1922's Cocktails - How to Mix Them: With Five Great Holiday Drinks

Vintage Cookbook: Cocktails - How to Mix Them, "Robert"
Publication Details: Various editions and publishers. First published 1922


Published originally in 1922, Cocktails - How to Mix Them went on to become one of the most successful cocktail books ever printed. It ran through multiple editions over decades and remains, if you have a copy, a great resource for mixing some classic drinks.



Commonly printed in a handy pocket format, it was written and compiled by "Robert" of the "American Bar, Casino Municipal, Nice, and late of the Embassy Club, London." The "Robert" was Robert Vermeire, a well known bartender in the London club scene of the 1920's.



The book has not only Cocktails, but also Rickeys, Slings, Sours, Coolers, Cobblers and many, many more varieties of intoxicating blends, as well as a selection of non-alcoholic cocktails. It is introduced with a fanciful "history" of the cocktail as well as instructions on properly mixing them, shaking versus stirring, and so on. It ends with a fun "Do You Know That-" section of what amounts to alcohol trivia. 

Today we will share four drinks from the book (exactly as originally published) that go perfectly with winter and the holidays, and I will throw in one of my own making, The Caribbean Admiral, as an added holiday bonus!

[Editor's Note: The gill is unit of measure that has fallen out of use and is the equivalent, in the case of this book, of a quarter pint. Wikipedia has an entry giving some equivalencies.)

Hot Apple Jack Sling

Fill a tumbler half full of boiling water and Sugar Syrup to sweeten, 3/4 gill of Apple Jack Brandy or Calvados, and stir up gently. Squeeze the peel of a lemon into the glass, and add grated nutmeg.
Some people prefer a tablespoonful of fresh lemon juice also in it.

Hot Spiced Rum

Put into a tumbler 2 or 3 lumps of sugar and dissolve them in a little boiling water, add:
1 gill of Old Jamaica Rum
1 piece of butter as large as a small walnut
1 tablespoon of spices (cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg).
Fill the glass with boiling water. Stir up well and serve.

Dragoon Punch

This punch is a favourite drink in the Northern countries of Europe, principally in Sweden and Norway. Here is the recipe for a party of four people:
1/2 gill of Brandy
1/2 gill of Dry Sherry
A small bottle of Stout
A small bottle of Lager Beer
1 bottle of Champagne
Sweeten according to taste and decorate with thin slices of lemon.
This punch is usually prepared in a big bowl, and the mixture must be well iced.

Gluhwein

The Gluhwein is a German hot Claret Toddy, made as follows:
In a saucepan put 2 lumps of sugar, 1 slice of lemon, 1 piece of cinnamon and 1/2 pint of Claret. Boil and serve as hot as possible.

[Editor's Note: "Claret" is a generic term for a French or Bordeaux style red wine.]

The Caribbean Admiral

My own concoction, this is based on a drink I tried and modified to my own taste by substituting Ginger Beer for Ginger Ale and making a few other modifications! It is rather strong and warms without the need for any actual heat!

In a large tumbler place 2 ounces Rye Whiskey, 1 ounce bitters (like Alpenbitter), 1 ounce lime juice and 6 ounces chilled Ginger Beer. Mix by either gently shaking or stirring thoroughly. Serve poured over a two-or-three ice cubes in a large glass. (As an alternative, vermouth can replace the bitters, though I prefer bitters).

  

Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook: A Dr. Seuss Inspired Romp through Cooking!

Vintage Cookbook: Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook, Georgeanne Brennan


Publication Details: Random House, 2006




Published in 2006, though sadly already out of print, The Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook is a truly fun and zany look at cooking through a Dr. Seuss inspired lens. Meant to appeal to Seuss fans young and old alike, it is full of illustrations of Dr. Seuss characters and photos of over-the-top food offerings.





It is also full of really great recipes, over 40 of them, with terrific ideas to jazz up breakfast, lunch, snacks, dessert (of course!) and mains. The recipes are specifically designed with ideas and components that kids should be able to participate in the making of.


