I came across a recipe for Hot Slaw with Sour Cream Sauce, and decided to give it a try.

The Hot Slaw was mild,  rich, and creamy. The recipe called for only 1 tablespoon of vinegar (and no sugar), so the flavors were much more nuanced than many modern slaws.

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Hot Slaw with Sour Cream Dressing
Source: American Cookery (October, 1924)

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Hot Slaw with Sour Cream Sauce

  • Servings: 5 - 7
  • Difficulty: moderate
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1 head of cabbage (approximately 2 pounds; The cabbage should be firm and white.)

2 teaspoons salt

4 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon flour

1 tablespoon water

1 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon tarragon vinegar or apple cider vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar.)

Grate or finely shred the cabbage. Stir the salt into the cabbage. Let sit for 30 minutes, then drain and rinse. Press to squeeze out excess water.

In a skillet or large saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in the cabbage. (Do not add water.) Cover and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Several times remove lid and stir to keep the cabbage from scorching, then replace lid. (The idea is to stir enough to prevent scorching, but to keep the steam in as much as possible as the cabbage cooks.) Cook for 10 minutes.

In the meantime, stir water into the flour to make a thick paste. Then stir in the sour cream. Stir the sour cream mixture into the hot cabbage, and cook for 1-2  additional minutes while stirring. Stir in the vinegar and serve.

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Tasty Asparagus (Asparagus and Onions) Recipe

 

Tasty Asparagus (Asparagus and Onions) in BowlSome recipes in old cookbooks have the strangest titles. For example, I recently came across a hundred-year-old recipe for Tasty Asparagus. In one way the title was very descriptive – it clearly says that the asparagus is tasty. However, in another way, the description is very inadequate. How is the asparagus prepared? What are the main ingredients?  I tend to skip over recipes with titles like this, but was intrigued when I saw that this was a recipe for asparagus and onions, and decided to give it a try.

I agree with the recipe author. Tasty Asparagus is tasty. Asparagus and onions make a really nice combination. And, it was quick and easy to make. This recipe is a keeper.

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Tasty Asparagus (Asparagus and Onions)
Source: Modern Priscilla Cook Book (1924)

By today’s standards, cooking asparagus for half an hour is excessive, so when I updated the recipe I reduced the cooking time substantively. For the cooking oil, I used olive oil. I’m not sure why the old recipe calls for adding the water used to cook the asparagus to the asparagus and onion mixture. I drained some of the excess liquid off before serving.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Tasty Asparagus (Asparagus and Onions

  • Servings: 6
  • Difficulty: easy
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1 bunch asparagus

2 medium onions, sliced

3 tablespoons olive oil

Trim off the woody ends of the asparagus, and then cut into 1-inch pieces. Put in saucepan, and add about an inch of water. Bring to a boil using high heat, then reduce heat and simmer for 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Drain, but save 1 cup of the water used to cook the asparagus.

In the meantime, put the olive oil in a skillet. Heat oil using medium heat, then add the sliced onions. Cook until the onions are transparent, then add the cooked asparagus pieces and 1-cup of the water in which the asparagus was cooked. Bring to a boil using medium heat, then reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and serve.

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Heat Lemons to Get More Juice

lemon

The household hints section of a hundred-year-old cookbook had the following suggestions for getting more juice from a lemon:

  • A lemon will yield nearly double the quantity of juice otherwise obtainable if it is heated thoroughly before squeezing.

  • Lemons held in hot water yield more juice than otherwise.

The New Home Cook Book, 1924 Edition (Published by the Illinois State Register, Springfield, IL)

Shredded Wheat Biscuit with Berries

Shredded Wheat Biscuit with Strawberries and Blueberries

I enjoy shredded wheat, but it always seems like a basic breakfast food, so I was surprised to see a recipe in a hundred-year-old cookbook for Shredded Wheat Biscuit with Strawberries (and an option for making it using other berries or fruits). A hole is made in the top of the biscuit to create a basket, which is then filled with the berries.

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Shredded Wheat Biscuit with Strawberries
Source: The New Home Cook Book, 1924 Edition (Published by Illinois State Register, Springfield, Illinois)

Since the old recipe gave the option of using a variety of different berries or other fruit, when I made this recipe I decided to use a mixture of strawberries and blueberries. When I updated the recipe I changed the name of it from Shredded Wheat Biscuit with Strawberries to Shredded Wheat Biscuit with Berries since it better describes some of the options.

The shredded wheat was lovely with berries.

I didn’t warm the shredded wheat biscuit in the oven. There didn’t seem to be a need. Perhaps the biscuits were more likely to be stale a hundred years ago, and heating in the oven may have made them crispier.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Shredded Wheat Biscuit with Berries

  • Servings: 1 biscuit for each serving
  • Difficulty: easy
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1 shredded wheat biscuit

strawberries (quarter if large), blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc.

sugar, if desired

milk or cream

Cut or crush an oblong hole in the shredded wheat biscuit to create a basket. Fill the hole with berries or other fruit. Serve with milk or cream, and sugar (if desired).

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Old-Fashioned Orange Loaf Cake

Orange Loaf Cake

I got a request for a “healthy cake” that was low fat and low sodium, so looked through my hundred-year-old cookbooks and magazines for something that might work.  I found a recipe for Orange Loaf Cake that I think fits the bill.

The recipe only calls for 1/3 cup of butter, and just 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda and no salt. So this loaf cake is both low fat and low sodium.  The cake was very easy to make, had a nice texture, and a delightful sunny, orange flavor.

Here’s the original recipe:

recipe for Orange Loaf Cake
Source: American Cookery (November, 1924)

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Orange Loaf Cake

  • Servings: 7 - 9
  • Difficulty: easy
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1/3 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 3/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup orange juice

1 tablespoon lemon juice

grated rind of 1 orange

Preheat oven to 375°  F. Grease and flour a loaf pan.  Put butter and sugar in a mixing bowl; beat until combined. Then beat in the eggs. Add the flour, baking soda, orange juice, and lemon juice; beat until combined. Stir in the grated orange rind.  Pour into prepared pan.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

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