Indian Chutney

Finally found my chutney recipe in "Putting Food By" - 1979. The nice thing about this recipe is that you can use apples, peaches or pears depending what is in season. I think I actually used nectarines once. For directions re canning, use the latest Ball Blue Book method so as to not poison your family and friends.

Ingredients:
juice, pulp and peel of 1 lemon finely chopped
2 cups cider vinegar
2 1/2 cups dark brown sugar (1 lb.)
1 clove garlic, minced
pinch of cayenne pepper
pinch of chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
5 1/2 cups coarsely chopped firm apples, or peaches or pears
3/4 cup crystallized ginger, cut small
1 1/2 cups raisins, preferably seeded (1/2 lb.)

Boil all the ingredients except the fruit and ginger for about 30 minutes. Then add fruit, ginger and raisins and boil slowly until syrup is thick - about 30 to 45 minutes. Can in the normal way. A good thermometer helps. Makes 3 pints or 6 1/2 pints.

Curried Chicken Salad

I used to make this for picnics in Central Park and often had to restrain Jerry from eating it all before we met up with our friends. It is based on the recipe from "The Loaves and Fishes Cookbook" by Anna Pump. I usually used homemade chutney and will post the recipe if I can ever find it, however there is a Mango Chutney recipe in the Family Cookbook by Wowie on page 159 that sounds good. Alexandra may also have a recipe?

Chicken:
3 pounds chicken breasts, whole with skin
1 onion, peeled and halved
1 bay leaf
parsley
salt
pepper corns
cloves, etc.

Put the ingredients into a pot of cold water and bring to a simmer. Simmer until done and let cool slightly in the liquid. You may need to skim the broth while cooking. When cool enough, remove the skin and tear off pieces of chicken in bite-sized pieces. Note that cooking the chicken with bones and skin on and cooling in the broth makes a much moister, more flavorful chicken. I also think that tearing rather than cutting the chicken is nicer.

Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/3 cup curry powder
1 cup mango chutney, finely chopped

In a large salad bowl, add the chicken, sliced water chestnuts (1 can), 1/2 cup scallions, cut on the diagonal (or red onion) and rind of 2 limes, grated. Mix with the dressing.

It will look awful, but tastes just fine.

Looking for Recipes

I have collected a few more recipes but there are still lots missing that should be in a family cookbook. Who can forget Monty's Chicken a la Rain, or Chicken a la Sand and Sarah as the little crepe maker? But we need the recipes so that today's generations can enjoy them, or not - Rosin Potatoes come to mind.

Mom and I will do the stuffing recipe, blissful devoid of weird things, at Thanksgiving as well as write down the way she cooks her turkey which is always dependable. And we can add Yorkshire Pudding and the double Buche Noel with meringue mushrooms which I swore I would never make again after one Christmas in Mexico. It was good.

Please post recipes as you find them or send them to me. Right now I am deep into the 1960's and 1970's with Gourmet as my guide. Some newer recipes would be welcome.

Minestrone Romano

From the October, 1970 issue of Gourmet Magazine. It looked very good on the cover. I first made this in 1971 and fondly remember it, although I have not made in over 20 years. I probably wasn't able to find fresh basil back then, and, for a large group would have doubled the recipe. Today I would add more wine and garlic and maybe fresh fava beans instead of zucchini.

Ingredients: 1 cup dried kidney beans, 6 to 7 cups beef stock, 3 strips ham fat or bacon, 2 large onions, 2 garlic cloves, olive oil, 2 potatoes, 2 carrots, 1/2 cup fresh fava beans or sliced zucchini, 1/4 cup celery, 1 TB fresh basil, 2 cups peeled tomatoes, 1 cup shredded cabbage, 1/2 cup red wine, 1/4 cup pastina. .

While the beans are cooking with sauteed onions and garlic, vegetables are sauteed separately in olive oil, then added to the beans. The wine and pasta are added in the last 15 minutes.

Served with finely chopped lemon rind and chopped parsley and grated Pecorino or Parmesan cheese

Pulled Bread

Great to go with soup on a rainy day. I think Mom has also made this. I am now looking for my best minestrone recipe.

This version I found in “A Cookbook for Poor Poets and Others” by Ann Rogers, 1966. It is a very fun cookbook of its time and has some acceptable recipes.

“Use some care in pulling the insides from loaves. . . Break the bread into serving size pieces. Brush with melted butter and bake at 325 until crisp and brown. Pulled Bread can be used in place of rolls or crackers with soup or salad. The smaller pieces can be used for croutons."

(Homemade bread would be great, but a fairly dense unsliced loaf works fine. I use two forks to pull.)

hot fudge sauce

Remember Wowies's E-Z 7 minute fudge that never fudged after 7 hours? Remember pulling taffy with out hands all buttered up? Remember Wowie making bayberry candles?