Today we are sharing two recipes, one for Hoop-Soup-Snoop Group Potato Soup and one, needless to say, for Green Eggs and Ham! The text and recipes are exactly as originally presented.

Hoop-Soup-Snoop Group Potato Soup  

Soup is good for spooning and sipping, and this creamy potato soup is worth jumping through a few hoops for, especially with its toppings of croutons, cheese, and bacon - and more, if you want.

Ingredients:

1 pound potatoes, peeled and cut into several pieces
1/4 cup chopped onion
6 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups whole milk
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
4 slices crisply cooked bacon, crumbled
1 cup croutons
1/2 cup minced green onion (optional)

Directions:
1. In a large saucepan, combine the potatoes, onion and water and 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
2. Drain the potatoes and return them to the hot saucepan. Mash them with a potato masher.
3. Stir the milk into the mashed potatoes and return to medium heat, stirring, until the soup is well blended and hot, about 5 minutes. Taste and add slat and pepper as desired.
4. Put the cheese, bacon, and croutons, and, if you want, the green onion in spate bowls to accompany the soup

Makes 4 servings

Green Eggs and Ham  

If you, like Sam-I-am, also like green ages and ham, you will like these green guacamole eggs and green glazed ham-just try them. You can make the guacamole as mild or as spicy as you like. (If you don't want to cook a whole ham, try making a tablespoon or two of the glaze for a slice of ham.) You can also eat them here or there. You can heat them anywhere.

Ingredients for Ham:

1 Fully cooked and smoked ham, about 8-10 pounds
1 cup apple or mint apple jelly
3 medium tomatillos, husked and minced
1 cup minced cilantro leaves or 1/2 cup minced cilantro leaves and 1/2 cup minced parsley leaves

Ingredients for eggs:

4 ripe avocados
juice of 2-3 limes
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white onion, minced (optional)
2 Serrano chilies, seeded and minced (optional)
4 ounces butter or 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or other light cooking oil, such as canola or sunflower
12 pasteurized eggs (pasteurization is necessary for safety when yolks aren't fully cooked)

Directions for Ham:

1. Heat the ham as directed by the package instructions. Let cool to almost room temperature, about 20 minutes.
2. Mix the apple jelly and the minced tomatillos together to make a glaze. Spread the ham all over with the glaze, except on the cut side.
3 Using your hands, gently pat the cilantro, and parsley, into the glaze until it is solid green.

Directions for Eggs:

1. Cut the avocados in half and remove the pits. With a spoon, scoop the flesh out into a bowl. Mash it with a fork, then add the lime juice and salt and, if you want, the onions and chilies. Mix again.
2. In a large frying pan, melt the butter or heat the oil over medium heat. When hot, crack the eggs into the pan.
3. Cover the pan and cook until the yolk has a pale white film over it and is slightly to very firm.
4. With a spatula, gently slide the eggs onto plates or a serving platter.
5. Spoon the guacamole over each yolk, covering it. Serve immediately.

Makes 12 servings.

Editors Note: If you cannot find pasteurized eggs, simply cook the eggs fully and then top. This loses some of the effect, but ensures safety.

Next Post: 5 Great Winter Ales.

Cooking Favorites of Long Branch with Perfect Meat Loaf & Christmas Cake

Vintage Cookbook: Cooking Favourites of Long Branch, Women's Committee St. Agnes Anglican Church
Publication Details: Self-published, c. 1970's

Cooking Favorites of Long Branch, the historic lakeside south Etobicoke community that I call home, is a nearly perfect embodiment of the old style community cookbook. Put together in the 1970's by the church Women's Committee to raise money for the local St. Agnes Anglican Church  (which was closed in 2005) it is full of folksy recipes and advice contributed by residents of Long Branch.

It is divided into the usual sections, like "Pickles and Relishes", "Salads, Vegetables and Soups", "Meat, Fish & Poultry", etc. In addition, it ends with a section dedicated to oven and time charts, ingredient substitution, measurement tables, etc, as well as a neat page of "Super Quantity Cooking" like doing Cabbage Salad for 175! (20 lb. cabbage, 1 1/2 qt. Miracle Whip, 4 large cans crushed pineapple, 2 bunches carrots).

