19th Century Recipes

How to Prepare Arrow Root 1856

For boiling arrowroot for children—Take a teaspoon of arrowroot, put it into a breakfast cup and mix it smooth with two teaspoons of cold water; then slowly pour on boiling water until it loses the white appearance and becomes transparent, stirring quickly all the time; then add milk or water until you get it to the consistency you wish, and sweeten it. It may be boiled with milk instead of water, which will render it more nourishing.

For sick persons—Boil as above, and sweeten to taste; a little cinnamon or nutmeg grated into it will make it more palatable; wine or brandy may also be added at pleasure.

Godey’s Lady’s Book and Magazine, 1856

Muffin Recipe

Add a Pint and a half of good ale yeast (from pale malt, if possible) to a bushel of the very best white flour; let the yeast lie all night in water, then pour off the water quite clear; make two gallons of water just milk-warm, and mix your water, yeast, and two ounces of salt well together for about a quarter of an hour. Strain the whole, and mix up your dough as light as possible, letting it lie in the trough an hour, to rise; next roll it with your hand, pulling it into little pieces about the size of a large walnut. These must be rolled out thin with a rolling-pin, in a good deal of flour, and if covered immediately with a piece of flannel, they will rise to a proper thickness; but if too large or small, dough must be added accordingly, or taken away; meanwhile, the dough must be covered with flannel. Next begin baking; and when laid on the iron, watch carefully, and when one side changed color turn the other, taking care that they do not burn or become discolored. Be careful also that the iron does not get too hot. In order to bake muffins properly, you ought to have a place built as if a copper was to be set; but instead of copper, a piece of iron must be put over the top, fixed in form like the bottom of an iron pot. Underneath which a coal fire is kindled when required. Toast the muffins crisp on both sides, with a fork; pull them open with your hand, and they will be like a honeycomb; lay in as much butter as you intend, then clap them together, and set by the fire; turn them once, that both sides may be buttered alike. When done, cut them across with a knife; but if you use a knife either to spread or divide them, they will be as heavy as lead. Some kind of flour will soak up more water than another; when this occurs, add water; or if too moist, add flour; for the dough must be as light as possible.

Godey’s Lady’s Book and Magazine, 1856

How To Preserve Beans for Winter

 A country housewife sends the following simple receipt, which she has adopted for years: Pick the beans young and tender, and throw into a wooden keg a layer of them three inches deep; then sprinkle them with salt; put another layer of beans, and do the same until the keg is nearly full. Do not put too much salt. Lay over them a plate, or cover, that will go into the keg, and put a weight on it.

Godey’s Lady’s Book and Magazine, 1856

Raspberry Jelly

Put in a large earthen pan a gallon of the finest fresh picked raspberries, on which put two quarts of the best (common) white wine vinegar, stirring them well. Let it stand till the next morning, then strain it through a cream cloth into another pan measuring off your juice, which should be two gallons; then add ten pounds of the white crushed sugar, put it all together into your skillet, stirring it till the sugar is melted. Let it boil gently for half an hour, skimming it well, till it becomes a thin clear jelly. When you think it is sufficiently boiled, try a little saucer, let it cool, you will then be able to judge both of the proper thickness and sweetness. When it is sufficiently cool, bottle it off, and the next day cork it closely and seal down. You can reduce the articles to make a smaller quantity if you prefer it. This jelly will keep for years, and will stand any climate.

Peterson’s Lady’s Magazine, 1861

Blackberry Wine

There is no wine equal to blackberry wine when properly made, either in flavor or for medicinal purposes, and all persons who can conveniently do so should manufacture enough for their own use every year, as it is invaluable in sickness as a tonic, and nothing is a better remedy for bowel complaints. We therefore give the recipe for making it, and having tried it ourselves we speak advisedly on the subject: -- Measure your berries and bruise them; to every gallon adding one quart of boiling water. Let the mixture stand twenty-four hours, stirring occasionally; then strain off the liquor into a cask, to every gallon adding two pounds of sugar; cork tight, and let it stand till the following October, and you will have wine ready for use without further straining or boiling, that will make lips smack as they never smacked under similar influences before.

