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Title: What Mrs. Fisher Knows about Old Southern Cooking, Soups, Pickles, Preserves, etc.
Author: Fisher, Abby.
Publisher: San Francisco: Women's Co-operative Printing Office.

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> WHAT MRS. FISHER KNOWS

> ABOUT

> Old Southern Cooking.

1

Maryland Beat Biscuit.

Take one quart of flour, add one teaspoonful of salt, one tablespoonful of lard, half tablespoonful of butter. Dry rub the lard and butter into the flour until well creamed; add your water gradually in mixing so as to make dough stiff, then put the dough on pastry board and beat until perfectly moist and light. Roll out the dough to thickness of third of an inch. Have your stove hot and bake quickly. To make more add twice the quantity.

2

Egg Rolls.

One quart of flour, half tablespoonful of butter, two eggs lightly beat, half tea-cup of sweet yeast, half tea-cup of water, one teaspoonful of salt. Mix as a sponge, about 10 o'clock at night, for breakfast; put to rise until morning. With dry flour knead the sponge, not too stiff; make off rolls, put to rise in baking pan, then have oven hot and bake slowly. When rolls are done, put them in a napkin until sent to table.

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3

Breakfast Cream Cake.

Four eggs beat light, one gill of cream to a tea-cup of sweet milk, one pint of flour, sifted, half teaspoonful of salt; mix cream, milk, and eggs together, well stirred, then add flour gradually until thoroughly mixed. Have your baking cups hot when put to bake. Requires ten minutes to bake in hot oven.

4

Waffles for Breakfast.

Two eggs beat light, one pint of sour milk, to one and a half pint of flour, one teaspoonful of soda sifted with the flour, one tablespoonful of butter, teaspoonful of salt, well mixed, and then add the eggs. Always have your irons perfectly hot and well greased. In baking, melt butter before mixing in flour. Place them in a covered dish and butter them on sending to the table.

5

Flannel Cake.

One quart of flour, quarter tea-cup of yeast, make into a batter, with one teaspoonful of salt; make up over night and put to rise. Just before baking on a nicely greased griddle, for breakfast, add one level teaspoonful of soda, and stir it well into the batter.

6

Sally Lund

One quart of flour, quarter pound of butter, perfectly rubbed into the flour while dry, one teaspoonful of salt, five eggs beat very light, half tea-cup of milk to quarter tea-cup of yeast; add all to the flour, and stir the whole together as you would pound cake, and put to rise at


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10 o'clock at night; next morning beat over until light as cake and put in warm place to rise a second time, after which bake as carefully as baking pound cake. Bake in the pan it rises in the second time. Just grease the pan before putting to rise the second time.

7

Breakfast Corn Bread,

One tea-cup of rice boiled nice and soft, to one and a half tea-cupful of corn meal mixed together, then stir the whole until light; one teaspoonful of salt, one tablespoonful of lard or butter, three eggs, half tea-cup of sweet milk. The rice must be mixed into the meal while hot; can be baked either in muffin cups or a pan.

8

Corn Egg Bread.

Two eggs, one pint of meal, half pint of sour milk, one teaspoonful of soda,--beat eggs very light,--one tablespoonful of melted lard or butter, mix all together, well stirred or beaten. Bake in an ordinary pan.

9

Plantation Corn Bread or Hoe Cake.

Half tablespoonful of lard to a pint of meal, one tea-cup of boiling water; stir well and bake on a hot griddle. Sift in meal one teaspoonful of soda.

10

Light Bread.

Half yeast cake to two quarts of flour, teaspoonful of salt, one dessertspoonful of butter or lard. Dissolve yeast in warm water; make up over night at 10 o'clock; make dough soft and spongy, and set to rise in a warm place. Next morning work the dough over until it becomes


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perfectly light, adding flour so as to keep it from sticking to the hands, then put to rise in your baking pan, and when it rises bake in a hot oven until thoroughly done.

11

Beefsteak--Broiled.

Which should not be broiled until a few minutes before meal time: First, have the gridiron perfectly hot, then lay the steak on the iron while hot, the iron being over hot coals. Let the steak be on the iron about two minutes the first time you lay it on the iron, turning it over about once. In a minute remove from iron to a platter or pan and stick it through and through with a fork, so as to let the blood run out. Then place the steak back on the hot iron, turning it over as before; then take off iron, salt and pepper it and baste with butter; then lay it back on gridiron, turning it over for about two minutes; then lay in a dish, dress with butter and send to the table. A steak an inch and one-half thick may require twelve minutes to broil, turning it over every three minutes. A steak broiled in this style is very sweet and nice.

