Great changes entered the world of cooking in the 1950s. The growth of supermarkets allowed for simplicity and ease in the kitchen, contrasting the complex process of cooking during the 1930s and 1940s. According to Olga Curtis in a 1957Washington Post article: “The 1957 housewife can prepare three meals a day for a family of four in one hour and 20 minutes. My mother spent nearly six hours daily doing the same job.” The introduction of instant powdered mashed potatoes, cool whip and powdered cheese during the 1950s allowed women to go to work during the day while still providing a home cooked meal for their husbands and children at night.
As G.I.s returned home from war, ethnic foods and recipes slowly began to permeate American culture. Also stemming from the return of G.I.s was the growing popularity of backyard barbecues and eating outdoors. As these soldiers returned home from war, married and moved to the suburbs, they wanted to showcase and enjoy their new backyards. Desserts such as cobblers, pies and cookies were formulated to complement barbecue dishes originated during this era.
Creamy grits, crumbly cornbread, decadent seafood, fruit cobblers … nothing excites the palate more than the satisfying aromas and flavors of 20th century Southern cuisine. The following recipes were discovered in a forgotten bundle of aged papers lying in an old box in a local Southern kitchen. Transcribed on either elegant stationary or scrap paper sheets, the recipes, written here exactly as they were found, offer a connection with the 1950s and are just as delicious today as they were in their time period.
Coq au Chablis
12 chicken breasts (with bone)
Seasoned flour (salt and pepper)
1 cup butter or oleo
Garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
18 mushroom caps
18 small white onions
1 cup dry vermouth instead of chablis
Skin chicken breast. Dredge in flour. Heat oleo in skillet and brown chicken. Put in casserole. Add onion and mushroom to oleo in skillet and brown. Add chicken, sprinkle with garlic powder and thyme. Cover chicken with dry vermouth. Cover and bake at 300 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. Serve on mound of rice: 2 cups cooked rice, 1 stick butter and 1 cup parsley.
Toss and serve with breasts on side with juice from casserole as gravy in bowl — delicious.
Crunchy Chocolate-Coconut Balls
1 (4-ounce) package sweet cooking chocolate, melted
2 tablespoons butter or oleo, melted
2 tablespoons water
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 2/3 cups (about) flaked coconut
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped
Blend butter, melted chocolate and water into sugar in a bowl. Stir 1 1/2 cups of the coconut, the crumbs and pecans. Shape into 1-inch balls and roll in remaining coconut. Chill for several hours. Makes about three dozen confections.
Quick Peach Cobbler
1/2 cup butter
1 cup self-rising flower
2 cups sugar, divided
1 cup milk
4 cups sliced peaches
Melt butter in a 13-by-9-by-2-inch pan. Combine flour, 1 cup sugar and milk; mix well. Pour over melted butter; do not stir. Combine peaches and remaining 1 cup sugar in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Pour over batter; do not stir. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until browned. Yields about 10.
Country Captain
2 large hens
2 medium green peppers
2 small onions
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons butter
3 teaspoons curry powder
2 teaspoons thyme
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 cups canned tomatoes
3 (4-ounce) cans mushrooms
1/2 pound blanched almonds
1/2 pound currants or raisins
2 cups cooked rice
Chop chicken and steam until tender. While chicken is steaming, chop peppers, onions and garlic, and sauté in a frying pan until slightly brown, not done. Add to this, curry powder, thyme, pepper, tomatoes and mushrooms. When this is well blended, add cooked chicken and half of blanched and toasted almonds, and half of raisins; cook together at 350 degrees for 1 hour. When ready to serve, pour mixture over cooked rice, or place rice around it, and sprinkle remaining almonds and raisins over the whole entrée. Yields six to eight.
Corn Pudding
1 cup sweet milk
2 cups corn
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon sugar
3 eggs
Red or white pepper, to taste
Cut corn as usual (use very tender corn). Add all seasoning. Beat eggs together until light; put into mixture. Pour into buttered baking dish and bake in moderate oven. If it cooks too fast, it will curdle; it should be firm like a cup of custard. Place dish with pudding into pan of boiling water, and it will cook slower. Serve in dish in which it was cooked. By warming the milk, it will cook quicker.