The cookbook is full of advertisements for community businesses (some of which are gone, some of which remain) and has blank pages for the addition of new recipes one comes across.

As with so many of these community books, it really captures, almost like a snapshot, a tone and a feel for a time and place and the recipes speak to what people saw as "home cooking" and "comfort food". It is also completely free of pretension.

As always we are sharing two recipes exactly as they appeared that reflect the feel of the book overall.

Perfect Meat Loaf 

Submitted by Prudence Smyth (Mrs. R.W.)

1-1 1/2 lb ground beef
3/4 cup quick cooking oats
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 - 8 oz. tomato and mushroom sauce

Combine first 6 ingredients thoroughly with 1 can tomato and mushroom sauce. Pack firmly into pan (8x4x3 inch loaf pan). Chill one hour. Unmould into a shallow baking pan. Bake in moderate oven (350 degrees F.) for one hour. Pour remaining sauce over loaf. Bake 20 minutes more until loaf is nicely glazed. Makes 6-8 servings.

Christmas Cake

Submitted by Eleanor M. Smith

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter
5 eggs
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. each of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup grape juice
3 cups seeded raisins
1 cup seedless raisins
1 1/2 cup dates, chopped
2 cups mixed peel, chopped
1 1/2 cup candied pineapple
1 1/2 cup red and green cherries
1 1/2 cup almonds, chopped

Sift 3/4 cup flour over all fruit. Cream sugar, butter, eggs. Add liquid alternately with flour and spices. Fold in fruit and nuts. Put into greased paper-lined deep pan and bake at 250 degrees F. to 275 degrees F. for two hours.

The Magnificent Salads Cookbook 1988 with Bean Salad & Layered Taco Salad!

Vintage Cookbook: Magnificent Salads Cookbook, Kathryn Ramsay
Publication Details: Magnificent Cookbooks Publishing, 1988

Magnificent Salads Cookbook is a wonderful piece of late 80's kitsch. Done with a sturdy spiral binding and illustrated with a full page, full colour, and fully 80's picture for each recipe, it runs the gambit from the solid and traditional to the almost absurd and over-the-top.

Part of a series of cookbooks from a small Richmond Hill, Ontario publisher, they also released "Magnificent" cookbooks for cookies, casseroles, muffins and more, none of which, sadly, I have yet been able to get my hands on! If the salad cookbook is any indication, they would likely be rather fun.

Yes...this is a real photo from the book!

Magnificent Salads has 60 recipes with names like "Harvest Vegetable", "Warm Spinach", "Eggs Benedict Salad", "Molded Salmon" (which rather needs to be seen to be believed!), and so on. These are all over the place from healthy and vegetarian to "Steak Salad" which is pretty much as it sounds!

I have an affection for this cookbook that is entirely in inverse proportion to its culinary seriousness. This is perhaps due to the fact that so many of the salads are really, really good as well as the fact that they could be made by absolutely anyone.

So, without further delay, as always we are sharing two recipes as they originally appeared and that reflect two opposite poles of what you will find if you ever pick this up this little blast from the 80's past.

Bean Salad: 

Yield: 8-10 servings

Ingredients:
Green beans 1lb/500g
Yellow beans 1lb/g
Red kidney beans 2-14 oz. cans/796 ml.
Chick peas 19 oz. can/540 ml. can
Spanish Onion 1 large

Vinaigrette - Yield 1 1/2 cups (375 ml.):
Corn oil 1 cup/250ml
White vinegar 1/4 cup/ 50ml
Lemon juice 1/4 cup/50 ml
Salt 2 teaspoons/10ml
Granulated sugar 1 teaspoon/5 ml
Dried thyme leaves 1 teaspoon/5 ml
Ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon/2 ml
Celery salt 1/2 teaspoon/ 2 ml
Dijon mustard 1 tablespoon/15 ml
Worcestershire sauce 2 teaspoons/10 ml

