The most widely used and important foods known today are of North American origin. The first European settlers who landed on the eastern shores of the New World were ill equipped for the harsh reality of their environment. Had it not be for the Native American Squanto, the settlers would not have survived that first winter. He gave them corn and taught them how to plant it the Indian way. Corn remained central to the settlers' diets for many years; however, the tough, starchy corn consumed then bears little resemblance to the sweet, juicy corn we know today.
Native Americans also taught settlers to grow several varieties of beans, squash, pumpkins and sweet potatoes. New World foods were not limited to fruits and vegetables. From the northeast came new varieties of fish and shellfish.
Cooking methods were developed according to what was available or in season. The Northwest tribes were partial to steaming foods while Southwestern tribes roasted their meats over coals.
After about 1700, rice became the most popular grain in the South. It is believed to have been introduced to the New World when an African ship was blown off course and took refuge in Charleston, South Carolina. The ship's captain is said to have been so grateful for the assistance he received, he gave the colony's governor a handful of rice grains. The resultant plants flourished and soon became a major ingredient of the southern diet.
The books in this case represent a variety of New World foods as well as the wide range of cultures that have settled in North America and influenced modern American cooking.
Indian Corn, How to Cook It: Family Recipes Arranged for a Corn Festival
by the Lafayette Street M.E. Church, Salem, Mass., December 13-20, 1893
(Salem, MA: Salem Observer Book and Job Print), 1893.
Spec / TX809 / .M2 / I5
For an ordinary deep pie-plate beat an egg with two spoonfuls of sugar, and milk as necessary, one coffee-cup of corn cooked and cut from the cob. Line the dish with pastry, scatter over it bits of butter to the amount of a heaping tablespoonful. Add a little salt and pepper to the egg, corn, and milk, and fill the crust with this as for custard. Use for dinner, and serve just cool enough to eat comfortably.
The Story of Tapioca
(Orange, MA: Minute Tapioca Company), ca. 1920.
Spec / SB211 / .C3 / S76 / 1900z
Zana Knight Henderson Cookery Collection
Make Mine Real Vanilla: Recipes and Information on the
World's Most Popular, Natural Flavor
(S.l.: Flavoring Extract Manufacturers Association, et. al.), 1964.
Spec / TX819 / .V35 / M35 / 1964
Zana Knight Henderson Cookery Collection
2 tsp instant coffee, 1/4 cup boiling water, 2 tsp sugar, 1/16 tsp salt, 2 1/2 cups milk, 2 tsp pure vanilla extract, 1/2 pt. chocolate ice cream
Dissolve coffee in boiling water. Chill. Stir in sugar, salt, milk and pure vanilla extract. Add ice cream. Mix well. Serve in tall glasses. Yield: 3 to 4 servings
Myrna Davis, The Potato Book
(New York: Morrow), 1973.
Spec / TX803 / .P8 / D38 / 1973
Zana Knight Henderson Cookery Collection
1 cup sifted flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, 2 eggs (beaten), 1 cup milk, 5 Tbsp melted butter, 1 1/2 cups mashed cooked potatoes, 1/4 cup minced onion
Sift together dry ingredients. Combine remaining ingredients, mix well, and add to first mixture. Beat with whisk, rotary or electric beater until thoroughly blended.
Use three-quarters cup of batter for each waffle, baking in a hot waffle iron for three or four minutes or until no longer steaming. This will make four large waffles.
It's Easy to Be a Gourmet with Saucy Peanuts: And Other Fine Oklahoma Recipes!
(Madill, OK: Oklahoma Peanut Commission), ca. 1976.