Baked Apples
12 apples (uniform as possible)
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
Butter
Cinnamon
Brown Sugar
Core and peel apples half way down. Put cut side up in 2-quart glass baking dish. Bring to a boil the sugar and water. Fill core opening with light brown sugar and dot with butter. Sprinkle each apple with cinnamon. Pour sugar and water mixture over apples and bake in 350 degree oven for 1 hour. When apples have been cooking for 30 minutes, turn each apple over and continue cooking for 25 minutes. Then turn each apple over and cook for 5 minutes.
Summer Squash Casserole
2 pounds (6 cups) yellow summer squash, sliced
1 cup onion, chopped
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup dairy sour cream
1 cup carrots, shredded
1 (8-ounce) package herb-seasoned stuffing mix (Pepperidge Farm)
1/2 cup butter or oleo, melted
In sauce pan, cook sliced squash and chopped onion in boiling, salted water for 5 minutes;drain. Combine cream of chicken soup and sour cream. Stir in shredded carrots. Fold in drained squash and onion. Combine stuffing mixture with melted butter or oleo. Spread half of stuffing mixture in bottom of 12-by-7 1/2-by-2-inch baking dish. Spoon vegetables on top. Sprinkle remaining stuffing over vegetables. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 or 30 minutes or until hot through.
Cheese ‘N’ Grits Soufflé
1 cup cooked grits
3 tablespoons hot milk
2 tablespoons snipped chives or freeze-dried chives
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, separated
1/2 cup (2 ounces) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine grits, milk, chives, salt and mustard. Beat egg yolks until thick and lemon colored. Stir egg yolks and cheese into grits mixture. In clean bowl, with clean beater, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites into egg yolks and cheese mixture. Pour into ungreased 5-cup soufflé dish or 1-quart casserole dish. Bake 1 hour or until well puffed and golden brown.
Hard Sauce
1 cup sweet butter
3 cups confectioners sugar
6 tablespoons brandy
3 tablespoons boiling water
Cream butter until soft. Gradually add sugar, creaming well. Mix in brandy and water a few drops at a time, beating until fluffy. The perfect topping for bread pudding and pies!
Roast Leg of Lamb with Herbs and Spices
1 leg of lamb
1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped and fresh or 2 tablespoons dried parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dried coriander
1 whole bay leaf, crushed
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, coarsely ground
1/4 teaspoon allspice, ground
Place lamb fat side up on rack in open roastingpan. With a sharp knife, make 1-inch deepcuts in roast at 2-inch intervals. Move knife from side to side to enlarge pockets. Combine parsley, garlic, salt, coriander, bay leaf, pepper and allspice; then mix well. Pack about 1/2 teaspoon flavor mixture deeply in each pocket. Rub any remaining mixture over lamb. Cook lamb according to weight.
Lace Cookies
2 cups old fashioned rolled oats (oatmeal, not quick kind)
1 tablespoon flour
2 cups sugar (white)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
Put flour, oats, sugar and salt into large bowl and mix well. Add remaining ingredients. Last pour hot butter over them and mix well. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cover cookie sheets with aluminum foil (ungreased). Drop 1/2 teaspoon 2 to 3 inches apart. Cooking time 8 to 10 minutes.Watch for they burn easily. Remove from oven and cool completely — lift off and reuse foil. Store in tin or they freeze well. Makes a lot.
Broccoli Soufflé
1 to 2 pounds fresh broccoli, chopped
Salted water
3 eggs
2 cups milk
1/4 cup prepared yellow mustard
4 cups soft bread crumbs
Cheese Sauce (recipe below)
Combine broccoli with about 1 inch of salted water in saucepan; cover and simmer 5 minutes. Drain. Lightly beat together eggs, milk and mustard in large bowl. Stir in drained broccoli and bread crumbs. Spoon into well-greased 12-by-8-inch shallow baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cut into squares and serve with Cheese Sauce. Serves six.
Cheese Sauce
Melt 3 tablespoons butter in saucepan. Stir in 3 tablespoons flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Gradually add 1 1/2 cups milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sauce comes to a boil and thickens. Add 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese; stir until cheese melts.
Curry Chicken Soup – A Sophisticated Offering
1/4 cup butter
3 medium carrots, thinly sliced
1/2 cup celery, thinly sliced
1/2 cup onion, chopped medium to fine
1/2 cup pared apple, chopped medium to fine
4 teaspoons curry powder
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 (13 3/4-ounce) cans chicken broth
1 cup diced cooked chicken
1 cup light cream
In a large saucepan in the hot butter, gently cook the carrots, celery and onion until soft but not brown — about 10 minutes. Add apple and curry powder and stir constantly for a few minutes. Stir in flour and salt. Gradually stir in chicken broth. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil; cover and simmer about 20 minutes. Stir in chicken and cream and heat. Serves six.