Trim the ends of the green and yellow beans and break them into pieces of the desired length. Wash them, put them in a pot and cover them in cold water. Bring the water to a boil and cook the beans until they are firm but can be pierced with a fork, about 5 minutes. Drain them well and place in a large bowl.
Drain the juice from the kidney beans and chick peas and rinse them under cold water. Drain them well and add them to the beans.
Chop the onion into small pieces and add it to the vegetables. Toss all the ingredients to combine well.
To make the vinaigrette place all the ingredients in a jar, blender or food processor and combine until thoroughly mixed.
Pour the dressing over the beans and toss to coat all the ingredients. Cover the salad well and refrigerate several hours to allow the beans to absorb the flavor of the dressing. Stir the salad several times while marinating and toss again just before serving.

Layered Taco Salad

Yield 6 servings

Ingredients:
Ground Beef 1lb/500g
Taco seasoning mix 1 package
Iceberg Lettuce 1/2 head
Tomatoes 2 medium
Kidney beans 15 oz/425 ml can
Grated cheddar cheese 1 cup/250 ml
Chopped green olives 1/2 cup/125ml
Chopped black olives 1/2 cup/125 ml
Chopped green onions 1 bunch
Avocado 1/2 medium
Lemon juice 1 teaspoon/5 ml

Dressing-Yield 1/2 cups (375 ml):
Salsa picante 1 cup/250 ml
Sour cream 1/2 cup/ 125 ml.

Garnish:
Tortilla chips

Cook the beef and the taco seasoning mix together according to package instructions. Set aside to cool.
Mix the salsa picante and sour cream together in a small bowl.
In a large glass bowl shred the lettuce. Pour 1/2 cup (125 ml) of the dressing over the lettuce. Peel the tomatoes, cut them into wedges and arrange them on top. Drain the kidney beans and lay them over the tomatoes. Cover with 1/4 cup (50ml) of the dressing. Sprinkle on the cheese and pour 1/4 cup (50ml) of dressing over. Spoon the cooled meat over top and pour on the remaining dressing.
At serving time, sprinkle the olives and onions around the edge. Cut the avocado into slices, moisten it with lemon juice to prevent discoloring and arrange it on top of the salad. Surround with tortilla chips and serve.
HINT: This is also very attractive if made in individual dishes. Salsa picante is available in the Mexican food section of most grocery stores.

The Urban Peasant Quick & Simple with Lamb & Pumpkin Stew and Stuffed Papaya

Vintage Cookbook: The Urban Peasant Quick & Simple, James Barber
Publication Details: Urban Ink, 1993


Beloved by many Canadian home cooks in the 1990's, James Barber was the host of a CBC Television cooking show, The Urban Peasant, that became something of a hit not only in Canada but in other countries as well. Barber had a very warm, friendly, accessible style that was really the antithesis of what many see as the "celebrity chef"

Barber sought to demystify cooking and to feature ingredients used in ways that anyone could handle. This was done without any fancy or unusual preparation normally, but with often surprising and always delicious results. His show was a real pleasure to watch (and likely still is, out there somewhere in syndication) and was almost relaxing, a seeming contradiction given the nervousness with which many approach cooking. It even ingrained this atmosphere in its set, which was of an open-concept living space as opposed to an impersonal professional style kitchen.

Barber died in 2007 as he had lived, cooking. His wife told the CBC "As far as we can tell, James was sitting at the dining room table, he was reading a cookbook, and he had a pot of soup simmering on the stove."

In 1993 he released one of several companion cookbooks to the series, and one of which I am particularly fond. This was his Urban Peasant Quick & Simple cookbook. As he himself put it on the back cover, this one was "completely practical" and with "no trimmings, no romance". It is almost entirely unillustrated (though the few drawings that there are are his own charming ones) and while it might at first seem a bit spare, it is also full of terrific recipe after terrific recipe, all of which are, as the title would imply, quick and simple. And there are dozens of them. It is a real resource of new ideas.

Today we are sharing, as always, two recipes, as they originally appeared. And one has the seasonally appropriate and wonderful ingredient of pumpkin.