Spec / TX803 / .P35 / I8 / 1970z
Helen Judd Collection
1 lb. ground beef, 2 cups chopped celery, 1 cup chopped onion, 1 cup chopped green pepper, 2 medium cloves garlic (crushed), 1 1-lb. can tomatoes, 2 8-oz. can tomato sauce, 1 cup chunky peanut butter, 2 1-lb. cans red kidney beans (drained), 2 Tbsp chili powder, Ground cumin to taste, 2 tsp salt
In a large saucepan brown beef, celery, onion, green pepper, and garlic. Stir in tomatoes, tomato sauce, peanut butter, kidney beans, chili powder, cumin, and salt. Cover and simmer 30 minutes. Yield: about 9 ½ cups
Beth Anderson, Wild Rice for All Seasons Cookbook
(S.l.: Minnehaha Publishing), 1977.
Spec / TX809 / .R5 / A53 / 1977
Signe Betsinger Cookery Collection
3 eggs (lightly beaten), 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, 2 cups milk, 1/2 tsp maple flavoring, 2 cups cooked Minnehaha Wild Rice, 3 slices stale whole wheat bread (cut into 1/2-inch cubes), 3 Tbsp melted butter
Combine the eggs, brown sugar, salt, milk and maple flavoring. Toss the wild rice and bread in a 1 1/2-quart buttered casserole. Drizzle the melted butter over the rice and bread. Pour the egg-milk mixture on top. Set casserole in a pan of hot water, enough to come up sides of casserole about an inch, on a rack in the middle of an over preheated to 350 degrees. Bake 40 to 50 minutes, or until custard is set. Serve warm, with lightly sweetened cream or ice cream, if desired. Serves 6.
Jim Yarnell, Guacamole According to Luke
(Wichita, KS: Oak Park Press), 1983.
Spec / TX813 / .A9 / Y376 / 1983
Barbara Myers, Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate
(Harmondsworth, England: Penguin Books), 1984.
Spec / TX767 / .C5 / M93 / 1984
Virginia Sue Morgan Dawson Collection
1 1/4 cups sifted cake flour, 3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 cup unsalted butter (softened), 1 cup sugar, 2 eggs (at room temperature), 1/2 cup milk, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 4 ounces dark sweet chocolate (grated), 1/2 cup coarse-chopped walnuts, Vanilla or other flavor ice cream (optional)
Grease and flour an 8-inch-square baking pan. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Combine the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat with a wooden spoon until creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until the mixture is light and smooth.
Add the flour mixture with the milk, alternating a little of each so the mixture blends after each addition. Add the vanilla, and beat until light.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the grated chocolate evenly over the top; then sprinkle the walnuts over the chocolate; press in lightly. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the cake pulls slightly away from the edges of the pan. The batter will puff and rise unevenly; that is characteristic of this type of cake.
Cool the cake on a rack until it has cooled for easy cutting. It should be cut into squares and served warm with chocolate meltingly soft. Serve plain or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or other flavor of your choice. Makes 9 or more servings.
Barbara Zelman, The Tomato Lover's Handbook
(Burlington, VT: Queen City Printers Inc.), 1987.
Spec / Uncataloged
Marion Van Atta Cookery Collection
10 lbs. red ripe tomatoes, 3-4 lbs. sugar, 3-4 lemons, 6-8 pieces of fresh cinnamon stick
Peel tomatoes and core stem end. Place peeled tomatoes in a two-gallon stainless steel or enamel coated stock pot. Do not use aluminum.
Start boiling the peeled tomatoes; keep stirring and ladling off the thin tomato juice until what remains is semi-thick. Continue this process until most of the thin liquid is removed. While continuing to stir add sugar equal to 2/3 the volume of the puree; add the lemons after they have been halved and sliced 1/4" thick; add cinnamon stick which has been broken into 1" long by 1/4" wide pieces.
Keep stirring the mixture periodically to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Continue stirring until jam reaches the consistency you desire. Let the mixture cool until it can be placed in sterile jars. After thorough cooling, seal each jar with parafin or process 5 minutes in a boiling water bath.
Susan Belsinger & Carolyn Dille, The Chile Pepper Book:
A Fiesta of Fiery, Flavorful Recipes
(Loveland, CO: Interweave Press), 1994.