This sauce is reminds me of Rehoboth. It's so good, so easy, and so addictive. It's the kind that hardens when it hits the cold ice cream.

Take 2 cups of chocolate chips and melt them in a double boiler over hot water. Add 2 TBS butter (unsalted is good if you have it) and melt, using a whisk. Add 1 tsp of vanilla. Slowly whisk in 1/2 cup of heavy cream till blended. Cook for 5 minutes, whisking. Pour over good vanilla ice cream- it's better than a Dove bar! Keep in a jar- zap to melt again being careful not to over-cook it when you re-heat it. Lasts about a month in the fridge. You can double the recipe no problem.

Uploaded Downloads

I have uploaded the family cookbooks, "A Family of Cooks" on the information page of annbarryphotos.com along with "Mom's Birthday Celebration Book". Even though I squished the Birthday Book as small as possible, it is still a huge file, so don't try to download it unless you have a very fast connection. I've put the full resolution files on CDs.

And, just for fun, I made a movie of some still pictures I took of Jerry at the NYC weightlifting meet. He finished 3rd in the Open 69 kilo class and also took 3rd in the National Master's Meet earlier. Lost Battalion Hall, where he trains in Queens, has one of the best weightlifting programs in the country.

Crabbing at Oak Orchard

We crabbed using fish heads as bait and filled up peach baskets with crabs to take back. They always escaped and we would find crabs in the shower or a closet for days. I always sat in the front seat going back since it was safer.

This picture shows Scott and Philip Laird, Barbie Hinkson, Wowie and Jane and me sometime in the late 1950's.

Lost without Abe?

Ann- I think I got it- but life without the Abester to figure out all this computer stuff is a constant challenge. Did this work? Here goes...

Hot Browns

FROM THE BROWN HOTEL IN LOUISVILLE

(Mom sent me this recipe - sort of a Cheese Dream with Turkey)

HOT BROWNS
12 bacon slices (about 10 ounces)
12 slices firm white sandwich bread
unsalted butter, softened, for spreading on toast if desired
1 pound sliced roast turkey breast

For sauce
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups milk
1 large egg yolk
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan (about 3 ounces)
freshly ground white pepper
2 tablespoons well-chilled heavy cream
In a large heavy skillet cook bacon in batches over moderate heat, turning it, until golden brown and crisp. Transfer bacon as cooked to paper towels to drain.

Toast bread and if desired discard crusts and lightly butter toast. Arrange toast on 6 flameproof plates and divide turkey among toasts.

Preheat broiler.

Make sauce:
In a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan melt butter over moderately low heat and whisk in flour. Cook roux, whisking constantly, 3 minutes. Add 2 cups milk in a stream, whisking, and bring sauce to a boil, whisking. Simmer sauce, whisking occasionally, 5 minutes.

While sauce is simmering, in a bowl whisk together yolk and remaining ‚ cup milk. Whisk about 1 cup sauce into yolk mixture. Remove pan from heat and whisk yolk mixture into sauce with Parmesan. Cook sauce over moderately low heat, whisking constantly, until a thermometer registers 160°F. Remove pan from heat and season sauce with white pepper and salt. In a small bowl whisk cream until it just holds stiff peaks and stir into sauce.

Spoon sauce evenly over turkey and sprinkle Parmesan evenly over sauce. Broil sandwiches in batches about 2 to 3 inches from heat until sauce is lightly browned, about 2 minutes.

Arrange 2 bacon slices in an X on each serving.


Gourmet
November 1998

Cheese Dreams - Modern Era

Simpler than the 1930's recipe, all that is needed is cheese, bread and bacon. Cook the bacon separately and drain on paper towels. While it is cooking, preheat the oven to broil. Slice the cheese (usually a good cheddar, though other melting cheeses such as jack also work) and put on bread. Just before the bacon is ready, put the bread and cheese under the broiler and cook until bubbly. Add drained bacon on top and eat.

One variation tried years ago is to add a slice of tomato on top of the cheese while broiling.

Cheese Dreams - 1930

Cheese Dreams have always been a wickedly favorite lunch from childhood. I found this recipe from the 1930 Good Housekeeping's Book of Meals. It is even more wicked and I have never tried it, although the addition of Worcestershire Sauce and mustard sounds good.

2 tablespoonsfuls melted butter or margarine
1 egg beaten
1/4 teasonful salt
1/2 teaspoonful prepared mustard
2 teaspoonfuls Worcestershire Sauce
2 cupfuls grated cheese
8 slices bread
8 slices bacon
1/8 teaspoonful paprika

Combine the melted fat, beaten egg, salt, mustard, paprika, Worcestershire Sauce and cheese. Spread on bread slices, arrange the bacon strips one on each, and cook under the broiler heat until the cheese is melted and the bacon crisp. Serve accompanied by green or ripe olives and pickles. Serves 8.