Lamb & Pumpkin Stew Served in a Pumpkin  

1 lb/500g pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cut into cubes
1/2 lb./250 g cubed  leg of lamb
2 Tbsps olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp sugar
1/2 cup water
1 Tbsp chopped parsley
1 Tbsp chopped cilantro
1 tomato, chopped
1 tsp ground ginger
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp ground cumin
Salt & Pepper

Heat the oil in a frypan and brown the meat. Add the onion, cayenne pepper, sugar and garlic and stir well. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the cumin, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Pour into a hollowed out pumpkin and put in a 400F/200 C oven for 30 minutes. Garnish with cumin and some more chopped cilantro. 

Stuffed Papaya    

1 papaya
Cottage cheese
Fresh peeled shrimp
Fresh prawn tails
Freshly ground pepper
Cilantro

Halve the papaya and remove the seeds. Scoop out the flesh and chop. Half fill the shells with cottage cheese and arrange the chopped flesh around it. Top with a mound of fresh, peeled shrimp and decorate with a few fresh prawn tails. Grind some pepper over the top and garnish with cilantro. Serve on crushed ice.

Oxbow House Cookery Book 1977 with Fish Pie & Hockey Night Meatballs

Vintage Cookbook: The Oxbow House Cookery Book, Constance Crossley
Publication Details: Self Published, 1977



Published in 1977, the Oxbow House Cookery Book is a really perfect example of the wonderful community cookbooks that groups or individuals put together to raise money or bring people together. These were genuine labours of love, and this one is full of charm, folksy wisdom and some really great recipes.

Done of a specific style, the cookbook is entirely handwritten, and then printed from this state. It is also illustrated throughout with pages of black and white drawings of buildings, nature scenes, fishing boats and the like, as well as reprints of historic clippings. 

My copy is also inscribed in the front by Constance Crossley, the cookbook's author, and notes that it was published October 21, 1977,  thirty six years ago tomorrow, at a reception at Oxbow House, which apparently was a rustic centre and studio in Mississauga. Constance writes that the Premier of Ontario, Bill Davis at the time, sent two telegrams of good wishes and congratulations!







As always, we are including two recipes, exactly as originally presented, that reflect the overall tone, including the marvelously named Hockey Night Meatballs!

Fish Pie

25 ml butter (1 oz.)
25 ml flour (1 oz.)
250 ml milk (1 cup)
50 ml peeled shrimp or prawns
1/2 kilo cooked flaked haddock or cod
1/2 kilo cooked mashed or sliced potatoes
grated cheese and salt and pepper

Melt butter in saucepan, add flour, cook for 2 minutes. Gradually add milk, bring to boil stirring constantly for 2 minutes with reduced heat.
Add the shrimp, flaked fish, seasoning and mix well. Put into a greased ovenproof dish, cover with potatoes, then sprinkle with cheese.
Bake at 450 degrees for 20-25 minutes
Serve very hot with perhaps a side salad and upside down cake for dessert.

Hockey Night Meatballs

500 ml ground chuck (1 lb.)
5 ml salt (1 tsp)
125 ml otameal

Mix with hands and shape into balls.
Put into a little heated oil in a skillet and brown all over.

Sauce:
250 ml chili or catsup (1 cup)
125 ml vinegar (1/2 cup)
30 ml Worcestershire Sauce (2 ts)
10 ml mustard (2 tsp)
10 ml chili powder
2 ml garlic salt
30 ml green pepper, chopped

Combine and bring to a boil
Add 250 ml pineapple chunks drained. Cook for further 20 minutes along with the meatballs. 
Serve with noodles, French bread and red wine.
   

The Spice Islands Cook Book with Turkish Oranges & Hot Spiced Cider

Vintage Cookbook: The Spice Islands Cook Book, The Spice Islands Home Economics Staff


Publication Details: Published by Specialty Brands Inc., various editions 1970's

First published in the 1960's, and then reprinted over the 1970's, The Spice Islands Cook Book is a terrific volume that was meant to promote the Spice Islands brand of spices, which still exists, as well as to educate on the proper use of a variety of spices that many might not have normally used in their cuisine.