Spec / TX803 / .P46 / B45 / 1994
2 onces fleshy dried ancho chiles (about 3 large anchos), 1/2 vanilla bean (split lengthwise), 1 4-inch cinnamon stick, 3 whole cloves, 2 cups half-and-half, 1 cup whipping cream, 1 cup sugar, 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate
Wearing rubber gloves, stem the chiles, cut them in half lengthwise, and remove most of the seeds.
Place the chiles, vanilla bean, cinnamon, and cloves in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the creams and scald over low heat. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture steep for 1 to 2 hours, depending on how pliable the chiles are.
Scrape the flesh from the chile skins whith the back of a knife. Place the chile flesh and about 2/3 cup of the scalded cream in a blender and puree. Return the puree to the scalded cream mixture.
Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the scalded cream mixture. Strain the mixture through a sieve into a clean heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the sugar and chocolate. Cook over low heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves and the chocolate melts.
Transfer the mixture to a stainless steel bowl. Chill thoroughly in the refrigerator overnight or in an ice-water bath.
Pour the mixture into an ice cream freezer and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Diane Morey Sitton, Sunflowers: Growing, Crafting, and Cooking with
the Sunniest of Plants
(Salt Lake City: Gibbs Smith), 1995.
Spec / SB413 / .S88 / S57 / 1995
2/3 cup plain yogurt, 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 2 tsp chives, 2 tsp parsley flakes, 1/2 tsp dry mustard, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp paprika, 1/2 cup sunflower kernels
Blend in food processor until sunflower kernels are chopped. Chill overnight. Serve with crackers, chips, or raw vegetables. Yield: approximately 2 cups
Célestine Eustis, Cooking in Old Créole Days = La Cuisine Créole à l'Usage des Petits Ménages
(New York: Derrydale Press), 1928.
Spec / TX715 / .E88 / 1928
This unusual and fairly early Creole cookbook was printed in an edition of 500 copies.
Delicious for dessert. Served with powdered sugar or wine sauce. Four ounces of flour, two eggs, dessertspoonful of white sugar, pinch of salt, sherry glass or brandy, a good tumbler of sweet milk, a teaspoonful of orange flower water. Beat it all up thoroughly. Drop a spoonful in plenty of very hot lard. Turn them over until they are a golden color. Sprinkle a little powdered sugar over them and serve very hot.
Pennsylvania Dutch Cook Book of Fine Old Recipes
(Reading, PA: L. S. Davidow), 1934.
Spec / TX715 / .P46 / 1934
1 head lettuce, 1 pint dandelion greens, 4 small onions, 1/2 green pepper, 2 medium tomatoes, 2 hard boiled eggs, 1/3 lb. Swiss cheese, Dash cayenne, salt and pepper
Cut lettuce, dandelion, onions, pepper and cheese into small pieces. Add salt, cayenne and black pepper. Mix well. Add 3 Tbsp olive oil and 4 Tbsp vinegar. Mix well, then add finely cut tomatoes and eggs. Mix lightly so tomatoes and eggs will not mash.
Betty Dean, The New Jewish Cook Book of Favorite Recipes
(New York: Hebrew Publishing Company), 1947.
Spec / TX724 / .D4
1 head cabbage, 2 diced apples, 1 grated onion, 5 sliced radishes, 10 diced black olives, Juice 1 lemon, 4 Tbsp salad oil, Salt
Mix all ingredients; add lemon juice, oil, and salt. Serve on lettuce leaves. Garnish with radishes.
Garibaldi Marto Lapolla, Italian Cooking for the American Kitchen
(New York: W. Funk), 1953.
Spec / TX723 / .L3
2 large firm cucumbers, 1/2 cup of Italian dressing, Oregano-use your judgment, 1/2 tsp of minced garlic (can be omitted, but is strongly recommended)
Peel cucumbers. Slice in thin rounds (cucumbers cut lengthwise are attractive, in which case cut into halves, then lengthwise, for greater ease of eating). Chill thoroughly. Arrange tastefully on a platter. Pour over dressing. Lastly, sprinkle with oregano and garlic. Makes 4 servings
Nikolaos K. Tselementes, Greek Cookery
(New York: D. C. Divry), 1956.