12

Lamb or Mutton Chops

Will take five minutes to broil, and must observe the same directions you have in the beefsteak.

13

Pork Steak or Chops

Should be broiled in the same way as the beefsteak, except that about eight to ten minutes should broil them, as pork must be well done.

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14

Venison--Broiled.

Pepper and salt before putting it on the gridiron, but remove it every two or three minutes from the iron and baste with butter. When you want deviled venison, use a little mustard mixed with wine (claret). Should you like your venison tart or a little acid, baste with currant jelly.

15

Roast Venison.

First stuff the meat before roasting; make stuffing of bread crumbs browned; season stuffing with butter, salt, onions (grated), pork or ham chopped fine. When it is put into the oven, baste well with butter or lard, and while cooking notice and continue to baste until done. Two hours are sufficient, with a hot fire, to cook this roast. To make your gravy, brown a tablespoonful of flour in your pan from which you take the roast, add a little water, stir with spoon slowly until well done. You can make your gravy thick by the use of a very little water. If you do not like onions, use a little green or dry thyme.

16

Roast Beef

Should be well cooked outside and rare on the inside. The oven should bake on bottom and top. If it gets too hot on either top or bottom, shut the damper slightly off. A five-pound roast should cook in half an hour, and a ten-pound one in one hour. Season roast with salt and pepper before putting it to cook, baste it with lard or butter before putting in stove, and while cooking baste with the juice that comes out of the meat every two or three minutes until done.

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17

Roast Lamb.

Prepare in the same way as the roast beef, except the lamb should be well done. In a hot oven, one hour is necessary to cook the lamb. Mint sauce for roast lamb: Chop tender mint very fine, put cold water or vinegar, one tablespoonful of vinegar to three of water, and a little sugar according to taste.

18

Roast Pork.

To be seasoned with salt and pepper before being cooked, and in cooking baste with the gravy that comes from the meat. Must be cooked with a fast fire. To make the gravy, take one tablespoonful of flour browned in the pan and stir in a little water.

19

Roast Pig.

Examine when it comes from the butcher and see that it is completely cleaned. The pig should be roasted the same way you would a turkey well done. For the stuffing take a loaf and one-half of baker's bread cut thin, fry the bread in butter or lard and mash it well; season it with salt and pepper according to taste, using a little red pepper. Then stuff the pig putting an apple in its mouth. Put it in the pan and baste with lard, then put it to roast, and while it is cooking keep basting it every five or ten minutes until it is cooked; you can tell when it is perfectly done by a fork passing through it easily. To make the gravy for the pig--After it is cooked, take about a tablespoonful of flour and put it in the pan where you cooked your roast and brown well


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on the stove, then add a little water; stir till it commences to get thick. A little onion in your stuffing is good. [See No. 21.]

20

Roast Veal.

Use crackers for your stuffing. Slice an opening in the veal in five or six different places, and fill each one with the stuffing. Season the stuffing with salt, pepper, butter, and a little sage. You can tell when it is done by a fork passing through easily. Baste the roast while cooking with the essence that comes from the meat. Baste it with lard or butter when first put to cook. Use flour for making gravy, same as directed in other roasts.

21

Roast Turkey.

First cleanse well and take the craw from the turkey. Make stuffing of light bread chopped fine, season with butter, pepper and salt; then stuff the body completely full, also where the craw was. Put in pan and baste with butter or lard, and put to roast. While cooking, keep basting it with the juice that comes from the turkey. When it is cooked take a tablespoonful of flour and brown it in the pan, then add a little water and stir for the gravy.

22

Roast Chicken.

The same as for turkey.

23

Roast Birds.

In the same way.

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24

Quails.

When roasted, make nice toast, butter it nice and send quails to table on the toast. Do not forget to baste all game and fowls while cooking, so as to make them juicy. Make stuffing same as for chicken.

25

Domestic Duck

.

Bake or roast in the same manner you do a turkey, and have it well cooked. Make stuffing of bread, like that prepared for turkey, with salt, pepper, butter or lard. Baste while cooking.

26

Wild Duck.

Should not be stuffed, but cleaned well and seasoned with pepper and salt, inside and outside, and put into a hot oven. Ten minutes will cook it.

27

Meat Stews or Entrees

.

Cut your meat into inch pieces and put into a saucepan; season with salt, pepper, and butter or lard. Put one pint of water to a pound of meat. One hour will cook, unless very young, when less time is sufficient. Add onions if liked.

28

Lamb Croquettes.