The cookbook, which was most often published in a handy pocketbook format, was divided into the standard assortment of sections (i.e. Meats, Poultry, Soups, Etc.) with the notable addition of a section devoted to spiced beverages.

But it also had sections meant to immerse the home cook in, what the first section itself called, the "Romance of Spices". To meet this aim it includes chapters devoted to the use of spices as a general idea. One of its best sections, useful today as much as it was nearly forty years ago, is the "A Guide to Your Spice Shelf" area, which is over sixty pages devoted to an alphabetical listing of spices, their histories and their best applications, that spans from Allspice to Vanilla Bean.

Also handy are the Table of Equivalents, which gives substitutions should you be missing a specific spice,  and the usage charts that point to what are the most common uses of a specific spice or seasoning.

What also makes the book standout is its quirky recipes, many of which are really unique or an interesting blend of flavours, from Calves Liver a la Johnnie May to the Hawaiian Bean Pot!

We reflect that in our two featured recipes today, the truly novel Turkish Oranges and a drink for a cold winter's day, Hot Spiced Cider . As always, these are presented as they were in the original, though in this case we have added a blog editor's note to the first.

Turkish Oranges:

An intriguing addition to a buffet, try Turkish Oranges as an opening course or tossed with romaine lettuce for a delicious salad.

6 large oranges
1/2 cup pitted ripe olives
1 tablespoon Instant Minced Onions (Editor's note: 1 small chopped onion may, and likely should be substituted for this!)
1/8 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
2 teaspoons Beau Monde Seasoning (Editor's note: a seasoning salt may be substituted for this...or use half the amount of regular salt)
4 tablespoons White Wine Vinegar
4 tablespoons olive oil

Pare oranges with sharp knife; cut in slices and remove seeds and the white membrane from center. Cut ripe olives into wedges. Alternate layers of oranges, olives and onions in a bowl. Combine cayenne, Beau Monde, vinegar and olive oil. Stir well and pour over the oranges. Chill for an hour or so for the flavours to develop. Serve cold. Makes 6 servings.

Hot Spiced Cider:

2 quarts cider
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 whole piece Stick Cinnamon
1 teaspoon whole allspice
1 teaspoon whole cloves

Combine cider, brown sugar and salt in a saucepan. Add stick of cinnamon, allspice and cloves. Slowly bring to simmering; cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove spices with a slotted spoon. Serve hot. Makes 2 quarts.

The vintage version of The Spice Islands Cookbook is
relatively easy to find used on the internet. It is worth seeking out.

Bon Appetit Appleby 1977: With Carrot Bread & Easy-Life Stew

Vintage Cookbook: Bon Appetit Appleby , Appleby College Women's Association
Publication Details: Published by the college, 1977

There was (and, though sadly to a much lesser degree still is) a whole class of community cookbook that was centered around an institution of some type or another; be they schools, associations, clubs, etc...

These cookbooks were usually put together by a volunteer(s) editor with contributions from people who had ties to the institution and they were sold as a way to raise money. Over the coming weeks I want to look at a number of these, as they often provide a fascinating reflection of a time and place.



The one we are looking at today is Bon Appetit Appleby which was put together by the Appleby College Women's Association in 1977. Appleby College is a private school in Oakville, Ontario and presumably this cookbook was made to raise funds.

The cookbook was also, rather touchingly, dedicated to a Hilda Chattaway, who was the school cook and had been for 48 years! There is a tribute to her at the beginning.

The cookbook begins with a set of recipes from the school kitchen staff themselves and then proceeds through rather standard sections like Appetizers, Breads, Desserts, Mains Etc. This particular one is heavier on the baked goods than some.

The recipes are a terrific assortment of standards, through to a handful of what are really "faux" Japanese or Chinese recipes, to some fascinating traditional ones, such as a recipe for making Gravlaks. Many, as did a lot of recipes in community cookbooks in the 1970's, incorporate multiple canned elements and are meant to be tasty and easy, with names like Hamburger Pie and Frank and Bean Sandwich.