Spec / TX725 / .T74 / 1956
1 1/2 lbs. lamb or fillet of veal or lean pork, 2 Tbsp chopped onion, 1 Tbsp oil, 2 Tbsp chopped parsley, 2 small tomatoes, 1 tsp origan leaves, Bay Leaves, Salt and pepper to taste
Cut meat in small pieces the size of walnut. In a bowl mix onion, parsley, salt and pepper. Dip meat in this mixture. Use metal or wooden skewers about 5-6 inches long. Cut tomatoes in quarters and each quarter in two, crosswise. Pass 6-7 pieces of meat on each skewer, alternating with tomatoes and bay leaves. (Tomatoes should be pierced through skinside to prevent falling off skewer.) Broil for about 15 minutes and sprinkle with chopped origan leaves. Serve with the skewers, accompanied by a green salad and garnished with sliced tomatoes. Serve meat while hot as it becomes tough when cold.
Maura Laverty, Feasting Galore: Recipes and Food Lore from Ireland
(New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston), 1961.
Spec / TX717 / .L37
1 raw egg, 1 hard-cooked egg yolk, 1 cup olive oil, 2 Tbsp vinegar, 1/2 tsp dry mustard, 1 tsp salt
Mix seasonings and egg yolks to paste. Gradually add the oil, beating well after each addition. As you come toward the last of the oil, alternate with vinegar.
You can work all kinds of variations into this basic mayonnaise. For instance, a very piquant dressing for serving with meat, fish, chicken, and egg salads may be made by adding a couple tablespoons of finely chopped pickles and 1/2 tablespoon of minced parsley. A few tablespoons of finely chopped crisp celery and/or cucumber is another good addition. Of you might try a tablespoon of minced chives. A tablespoon of sharp grated cheese is good, too.
William Irving Kaufman & Saraswathi Lakshmanan, The Art of India's Cookery
(Garden City, NY: Doubleday), 1964.
Spec / TX724.5 / .I4 / K3
1/2 cup dry powdered milk, 1 cup unsalted farmer cheese, 2 cups sugar (divided), 1/4 cup water, 1 cup finely grated coconut, 1 Tbsp ground cardamom
Combine powdered milk, cheese, and 1/2 cup sugar in mixing bowl. Knead until well blended. Reserve. Combine 1 1/2 cups sugar and water in saucepan. Heat until soft-ball stage. Grind coconut to a paste. Add to sugar. Stir until thickened and it begins to stick to pan. Add milk-and-cheese mixture. Keep stirring until it leaves sides of pan. Turn onto greased paper or pan. Mold into crescent-shaped moons. Sprinkle with cardamom and press in. Dry. Yield: 1 1/2 dozen
Robin Howe, Russian Cooking
(New York: Roy Publishers), 1965.
Spec / TX723.3 / .H6 / 1965
8 large apples, 1/2 cup water, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup raisins, 1 tsp orange rind, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/4 cup finely chopped nuts, 4 cups crumbled dark rye bread, 3 Tbsp salad oil, 1 tsp lemon rind, 1/2 tsp ground cloves, dry bread crumbs, 4 Tbsp tart jelly or jam
Peel and core the apples. Cut them in eighths. Add to the water 1/2 cup of the sugar, the raisins, orange rind, and cinnamon. Simmer the apples with this mixture until just tender. Add the nuts when the apples are tender.
The bread should be at least 1 day old. Crumble and fry it for 5 minutes in 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the lemon rind, cloves, and the rest of the sugar.
Brush the inside of a fireproof casserole with the remaining oil. Dust with fine bread crumbs. Put in 2 cups of the fried bread. Cover with the apples and 1 cup of bread. Spread with jelly or jam. Top with the remaining bread. Bake 1 hour in a medium oven (350°). Serve hot or cold with a pitcher of sweet cream.