Boil lamb till thoroughly done, then cut into small pieces taking all sinews and gristle out, and put into a chopping tray; grate onion in it to suit your taste, also grate two or three sour pickles in it; then chop the whole up very fine indeed. Season with salt and pepper. Add one and one half boiled Irish potatoes to


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one pound of lamb mashed to the fine meal while hot; thoroughly mix together with the hand. Make into small cakes, oblong style; then take two eggs and beat them very light, dip the cakes into the egg, and then roll into powdered crackers. Have fat very hot and put them into it, and let them fry quick till brown.

29

Chicken Croquettes.

Boil chicken very tender, pick to pieces, take all gristle out, then chop fine. Beat two eggs for one chicken and mix into meat; season with pepper and salt; make into cakes oblong shaped; powder crackers and roll them into the powder, after dipping them into two eggs beaten moderately well. Then have your lard very hot, and fry just before sending them to the table.

30

Crab Croquettes.

Have crabs well boiled in salt and water, then pick them clean from the shell; chop fine; take the large end of a piece of celery and grate into the crab; chop with crab a small piece of onion fine; mix half a teacup of fine powdered cracker into crab; season with pepper and salt, also the least bit of fine red pepper, as crabs should be seasoned high to be nice. Have your lard hot, and fry just before wanted at table. Beat two eggs, dip croquettes in the egg, roll in powdered crackers before frying; make them oblong shaped.

31

Meat Croquettes.

You can make croquettes from any kind of meat you like from the directions given for the lamb croquettes,


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such as veal, except make veal into cakes as you would a biscuit, round. You need not use onions unless you like, but always salt and pepper.

32

Veal or Lamb Vigareets.

To be made the same way, to-wit: Boil meat rare done, pick all gristle out, grate as much onion in the chopped meat as you like. Take half the quantity of brains that comes in one head (calf or lamb), scald them, pick all the skin from them; mix then with the meat, one-half of a nutmeg grated, pepper and salt; season high and fry the same as other croquettes. Make a gravy of cream and pour on vigareets just as going to table. Making gravy: Put sweet cream into a clean vessel, put over steam until hot, add a very little pepper and salt, then chop some fresh parsley fine and sprinkle it over vigareets while on dish. Make oblong cakes.

33

Liver Croquettes.

Made of lamb or veal liver. One pound of liver to a quarter of a pound of suet, part boil, chop both separately very fine; pick all strings out of suet, then add suet and liver together, a small piece of onion, grated, salt and pepper; season high. Beat one egg light and mix well with hand, roll in powdered cracker, fry in hot lard or butter, garnish dish with parsley and send to table.

34

Oyster Croquettes.

Chop the quantity of oysters you want for the dinner in the following manner: Chop very fine one dozen


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oysters, take one boiled potato and mash hot into the fine oysters; take the yelk of one egg only, mix well into the oysters and season with pepper and salt to taste; then roll them, after making into oblong cakes, in powdered crackers; have your fat very hot, and fry quick and send to table.

35

Fish Croquettes.

One pound of boiled fish to one and a half potatoes, chop a small piece of onion fine and mix with fish; season with pepper and salt to your taste; make them out in cakes like the other croquettes, roll them in dry corn meal, fry in hot fat and send to table.

36

Fricasseed Chicken.

Chicken must be tender and well cleaned inside. Singe all pin feathers off over the fire. Boil two eggs hard, take the yelks and rub fine into one tablespoonful of butter, then add one tablespoonful of corn starch dissolved into the least bit of water; add all together, well mixed and free from lumps. Have your chicken cut up before before boiling, and stir the fricassee into the chicken just before sending to table. Season with salt and pepper while cooking.

37

Fried Chicken.

Cut the chicken up, separating every joint, and wash clean. Salt and pepper it, and roll into flour well. Have your fat very hot, and drop the pieces into it, and let them cook brown. The chicken is done when the fork passes easily into it. After the chicken is all cooked, leave a little of the hot fat in the skillet; then


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take a tablespoonful of dry flour and brown it in the fat, stirring it around, then pour water in and stir till the gravy is as thin as soup.

38

Beef Soup.

Six pounds of meat to two and one-half gallons of water. Boil to one gallon and one-half; then strain all meat out from the bouillon. Season with pepper and salt.

39

Ox-Tail Soup.

Can be made from the same bouillon of beef as seen in No. 38, in the following manner. Take two quarts of bouillon to two ox-tails; boil down to three pints. You can put in either ochra or vermicelli. Season with salt and pepper. Skim all grease off while boiling. Have the butcher unjoint the ox-tail.

40

Calf's Head Soup

.