Broiled Chicken Barbecue
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons horseradish
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3/4 teaspoon Tabasco®
2 (1 1/2 to 2 pound) chickens split down back
Combine all ingredients except chicken to make sauce; heat to boiling point. Place chicken halves, skin side down. Brush with sauce. Broil 5 to 7 inches from heat, 40 to 45 minutes. Turn chicken and baste every 10 minutes. Serves four.
Sarasota Watercress and Spinach Salad
Layer of watercress
1 pound of bacon, cooked and crumbled
6 hard boiled eggs, sliced
1 package green peas, frozen and uncooked
1 salt and pepper and little sugar
1 layer onion, fresh
1 layer lettuce, shredded
1 layer of 1/2 pint miracle whip and 1/2 pint mayonnaise, whipped
1 layer 3/4 to 1 pound Swiss cheese, grated
Place in refrigerator several hours.
Venison Roast
Make a tart French dressing using olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Have the dressing oily. Soak venison in this, basting occasionally, for 5 or 6 hours. The meat absorbs much of the oil, and the vinegar makes the meat tender. Remove; drain (do not dry). Sprinkle with salt, pepper and flour. Place in covered roaster with a little water and cook until done in a 400-degree oven.
Crab Meat Casserole
1 pound crab meat
1 stick butter
1 cup celery, chopped
1 medium size onion, diced fine
1 cup cracker crumbs, toasted (prefer Ritz crackers)
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
4 eggs, beaten with fork
1 cup milk
Sauté onions and celery in the butter and add 1/2 cracker crumbs to this with the milk. Add eggs, mustard, salt and red pepper to taste and some lemon juice to taste. Add a little Tabasco® if you’d like. Pour over crab meat in casserole dish and top with the second portion of cracker crumbs. Cook at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.
Make-Ahead Hot Turkey Appetizers
1 cup roasted turkey, finely chopped
1 cup sifted flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon onion salt
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter
1/2 cup milk
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 tablespoon green pepper, finely chopped
Combine flour, baking powder, onion, salt and curry powder. Cut butter into mixture with pastry blender or fork until it looks like coarse meal. Add milk and stir with a fork until moistened. Add turkey, cheese and green pepper, blending well. Grease cookie sheet and dust lightly with flour. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Bake in 400 degrees oven 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm. If desired, bake appetizers may be wrapped and frozen. Reheat for about 5 minutes in 350 degrees oven to thaw and crisp. Yields four dozen.
Olive Surprises
1/4 cup butter, soft
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup sifted flour
3 dozen medium stuffed olives (dough will usually cover more than 36 olives)
Cream butter and cheese. Add other ingredients. Shape dough around each olive (if dough gets too soft to roll around the olives, chill a little). Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Good hot or cold.
Basic Meat Loaf
1 1/2 pound ground chuck beef
2 tablespoons instant minced onion
1/2 cup fine bread crumbs
1 egg
4 tablespoons ketchup
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon thyme
1/8 teaspoon paprika
Mix ground chuck thoroughly with onion, crumbs, egg, 2 tablespoons of ketchup, milk and seasonings. Mold into a rounded, flat loaf in 9-inch glass pie plate. Spread ketchup evenly over top of loaf. Cover with wax paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/4 hours. Remove; let loaf stand for at least 5 minutes before slicing.
Rice Casserole
1 cup rice
2 cups water or chicken broth
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 chicken bouillon cube (or canned bouillon)
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
Dash of red pepper
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 can water chestnuts, sliced
1/2 cups sliced almonds (optional)
Sauté onion, rice and bouillon cube in frying pan with butter. Add other ingredients and pour into covered casserole and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until rice is done. Toss lightly with fork.
Squash Gratiné
1 1/2 pounds squash, chopped
2/3 cup onion, chopped
2 eggs, well beaten
3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
4 saltine crackers, crushed
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Preheat oven 350 degrees. Cook squash and onion in small amount of water 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well and mash. Combine with eggs, bacon, cheese, saltines, salt and pepper. Pour into 2-quart buttered baking dish. Dot with butter and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Cook for 30 to 40 minutes. Serves six to eight.
«back to issue
Straight to your mailbox all year long!
Get The Magazine