Eva Lee Jen, Chinese Cooking in the American Kitchen
(Tokyo: Kodansha International), 1978.
Spec / TX724.5 / .C5 / J46
Virginia Sue Morgan Dawson Collection
1 qt. chicken or pork broth, 1 small bunch watercress or 10-12 fresh spinach leaves (crosswise in half), 1 small package cellophane noodles softened in hot water (drained) or 1 cup cooked egg noodles, 1 large egg (slightly beaten with 1/4 tsp salt), 3/4 tsp salt, 1-2 scallions (chopped), 1/4 tsp black pepper, few drops sesame oil (optional)
Bring broth to a boil. Add watercress or spinach and noodles. Bring soup to another boil. Slowly pour egg mixture into boiling soup, holding egg container about 12 inches above pot. Stir in salt. Remove pot from heat. Gently stir remaining ingredients into soup.
Jessica B. Harris, Iron Pots and Wooden Spoons:
Africa's Gifts to New World Cooking
(New York: Simon & Schuster), 1999.
Spec / TX715 / .H29965 / 1999
9 egg yolks, 2 egg whites (beaten into stiff peaks), 1 pound sugar, 1 1/2 cups water, 3 drops vanilla extract
In a medium-sized bowl, beat the egg yolks vigorously. Then fold in the egg whites. Pour the egg mixture into small muffin molds that have been greased and floured. Put the muffin tins in the oven and cook at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare a sugar syrup of the remaining ingredients by mixing the sugar, water, and vanilla in a heavy saucepan. Heat the mixture over low heat, stirring occasionally until the syrup begins to thicken. When the Beijos de Ango are cooked, unmold, place them in the sugar syrup, and poach them for 15 minutes. Serve the Beijos de Ango in a large glass bowl. Pour a bit of the sugar syrup over each serving. Serves 10
Lois Ellen Frank, Foods of the Southwest Indian Nations:
Traditional & Contemporary Native American Recipes
(Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press), 2002.
Spec / TX715 / .F8354 / 2002
1 1/2 bundles Indian tea (hohoise) leaves and flowers, 3 cups boiling water, 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp aniseed, 2 cups water, 6 star anise (for garnish), 6 Indian tea flowers (for garnish)
Add the bundles of Indian tea to the boiling water and continue to boil for 2 minutes over high heat. Remove from the heat and let steep for 10 minutes, covered. The liquid should turn a dark brown.
Add the cinnamon and sugar and mix well. Pour the liquid through a fine sieve or tea strainer to strain out the leaves and flowers. Set aside.
Mix together the aniseed and 2 cups water and let sit for 5 minutes. Pour through a fine sieve to remove the seeds.
Mix the tea and the anise liquid together. Pour into a shallow baking dish and place in the freezer. Stir the liquid every 30 minutes until it has frozen into grainy ice crystals. The process should take about 2 hours. You can also use an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's directions. Garnish with the star anise and Indian tea flowers. Serves 6 as a dessert
Hans Kizawa and Rina Goto-Nance, Japanese Home Cooking
(New York: Hippocrene Books), 2002.
Spec / TX724.5 / .J3 / K56 / 2002
3 Tbsp soy sauce, 3 Tbsp mirin, 4 (1/4 to 1/2) pound fillets fish (halibut, salmon, tuna, etc.) or chicken or turkey breast, flour, 2 Tbsp vegetable oil, 12 to 20 okra
In a large bowl, mix soy sauce and mirin. Marinate fillets in this teriyaki sauce for 30 minutes to overnight. Wipe the surface of fillets lightly and sprinkle flour on both sides. In a skillet, heat oil and brown both sides of fillets at high temperature. Turn down the heat to medium-low and add the rest of the teriyaki sauce. Shake the skillet to mix the fillets with the sauce. Add okra and cook until meat and okra are done. Yield: 4 servings
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