We are sharing two today, and, as always, they appear exactly as they did in the original. The second one, especially typifies a very 70's "home cooking". It is also really good!

Carrot Bread (submitted by Bonnie Peart)

2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp. soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup dried currants (optional)
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups grated raw carrot
3 eggs

Mix dry ingredients together. Add currants, coconut and nuts. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour into 9 X 5 inch loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for an hour or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Easy-Life Stew (submitted by Annemarie Hodge)

3 lb. lean stewing beef, cubed
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 pkg. dehydrated onion soup mix
1/2 cup dry red wine
mushrooms or potatoes (optional)

Mix meat, soup, onion soup mix and wine. Cook in covered casserole in a 300 degree oven for 3 hours. One may add mushrooms for the last half hour of cooking time or peeled, whole potatoes after the first hour. Serves 6-8

As part of a feature on That Lefty Food Blog, we will be looking at vintage cookbooks, long out-of-print, that are worth seeking out for their quirky or community sensibility. Putting together cookbooks was done by union locals, community groups, church groups and the like, and many of these are well worth remembering. Sometimes the cookbooks would try to capture a certain place or bring new types of cooking to the people. We will feature one or two recipes from each cookbook we look at.

The Pauper's Cookbook: A Cookbook for the People from the 1970's U.K.

Vintage Cookbook: The Pauper's Cookbook, Jocasta Innes
Publication Details: Penguin, multiple editions, 1970's

Today we are going to look at a remarkable cookbook that was published in the UK in the 1970's and that very much fits the theme of this blog.

Put out in a no-frills, largely unillustrated mass market pocket book edition, The Pauper's Cookbook by Jocasta Innes was aimed squarely at the people. It is the exact opposite of the lush cookbooks by Food Network celebrity chefs (and I am not knocking these, I own more than a couple of them) and is all about using basic ingredients and stretching the household food budget.The cookbook was published by Penguin and struck quite a nerve in the UK in its day, being reprinted several times (my copy is the eighth reprint).

The book is divided in sections that reflect its aim, starting with "Where the Money Goes" and following through with sections like "Getting to Know Your Oven" and "Padding", a section that "deals specifically with the art or science of stretching small quantities of food (and money) a bit further."   

The book includes many UK staples like Yorkshire Pudding, Toad-in-the-hole, Oxtail Stew, and "Stovies", as well as some more eccentric entries. It also runs the gambit from mains to soups and salads to desserts, with a full array of meat, fish, vegetable and poultry options. Most of the dishes are simplicity itself, and many have a wonderfully rustic element to them.

Today we will share two soup recipes; Celery Soup & Barley Kale Soup. As always these are shared exactly as they appeared in the original text.

Celery Soup

An excellent, easily made soup, which really tastes of the vegetable. Water and bouillon cubes can be used for the stock.

1 head celery, 1 large potato, 2 pints stock or 1 pint stock and 1 pint milk, salt, pepper, nutmeg, butter\

Wash the celery thoroughly. If the head is small use all of it, if large you can keep the heart for a salad. Chop it roughly, leaves included. Peel and chop up potato. Melt a lump of butter in a deep pan and gently stew the vegetables in it till well coated. This preliminary stew-frying of the vegetables makes these soups richer and tastier. Now add the stock, bring to the boil, cover the pan and cook steadily for 45 minutes or until the celery is soft. It needs to be soft because you have to pass it through a sieve. After sieving, return to the pan, add the milk, stir well and heat through. Taste and add salt and pepper and a little grated nutmeg. Just before serving, you can stir in a spoonful of milk or a little butter. 

Croutons go well with this.

Barley Kale Soup

An old Scots cottage recipe, and highly economical.

2 oz. pearl barley, 1 quart basic stock or water plus a mutton bone and a few scraps of meat, 1 lb. kale, 3 leeks, salt, pepper

Put the barley and stock, or water plus bone and scraps (the bone from the lamb joint would do very well) to simmer for about 3/4 hour or until the barley is tender, skimming off any scum that rises to the surface. Add the kale, washed and cut into thin shreds, with the coarsest stalks removed, also the washed and sliced leeks. Simmer till the vegetables are tender, adding salt and pepper as necessary. Before serving remove the bone and any unsightly scraps of meat.