Let the butcher open the head wide. Take the brains from it and lay into clean water with a little salt. Leave the tongue in the head when put on to boil; when the tongue is tenderly boiled or done, take it out of the pot and let it get cold for making tongue salad. Two gallons of water to a calf's head; boil to one gallon; strain it off clear for soup to one dozen guests. Take two quarts of this liquid and put to boil; two tablespoonfuls of flour and brown it; one tablespoonful of butter; rub into the brown flour till it comes to a cream, then add to the soup gradually, and stir well while adding. Season with salt and pepper, and a little red


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pepper. While cooking, boil a small piece of thyme and the half of an ordinary sized onion tied tight in a clean linen rag, and to be taken out of soup when done. One teaspoonful of mustard mixed with one tablespoonful of wine, to be put into the tureen before pouring in the soup hot, also one glass of sherry wine. Pick all skin from brains; beat two eggs light and add to the brains, then beat the eggs and brains together to a batter; take one-quarter tea cup of powdered cracker, one tablespoonful of flour added to the brains and egg batter well beaten together. Then make this brain batter in cake the size of a hickory nut, and fry them brown in hot fat just before taking up soup, and send to table on separate dish. Serve them with the soup, two cakes to a plate of soup.

P.S.--Chop parsley very fine, and boil it into the soup. You will find the calf's head soup the most delicious soup in the cookery. Study the recipe and remember it well.

41

Mock Turtle Soup.

Follow the same directions given for calf's head soup. Prepare your calf's head in the same way exactly. Use for flavor half of a lemon sliced, and put in tureen and pour hot soup on. Instead of brain-balls or cakes, make a forced meat of boiled ham chopped very fine with the yelk of a hard boiled egg; season with black pepper. Make balls the size of a hickory nut and fry in hot butter. Send to table in separate dish, serving one ball to a plate of soup. Use beef in place of ham if liked best.

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42

Green Turtle Soup.

To two pounds of turtle add two quarts of water, put to boil an a slow fire and cook down to three pints. Season while boiling with pepper and salt to taste. Take three hard boiled eggs, slice very thin and lay in tureen; slice one-fourth of a lemon and put in tureen also. Then pour in tureen one gill of sherry wine. Then pour on hot soup and send to table. The above quantity will make soup for one dozen guests. If there are more to serve, increase the quantity.

43

Oyster Gumbo Soup.

Take an old chicken, cut into small pieces, salt and black pepper. Dip it well in flour, and put it on to fry, over a slow fire, till brown; don't let it burn. Cut half of a small onion very fine and sprinkle on chicken while frying. Then place chicken in soup pot, add two quarts water and let it boil to three pints. Have one quart of fresh oysters with all the liquor that belongs to them, and before dishing up soup, add oysters and let come to a boil the second time, then stir into soup one tablespoonful of gumbo quickly. Dish up and send to table. Have parsley chopped very fine and put in tureen on dishing up soup. Have dry boiled rice to go to table with gumbo in separate dish. Serve one tablespoonful of rice to a plate of gumbo.

44

Ochra Gumbo.

Get a beef shank, have it cracked and put to boil in one gallon of water. Boil to half a gallon, then strain


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and put back on fire. Cut ochra in small pieces and put in soup; don't put in any ends of ochra. Season with salt and pepper while cooking. Stir it occasionally and keep it from burning. To be sent to table with dry boiled rice. Never stir rice while boiling. Season rice always with salt when it is first put on to cook, and do not have too much water in rice while boiling.

45

Old Fashioned Turnip Soup.

Take two pounds veal bones to half a gallon of water, and boil to one quart. Put turnips and bones on to boil together, then strain the liquor off and send to table hot. Season while cooking with pepper and salt.

46

Chicken Soup for the Sick

.

Take an old chicken and put on with one gallon of water; boil down to half a gallon. Take the yelks of two eggs, tie them up in a clean cloth with a little thyme and put in the soup after you have strained the meat from it, and put back to boil till down to three pints. Dish up and send to table hot. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

47

Corn and Tomato Soup.

Take a fresh beef bone, put on to boil with one gallon of water, and when boiling skim the grease off. Cut corn from cob and scald tomatoes with boiling water. Skin them and put both vegetables into soup, the corn ten minutes before dinner. Cut tomatoes in small pieces and let them boil in soup at least one hour.

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48

Pastry for making Pies of all kinds.

One pound of flour nicely sifted to quarter pound of butter and one quarter pound of lard, one teaspoonful of salt, fine, mixed in flour while dry; then with your hands rub the butter and lard into the flour until thoroughly mixed, then add enough cold water and mix with your hands so as to make pastry hold together, be sure not have it too wet; sprinkle flour very lightly on pastry board, and roll pastry out to the thickness of an egg-shell for the top of fruit, and that for the bottom of fruit must be thin as paper. In rolling pastry, roll to and from you; you don't want more than ten minutes to make pastry.