Peterson’s Lady’s Magazine, 1861

BEEF

Beef soup should be stewed four hours over a slow fire. Just water enough to keep the meat covered. If you have any bones left of roast meat it is a good plan to boil them with the meat, and take them out half and hour before the soup is done. A pint of flour and water, with salt, pepper, twelve or sixteen onions, should be put in twenty minutes before soup is done. Be careful and not throw in salt and pepper too plentifully; it is easy to add to it, and not easy to diminish. A lemon, cut up and put in half and hour before it is done, adds to the flavor. If you have tomato catsup in the house, a cupful will make soup rich. Some people put in crackers; some thin slices of crust, made nearly as short as common shortcake; and some stir up two or three eggs with milk and flour, and drop it in with a spoon.

A quarter of an hour to each pound of beef is considered a good rule for roasting; but this is too much when the bone is large, and the meat thin. Six pounds of the rump should roast six quarters of an hour; but bony pieces less. It should be done quick before fire. The quicker beef-steak can be broiled the better. Seasoned after it is taken from the gridiron.

Lydia Marie Child; The American Frugal Housewife

MUTTON AND LAMB

Six or Seven pounds of mutton will roast in an hour and a half. Lamb one hour. Mutton is apt to taste strong; this may be helped by soaking the meat in a little salt and water, for an hour before cooking. However, unless meat is very sweet, it is best to corn it, and boil it. Fresh meat should never be put in to cook till the water boils; and it should be boiled in as little water as possible; otherwise the flavor is injured. Mutton enough for a family of five or six should boil an hour and a half. A leg of lamb should boil over an hour, or little more then an hour, perhaps. Put a little thickening in to boiling water; strain it nicely; and put sweet butter in it for sauce. If your family likes broth, throw in some clear rice when you put in the meat. The rice should be portioned to the quantity of broth you mean to make. A large table spoonful is enough for three pints of water. Seasoned with very little pepper and salt. Summer-savory, or sage, rubbed through a sieve, thrown in.

Lydia Marie Child; The American Frugal Housewife

PORK: Sausages

Three tea-spoons of powered sage, one and a half of salt, and one of pepper, to a pound of meat, is good seasoning for sausages.

PORK: Minced Meat

There is a great difference in preparing mincemeat. Some make it a course, unsavory dish; and others make it nice and palatable. No economical house-keeper will despise it; for broken bits of meat and vegetables cannot so well be disposed of in any other way. If you wish to have it nice, mash your vegetables fine, and hot your meat very fine. Warm it with what remains of sweet gravy, or roast-meat drippings, you may happen to have. Two or three apples, pared, cored, sliced, and fried, to mix with it, is an improvement. Some like a little sifted sage sprinkled in. It is generally considered nicer to chop your meat fine, warm it in gravy, season it, and lay it upon a large slice of toasted bread to be brought upon the table without being mixed with potatoes; but if you have cold vegetables, use them.

Lydia Marie Child; The American Frugal Housewife

Poultry

In broiling chickens, it is difficult to do the inside of the thickest pieces without scorching the outside. It is a good plan to parboil them about ten minutes in a spider or skillet, covered close to keep the steam in; then put them upon the gridiron, broil and butter. It is good plan to cover them with a plate, while on the gridiron. They may be basted with a very little of the water in which they were broiled; and if you have company who like melted butter to pour upon the chicken, the remainder of the liquor will be good use for that purpose. An hour is enough for common sized chickens to roast. A smart fire is better than a slow one; but they must be tended closely. Slices of bread, buttered, salted, and peppered, put into the stomach (not the crop) are excellent.

Chickens should boil about an hour. If old, they should boil longer. In as little water as will cook them. Chicken-broth made like mutton-broth.

Lydia Marie Child; The American Frugal Housewife