Historical Food Fortnightly Challenge #9: The Frugal Housewife

The Challenge:
Throughout history, housewives and housekeepers have kept a close eye on their budgets and found creative ways to pinch pennies while providing delicious and nutritious food. Create a dish that interprets one historically-documented method of frugal cooking.

In the 19th century, the social pressure to live to the highest extant of your means was tantamount and the mode of entertaining didn't help. The recipe books and household advice manuals stepped in. Almost all include recipes that call for "cold meat or cold fish", meaning left-over from a previous meal. Cry-Fedd coins a new name, second dressing, for just such dishes. And a favorite, Mr. Kemp Philp, wrote an entire book devoted just to the topic.
With so many recipes from which to choose, I looked for recipes that included ingredients I usually have left over. This time of year, apples are in abundance and I often buy more than I can process. Oops! I enjoy pork, but in a household of one, a package will last for several meals. I'm not so fond of ale, but often have cider left over. I tweaked the recipe to include a frugal use of left over cider, rather than buying ale I wouldn't other wise drink. I had to "call a friend" for an opinion on which modern cut of meat would come closest to "fat bacon." We agreed bacon-sliced fat back would work best and the pepper crust would season nicely. It did season nicely, and she gets to use the remainder for a recipe of hers. Sharing is frugal, too.


The Recipe:
From: The Family Save-All, a system of secondary cookery by Robert Kemp Philp, 1861, page 47
A Medley Pie, of Cold Roast Meat and Apples, Leicestershire Fashion.
Cut some Apples into quarters, take out the core (preserving the pips, and sticking them into the pulp); cut thick slices of cold fat Bacon, and any sort of cold roasted meat; season with pounded ginger, pepper, and salt; put into the dish a layer of each, and pour over the top a large cupful of ale; cover the dish with a paste made with dripping or lard; bake until nicely browned.

The Date/Year and Region: 
Britain and United States, 1864

How Did You Make It:
I was brave enough to try making a paste from scratch.

I gathered the ingredients: cold roast pork, soaked fat bacon, and prepared apples.

I began layering as the recipe instructs.

I seasoned with salt, a bit of pepper, and ginger.

I added the apple cider and covered with paste.

Into the oven it went at 350* for about 20 minutes.

Time to Complete: 
An hour at most.

Total Cost: 
Left overs!! so I only bought the fat bacon specially, roughly $4.00

How Successful Was It: 
The fat bacon was more than my modern texture palette would stand, but the rest was incredible. If I made this again, I'd likely add in some potatoes and onions as well. Oh, that paste tasted awesome. Maybe didn't look pretty enough to serve at a dinner with guests, but the taste was terrific.

How Accurate Was It: 
I consider it very much in the spirit of the challenge and close to the recipe.

Historical Food Fortnightly Challenge #8: In a Jam, or Jelly, or Preserve

The Challenge:
It’s harvest time in the northern hemisphere, and springtime in the southern hemisphere. Make something either to preserve that produce that you’re harvesting, or replenish your supply after the winter! Fruit and vegetable jams, jellies, and preserves are the focus!

Intro
I have a favorite historical recipe and it calls for marmalade of various kinds. I have used this recipe several times at historic events. I use store-bought marmalades every time. The preserving process just seems so complicated. At an event last spring, I decided I had cowered in fear long enough and I would tackle a marmalade. The recipe sounded simple enough, oranges (or lemons), sugar, water. It was a disaster that had me heading to the grocer's for the trusted Smuckers. I consulted my trusty friends on social media. "Add more pectin powder," they sagely advised. "The recipe didn't call for pectin powder," I replied in increasingly terse terms. They agreed one didn't need pectin powder for citrus because the white membranes had the pectin naturally. Some advised leaving the colored rind sections off, some advised they added flavor. My head spun from the conflicting advice that didn't match the simple recipe I had.

Well, I will not be conquered. I will try again. I can always make modern citrus sauces if I fail again.

The Recipe:
From: Directions for Cookery, In It's Various Branches by Eliza Leslie, 1840, page 243
Orange Marmalade
 --Take fine large ripe oranges, with thin deep-coloured skins. Weigh them, and allow to each pound of oranges a pound of loaf-sugar. Pare off the yellow outside of the rind from half the oranges, as thin as possible; and putting it into a pan with plenty of cold water, cover it closely (placing a double cloth beneath the tin cover) to keep in the steam, and boil it slowly till it is so soft that the head of a pin will pierce it. In the mean time grate the rind from the remaining oranges, and put it aside; quarter the oranges, and take out all the pulp and the juice; removing the seeds and core. Put the sugar into a preserving kettle, with a half pint of clear water to each pound, and mix it with some beaten white of egg, allowing one white of egg, to every four pounds of sugar. When the sugar is all dissolved, put it on the fire, and boil and skim it till it is quite clear and thick. Next take the boiled parings, and cut them into very small pieces, not more than half an inch long; put them into the sugar, and boil them in it ten minutes. Then put in the pulp and juice of the oranges, and the grated rind, (which will much improve the colour,) and boil all together for about twenty minutes, till it is a transparent mass. When cold, put it up in glass jars, laying brandy paper on the top.

Lemon marmalade may be made in a similar manner, but you must allow a pound and a half of sugar to each pound of lemons.

The Date/Year and Region: 
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1840

How Did You Make It:
Pare off the yellow outside of the rind from half the oranges, as thin as possible;
... and putting it into a pan with plenty of cold water, cover it closely to keep in the steam, and boil it slowly till it is so soft that the head of a pin will pierce it.

In the mean time grate the rind from the remaining oranges, and put it aside; ...
quarter the oranges, and take out all the pulp and the juice; removing the seeds and core.

Put the sugar into a preserving kettle, with a half pint of clear water to each pound, and mix it with some beaten white of egg, allowing one white of egg, to every four pounds of sugar.
About 2 lbs of oranges equals 2 lbs of sugar and a pint (2 cups) of water and one egg white.

When the sugar is all dissolved, put it on the fire, and boil and skim it till it is quite clear and thick.

Next take the boiled parings, and cut them into very small pieces, not more than half an inch long; put them into the sugar, and boil them in it ten minutes.

Then put in the pulp and juice of the oranges, and the grated rind, and boil all together for about twenty minutes, till it is a transparent mass.

When cold, put it up in glass jars, laying brandy paper on the top.

Time to Complete: 
About an hour, allowing for my nervous checking of the recipe every two seconds. :-p

Total Cost: 
About $5.00 in oranges and sugar.

How Successful Was It: 
Well... we have yet another batch of sweet orange syrup, but not a marmalade.

How Accurate Was It: 
I followed the directions, using modern kitchen equipment, so the accuracy level should be high.