49

Preparing the Fruit for Pies.

One gill of water to four pounds rhubarb; first peel the rhubarb; sweeten to taste while cooking, and put into pastry when cold.

Prepare apples same way; season with cinnamon.

Peaches the same way; season with cinnamon.

50

Lemon Pies.

Take four eggs, one tablespoonful of butter to one and a half tea-cup of powdered sugar, rub butter and sugar together until a cream, then add the yelks of the eggs to butter and sugar, and beat until light; beat the white of the egg until perfectly light, and add to the others. Take two lemons, roll them with your hands, on board until soft, then grate peel of lemons and put into preparation, then squeeze juice of lemons into preparation. All articles in this preparation should be


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well mixed together and put in pastry, and baked immediately in a hot oven. Only one layer of pastry at bottom of pie plate.

51

Cocoanut Pie.

One cocoanut fresh, draw off the milk, then place the nut in a hot oven and let it stay long enough for the shell to pull off; then grate with the nut juice one tea-cup of powdered white sugar, one tablespoonful of butter and lard rubbed together until creamed, then take the yelks of four eggs and beat into sugar and butter until perfectly light; grate the rind of one lemon into it, and squeeze the juice of the lemon into the creamed butter and sugar; beat the white of four eggs light, and add also to creamed butter and sugar, and stir them well, add also one-half tea-cup of sweet milk. Will make three pies. Use a half pound of flour for the pastry, one tablespoonful each of butter and lard--you only want crust at the bottom of plate, and bake in quick oven. Mix flour as directed in No. 49.

52

Cream Apple Pie.

The best of apples to be used. To two pounds of apples use a gill of water; put on fire to steam till the apples will mash perfectly fine and soft; sweeten to taste and let them cool. Season with powdered cinnamon--one-half teaspoonful of the best. Have one crust of pastry only, and that at the bottom of plate; fill plate with the fruit, then bake quickly in a hot oven. Take one pint of fresh cream sweetened to taste; beat the white of five eggs light, and add to the cream; flavor with vanilla.


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Beat the cream lightly before adding the eggs, then with a spoon spread over pies on sending to table.

53

Sweet Potato Pie.

Two pounds of potatoes will make two pies. Boil the potatoes soft; peel and mash fine through a cullender while hot; one tablespoonful of butter to be mashed in with the potato. Take five eggs and beat the yelks and whites separate and add one gill of milk; sweeten to taste; squeeze the juice of one orange, and grate one-half of the peel into the liquid. One half teaspoonful of salt in the potatoes. Have only one crust and that at the bottom of the plate. Bake quickly.

54

Custard Pie.

Half dozen eggs beaten together lightly; one pint of sweet milk; sweeten to taste. Grate one nutmeg in it. Have one crust only, and that at the bottom of plate. Use deep plates and bake quickly. It will make two nice pies.

55

Gooseberry and Cherry Pies.

Prepared the same way. Use one gill of water to two pounds of either fruit; sweeten to taste, leaving it a little tart. When it cools, put into plates for baking, having two crusts, top and bottom of plate. Bake quickly, and send to table cold.

56

Orange Pie.

Peel the oranges; cut them very thin and spread with sugar thickly. Have your pie crust rich, the same


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as other pie pastry. Lay bottom crust in plate, and put in the oranges with juice, then cover over with top crust, and put to bake in a quick oven.

57

Light Bread Pie.

Take stale bread and grate it. To one and one-half teacupfuls of the grated bread, add two teacupfuls of sweet milk, the juice of one orange, and half of the peel grated. Stir the yelks of four eggs beaten light into it. Take the whites of the four eggs beaten very light and meringue the pies after baking. Put half teacupful of sugar and one tablespoonful of butter to the prepared bread. Have one crust only, and that at the bottom of plate. Bake quickly.

58

Cracker Pie.

To be made the same as bread pie, except flavor with one-half teaspoonful of ground cloves, one-half teaspoonful of ground cinnamon, and one tablespoonful of butter.

59

Mince Pies.

One beef tongue boiled tender, then take the skin off; four pounds beef kidney suet, peel all the skin off it and chop very fine with the tongue; two pounds citron chopped fine, four pounds apples, four pounds raisins well seeded, four pounds currants well washed and dried with a towel, four oranges, the peel of two grated, and the fruit of all four grated into mince meat, two tablespoonfuls of ground allspice, one tablespoonful of cloves, two nutmegs grated, and two tablespoonfuls of


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ground cinnamon. Chop the whole very fine, and mix well together, then put in one-half gallon