These two terrific recipes pretty much embody the tone throughout; direct, no-nonsense and delicious! The book itself reflects a different time in publishing and cookbooks as well, and it truly aimed at the people and the working class.

As part of a feature on That Lefty Food Blog, we will be looking at vintage cookbooks, long out-of-print, that are worth seeking out for their quirky or community sensibility. Putting together cookbooks was done by union locals, community groups, church groups and the like, and many of these are well worth remembering. Sometimes the cookbooks would try to capture a certain place or bring new types of cooking to the people. We will feature one or two recipes from each cookbook we look at.

The St. Lawrence Market Cookbook & an Asparagus and Tomato Bake

As part of a new feature on That Lefty Food Blog, we will be looking at vintage cookbooks, long out-of-print, that are worth seeking out for their quirky or community sensibility. Putting together cookbooks was done by union locals, community groups, church groups and the like, and many of these are well worth remembering. Sometimes, as is the case with the first one we will be looking at, cookbooks would try to capture a certain place or bring new types of cooking to the people. We will feature one recipe from each cookbook we look at.

Vintage Cookbook: The St. Lawrence Market Cookbook, Anita Stewart
Publication Details: Stoddart 1988

Published in 1988 when Toronto was truly starting to come into its multicultural own, The St. Lawrence Market Cookbook is delightful small volume of recipes that the author, Anita Stewart, had culled from amongst the many vendors who operate in the famous, historic Toronto indoor food market.

The book sought to incorporate the different types of cuisine to be found there, as well as the many cheeses, fresh fruits and vegetables, and fine meats into its recipes. It begins with a short history of St. Lawrence Market and a tour of it (as it was in 1988), and is then divided into recipe sections according to the type of dish (vegetable, meat, poultry, etc.). It also features a section looking at the cheeses and fruits/vegetables to be found there. These are still remarkably current!

Some notable highlights among the recipes include Greek Fish Soup with Garlic Almond Mayonnaise, Chevre and Leek Tart, Swordfish Szechuan and Applesauce Honey Muffins. 

Today we are featuring a recipe from the Vegetable Dishes section that fits our blog's theme of inexpensive and easy, an Asparagus and Tomato Bake.
 
It was, according to the cookbook, submitted by Alice Boychyn, who was a fruit and vegetable vendor in the market at the time.




Featured Recipe:

Asparagus and Tomato Bake 

The word "Great" is scrawled across the notes I made after testing this recipe.

Ingredients:

4 Tbsps/60 mL. butter
1 1/2 lbs./675 g. fresh asparagus spears
5 medium sized tomatoes, diced
3 Tbsps/45 mL minced onion
3 Tbsps/45 mL chopped celery
2 Tbsps/25 mL fresh breadcrumbs
2 Tbsps/25 mL grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 Tbsps/20 mL fresh sweet basil minced
1 1/2 Tbsps/20 mL granulated sugar*
1/2 tsp/2 mL salt
1/4 tsp/1 mL freshly ground pepper
*The amount of sugar could vary, depending on the acidity of the tomatoes

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (180 Celsius). In a 9 by 13 in. (3.5 L) baking pan, melt the butter. Line the bottom of the pan with fresh asparagus and sprinkle with the diced tomatoes, onion, celery, breadcrumbs and cheese. Season with the basil and sugar. (If the tomatoes are quite sweet, reduce the amount of sugar used.) Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Cover and bake for 45 minutes, or until the asparagus is tender.

Makes 4-6 servings.

If you can track a copy down, this one is well worth it. The recipes center around the kinds of ingredients that you find at a big city, multicultural food market, and vary from the simple to the gloriously rich and complex.

In addition it is centered around a market that National Geographic deemed to be the best in the world! Watch for a post visiting St. Lawrence Market in the near future.